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Education FAQs & Policies

FAQs

MAAO offers the following 30-hour courses:

  • Assessment Administration
  • Assessment Laws and Procedures 
  • Basic Appraisal Principles (NSCAI)
  • Basic Appraisal Procedures (NSCAI)
  • Basic Income Approach
  • Income Approach to Valuation (IAAO 102)
  • Income Approach to Valuation II (IAAO 112)
  • LEAD (Leadership Education for Assessor Development)
  • Mass Appraisal Basics

 

Please refer to the Annual Course Cycle to see when each course is anticipated to be offered in future years. You can also view and register for currently available courses. The location and number of offerings for each course may vary based on need.

These courses are 28 hours in length, plus a 2-hour exam, and have been approved for a total of 30 hours of continuing education by the Minnesota State Board of Assessors.

The course schedule and registration are posted in November prior to the next year’s offerings. A registration link will be available when registration is open, and notice will be sent to members via email. Registration is available on the website, and instructions are included. Payment, cancellation, refund information, course schedules, course requirements, and lodging information are also available on the webpage for each course. View and register for current courses here.

Exam results will be sent to students via email at the email address provided on the registration form within 30 days of the final examination. Results are provided directly to the student only and will not be given over the phone. Please do not contact the instructor for exam results.

Results are reported as pass/fail only; individual exam scores are not provided. A minimum score of 70% is required to pass most exams. The passing score for the 15-hour USPAP exam may vary from year to year.

For IAAO courses, results are emailed from IAAO, typically within four to six weeks. Results for Appraisal Institute co-sponsored courses are emailed directly from the Appraisal Institute.

A student is allowed to retest the final exam once. The student should arrange a retest time with an approved MAAO proctor and complete the online form to register and pay for the retest. The retest must be taken within 1 year of the course, although MAAO strongly recommends retests be taken within 90 days of the course. Learn more about retesting here.

For IAAO reexams, an application for the special examination (retest) is included with the exam results.

Yes. You may challenge the final exam for eligible week-long courses and 2-day electives, with the exception of Assessment Laws and Procedures (ALP) with Ethics, Assessment Administration, and USPAP courses. Course materials are available for purchase to help prepare for the exam.

No continuing education hours are awarded for course challenges. If a student fails the course challenge, he/she must attend the course to receive credit for the course.

Learn more about Course Challenges here.

The current list of MAAO Proctors can be found here (you must be signed in to your member account to view).

Questions or comments about courses should be referred to the MAAO Education Coordinators at educationcoordinator@mnmaao.org.

The MN State Board of Assessors website provides information about the different levels of licensure and the requirements for each level of licensure. A visual course map can be viewed here.

MAAO does provide a limited number of scholarships for the week-long courses. Eligible courses are: Assessment Laws and Procedures; Basic Appraisal Principles; Basic Appraisal Procedures; and Mass Appraisal Basics. Information and scholarship applications are available here.

Students are responsible for maintaining their own educational records, including exam results. Each student of an MAAO course will receive a letter documenting their hours of attendance and exam results. It is each student’s responsibility to submit this documentation of course attendance and exam results to the Assessor Licensing System.

The first step you will take is to check the board-approved continuing education course list on the Minnesota State Board of Assessors website to see if the course/seminar has already been approved. If the course/seminar you attended is on the board-approved list, upload the completion certificate to your education records on the Assessor Licensing System.

If the course/seminar you attended or want to attend is not on the approved course list, you will need to complete the Request Form and submit it to the Minnesota State Board of Assessors for approval. If you have questions, contact Nicole Halling via email at assessors.board@state.mn.us or via phone at (651) 556-6086.

This course is offered through Kaplan Schools (www.Kapre.com), the Appraisal Institute (www.AppraisalInstitute.org) and McKissock Education (www.Mckissock.com)

MAAO does not offer any online courses at this time.

The Appraisal Institute (www.appraisalinstitute.org) offers 30 hours of online education for Basic Appraisal Principles, Basic Appraisal Procedures, and the 15-Hour USPAP course, as well as other 30-hour courses that could be used as State Board electives.

McKissock Education (www.mckissock.com) also offers online courses. These courses must be pre-approved by the State Board. These courses also require a proctored offline exam to meet MN State Board of Assessor requirements.

Please refer to the Certified Minnesota Assessor (CMA) page located on the Minnesota State Board of Assessors website. The CMA page contains the CMA requirements document, a link to the Assessor Licensing System, and details about what duties and requirements apply to the CMA license. The board’s policy document addresses assessment experience; this document can be found in the Related Information section on every home page on the website. Once all of the requirements are met, an application to the State Board of Assessors with payment is required.

Policies

  1. Attendance. Per the MN State Board of Assessors’ policy for continuing education credit, continuing education credit will be based upon the verified daily roster.
  2. Classroom behavior. MAAO promotes professional development. Any behavior that interferes with the instruction of the course or the ability of other students to learn the course materials will not be tolerated. Unprofessional behavior may result in the immediate dismissal of a student by the instructor, and no refund will be provided. Participants should come to class prepared to participate in lectures, work problems and reviews, read all suggested materials, and complete assigned homework.
  3. Cancellation. Cancellation requests received prior to 8:00 a.m., 5 business days prior to the start of the course, will be issued a refund, less a $30 administration fee. Cancellations requests received after this time or registrants who fail to attend the course are responsible for the entire fee. If a registrant is unable to attend the event, a substitute from the jurisdiction that paid the registration fee can attend at no additional charge. Please send a written notification of this change 5 business days prior to the start of the course. Transfer and cancellation requests should be sent to educationcoordinator@mnmaao.org. A partial refund may be issued due to special circumstances reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the MAAO President and Education Coordinator; documentation will be required. Although it is not the policy of MAAO to cancel a course or seminar, MAAO reserves the right to do so and provide a full refund if the minimum enrollment level is not reached. Refunds will be issued within 30 days of the date of the course or conference.
  4. Final Examination Results. MAAO will provide written notification of the results of the final examination to the student at the email address indicated on the registration form within 30 days of the final examination. The student will receive a pass or fail notification. Seventy percent is the minimum passing score, except for the 15-Hour USPAP exam, which changes every year.
  5. Retesting. MAAO policy allows a student to retest any MAAO-sponsored course one time only if he/she fails the final exam during the course. Retests must be completed within one calendar year of the course, but we highly recommend testing within 90 days of the course. The retest fee is $50 payable to MAAO. An approved MAAO proctor, listed on MAAO’s website, must be used to proctor the exam. Any MAAO co-sponsored course that is presented with another entity, i.e., IAAO, ASFMRA, Appraisal Institute, would have to meet their requirements and policies for retesting. Do NOT contact the instructor for examination or retest information. Information about the retest process will be sent with each failure notice.
  6. Data Privacy. MAAO will hold in confidence private information provided by the student as well as examination results, unless a student signs an “Authorization to Release” form provided. All requests for information should be made to the MAAO Education Coordinator, not to the instructor.
  7. Registration Information. Participants are required to complete a Registration Form and submit the appropriate fees prior to the start of a course, as directed on the form. All fees include Minnesota sales tax as required.
  8. Confirmations. Confirmation of registrations will be provided prior to the start of a course.
  9. MAAO Scholarships. MAAO annually offers a limited number of scholarships to cover the registration fee. Please see the MAAO scholarship page on the website for information and applications.

If you have questions or comments, please contact MAAO Education Coordinator at educationcoordinator@mnmaao.org.