Update on CPE Standards

Enforcement Newsletter

February 2016

On October 1, 2015, the public comment period on the proposed revisions to the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards) closed. Fifty-one (51) comment letters were submitted from various sources including individual practitioners, CPA firms, CPE vendors, state boards and state societies.

The areas of significant comment have been related to the two new instructional delivery methods – nano-learning and blended learning. Comments have been favorable and unfavorable related to the new delivery methods and clarifications have been recommended for both. Some of the other areas of comments include program evaluations, CPE credit for technical reviewers, content purchased from another entity, the application of the word count formula in determining CPE credit for self study, changes to the terminology of group Internet based delivery methods and the rebroadcast of a recorded group Internet based program.

All submitted comments were vetted first by the CPE Standards Working Group in November 2015. The Working Group submitted its recommendation to NASBA’s CPE Committee for consideration in December 2015. The recommendation was approved by NASBA’s CPE Committee with minor revisions and was moved to the Joint AICPA/NASBA CPE Standards Committee where it was approved with one revision in early January 2016.

Due to the significance of the areas of comment, the respective AICPA and NASBA Boards of Directors approved the recommendation to re-expose the proposed revisions to the Standards at their meetings in late January 2016.

The current timeline would extend the public comment period through April 30, 2016. Final approval would be sought from the AICPA and NASBA Boards at their respective July  and August 2016 meetings, with an anticipated effective date to the Standards of September 1, 2016.