Certified Community Action Professional Program (CCAP)

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CCAP

• Certified Community Action Professional Program
  (CCAP)

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• THE EXECUTIVE SKILLS PORTFOLIO (ESP)

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• THE ESP HAS TWO SECTIONS
• 1. A Sample of work showing how you have applied
  management and leadership skills, as well as, the
  vision and values of Community Action in your
  work setting.
• 2. Four essays in which you relate your work to
  the Body of Knowledge outline

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• THE ESP is
• Evaluated and scored to earn you up to 500
  points toward the 700 you need to qualify to
  take the CCAP examination
• Due 3rd Wednesday of February

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• ESP Details (the Work Sample)
• 1. Must be your own work
• 2. The work must have been done within three
  years of the date of your application.
• 3. Must demonstrate your management choices
  (planning, organizing, directing evaluating)

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• 4. Attached to the work sample you submit,
  there must be no more than three typed double
  spaced pages providing the following information
• a. The exact purpose or goals of the work.
• b. A description of your role in producing the
  work.
• c. The budget for the work, if applicable.
• d. Any documents coming from the work which show
  results, such as statistical reports, letters,
  newspaper articles and the like.

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• The Four Essays
• (750 words maximum for each)
• ESSAY 1 Traditional Management Skills Explain
  how the work sample shows that you understand and
  can use traditional management practices in the
  specific areas of planning, organizing, directing
  and evaluating.

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• ESSAY 2 Positive Leadership skills has two
  parts
• 1. How has that style helped you as a leader in
  an organization?
• 2. How has that style limited your role as a
  leader in an organization? Or How could that
  style limit your role as a leader in an
  organization.

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• ESSAY 3 Explain how the work sample shows that
  you understand, and have used, the vision and
  values of community action.

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• ESSAY 4 Demonstrate how your work sample
  contributes to your agencys attainment, or
  enhancement, of one of the Partnerships
  standards of excellence, or how it has the
  capacity to contribute to that standard.
• (find standards on the Partnership website)

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• GUIDANCE ABOUT YOUR SUBMISSION
• Make sure that you refer to specific pages in
  your work sample when you answer questions about
  it.
• If the evaluator cannot determine what you did
  (either by yourself, or doing your part in the
  team's effort) your work sample will be
  disqualified.
• If the evaluator cannot determine that the work
  was done within the required three year limit
  your work will be disqualified.

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• ESP FORMAT
• FIRST The descriptive materials
• 1. The purpose of the work
• 2. Your role in the work
• 3. The budget (if any)
• 4. Any documents or reports on results
• THEN The document which describes the work
• FINALLY The four essays

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CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION

• Candidates are eligible to take the CCAP
  examination when they have accumulated 700 points
  on the CDF and ESP combined.

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• Administered on the 3rd Wednesday of June
• Composed of questions written and tested by
  Community Action leaders in the field
• Mostly objective (multiple choice, T/F etc.
• Some essays in which candidate is asked to apply
  management and leadership skills to make choices.
• In sum, it is based more on application of
  knowledge than memorization of facts

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• Give in two sections totals four hours
• Scored by CCAP Commission late June
• Based on the 5 sections of the Body of Knowledge
  Outline

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• Section One of the Exam (1.5 hours)
• A History of Community Action
• B Vision and Values of Community Action
• C. Traditional Management Skills
• Section Two of the Exam (2.5 hours)
• D 21st Century Leadership Skills
• E Theories of Poverty
• New Hope Case Study Questions

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• PASSING SCORE
• 700 out of a possible 1000 points

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• Candidates informed about whether they have
  qualified once there is a CDF on file and their
  ESP has been scored (No scores are given to
  candidates for CDF alone)

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• PREPARATION FOR THE EXAMINATION
• A study guide is developed early each year. The
  guide contains the sources used for all the
  questions on the examination and is set up to
  correlate to the Body of Knowledge Outline.
  Anyone who has a CDF on file receives the outline
  in late January each year.

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• Will there be help for me if I choose to become a
  candidate?
• Yes, a CCAP can be appointed to be your mentor
  who can
• Assist you with your Candidate Data Form.
• Help you prepare your Executive Skills Portfolio
• Provide guidance in preparing for the exam
• CCAP moderated Candidate groups can be set up.
  Contact the CCAP office about this option.

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• Some helpful reminders
• Candidacy lasts for three years, About half of
  candidates complete it in the first year. Many
  take the full three years to build points. And
  you can retake the exam if necessary
• The program is designed to provide opportunities
  for persons who have come up through the ranks
  as well as those who are new to Community Action.
• There is help
• All the forms you need are on the Partnership
  website.
• A mentor can be assigned to work with you.
• There is a study guide for the examination

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• Pay certification fee (see Partnership website
  for options and details)
• Three letters of reference
• Sign the Community Action Code of Ethics

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• DOES CCAP BELONG
• AT THE END OF YOUR NAME?

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CCAP class of 2008