Little Thoughts For Little Ones Publishing, Inc.

*** *** ***
8:PM (hours ago)
** *** ***
Dear ***,
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Below is my response to a recent claim made against my company, North Coast Inline, Incdba Inline Certification Program
The Inline Certification Program (ICP) (formally Instructor Certification Program) was originally one of the safety programs developed in by the International Inline Skating Association (IISA) www.iisa.org a trade association of inline skating related manufacturers Since the program has certified over people around the world facilitating the grow and development of safe and effective inline skating instruction world-wide.
The IISA’s policy was to out manage the ICP to various skating businesses and from 1998-2004, the ICP was out managed to North Coast Inline, IncDuring those years the level of programming declined in North America but began to rise in Europe and Asia However, in due to the decline in inline skating in North America and the fact that the IISA was primarily made up of US skate related manufacturers, the IISA disbanded and upon request, all intellectual property of the ICP was formally transferred from the IISA to North Coast Inline, Inc
The ICP Level program is based on a fixed day format Each facilitator or examiner has achieved a minimum of Level certification status, is interviewed by multiple program affiliates and thoroughly trained through our rigorous Apprentice Examiner Program to deliver the program in the same manner world-wide expecting the same passing criteria While there is always going to be subjectivity when evaluating something as subjective as “ability” we believe our examiners do their best to be objective during the evaluation process and not allow personal bias to cloud the decision making process While our program is comparatively very small, there is not another internationally recognized program of its kind in the world and its reputation of program content and high passing standards are what sets it apart from much larger local and national programs
During my involvement with the ICP, first as an examiner in and then as the director (1998-2004, 2010- present) we have had very few complaints involving the credibility or integrity of our program or that of our examiners who conduct it The examiner in question for the *** ** program, for which this complaint has been lodged, has been examining since and has certified hundreds in the ** and throughout Europe She is one of the most respected instructors and leaders in the inline industry and during her time as examiner for the ICP, we have never received any complaints from candidates questioning her integrity, ethics or professionalism
Our Level program has an average pass rate of about 80% In the past few months we have had programs where 100% passed, and courses where only 60% passed the course The course where this complaint has been lodged there was candidates, passed completed with passing standards, giving this course a 75% pass rate overall To encourage eventual success for all candidates we offer each non-passing candidate the option of retesting with an individual examiner, at a future course, or via video, for an additional retest fee
The program candidate who has lodged this complaint with the Revdex.com failed both the skating and teaching part of the course which is out of the components the third being the written theory test He was immediately given a retest on site for the teaching component (something that is not our regular policy) and again received a “not passing” score His skating skills were not at passing standards and according to the examiner, he was also given multiple attempts at achieving passing marks for this portion as well.
This individual originally contacted our office after the course because he felt that he was not fairly treated during the testing portion and requested a full refund for the course It was also noted in the program report that this individual was belligerent upon finding out that he failed and the examiner was actually afraid that this individual would physically assault her
While, it is not our policy to offer refunds for those who complete the entire course, given the subjective nature of the issue and wanting to honor the program candidates dissatisfaction, we offered the following:
A video retest at no charge where he would send in video of the portions of the course that did not meet ICP passing standards These videos would then be reviewed and scored by independent examiners to ensure that the results are unbiased
To take the entire program at no charge at a future location of his choice with a different examiner
He declined the above
Through the years I have personally examined hundreds of passing and non-passing candidates in countries around the world Good skating does not always equate to good teaching and I have seen good teachers fail because they would not be credible to their students based on their skating skill levelThis particular program candidate did not meet the passing requirements for out of the portions of the exam, the skating AND teaching, which make up the bulk of the course componentsTo maintain the credibility of the program, and for all those candidates who have achieved program standards, we do not pass candidates who do not meet passing criteria
With over people around the world having completed the Level program since 1991, I believe that our evaluation process is valid, reliable and above all ethical or we would have been forced to discontinue our efforts long agoI also believe that this program candidate was offered multiple solutions, which could have brought about a win-win situation for all However, due to personal expectations of his that were not met, he has instead resorted to questioning the professionalism of the entire program The longevity and positive history of our program are proof that his claims have no merit
Please let me know if you have any more questions regarding this claim I can be reached at ***
Thank you for your time
Sincerely,
*** ***

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[redacted],
[redacted] claims that the ICP is a highly
skilled, successful and ethically run organization. From my experience this is
not really true. They have a handful of affiliated schools, a touch over 200
active instructors and only 700 likes on Facebook. If they were honest about
the multiple conflicts of interest that are present within the organization I
doubt anyone other than employees of the affiliated schools would attend their
courses.
When I paid my $350 to attend the ICP
Level 1 Instructor Course I expected to be treated equally and judged subjectively
and impartially but this did not happen. [redacted] picked on me the whole course
from the moment she found out I lived closed to [redacted] where she runs her
business(which I believe is her main source of income) and skated there
regularly and could possibly start my own skate school. Also there was another
student that [redacted] had plans to teach in her business. If anyone was
behaving belligerently as [redacted] claims I was it was [redacted] during the
course. To suggest I acted in a way as to make [redacted] fearful for her safety
is just desperately clutching at straws I believe in order to deflect away from
the real issues here being the multiple conflicts of interest which possibly
run throughout the ICP and affiliated schools. I was upset and without raising
my voice told [redacted] I would complain to the ICP and that the most
unforgivable aspect of the weekend was her ignoring me during my skating exam.
She started arguing defensively and saying things I did not view as logical.
She refused to show me her marking sheets to explain how she came to the 78.5%
mark when 80% was the pass. It instantly became apparent continuing to discuss
the matter with her was pointless. Especially after she had happily passed
another student who could barely speak English (let alone write it), cheated
throughout the written exam and was wearing a pair of cheap hire skates that
had a very obvious negative effect on her skating. When I mentioned this to her
response was “[redacted] is a speed skater” as if insinuated that she passed her
based on how good she thought she might be not how good she performed(objectively)
as how she should have acted. It was clear to me that much of her scoring was
made up and not subjective. She pushed me for more details of my gripes with
the course and I told her that she would be able to read it all in my complaint
that I would submit to the ICP(still thinking the ICP was impartial) and walked
away. I went straight home and typed it up and submitted it the following morning.
I have attached details to the email discussion
I have had with [redacted] concerning recovery of my fee. She offered a skating
and teaching video retest but for the skating I would not have the guidance of
an ICP instructor as the others had and time has passed since the course. For
the teaching exam I would have similar issues but also would have to recruit
strangers in the park for a role play lesson but am not certified or insured.
The other option presented to me was traveling to [redacted] or [redacted] to
complete the course again but that would cost me the course fee again in
flights and hotel so not an option.
The elements of the skating test were
very basic and I think [redacted] should have been able to instruct a skater of
my level to demo them the way she liked with the course but whatever I did was
never good enough.
I did find the documented course
material to be lacking as to the quality I would expect of an international
sports body.
 
I did also find that the techniques
certain elements were taught such as parallel turns(aka glide turn, hockey turn)
where done in a manner dangerous to the skater and people around them as [redacted] made people perform turns looking perpendicular to the direction of travel.
 
I would have also been the only student
to pass the written exam if [redacted] was doing what she had been paid to do and
properly supervise the exam to prevent cheating but she appeared more concerned
with her ICP complimentary food and drink.
 
After my experience with the ICP I feel
cheated and humiliated and understandably don’t want anything to do with them. I
have found a different organization running a similar priced course and would
like to attend that instead.
 
The course was going to run without me
with just three students anyway and I really don’t see after the treatment I
received and the obvious conflict of interests within the ICP why [redacted]
running what should be a non-profit organization won’t refund me my money.
Regards,
[redacted]