By Dave Gregory, Director of Education and Professional Development
This season, members working toward Alpine or Snowboard Level 3 have more choice in their Professional Development Pathway. These are the required courses many of us have traditionally called “prereqs.” The Professional Development Pathway builds on that familiar pathway, with more options to connect your learning to your work and personal interests.
In past seasons, Children’s Specialist 2 (CS2) was required. Members can now choose CS2, Freestyle Specialist 1 or higher (FS1+), or a certification in another discipline. This gives you the opportunity to choose a direction that best fits your work, your interests, and the instructor you want to become.
This choice fulfills one part of your Professional Development Pathway. The 300-level event is still required. Members must also pass the professional knowledge exam and successfully complete the technical/movement analysis, teaching, and skiing or riding assessments to earn Level 3 certification.
This change is part of our National Alignment project, which will be fully rolled out across regions for Alpine and Snowboard in the 2027–28 season. Other disciplines will follow as their alignment work is completed.
Why make this change? Our members teach in different environments, work with different guests, and have different professional goals. The education that is most relevant to one instructor may look different from what another instructor needs. We want the pathway to recognize those differences and encourage meaningful development.
If much of your work is with children, CS2 offers an opportunity to deepen your understanding of how children learn and how to create effective learning experiences. If freestyle is part of your teaching or an area you want to explore, FS1 or higher can help you develop those skills. Pursuing certification in another discipline broadens your perspective and can expand how you contribute to your school. Each option offers something valuable to bring back to your lessons.
This approach reflects themes in the PSIA-AASI national education alignment framework: connecting professional development to the work instructors do, recognizing both specialist expertise and versatility, and supporting learning throughout a career. Growth comes from developing depth in an area you know well and from exploring something new.
As you plan your next steps, consider where you spend your teaching time, what you want to learn, and where you would like your career to go. Which option will help you better serve your guests? Which one gets you excited to keep learning?
Our goal is to give you choices that make your professional development useful and personally meaningful. We look forward to seeing how you use those opportunities in your teaching and continued growth.
Ready to plan your next steps? Explore the Alpine Level 3 pathway or Snowboard Level 3 pathway and choose the professional development option that best fits your work, interests, and goals.