Pilates Industry Standards
There are only 26 PMA certified Instructors in the State of MA!
The ONLY Pilates Credential for the Pilates Profession!
What is your Pilates Instructor’s level of education? Most instructors in the US are not comprehensively trained. Comprehensively trained instructors teach Pilates the way Joseph Pilates designed his education. If you learn the
Pilates has grown dramatically in the past several decades. When I started teaching in Boston, people would call and say “I am interested in your PLATES or PILOTS classes.”
Since then, the Pilates industry has undergone many changes. Both good and bad. The term certification has gone through many iterations in the past 25 years. Back then “Pilates certification” wasn’t even a thought. In the 90′s many “certification” tribes formed.
From the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA):
The PMA was formed in 2001, and is both:
- A Professional Association, created to support and unite the Pilates community. Its mission is to foster community, integrity, and respect for diversity; establish certification and continuing education standards; and promote the Pilates method of exercise.
and
- A Certifying Agency, that has established the only third party, legally defensible, comprehensive competency exam for Pilates teachers. The PMA is committed to establishing professional standards and promoting continuing education for Pilates teachers.
Yes, as certification represents a credential, the PMA is a credentialing agency.
The PMA administers a professional certification exam, resulting in a professional credential. PMA certification demonstrates to the public, as well as to others in the profession, that a teacher meets an established standard of competence and safety.
“Certification” (associated terms/concepts: “credential”, “third-party certification exam”)Certification is a voluntary process by which individuals are assessed against predetermined standards for knowledge/skills/competencies and granted a time-limited credential. The primary activity in certification is assessment, and the assessment process is independent of a specific course of study or any education/course/curriculum provider.Continuing education is always required to maintain a professional certification in good standing.”Assessment-based certificate program” (associated terms/concepts: “teacher training”, “school”, “education program”, “syllabus leading to an exam based on that syllabus”, “vocational training”)An assessment-based certificate program is a relatively short, non-degree granting program that provides instruction and training to aid participants in acquiring knowledge/skills/competencies and designates that participants have passed an end-of-program assessment derived from the learning/course objectives. Although assessment is an integral part of the certificate program, the primary purpose of the program is to provide instruction and training.Continuing education is never required to maintain a “certificate” or “diploma” which is the result of the teacher training.