Texas appraisal board hears detailed pitch for state practicum pathway, asks staff for needs analysis

Melissa Bond, the creator of the Mississippi practicum, told the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board on May 16 that a state‑approved practicum can produce appraisers who pass the national licensing exam on their first try while delivering extensive on‑the‑ground experience focused on USPAP and report development.

Bond described the program as a hybrid of supervised practice and coursework that emphasizes problem identification, scope of work, market analysis and the three approaches to value. "This practicum begins with understanding USPAP," she said, adding that her cohorts spend up to 30 hours a week and can complete the 1,000 hours required for licensure in roughly 7½ months for a cohort of about 20 students. Bond said tuition is paid by individual students and that her program has been approved in several other states.

Director Tran and staff presented a proposed checklist and front‑end review process for Texas that would mirror the existing continuing‑education provider application method. The checklist would require course content review, review of practicum assignments and experience logs, instructor‑qualification standards, and provider policies on attendance and records so that the board would review provider materials up front rather than auditing experience files at licensure.

Board members praised the concept as a way to reduce barriers to entry—particularly in rural counties with few or no appraisers—but expressed concerns about staff resources, quality control and whether newly licensed appraisers would find work on AMC panels or in mortgage lending. Chair Oates asked staff to assemble a needs analysis that would include surveying AMCs about whether licensed residential appraisers would fill local gaps, identifying counties with low appraiser density, and estimating the staffing and fiscal resources needed to administer approvals.

General counsel outlined companion rule changes (22 TAC chapters referenced in board materials) necessary to accept practicums as an experience pathway; staff recommended presenting those amendments for publication in the Texas Register alongside a formal approval process. The board did not authorize immediate statewide approval; instead members agreed to continue information gathering and to revisit the item in committee and at future meetings.

The board said it wants to ensure any approved practice serves Texas needs and maintains high quality standards for consumer protection. The education committee and staff will return with a needs analysis, potential provider criteria, resource estimates and examples of how other states reviewed practicum providers.

The next procedural step is for staff to gather the requested data and for the education committee to consider the findings before the board decides whether to direct staff to prepare a formal approval process and associated rule proposals.