In 2018, the CAA completed 58 accreditation application reviews of graduate academic programs (19 clinical doctoral programs in audiology, 39 master’s programs in speech-language pathology), including reviews of applications for candidacy. Additionally, the CAA reviewed two annual reports referred for probation, one substantive change request, and four end-of-probation reports.
The CAA also reviewed annual reports from 243 graduate academic programs (53 clinical doctoral programs in audiology, 190 master’s programs in speech-language pathology).
Accreditation Decisions
The CAA’s 2018 accreditation reviews resulted in the following accreditation decisions:
- 46 programs were re-accredited for an 8-year cycle
- Four programs were awarded initial accreditation for a 5-year cycle
- Eight programs were awarded candidacy
- Two programs were placed on probation as a result of an annual report review
- Two programs were removed from probation and accreditation was continued
- Two programs were continued on probation
- One substantive change request was approved
- 243 programs were approved for continued accreditation on the basis of an annual report review
Accreditation status decisions (e.g., award accreditation, place on probation) are made public in accordance with the CAA’s Public Notice of Accreditation Actions policy. CAA’s policy and descriptions of those decisions can be found in the Accreditation Handbook [PDF]—Chapter XII: Informing the Public.
Most Frequently Cited Standards
Initial and Continued Accreditation Application Reviews
The areas (2017 standards) the CAA most frequently cited for program noncompliance or partial compliance in 2018 as the result of initial and re-accreditation application reviews included the following:
- Current, accurate, and readily available public information about the program and/or institution, including accurate student outcome measures, accreditation statement, and other program information (Standard 1.9)
- Number and composition of program faculty are sufficient to meet program mission (Standard 2.1)
- Number, composition, and workload of full-time program faculty are sufficient to allow them to meet expectations with regard to teaching, research, and service of the sponsoring institution, specifically in regards to time for scholarly activities (Standard 2.2)
- Faculty members are qualified and competent by virtue of their education, experience, and professional credentials to provide academic and clinical education, specifically the majority of academic content is taught by doctoral faculty who hold the appropriate terminal academic degree (PhD, EdD) (Standard 2.3)
- The program administers regular and ongoing assessment protocols to evaluate the quality of the program and to facilitate continuous quality improvement, specifically collects data from multiple sources to do so (Standard 5.3)
- The program uses the results of its ongoing programmatic assessments for continuous quality improvement and evaluates the improvements (Standard 5.4)
Of note, there were 19 graduate academic programs that received no citations (e.g., no areas of noncompliance, no areas of partial compliance, and no areas for follow-up) as a result of their initial or re-accreditation application reviews in 2018.
Annual Report Reviews
The areas (2017 standards) the CAA most frequently cited for program noncompliance or partial compliance in 2018 as the result of annual report reviews included the following:
- The program develops and implements a long-term strategic plan (Standard 1.5)
- The program provides information about the program and the institution to students and to the public that is current, accurate, and readily available, including accurate student outcome measures and accreditation statement (Standard 1.9)*
- Number and composition of program faculty are sufficient to meet program mission (Standard 2.1)
- Curriculum prepares students for scope of practice in speech-language pathology; opportunity for acquisition of knowledge and skills in speech-language pathology, including professional practice competencies (Standard 3.1B)
- The institution provides adequate financial support to the program so that it can achieve its stated mission and goals (Standard 6.1)
*Similar to 2016 and 2017, almost half of the programs submitting annual reports for CAA review in 2018 were cited for partial or noncompliance under Standard 1.9. Further, of the citations for partial and noncompliance under Standard 1.9, many were for “inaccuracy of accreditation statement” (e.g., not using the CAA-specified language and components). However, the majority or bulk of citations under this standard were for “incomplete and inaccurate student achievement data” (e.g., missing the most recently completed academic year’s data or mislabeled on the program website).
Of note, there were 115 graduate academic programs that received no citations (e.g., no areas of noncompliance, no areas of partial compliance, and no areas for follow-up) as a result of their annual report reviews in 2018.