March 30, 2021
The CAA requires programs to make available to students and to the public information about the program and institution that is current, accurate, and readily available (2017 Standard 1.9). Programs have the authority to determine which mechanisms the CAA uses to convey information. Although the CAA is very specific in its expectations, this standard continues to be one of the most frequently cited standards.
The CAA requires programs to post two elements on their website:
The CAA requires programs, through its Public Notice of Accreditation Status policy, to post a complete and accurate accreditation status statement on their website. The CAA required programs to post to its website an accreditation statement in 2013. However, as of January 1, 2017, programs must use the specific language provided in the CAA’s policy on Public Notice of Accreditation Status. The CAA further clarified this expectation in revised language that went into effect on August 1, 2020.
The statement, as outlined in the policy in the Accreditation Handbook (Chapter XII), must include the specific degree program holding the accreditation status (degree title and designator) and the full name, address, and phone number of the accrediting agency: Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. All of these elements are essential to ensure that the program presents clear, accurate information to the public. The program should indicate the degree title and the degree designator or abbreviation in the statement, as well as the wording “education program”—for example, “The Master of Science (MS) education program” or “The Doctor of Audiology (AuD) education program,” with the appropriate status statement. Additional references to the program’s accreditation status on the website must be accurate but need not include all components of the accreditation statement.
Statements that claim, for example, that the “department” is accredited by the CAA are not accurate because CAA accredits specific graduate programs that prepare individuals to enter professional practice in audiology and/or speech-language pathology. In this scenario, an individual who is researching programs could erroneously conclude that the undergraduate program or the PhD program offered in the department is included in the CAA accreditation. The degree designator is also critical to include because some institutions offer other non-CAA-accredited programs in audiology, speech-language pathology, or speech, language, and hearing sciences (e.g., BS, SLPD, PhD).
CAA’s Standard 1.9 (2017) specifically requires programs to publish on their website summary data for the past 3 academic years for the 3 required student achievement measures (program completion rate, Praxis examination pass rate, and employment rate). Although the CAA has required its programs to make these data available to the public since 2008, as of January 1, 2013, it specifically requires publication to a program’s website to ensure the visibility and accessibility of these data. Data are to be presented separately for each profession and each approved delivery mode, if applicable.
Programs should present this information as follows:
The CAA is applying these conditions to ensure that student achievement data are easily and readily accessible from the accredited graduate program’s website, as well as being clearly visible to the public—for prospective students, parents, and other interested parties. Consistent labeling across programs’ websites also helps foster public awareness, use, and understanding of these data. The CAA expects programs to update these data at least annually to reflect the most current student achievement information about the graduate programs.
As a recognized accrediting agency by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, the CAA is required to ensure that student achievement data and other program information are transparent, consistent, and accessible to the public.