Home / Reporting / Standards for Accreditation

Standards for Accreditation

Accreditation Handbook—Chapter XIV: Standards Development and Implementation

The CAA has adopted Standards for Accreditation as necessary conditions for accreditation of eligible graduate education programs. Compliance with all standards represents the minimum requirement for accreditation, regardless of mode of delivery, including distance education. All CAA reviews and decisions, including candidacy, are based on the program’s compliance with the CAA’s Standards for Accreditation.

The CAA implemented revised Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Education Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology on August 1, 2017.

CAA Approves Changes to Faculty Standards 2.1 and 2.2

Effective Date: April 1, 2019

At its November 2018 meeting, the CAA voted to approve changes to Standards 2.1 and 2.2 after considering feedback provided during the Fall 2018 proposed standards changes peer review. The changes will be effective April 2019.

The updated language for these Standards is as follows:

  • 2.1 The number and composition of the program faculty (academic doctoral, clinical doctoral, other) are sufficient to deliver a program of study that
    • 2.1.1 allows students to acquire the knowledge and skills required in Standard 3,
    • 2.1.2 allows students to acquire the scientific and research fundamentals of the discipline,
    • 2.1.3 allows students to meet the program’s established goals and objectives,
    • 2.1.4 meets the expectations set forth in the program’s mission and goals,
    • 2.1.5 is offered on a regular basis so that it will allow the students to complete the program within the published time frame.

  • 2.2 The number, composition, and workload of all full-time faculty who have responsibility in the graduate program are sufficient to allow them to meet expectations with regard to teaching, research, and service of the sponsoring institution.

The CAA believes the changes for Standards 2.1 and 2.2 clarify expectations for assessing faculty sufficiency for the overall program as well as to meet institutional expectations for service. Additional rationale for the approved changes is presented in the January 2019 side-by-side document.

The CAA is not asking programs for any new or additional information to document compliance with these changes. For programs that are scheduled to have a site visit in Spring 2019, the updated standards language will be reflected in the site visit report. For programs submitting an annual report or application for the August 2019 submission cycle, the standards language will be up-to-date in the system when that opens in April 2019. All Accreditation Action Reports (AARs) written after April 1 that cite Standard 2.1 or Standard 2.2 will reflect the approved language.

Resources

Standards Review Processes

As a recognized accrediting agency by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the CAA is required to conduct a comprehensive review of its standards on a periodic basis, and does so every 5 to 8 years. The CAA also may conduct an interim review on an as-needed basis to provide clarification or to ensure continued compliance with recognition criteria.