Updates from the Accreditation Commission

Written by Katy Wilcox, Accreditation Commission Chair

Happy Fall! As the leaves change colors and we enter a new season, I am pleased to share an update on the work of the Accreditation Commission. As I prepare to conclude my term at the end of December, I am quite proud of the work that the Commission has done during these two years full of change and want to say thank you to the Commissioners for their tireless and faithful work. I also have much gratitude for the three-person review teams led by a National Site Team Chair, NSTC, to complete 114 site visits during this term. I am also grateful to Amy Seat, and excited to be passing the torch of leadership to Amy, who accepted the chair-elect role in May.

As you know, we have been actively engaging the feedback from the US Department of Education since our last review. Since that review, which highlighted several areas that we needed to address to maintain our recognition as the only accreditor specializing in CPE programs, we have been hard at work to address these areas. As a Commission, we appreciate the energy and efforts that everyone has put into their programs to implement these changes. It’s been hard on us all. Thank you for your perseverance.

In September, we submitted our last compliance report that we believe addresses the remaining issues. As a result of some of the items, there are some new policies and procedures that are outlined in the Accreditation Manual—more below on Accreditation Manual updates. We look forward to receiving a response to our submission and look forward to our eventual meeting with NACIQI (The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, the group that advises the US Secretary of Education). We will continue to share information as it becomes available to us.

In addition to some of the changes in the Accreditation Manual related to our recognition from USDE, 2024 was also our year to do a thorough review of the Accreditation Manual (we do this every 5 years). After proposing revisions to the Standards, seeking feedback from the membership and the public, and reviewing the feedback, the Accreditation Commission is pleased to publish the 2025 Accreditation Manual.

The links of the manual will remain the same so you will not need to update current links. There are new manual pages that you will need to reference in your handbooks.  Here is a brief overview of the updates:

 

  1. The changes will officially go into effect as of January 1, 2025.
    1. The Substantive Updates to the Accreditation Manual page has a link to the most significant updates, including updates on pages that have been deleted that reflect the changes required by USDE that have already been made, such as system accreditation ending, no more half units of CPE for completing 240 hours, etc. 
    2. The revisions to the language of the Standards based on member feedback are noted with a strikethrough and additions are highlighted in yellow throughout the manual to make these changes clear. 
    3. Of note, there are new items that must be included in your handbooks for all units with a start date post January 1, 2025. These are noted in the specific sections related to the required policies and handbooks.

     

    As you work to implement these updates and additions to your materials, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your commissioner if you have any questions. If you notice any simple editing that is needed or if it appears that any of the language is mistyped, please reach out to Marc Medwed, ACPE Associate Executive Director.

     

    Wishing you much success!