2023 CAA Standards Revisions: Session 1

March 17, 2022
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET

This event is designed for program directors and faculty of academic programs that are accredited by or hold candidacy status with the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA). Members of the CAA and the accreditation staff will be available to answer your questions about the upcoming standards change, which goes into effect on January 1, 2023.

Programs who will be submitting their applications for initial or re-accreditation in August 2022 are encouraged to attend.

Panelists

• ​Gale Rice, PhD, CCC-SLP, 2021 Chair of the CAA, Professor and Dean, Fontbonne University
• ​​Kimberlee Moore, Director of Accreditation, CAA Ex-Officio, ASHA
• Tess Kirsch, Associate Director of Accreditation for Policy & Education, ASHA
• ​​Gretchen Ehret Hoshaw, MA, CCC-SLP, CAE, Associate Director of Accreditation Operations, ASHA

This free event is open to all ASHA members and non-members. It is not offered for PDHs, CMHs, or ASHA CEUs.

Following is the transcript from this text-based event (no audio or video).

ASHA Moderator

Welcome to the live chat on 2023 CAA Standards Revisions: Session 2. We will be getting started shortly.

Before we begin taking questions, I would like to make a few administrative comments.

• Please keep in mind that this is a web chat and, therefore, there is no audio.
• Questions are typically posted one at a time, in the order they are received.
• Upon formulating a response, panelists will post answers to your questions.
• To ensure we get to as many questions as possible, we ask that you please begin typing them in now.

Okay, it's officially time to start. Panelists, please introduce yourselves.

Gretchen Ehret Hoshaw

Hello everyone! My name is Gretchen Ehret Hoshaw, MA, CCC-SLP, ICE-CCP, CAE. I am ASHA’s Director of Accreditation Operations. I am joined today by Gale Rice, PhD, CCC-SLP, 2022 Chair of the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA). Dr. Rice is the dean of the College of Education and Allied Health Professions at Fontbonne University and a professor in the graduate program in speech-language pathology. Dr. Rice has also been a CAA site visitor in the past.

Also joining us are Kimberlee Moore, ASHA’s Chief Accreditation Officer, Tess Kirsch, ASHA’s Associate Director of Accreditation for Policy and Education, and Kelly Velasquez, ASHA’s Associate Director of Site Visit Operations.

We are excited to be with you all today to answer any questions that you have about upcoming revisions to the 2017 Standards, which go into effect on January 1, 2023. We will do our best to answer as many questions as possible during this session. If we do not get to your specific question in real-time, we will answer it as soon as possible after the session closes, and it will be posted to this page.

If you find that you have additional questions after participating in today’s chat or reading the transcript, please feel free to email accreditation@asha.org. We are always happy to help!

ASHA Moderator

Thank you panelists.

Again, I would like to remind everyone that there is no audio for this chat - it is text based only. Also, this chat will be available for viewing after it has concluded.

Okay, I will now begin posting the questions.

Question 1: Submitted by Guest

Why can we no longer use the Praxis as a form of summative assessment?

Tess Kirsch

According to the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the Praxis series was developed to assess an individual’s knowledge, skills, and readiness to enter independent practice in their respective professions. The Praxis has not been validated for use as a program summative assessment, thus the CAA cannot accept it as such.

The CAA has previously published information regarding using the Praxis as a form of summative assessment, but not as the sole form of summative assessment.

Under the revised CAA Standard 5.2, programs must conduct ongoing and systematic formative and summative assessment of their students’ performance. While programs may choose to use the Praxis exams within their programs, the exam cannot be used as a means to demonstrate compliance with Standard 5.2.

Question 2: Submitted by Guest

What counts as “summative assessment” if I cannot use the Praxis?

Gale Rice (she/her/hers)

Some programs use summative portfolio based assessment. Others use comprehensive exams.

• • • End of program comprehensive examinations
    • Final projects, portfolios, and/or examinations that reflect cumulative work or knowledge over time
    • Capstone projects
    • Final papers, reports, or presentations
    • Rubrics
    • Practical examinations

For more information, please visit the CAA’s Guidance to Programs: How to Demonstrate Compliance with Standard 5.2 (https://caa.asha.org/siteassets/files/2023-standard-5.2-guidance-to-programs.pdf).

Question 3: Submitted by Guest

Do I need to complete the employment data section(s) of my annual report/ application this year?

Kimberlee Moore

If your program will be submitting an Annual Report in August 2022, then you will need to include employment data in this annual report since your program will be reviewed under the current standards.

If your program will be submitting an application for initial or re-accreditation, employment data is not required since the applications will be reviewed under the revised standards, which go into effect on 1/1/2023.

For more information, please visit the CAA’s 2023 Standards Revisions informational page.

Question 4: Submitted by Guest

What can I show to prove that we meet the requirements for Standard 3.4?

Gale Rice (she/her/hers)

As with all standards written in the CAA’s Standards for Accreditation, Standard 3.4 is written in broad terms to provide the accredited programs the flexibility of meeting the standards in ways that are suitable for the diverse needs of their students. While the CAA is not prescriptive in stating specifically how a program must meet each standard, the CAA has provided the following guidance and examples of what may be used to demonstrate compliance. These suggestions are not exhaustive; rather, they give suggestions that could be suitable for documentation.

Examples of program activities, student experiences, and assignments that may demonstrate compliance with Standards 3.4A and 3.4B include:

• • • Demonstrated quadrangulation of student performance
    • Capstone projects
    • Programmatic data analysis
    • Programmatic self-reflection
    • Workshops and learning opportunities for students and staff

Additional information and examples are available on 2023 Standard 3.4A and 3.4B Guidance to Programs (https://caa.asha.org/siteassets/files/2023-standard-3.4a-and-3.4b-guidance-to-programs.pdf).

Question 5: Submitted by Crystal Murphree-Holden

If programs are to continue to publish employment data through December 31, 2022, does this mean publish UNTIL 12-31-22 or provide employment DATA through 12-31-22? Because employment data includes the year after graduation, this could go until 12-31-23 if it includes employment DATA through 12-31-22. Please clarify.

Gretchen Ehret Hoshaw

For the purposes of accreditation, programs are not required by the CAA to publish employment data after December 31, 2022, only UNTIL 12/31/2022.

Your university, other accreditors, or regulators may require continued publication of it as an outcome measure. Programs may also choose to continue to post this data. The CAA requires that if the information is posted, it must be current, accurate, and readily available.

Question 6: Submitted by Guest

How do I count telepractice for students under the new guidelines?

Kimberlee Moore

The CAA’s standards for accreditation are not prescriptive toward the use of telepractice and telesupervision with students in accredited programs and modalities. This question should be directed to the Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC), which can be done by emailing certification@asha.org.

Tess Kirsch

You may find the guidance that CFCC posted in November 2021 helpful: https://www.asha.org/siteassets/certification/cfcc-announcement-110621.pdf. 

Question 7: Submitted by Guest

My program has an application due in August 2022. Under which set of standards will the program be reviewed?

Gale Rice (she/her/hers)

Your program will be reviewed under revised standards that go into effect on 1/1/2023. For more information, please visit https://caa.asha.org/reporting/standards/2023-standards-revisions/. 

Question 8: Submitted by Guest

My program has an annual report due in August 2022. Under which set of standards will the program be reviewed?

Gale Rice (she/her/hers)

Your program will be reviewed under the current standards. For more information, please visit https://caa.asha.org/reporting/standards/2023-standards-revisions/ 

Question 9: Submitted by Sarah

Where can I find an overview of the changes that will be in effect in January 2023?

Kimberlee Moore

The CAA has two resources available to programs who want an overview of the changes that go into effect on 1/1/2023. You may view the Quick Reference to the 2023 Standards Revisions (https://caa.asha.org/siteassets/files/2023-accreditation-standards-a-quick-reference-guide.pdf) or the Side by Side Comparison for Changes to Be Implemented (https://caa.asha.org/siteassets/files/side-by-side-revisions-to-standards-for-accreditation-2023.pdf) for more information.

Question 10: Submitted by Molly

When will the CAA begin to apply these revised standards for site visits?

Tess Kirsch

Fall 2022 - but only programs that have applied for candidacy. All site visits conducted after January 1, 2023 will be under the revised standards.

Question 11: Submitted by Molly

Can we still use employment data as part of our program assessment, including employer surveys, etc?

Tess Kirsch

Absolutely. Even though the CAA will no longer require programs to report employment data, programs are still expected to assess its offerings.

Having feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders, including alumni and employers, helps programs look at many aspects of their programs.

Question 12: Submitted by Bob

Can you give us examples of ways to demonstrate evidences of diversity, equity, and inclusion incorporated throughout the academic and clinical program, in theory and practice.

Kimberlee Moore

The CAA encourages and allows for flexibility when programs seek to comply. A few examples may include:

• • • Inclusion of a didactic component to coursework to demonstrate how the students integrate information and are using it in their clinical experiences
    • Grand Round series with students: How are students are incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into case presentations? Into their clinical decision making?
    • Capstone projects

For more examples for complying with 3.4A and 3.4B, please visit the CAA's website to access the guidance document at https://caa.asha.org/siteassets/files/2023-standard-3.4a-and-3.4b-guidance-to-programs.pdf 

ASHA Moderator

As we have no questions in the queue, perhaps the panelists have something they would like to say in closing?

Gretchen Ehret Hoshaw

View previous replies.

Also, the CAA is holding its call for members. Applications for positions on the CAA and the CAA Nominations Committee are being accepted through May 2, 2022.

The open CAA positions are for:

• • • Three speech-language pathologists representing accredited speech-language pathology academic programs (one three-year term, two four-year terms).
    • One audiologist representing practitioners (four-year term)

The open positions on the Nominating Committee (all one-year terms) are for:

• • • One audiologist representing an accredited academic program.
    • One SLP representing an accredited academic program.
    • One audiologist representing practitioners.
    • One SLP representing practitioners.

More information about the positions and the CAA can be found on the CAA's Recruitment page.

ASHA Moderator

Thank you all so much for your great questions and comments and thank you, panelists, for your time and great information! This chat will be available for viewing on this page immediately after it has ended.

Thank you again everyone!