1 Student Assessment and Learning Outcomes Tess Kirsch Associate Director of Accreditation for Policy & Education American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) ASAHP Meeting – March 23, 2012 – Palm Springs, CA

2 History of Accreditation at ASHA 1959 – American Board of Examiners for Speech Pathology and Audiology (ABESPA) established 1965 – Accreditation first awarded to masters degree programs in audiology and in speech-language pathology: U. Kansas Auburn U. Case Western Reserve U. U. Oklahoma 2007 – CAA ceased accrediting audiology masters programs; now only clinical doctoral programs eligible, e.g. AuD or clinical PhD

3 CAA Programs as of March 2012 Accredits or pre-accredits 322 programs within 259 different institutions In 48 states, D.C. & Puerto Rico not Alaska or Delaware Accredited programs: 242 masters in speech- language pathology 72 clinical doctorates in audiology Monitors new programs that have been awarded candidacy (pre-accreditation) 8 masters in SLP

Where are programs housed? 4

5 Recognition of CAA CAA is recognized by US Secretary of Education (USDE) Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) CAA is the only specialized accrediting agency recognized for the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology Scope includes accreditation of programs offered through distance education USDE (1967) CHEA (1964)

Recognition & Student Achievement Establish standard and monitor compliance - success re. student achievement; consistent with mission Establish thresholds of universal student outcomes; assess and monitor meeting threshold; provide written feedback Ensure student outcome data are publicly available Require self-study; independent peer review evaluate educational objectives and programs success 6

CAAs Approach So how does CAA comply with recognition criteria, especially as they relate to student achievement? How do CAAs mechanisms translate to expectations for programs? 7 CAA

Standards for Accreditation 1.2 – Mission & Goals 1.7 – Public Information 3.1 – Curriculum/Knowledge & Skills 5.1 – Student Assessment 5.2 – Tracking Student Progress 5.3 – Program Effectiveness 8

Mission & Goals 1.2 The program's mission and goals are consistent with CAA standards for entry into professional practice (3.1A and/or 3.1B) and with the mission of the institution. Where are you going? Are the mission & goals aligned? Did you arrive at the expected destination? 9

Current, accurate, and readily available information to students and the public (Std. 1.7) Programs are required to publish student outcome data (number & percentage) for each of the 3 most recently completed AYs: graduation rate – those completing within programs published time frame national exam (Praxis) pass rate employment rate – employed in the profession within 1 year or pursuing further education in CSD As of January 2013, programs will be required to provide these data on the programs website via a clearly visible and readily accessible link. 10

Knowledge & Skills (3.1 A/B) Specifies what students should know and be able to do when they graduate 3.1A – Audiology clinical doctoral programs 3.1B – Speech-Language Pathology masters programs 11

Student Assessment (5.1) Identification/validation of outcomes Ongoing and systematic Formative and summative assessments Variety of techniques Range of program faculty and clinical supervisors Students receive feedback, and if needed remediation 12

Tracking Student Progress (5.2) Towards: Degree Professional credentials (state and national) Includes: Academic course work Clinical hours Knowledge and skills Comps Research (e.g. thesis) requirements 13

Program Effectiveness (5.3) Regular & ongoing assessments Uses results for improvement Program conducts self-study Collects, evaluates, and uses data Must include specific outcome data over last 3 completed academic years (# and %): graduation rate national examination (Praxis) pass rate employment rate 14

Student Achievement Thresholds Graduation rate – 80% of students who enrolled completed the program in published time frame National exam pass rate - % of graduates passing the Praxis examinations consistent with national averages Employment rate – 80% of graduates employed in the profession or pursuing further education within 1 year of graduation 15

Citation Trends and 2011 Area (Standard) Development and implementation of a long- term strategic plan (Std. 1.3) XX current, accurate, and readily available public information about the program and/or institution (Std. 1.7) XX faculty sufficiency (Std. 2.2)XX students informed of program policies (Std. 4.3)X formative and summative student assessments (Std. 5.1) XX ongoing assessments of program effectiveness and use of results for program improvement (Std. 5.3) X 16