1. Preparing to meet competency and accreditation standards in the US: Perspectives of a social work program administrator July, Emiko A. Tajima, PhD University of Washington

2. Disclaimer
Focus on CSWE (Council on Social Work Education), the accrediting body for the US
I am not a CSWE commissioner or staff member
I offer my own understanding of EPAS
From perspective of a social work program administrator (UW School of Social Work)
For questions about your own accreditation, please refer to your school’s accreditation specialist

3. Competencies in social work
Shift in social work education to be competency- based
Required core competencies, not required content areas for SW curriculum
Shift in focus from inputs (what we teach) to outcomes (what graduates are prepared to do in practice)
Programs evaluate outcomes and use findings to inform curriculum revision

4. 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS)
EPAS 2015 just approved by CSWE
Includes 9 core competencies and related practice behaviors
Changes from 2008 EPAS

5. Session objectives: Review 2015 EPAS and core competencies
Discuss major domains that (CSWE) accreditation requires
Discuss how programs prepare for accreditation (especially re-accreditation)
Share ideas for assessing student outcomes
Other interests?

6. competency-based education
Competencies guide Curriculum design
Curriculum should offer learning opportunities
(in classroom and field education)
Programs assess student learning outcomes (evidence)
Accreditation standards use measures of student competency to evaluate the program overall, not to decide who may graduate

7. Competencies are: Knowledge, Values, & Skills
Also cognitive and affective processes
Holistic
Multidimensional
Composed of interrelated competencies
Developmental
Dynamic
Show integration and application in practice

8. CSWE EPAS 2015
Competency 1–Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior Competency 2 –Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice Competency 3 –Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice Competency 4 –Engage In Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice Competency 5 –Engage in Policy Practice

9. CSWE EPAS 2015
Competency 6 –Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities Competency 7 –Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities Competency 8 –Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities Competency 9 –Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

10. Program Assessment BAckground
Using multiple measures of program outcomes is important (Meyer-Adams, et al., 2011)
CSWE / EPAS currently requires multiple sources of data to assess competency (typically Field, Classroom, and / or Student)
CSWE / EPAS (2015) has new assessment requirements: e.g., requires at least one measure of student outcomes in actual or simulated practice settings; requires assessment on ‘implicit curriculum’ (the overall learning environment)
Need more research on competency assessment in social work education to evaluate the validity of measures (e.g., Bogo et al., 2012)

11. Accreditation requirement domains
Statement of program mission & goals
Explicit curriculum
Generalist Foundation and Specialized Practice
Field Education as Signature Pedagogy
Implicit Curriculum
Diversity
Student Development (admissions, advising, retention, termination, student participation); Faculty (ratio to student= 1:25 BASW, 1:12 MSW);
Administrative and Governance Structure
Resources
Assessment

12. Assessing student outcomes
Examples of measures of student mastery of competency?
Student self-assessments
Field education supervisor ratings
Classroom instructor ratings
Standardized testing (licensure-type of question)
Objective Standardized Clinical Examinations (OSCEs)
‘Capstone’ Portfolio reviews
Exit Interviews

13. Assessment of Competencies
MSW Foundation Year or BASW Exit
Survey
Student
Self-assessment
MSW Advanced Year Survey
UW SSW Competencies
& Practice Behaviors
Field Assessment
Classroom Assessment
FI Quarterly Evaluations
Instructor Ratings

14. MSW Foundation course coverage of Competencies–classroom measures in parentheses
EPAS Core Competencies
SocW
500
501
504
505
510
SocW 511
512
513
1: Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly. (7 items) X
(e)
(a, b, c)
(f, g)
(d)
2: Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice. (5 items)
(a, b)
(c, e)
3: Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments. (9 items)
(a)
(b, c, d, e)
(f, i)
(g)
(h)
4: Engage diversity and difference in practice. (4 items)
(a, b, d)
(c)
5: Advance human rights and social and economic justice. (2 items)
(b)
6: Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. (5 items)
(a, b, c, d, e)
7: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment. (2 items)
8: Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services. (3 items)
9: Respond to contexts that shape practice. (3 items)
10: Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. (15 items)
(a, k, m, n)
(b, d, e, f)
(h, i, l)
(c, j, o)

15. Rating scale for instructors

16. Assessment of student competency
What outcome measures are best for your program?
How best to evaluate the validity of competency measures?
Should we measure from developmental perspective – change through the program (e.g., in Field evaluations)
Are we assessing at individual level or program level?
Comparison by subgroups of students / by cohorts
How to measure the ‘implicit curriculum?
What else do we want to measure with regard to student learning and program effectiveness?