2018 STANDARDS CLARIFICATIONS
A.5.3. Program Length
ACOTE reviewed program responses to this Standard if additional information was requested. If you provided a plan, but it has not been implemented, the program will receive an area of noncompliance and will be requested to submit a formal plan of correction and subsequent progress reports. The area of noncompliance will be removed once the program demonstrates that the plan was implemented.
RESPONDING TO B STANDARDS
The B Content Standards are written as student outcomes and require that programs show evidence that “The student will be able to…”
Evidence must demonstrate that the program assesses the outcomes related to ALL the competencies as required by the Standard. The evidence must demonstrate how the program assesses that the students are able to…
The program is noncompliant if ANY of the elements of the Standard are not assessed. Multiple assessments may be used to measure the required student outcomes of a Standard.
The ACOTE Educational Standards Review Committee (ESRC)
The ESRC is working through all the comments received regarding Draft 1 of the Standards. You can provide feedback on the “General Comment Form” on the ACOTE website or to the Accreditation Department directly (accred@aota.org) regarding the ACOTE Standards at any time.
POLICY UPDATES
ACOTE POLICY IV FEES
- There has been an increase in the number of prospective OT/OTA educational programs who, after their timeline is established, request to change their timeline. ACOTE has a limited number of slots for new programs and when programs change their timeline it impacts other potential programs. Therefore, programs may be assessed a timeline change fee if they request a change to their agreed upon timeline.
- There has been an increase in the number of programs submitting reports late, incomplete, or not submitting reports, therefore ACOTE voted to charge programs an administrative fee for missing, incomplete, or late reports.
ACOTE POLICY IV.A.2. THE ON-SITE EVALUATION
The on-site evaluation policy has been updated. A statement has been added regarding professional conduct. The policy states that at any time if the on-site team is uncomfortable due to unprofessional conduct by the administration, program director, staff, or students and after consultation with the ACOTE reader and Accreditation staff, the team may terminate the visit.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Conversation with ACOTE
ACOTE will be providing program directors, faculty, and other communities of interest an opportunity to have a conversation with ACOTE on September 21, 2023, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Please register to attend the session: Register here.
Self-Study Workshop
The in-person and virtual self-study workshop dates and registration information has been posted on the ACOTE website for 2023. The Self-Study Preparation Workshop is designed to meet the needs of program directors and faculty preparing for an upcoming self-study review and new program directors wanting to understand more about the accreditation process. Dates and registration information can be found here.
REMINDERS
- Please do not respond or reply all to emails from ACOTE Online (e.g., action letters). It is an automated response, and that email box is not monitored.
- Action letters are sent to programs within 6 weeks of a meeting. Please refrain from contacting the office inquiring about the outcome of ACOTE action during that timeframe.
- If there is a discrepancy in your NBCOT data, you must contact NBCOT directly. ACOTE receives and uses the information directly from NBCOT.
- Ensure your “FACULTY” tab in the eAccreditation portal is updated.
- Standard A.1.5. requires programs to inform ACOTE within 30 days of the resignation of the program director or appointment of a new or interim program director.
- Please ensure your website is current and accurate. Use the “Sample Program Webpage” under Resources / Forms and Templates on the ACOTE website and the 2018 ACOTE Standards to ensure compliance.
- It is the responsibility of the program director to remain current with the most recent Standards Interpretive Guide and ACOTE policies located on www.acoteonline.org. Updates to these documents are reported on the ACOTE website after each ACOTE meeting.
RESOURCES
- The ACOTE website (www.acoteonline.org) is a valuable resource for information. You can find information on program numbers, past ACOTE actions, past newsletters, frequently asked questions, forms, templates and much more.
- The Accreditation Department is also a good resource. Please do not hesitate to contact the Accreditation department at accred@aota.org if you have any questions or concerns.
