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How does an educational program become CAAHEP accredited?
While there are some differences among the professions within CAAHEP, all accredited programs must go through a rigorous process that has certain elements in common.
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Application - the CAAHEP accreditation process is initiated by completing an application signed by the chief executive director or designated representative of the institution. A separate application must be completed for each CAAHEP program seeking accreditation.
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Self-Study - the program does its own analysis of how well it measires up to the established Standards.
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On-Site Evaluation - a team of "site visitors" travels to the institution to determine how accurately the self-study reflects the status of the program and to answer any additional questions that arise. This is a "peer review" process and often, after the formal part of the site visit is concluded, team members will share ideas for how a program can be strengthened or improved.
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Committee Review and Recommendation - the CoAES will review the report from the site visitors and develop a recommendation concerning accreditation. If there are areas where the program fails to meet the Standards, these "deficiencies" will be identified and progress reports will be requested to assure that each program continues its efforts to fully comply with all Standards.
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CAAHEP Board of Directors - the CAAHEP Board of Directors will then act upon the recommendations forwarded form the CoAES. The CAAHEP Board assures that due process has been met and that Standards are being applied in a consistent and equitable manner.
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