CoA invites the public to provide comment by March 4, 2016, on five proposed Implementing Regulations (IRs):
- Public disclosure for internship programs.
- Public disclosure for postdoctoral residency programs.
- Outcome data for doctoral programs.
- Outcome data for internship programs.
- Outcome data for postdoctoral residency programs.
The two public disclosure IRs would require accredited internship and postdoctoral residency programs to provide specific disclosure and outcome data in a uniform format that is easily accessible to the public (i.e. website, brochure, etc.). Accredited doctoral programs are already required to provide disclosure and outcome data on an annual basis, as outlined in IR C-20. Consistent placement of this information will allow applicants and other members of the public to easily access information to compare programs.
The three outcome data IRs are revisions of IR C-30 (for internship and postdoctoral residency programs) and IR C-32 (for doctoral program). The drafts bring the existing IRs in line with the Standards of Accreditation. The IRs describe the level of specificity of proximal and distal data that must be provided for each profession-wide competency and program specific competency (if any). In addition, the doctoral IR indicates what data must be provided relevant to discipline-specific knowledge, and the post-doctoral IR indicates what data must be provided relevant to any specialty competencies.
In accordance with the APA’s “Policies for Accreditation Governance” and Department of Education regulations for notice and comment, CoA will make the proposed IRs available for a period of public review and comment. In an effort to promote thoughtful discussion, CoA is providing an electronic-based comment form for public comment submission. Comments and other information, including the users’ identity, will be public. Email addresses used in the registration will be kept confidential. CoA will consider all comments received and make any appropriate revisions prior to approval of the final version of each IR.
The public comment period will open on Jan. 4, 2016, and will close on Friday, March 4, 2016. To provide public comment, please go to the Accreditation Public Comment System webpage and select Implementing Regulations (Phase III). A link to the PDF of the IRs out for public comment is located in the public comment system.