At the spring program review 2026 meeting, the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) reviewed and adopted changes to the following six Implementing Regulations (IRs) that were out for public notice after the policy meeting:
Processing and review of complaints against accredited programs and the CoA
The CoA has clarified the complaints process in IR D.6-1(a) to include complaints against the commission.
Procedures for notification of CoA actions in accordance with the secretary of education’s standards for recognition of accrediting agencies
The commission has rewritten IR D.8-2 to include quotes from relevant regulations from the Department of Education and a detailed breakdown of steps that the CoA will take to notify stakeholders of CoA actions.
Procedure for notice of reasons for denial or revocation of accreditation or denial of a site visit by the APA CoA
The CoA has updated IR D.8-4, its procedure for notifying stakeholders of a program’s adverse action, with an emphasis on denial of accreditation, revocation of accreditation, and denial of a site visit.
Implementation procedure for notification by the CoA of initial and final decisions of adverse action to the U.S. secretary of education, appropriate state licensing agency, and appropriate institutional accrediting agency
The commission has amended IR D.8-5 to explain the CoA’s process of notifying stakeholders of a program’s adverse actions with an emphasis on probation.
Groups to receive notification of proposed changes in the SoA and AOP
The CoA has revised IR E.1-2 to fully describe how the commission completes the Standards of Accreditation (SoA) and Accrediting Operation Procedure (AOP) systematic review processes. The commission also added to the list of psychology groups to which seats on the CoA are formally allocated in order to align with the commission’s current structure.
Conflict of interest policy for appeal panel members
The commission has edited IR E.3-6 to reflect its current action of requiring appeal panel members to sign a statement of impartiality before serving on an appeal panel.