Introduction

                In the United States, accreditation represents a unique process of voluntary, nongovernmental review of educational institutions and professional preparation programs. Voluntary application for accreditation is evidence of an attitude and philosophy that program excellence is a fundamental goal.

                The two major types of higher education accreditation in the United States are known as institutional and specialized.  Institutional accreditation is granted by regional and national accrediting commissions that look at entire institutions such as universities or colleges. Specialized accreditation is awarded to professional programs that are under the jurisdiction of institutions, or to free-standing, professional institutes offering training in a particular field of study.  CACREP grants specialized accreditation to counselor preparation programs.

CACREP Accreditation is Both a Process and a Condition

                The process, or the act of accrediting, entails assessing a program’s quality and its continual enhancement of operations through compliance with specified professional standards. This process uses both self-assessment and peer assessment to determine how well professional standards are being met. The condition, or the state of being accredited, provides a credential to the public-at-large that attests to the fact that a program has accepted and is fulfilling its commitment to educational quality.

CACREP Accreditation Provides Program Enhancement Through Self Assessment

                When a counseling program undertakes self-assessment, it indicates that the persons responsible for the program have articulated a clear direction or mission for the program and are taking the time to reflect on the means they are using to accomplish that mission. The mission, goals, and objectives are openly stated and made available to prospective students, employers, and other educators. By making this information publicly available, the program demonstrates its desire to be held accountable for its educational activities, and assists prospective students in selecting an appropriate counselor education program.

                The self-evaluation entails an assessment of the program’s resources, objectives, strengths, and limitations with the ultimate purpose of improving the educational effectiveness of the program. The self-assessment required of programs by CACREP is focused on planning, goal setting, and measurement against self-designed goals and objectives of the program as well as the professional standards.  The results of this self-assessment are presented in the form of a self-study document.

Peer Assessment Enhances the Accreditation Process

                The peer evaluation entails a review of self-study document against a set of standards and using a set of procedures established by the CACREP Board. Peer evaluators are counselor educators and counseling practitioners, as well as qualified representatives of the public interest.  Peer evaluation ensures that persons competent to judge the educational merit and professional relevance of the program have the opportunity to examine and assess the quality of the curriculum, facilities, faculty and students.

                An important aspect of peer evaluation is the advice and counsel that is offered by those individuals who have been designated to assess the program.  The collegial consultation that occurs through an on-site review, together with oral and written feedback, can be incorporated into the program’s and institution’s future plans, reviews, and research aimed at educational improvement.

                Because CACREP accreditation does not rank programs against each other, adversarial relationships are avoided, and an atmosphere appropriate to a community of scholars is promoted. In such an environment, research and change are fostered. Ideally, educational innovation and rational decision-making based on the assessment results should characterize accredited programs.

CACREP Accreditation Provides Benefits to Various Publics

• It advances/enhances the profession of counseling.

CACREP accreditation contributes to the unity of the counseling profession by bringing together practitioners, teachers, and students in the vital activity of setting standards for the preparation and education of entry-level professionals and of continually improving professional preparation, educational research and scholarship, and practice.

• It supports access to the profession.

Specialized accreditation provides reasonable assurance of a quality educational program that prepares professional counselors. Input from the profession to develop and modify standards ensures that the educational requirements reflect the current training needs of the profession.

• It supports national and individual credentialing processes.

CACREP accreditation provides assurance that accredited programs “measure up” to standards developed by a national consensus of professionals in the counseling field. Thus, state licensing bodies and national certification agencies are reasonably assured that programs accredited by CACREP provide a quality education in preparation for counselor credentialing, which may include national certification, state licensure, or state certification. An attractive feature of CACREP accreditation in today’s society is the mobility afforded to a graduate of an accredited program.

• It provides consumer protection.

CACREP accreditation provides recognition that the content and quality of the education offered by an accredited program has been evaluated extensively and meets standards established by and for the profession. The student as consumer can be reasonably assured that appropriate knowledge and skills areas will be included in the course of study that are necessary for entry into the counseling field. The student as consumer can also be reasonably assured that the program is financially stable. A secondary effect is the protection of the consumer of counseling services provided by the graduates of CACREP programs. These clients benefit from the appropriate training of the counselor entering the field.

CACREP Accreditation: Its Value as an Assurance of Quality

For the higher education community, other agencies and organizations, and the general public, CACREP accreditation assures that a counselor preparation program...

• has clearly defined and appropriate objectives

• has available resources for the attainment of stated objectives

• is making a continuous effort to produce evidence of meeting its stated objectives

• meets national standards set by counseling professionals

• provides training relevant to contemporary counseling practice

For potential students, consumers, and counselor credentialing boards, CACREP accreditation provides...

• recognition that a program has been evaluated and meets or exceeds national standards

• an understanding that graduates of CACREP programs are accountable to the                         profession’s ethical standards

• knowledge that the graduate has met prerequisites for credentialing and is ready for entry into professional practice

• quality assessment and enhancement without resort to governmental control of or interference in the content of education for the profession

For the program itself, CACREP accreditation...

• stimulates its self-evaluation, development and self-directed improvement

• provides ongoing consultation

• provides a system for accountability

• enhances the program’s reputation

• provides peer recognition

• provides a cost effective review mechanism since most of the work is done by trained                 volunteers who donate their time and expertise.

Adapted from The Role and Value of Accreditation from the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors.

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