©APTA Department of Accreditation1

Fostering Consistencyin Accreditation Decisions

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education

(CAPTE)

Ellen Price, PT, MEdAssociate Director, Department of AccreditationAmerican Physical Therapy Association

Mechanisms to Facilitate Consistency

• Identification of Frequently Cited Criteria

• Case Law: History of Citations

• Evidence of Compliance Listings

• Template for CAPTE Report

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Identification of Frequently Cited Criteria

• Track citations for de novo reviews– For a given CAPTE meeting– Since criteria set went into effect

• Identification of criteria that cited >20% of the time– Share with Commissioners– Identified during workshops for programs and

on-site reviewers

Case Law• Identified CAPTE actions based on a set of

conditions for select criteria– Program Director qualifications:

» Non compliance if program director is not a PT» Conditional compliance if program director doesn’t

have senior faculty status or an earned doctoral degree

» Citations include request for a plan with timeline, if applicable

• Document shared with Commissioners prior to each review

• Updated periodically

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Development of Case Law

• Created through – tracking actions at meetings– Panel discussions regarding expectations

• For obvious discrepancies between reviewers, entire Panel review same information to determine consensus, ie:– All scholarship forms from de novo reviews provided to each

panel members– Discussions led to consensus regarding

• What constituted an agenda• What was sufficient productivity• What timeframe was being used

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Evidence of Compliance

F-5. The program administrator is a physical therapist with an earned doctoral degree, senior faculty status, and an understanding of higher education and contemporary clinical practice appropriate for leadership in physical therapy education.Evidence of compliance:

Narrative:

•Describe the program administrator’s experience and/or educational background in higher education.

•Identify the rank the program administrator hold.

•Describe how the program administrator maintains an understanding of higher education and contemporary clinical practice.

Appendices:

•CV; uploaded on the appropriate Core Faculty Information Page.

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Template for CAPTE Report

F-5. The program administrator is a physical therapist with an earned doctoral degree, senior faculty status, and an understanding of higher education and contemporary clinical practice appropriate for leadership in physical therapy education.

 

NC if PD is not a PTCC if PD does not have senior faculty status; and/or if parts of other components are not met. Earned doctoral degree: DPT is ok.Senior Faculty Status: associate or full professor; can be clinical track.

Narrative:•Describe the program administrator’s experience and/or educational background in higher education.•Identify the rank the program administrator holds•Describe how the program administrator maintains an understanding of higher education and contemporary clinical practice.Appendices:• CV.

 

Pri

Sec CC Dr Smith is a physical therapist with an earned doctoral degree and 6 years previous experience as the assistant program director. The Visit Report identifies Dr Smith’s rank as assistant professor; no evidence of senior faculty status is provided. In the Compliance Report, provide evidence that the program administrator meets all components of this criterion. If applicable, provide a plan, with timeline for coming into compliance.

Case law

Evidence of Compliance listingsReviewers insert draft citation

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Other Mechanisms• Staff edits reports and contacts Commissioners

when case law not followed• Commonly used wording templates for citations

• However, components of template must relate to the program being reviewed

– Online modules: expectations for select criteria• For on-site reviewers• For Commissioners

– It’s a people process: not 100% consistent

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