Advisory Impact of COVID-19 on COAPRT Accreditation

All COAPRT Accredited Programs

COAPRT recognizes that all schools are working hard to address all the changes brought about by COVID-19.  Accreditation-related concerns should come far after the health of your colleagues and students or the delivery of your academic program.  With that in mind, COAPRT has decided the following:

1. You have flexibility in how you need to modify and assess your courses. For the Spring and Summer 2020 Semesters, COAPRT recognizes that for many schools your curriculum assessment plans may not be followed as designed because measures that were planned may not be possible to implement.  When your next COAPRT review occurs the Council and visitors will view the current semester, and this academic year, as one where your existing assessment plans required modification and perhaps some measures were not completed.  

2. There have been several questions regarding internships.  We recognize for many schools this may also be tied to other entities such as NCTRC.  For the purposes of COAPRT we want to provide maximum flexibility for accredited schools while still following guidelines from the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).  For the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters COAPRT is asking Programs to continue following Standard 7.04 requiring a comprehensive internship of no less than 10 weeks and 400 hours.  This has historically been interpreted as occurring at a single internship agency for the entire experience.  To be flexible and realistic, however, COAPRT will for these semesters accept internships completed at more than one agency and for fewer than 400 hours total.  If your Program does allow Standard 7.04 to be completed for fewer than 400 hours and/or at more than one agency you are required to post a statement on your Program website until January 1, 2022 explaining that for these semesters internships may have been modified.  Because situations will differ, COAPRT asks you to use specific language informing the public appropriately.  This will allow you to be flexible with what is best for your students, within institution guidelines, be acceptable to CHEA and inform the public appropriately.

3. Should there be other Standards that are impacted by COVID-19, COAPRT asks you to follow point two above; modify as you feel best and post a specific statement until January 1, 2022 to inform the public. 

Rest assured that COAPRT wants to assist you and understands we are in unprecedented times when higher education is facing many challenges. We appreciate your sensitivity to the needs of your students. In addition, our thanks to those schools that had their spring visits postponed and have shown great understanding.  If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to email the Council at COAPRT@accreditationcouncil.org for assistance.