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From the Board of Directors Date: June 30, 2025 RE: Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) Proposed Changes to Standard 3.4 A/B
Dear CAPCSD Members, We are writing to inform you of important proposed changes to CAA Accreditation Standard 3.4 A/B and to encourage your active participation in the peer comment process. Background On May 20, 2025, ASHA announced that the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) is proposing changes to Accreditation Standard 3.4 A/B, which currently sets standards for diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic training programs. The CAA's rationale for these changes centers on helping programs comply with state laws that require removal of references to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The deadline for peer comments is July 10, 2025. It's important to note that the current Standard 3.4 A/B was updated in 2023 following advocacy from ASHA members—particularly influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement and health disparities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic—calling for more systematic preparation of students to provide equitable and inclusive services. CAPCSD Board Position The CAPCSD Board maintains its unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), as reaffirmed in our March 2025 newsletter statement and formalized in our CAPCSD DEIB Statement. Our Statement commits us to "dismantling systemic racism, discrimination, elitism, and oppression" and supporting programs in recruiting students and colleagues who represent the diversity of our communities and populations served. This commitment aligns directly with our core values of Excellence, Visionary Leadership, and Collaboration. We believe that upholding the highest standards of academic excellence requires preparing students to serve all populations effectively, that visionary leadership demands we forge pathways for sustainable growth that includes all members of our discipline, and that true collaboration means working together to support the diverse needs of our member institutions and the communities they serve. In light of our commitment, we strongly advise member programs to communicate their support of these values the CAA, and their concerns regarding the negative impact the proposed changes to the standard will have. Call to Action We strongly encourage all CAPCSD members to participate in the peer comment process and voice their perspectives on these proposed changes. Written comments may be submitted by Thursday, July 10, 2025 through any of the following methods:
Board Commitment It's important to clarify CAPCSD's role in this process: as an organization representing academic programs, we have no formal authority in developing CAA accreditation standards or CFCC certification standards. Our role is to provide input and feedback as stakeholders, advocate for our member programs' perspectives, and support programs in understanding and responding to standards changes. The ultimate decisions rest with the CAA and CFCC governing bodies. The CAPCSD Board is committed to upholding our organization's values and have written to both the CAA and CFCC to encourage them to consider all available options to incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles in their standards and processes. We remain dedicated to supporting our member programs through these challenging times and encourage you to utilize our DEIB Resources hub available on the CAPCSD website. Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence in academic preparation of future speech-language pathologists and audiologists. Sincerely, CAPCSD Board of Directors |