I’m pleased you joined me today as we begin a new blog series. On December 10, 2024, I presented a webinar, “Top Ten Most Common Citations,” a summary of my analysis of accreditation citation trends that have emerged from June 2022 through September 2024. As you may know, the accreditation Standards are particularly interesting to me, as much of our work at Scott Massey PhD, LLC is about helping PA programs manage the significant work involved in preparing your Self-Study Reports and readying your program for ARC-PA Commission site visits. 

The new Top-Ten List

A trend I noticed rising significantly was the number of probation actions taken against programs. In September of 2022, there were three programs on probation, and the rest were continued. But then, in March of 2023, for the first time, there was a big bump in probation actions. There were 12 probation actions (34% of all the Commission’s decisions made during that time). The number of initial provisional programs being approved also decreased.  Looking at June 2023, we can see that the probation actions continued to be around 30-35%. Then, in March 2024, there were fifteen probation actions, the highest percentage of any actions during the Commission that year. 

It is worth noting that the number of probations may seem exceptionally high because the “total” includes programs that were previously on probation (so March 2024 may include only three “new” probation cases). Nevertheless, I think this is a relatively high number of probations compared to previous years. I predict some relief from this with the advent of the 6th Edition Standards, which we’ll discuss in the coming blogs.

In the following blogs, I’ll review the highlights of this webinar, covering the ten most common citations, the trends in the ARC-PA Commission’s actions, and some key caveats that will increase your program’s chances for success under each Standard. 

If you want more information on these standards, you’ll likely recall that I’ve published 25 blogs about common citations, their meaning, and how to cope with them. It may be helpful to refer back to these blogs for further insight. However, remember that the 6th Edition Standards will soon be coming into effect, and our previously published blogs relate to the 5th Edition Standards. My recommendations should remain helpful, but remember that distinction while sharing my optimism that the 6th Edition Standards will bring many improvements. I will point out these differences and improvements as we review the list.

Our most recent analysis shows the ten most-cited Standards, followed by the sum of occurrences out of the 163 programs reviewed. If I have previously written about a Standard, I’ll include the blog entries you can consult for more information. 

1. C1.03 (106) (See blogs published November 1 and 7, 2023)

2. E1.03 (95)

3. B4.01 (87)  (See blogs published March 27 and April 10, 2024)

4. C1.02 (81) (See blogs published November 14, 28 and December 5, 2023)

5. B3.06 (60) (See blogs published November 27, December 4 and 11, 2024)

6. A2.09 (52)  (See blogs published November 6, 13 and 18, 2024)

7. A1.02 (51) (See blogs published October 8, 15, 22 and 29, 2024)

8. A3.12 (41)

9. B1.03e (41)

10.  B3.03c (40) (See blogs published April 10, 17 and 24, 2024)

You will notice that among the top four most-cited Standards, half or more of the reviewed programs were cited. That number bears examination, and we’ll definitely be discussing the reasons behind these surprisingly high numbers of citations.

The multipliers

There are particular Standards that I call “multipliers,” and for a good reason. They seldom show up alone! Receiving a citation for one such standard is like setting up a chain of dominos. Tip one, and they all begin to fall.

I’m talking about Standards C1.02 and C1.03, which typically occur together and often result in additional citations for Standards A1.02 and A2.09. You’ll note that all four of these standards have a place on the Top-Ten List. 

In our next blog…

We’ll examine the four heavy-hitting multipliers I mentioned in more depth, using examples of the language used by the ARC-PA in its comments and observations. I’ll also provide some valuable pointers that should help you avoid the common pitfalls with each one. You won’t want to miss this!