The Purpose Behind PA Program Self-Assessment

As presented by Medea Valdez, Ph.D.

From her webinar, “Consultants and Accreditation Support”

Thanks again for joining me as I continue discussing what a consultant or team of consultants can do to help ensure your PA program's robust and sustainable assessment process. Today, we’ll begin looking at how a consultant can help your program’s self-assessment to:

• Align with ARC-PA expectations

• Be sustainable and faculty-friendly

• Be reviewable and adaptable to change when assessment gaps are discovered.

And we’ll start with the most basic question: why?

Self-Assessment: Why do we do it?

The ARC-PA Standards, Section C: Evaluation—Introduction states, “The program must have a robust and systematic process of ongoing self-assessment to review the quality and effectiveness of their educational practices, policies, and outcomes.”

●   A well-developed process occurs throughout the academic year and across all program phases. It includes analyzing quantitative and qualitative data collected from students, graduates, faculty (principal and instructional), and staff, as applicable. It critically assesses all aspects of the program relating to sponsorship, resources, students, operational policies, curriculum, and clinical sites.

●   Ongoing assessment of educational experiences is used to identify strengths and areas for improvement and leads to the development of plans for corrective intervention.

All right, that’s what the Standards say - but reading the reasons isn’t quite the same as living them. Program members at every level often ask, “Why do we need to do this?” 

I understand questioning the process, because it can seem so overwhelming and daunting if it hasn’t become a part of the program’s daily culture. Sometimes, the analysis of the education we carefully and devotedly provide to our students can seem disheartening, trying to break everything down into numbers, surveys, charts, and graphs. We might ask, “Why do we need to quantify absolutely everything?” or “Whatever happened to teaching for the love of it?” And perhaps the most pressing question, “When am I supposed to get all of this done?”

I hope to answer all of these questions, but primarily, the purpose behind self-assessment is not to create pointless and frustrating busywork. When a process comes together in good working order, its purpose becomes clear. We witness excellent assessment and improvement in action. This process allows the program to critically examine, refine, and improve itself. 

Self-assessment drives us to the excellence we expect of ourselves, our students, and our profession. Yes, it is work, but building a strong foundation and a framework for assessment significantly decreases the burden. An assessment process can become part of the program’s culture, transforming into something that runs effectively in the background.

Implementation is key!

An effective process has a blueprint of “how it works.” The ARC provides the requirements of those components in Sections C1.01 and C1.02. I will not rewrite them here because we’re all familiar with them. I will say, however, that the Accreditation Manual further defines the components required for each of C1.01 and C1.02’s sub standards. I encourage everyone to review the Accreditation Manual because it describes the other elements and provides information on “getting there” from where you are.

A great plan is nothing unless it is implemented, followed, and executed in a way that meets the Standards and drives the program forward. 

A program must implement its ongoing self-assessment process by collecting data, critically analyzing the data, and applying the results. This leads to conclusions that identify strengths, areas needing improvement, and action plans. Programs need to document these steps, including evidence that they were taken; this means meeting minutes are essential! Be sure to capture all of your meeting minutes during the process.

The Point of the Self-Study Report (SSR)

Standard C1.03 defines what the program must report as part of its application, whether in the provisional pathway or a continued program.

C1.03 states, “The program must prepare a self-study report as part of the accreditation application that accurately and succinctly documents the process, application, and results of ongoing program self-assessment. The report must follow the guidelines provided by the ARC-PA.”

Let’s discuss the purpose of the SSR. The SSR provides evidence of your past activities, thereby showing that you are in compliance with C1.01 and C1.02. ARC-PA offers multiple resources for completing the SSRs and complying with the standards; I encourage you to take advantage of as many of these as possible.

However, this begs the question: Why would you need a consultant if so many resources are available? Shouldn’t a program be able to follow the instructions, clarify the Standards, implement the process, and be compliant? 

Ideally, yes, but let’s be realistic. As in all things, life happens. As we previously discussed (see Volume 3 of this series), program directors, faculty, and institutions experience roadblocks to full implementation and subsequent preparation of the SSR. A consultant can come alongside the program and help it overcome the roadblocks and get back on track!

In our next blog:

Next time, I’ll present a checklist for evaluating your program’s current assessment processes. We’ll review the same aspects a consultant looks at when they first come to provide their expertise. Where on the spectrum does your program fall? How much work is needed in support, definition, functionality, data collection, and balancing faculty time? If you had to write your SSR tomorrow, could you do it? Let’s find out!