The CAA regularly conducts planning sessions to develop a multiyear strategic plan to support CAA in realizing its mission, vision, and purpose. The CAA use the results of the latest Customer Satisfaction Survey and other data to review and update its vision and purpose statements, reaffirm its Principles of Accreditation, and articulate its core values for administering a premier accreditation program.
Strategic Plan 2024–2026
At its September 2023 meeting, the CAA finalized a framework for its strategic plan to focus the council’s activities beginning in 2024. The CAA identified the following priorities and goals to guide CAA’s work over the next few years.
Mission
The CAA assures quality and promotes excellence through accreditation of education programs for entry-level audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
Vision
CAA-accredited graduate programs in audiology and speech-language pathology prepare professionals to provide ethical, evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate speech, language, and hearing services.
Goals
Improve communication and transparency with programs and build confidence among programs that the CAA is an effective accreditor and partner in the shared commitment to quality programs.
Action Steps
- Develop comprehensive resources for new programs and new program directors about the accreditation process/policies and CAA Standards.
- Provide a wider range of educational opportunities about peer-driven specialized accreditation (generally), CAA accreditation (specifically), and process.
- Improve usability of the CAA website, including creating FAQs.
Increase diversity of the CAA and its volunteer pool to better reflect the needs of those we serve.
Action Steps
- Create an Ad Hoc group to identify ways to increase diversity of volunteer pools.
- Define what diversity means in the CAA context.
- Consult with internal and external groups as appropriate.
- Review application forms for CAA volunteer positions to ensure criteria for selection match the CAA needs.
- Improve marketing for recruitment.
Streamline processes to improve efficiency and reduce redundancies for programs and volunteers.
Action Steps
- For programs:
- Review questions on the application and annual reports to ensure the questions capture the information necessary for the CAA to devermine compliance with each standard and avoid asking unneccessary (or unnecessarily burdensome) questions.
- Make reporting platform more efficient by maximizing its functions.
- Survey programs about the impact of changes on time spent completing reporting requirement and feelings of confusion relating to standards and reporting.
- Gather baseline data for time spent completing report requirements and feedback on reporting system.
- Track metrics regarding the number of questions received from programs.
- For volunteers:
- Review and revise report forms as needed.
- Provide specific and consistent instructions for decision-making criteria.
- Provide standardized training for CAA volunteers.
- Review CAA report card questions to capture perception of changes about workload.
Develop the CAA's volunteer structure to optimize volunteer time and utilization of professional expertise.
Action Steps
- Establish a task force to review alternative models of accreditation volunteer structure.
- Develop new CAA accreditation volunteer structure.
- Clarify and document volunteer and staff roles and responsibilities.
- Implement new CAA accreditation volunteer structure.
- Audit/revise CAA's committee charges and update materials to align with new accreditation volunteer structure.