Measurement of Success
- Ability to learn and test at the top 20% of current professional
level in a given field;
- Ability to demonstrate applied learning through observed
measurement to warrant top 20% of AACSB academic performance;
- Complete competencies with scores high-enough to demonstrate
predictive ability to advance both professionally and
academically within a specific career track.
Performance Requirements
Unlike other certifications that rely only on subject matter
content and examination to ensure recipients demonstrate tested
knowledge to be considered a top 20% performer, the SLA also
requires a learning experience and performance based on the
highest academic accreditation standards (courses must meet
AACSB standards to be approved as an SLA program). This means
that SLA candidates must meet tested, observed, and applied
metrics to successfully earn certification through a learning
program and simulated exam experience.
Performance Results
The result is that candidates certified by the SLA have a 94%
likelihood of professional success within a field (moving from
non-exempt to exempt roles) but perform within the top 20% of
a graduate-level academic and applied-professional standards.
National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
(AACSB) Accreditation and Standards and Associations
What Every Professional Needs to Know About the
Accreditation of Certification Programs, Education,
and Licensure
The Strategic Learning Alliance will lead efforts to protect
the public from unqualified coaching professionals and is adhering
to the guidelines set forth by the National Commission for
Certifying Agencies (NCCA). There have been many questions
within our industry in regard to education, training, certification,
accreditation and licensure.
1) What is the difference between education, certification
(credentialing) and continuing education?
Education:
- Teaches foundational knowledge and skills and measures the cognitive retention of the student.
- Many fields require that education be completed in the form of a degree as a pre-requisite for the professional credential.
Certification (Credentialing):
-
Measures, in a standardized and unbiased manner, the ability of the candidate
to apply the knowledge and skills in the role of a professional.
-
Passing a certification establishes that the individual is minimally competent
to work unsupervised in a given field or profession.
-
Certification does not mean that an individual knows everything required to be
considered an expert in a given field.
Continuing Education:
-
Keeps the professional current by updating their knowledge base and teaching
them new skills.
-
Frequently is associated with the development of a specialty.
-
May also be based on a specific modality or tool.
-
Assumes that the individual participating possesses all of the foundational
knowledge required of the minimally competent professional.
-
Generally does not meet the threshold for credible certification for exam
content, structure and administration.
2) Are all certifications really certifications?
In the coaching industry for example, the term certification
has been incorrectly applied to many continuing education
courses based on the definition of certification. Most
courses provide either foundational education or continuing
education content.
3) If a course isn't really a certification, why should
a professional take it?
Just because a course is a foundational education or
continuing education course does not make it less valuable
to a professional than a certification, merely that a
certificate of completion or specialty certificate would
be a more appropriate designation.
4) Why accreditation?
Accreditation of certification organizations is a topic
of much discussion in the coaching industry.
In a related industry, fitness coaching, the
International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association
(IHRSA) Board of Directors proposed the following
qualifications on their membership.
The IHRSA Board's Resolution:
"Whereas, given the increasing importance personal
training plays in health, fitness and sports clubs, IHRSA
recommends that, as of January 1, 2006, member clubs hire
personal trainers who hold at least one current certification
from a certifying organization/agency that has
obtained third-party accreditation of its certification
procedures and protocols from an independent, experienced,
and nationally recognized accrediting body."
"Furthermore, given the twenty-six year history of the
The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) in
establishing quality standards for certifying agencies,
IHRSA has identified the National Commission for Certifying Agencies
(NCCA), the accreditation body of ICE, as being an acceptable
accrediting organization. Other equivalent accrediting
organizations may be recognized as well, as they come to
IHRSA's attention."
Introduction to AACSB Accreditation
AACSB International: The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business advances quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. Through its accreditation standards and processes, AACSB recognizes institutions that uphold its mission and core values, work to advance the interests of global management education, and participate in AACSB's community of leading business schools. In this context, AACSB focuses on continuous quality improvement in management education through innovation, engagement, and impact.
The association was founded in 1916 and established its first standards for degree programs in business administration in 1919. AACSB adopted additional standards for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in accountancy in 1980 to address the special needs of the accounting profession. The association regularly reviews its accreditation standards and processes for opportunities to improve relevance, maintain currency, and increase value. The association most recently adopted major revisions to the business standards in 1991 and 2003. This edition of the standards was adopted by the AACSB Accreditation Council in April 2013.
A collegiate business school offering degrees in business administration or accounting may volunteer for an AACSB Accreditation review. As a first step, the business school must establish its eligibility for accreditation. During the initial accreditation process, the school is evaluated on how well it achieves AACSB's accreditation standards, through a process of self-evaluation and peer review. After earning AACSB Accreditation, the business school undergoes periodic peer reviews of its strategic improvement to continue its accreditation.
AACSB is a non-profit corporation of business schools, accounting programs, corporations, and other organizations devoted to the promotion and improvement of higher education in business administration and accounting.
- AACSB supports and upholds the Code of Good Practice for Accrediting Bodies of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA). www.aspa-usa.org
-
AACSB is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). www.chea.org
Strategic Learning Alliance's curriculum is now accepted by an AACSB Accredited University.
5) What do these accrediting organizations look for when
accrediting certification organizations?
These organizations evaluate the processes and systems used
by an organization to identify professional role and scope
of practice, develop exam content, and provide proper exam
administration and scoring to ensure the following:
-
That the examination process is fair and unbiased
-
That the examination accurately measures the minimal competence of the
candidate for the profession
-
That the public is protected from unqualified or ineffective practitioners
-
That the organization has the means to support its professionals
6) Are there other accrediting organizations that are
"equivalent" to NCCA and AACSB?
The only other organization for possible consideration as a credible
accreditation organization for certifying agencies is
ANSI based on their long history of setting well-recognized and widely
accepted industrial and workplace safety and quality standards.
Information on Accreditation of Certification Programs:
Certification is usually a voluntary process instituted by a nongovernmental
agency in which individuals are recognized for acquired knowledge and skill. It
requires assessment, including testing, and an evaluation of education and/or
experience. In some instances, individuals who seek certification may already
hold a license. Also, certification may be non-voluntary for some professions
(i.e., required by the profession) and may be considered the equivalent of a
license to practice (e.g., EMTs, nurses, athletic trainers, occupational
therapists, etc).
Licensure refers to a mandatory governmental requirement that restricts the
practice in a particular profession. It also requires assessment, including
testing, and an evaluation of education and/or experience. Licensure implies
both practice protection and title protection, in that only individuals who
hold a license are permitted to practice and to use a particular title.
NCCA is an independent nongovernmental agency that accredits professional
certifications in a variety of professions. NCCA reviews the certification
organization's procedures, protocols and operations and determines if the
certification properly discriminates between those who are qualified and those
who are not qualified to be awarded the respective credential. The following is
a sample of the 21 standards that a certification organization must comply with
to be awarded NCCA accreditation:
- Conduct certification activities in a manner that upholds standards for
competent practice in a profession, occupation, role, or skill.
- Include individuals from the certified population on the certification board or
governing committee of the certification program.
- Establish, publish, apply, and periodically review key certification policies
and procedures concerning existing and prospective certificants.
- Employ assessment instruments that are derived from the job/practice analysis
and that are consistent with generally accepted psychometric principles.
- Develop and adhere to appropriate, standardized, and secure procedures for the
development and administration of the assessment instruments.
- Set the cut score consistent with the purpose of the credential and the
established standard of competence for the profession, occupation, role, or
skill.
- Award certification only after the knowledge and/or skill of individual
applicants have been evaluated and determined to be acceptable.
- Establish and apply policies and procedures for secure retention of assessment
results and scores of all candidates.
- Demonstrate that its recertification requirements measure or enhance the
continued competence of certificants.
*Note that the NCCA accredits certification programs and NOT education programs.
Therefore, to avoid conflicts of interest between certification and education
functions, the NCCA requires that the certification agency must NOT also be
responsible for accreditation of educational or training programs or courses of
study leading to the certification (see
www.credentialingexcellence.org).
7) What will the adoption of the NCCA accreditation standard mean to me as
a professional?
- Accreditation of a credentialing organization by the NCCA is the standard for a
large majority of well-respected allied health care professionals and others
professions (e.g., nursing, nutrition, athletic training, etc.).
- By earning an NCCA-accredited certification, professionals demonstrate
that they are qualified to take a legitimate place based on what is usual
and customary for professionals which is critical for developing an
appropriate level of professional recognition which should also
positively impact compensation levels for credentialed professionals.
- For education providers in the certification industry it
means selecting the aspect (education, credentialing or
continuing education) that best fits the organizational
and business structure of their organization. It does not
mean that there are not opportunities for growth or that
they do not provide an essential and valuable service to
the certification industry.
Certification is the "hardware" of the certification business, education is
the "software."
8) Does NCCA Accreditation mean Certified Professionals
have to re-sit for their Exam?
The issue of accreditation for certification organizations by the National
Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is one that has generated a
significant amount of coverage and discussion within the coaching industry
press, and among education providers and the coaching professionals that we
collectively serve. The concept of "grandfathering" of an
organization's coaching professionals following accreditation has become one of
the key issues among those discussions.
If an educational organization has always utilized an appropriate and
NCCA-recognized process to develop and administer its certification
examinations, the professionals, regardless of when they earned their
certification (even if it was earned prior to an awarded NCCA accreditation
date) are not required to re-sit for certification.
9) Do we need a national board exam for coaching professionals?
The current proposal for a national board exam is based on the
false assumption that there are no credible national standards for
coaching certification today and that a national board exam is the
precursor to licensure for coaching professionals. In fact, NCCA
accreditation is the recognized standard for professional credentialing
and licensing exam organization in the allied healthcare and other
skilled professional fields. Any new credentialing organization would
still need to earn NCCA accreditation which would take a minimum of
two years following the introduction of their testing instrument (exam).
10) Is licensure coming to the coaching industry?
The call for licensure is typically driven by two factors:
- Failure of an industry to provide for significant self-regulation.
- A significant risk to public health that requires government intervention. The
determination that licensure is required is made through a process called a
"sunrise review" that determines the qualifications, skills and
knowledge required to work in the proposed licensed profession, and if there
are any existing recognized certification standards in the field (usually an
NCCA-accredited organization or organizations).
11) Would licensure be beneficial for coaching professionals?
Licensure does not necessarily ensure that the coaching professional will see an
increase in compensation or professional recognition. The suggestion that a
national board and/or licensure is the key to creating relationships with the
medical community and lead to possible insurance reimbursement for coaching
professionals is greatly exaggerated. In fact, there may be unintended
consequences associated with pro-actively pursuing licensure. Some of the
unintended consequences of pursuing licensure could include:
- A limitation of the scope of practice via legislation by well-meaning
legislators influenced by lobbyists from various interested parties.
- Additional and unnecessary expenses associated with licensure.
- Alerting the public and the government to a purported "risk" of
working with qualified coaching professionals that does not exist.
Read
the Institute for Credentialing Excellence's press release on
the FTC warning consumers against diploma mills.
Learn about the National Commission For Certifying Agencies Accredited
Certification Organizations/Programs
Learn about the value of the AACSB Accreditation
Read the ICE NCCA Accreditation Standards