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Reaffirmation of Accreditation of the MSSA program |
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a process social work programs undergo every eight years to reaffirm that
they meet the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards established by the Council on Social
Work Education, the body authorized by the Department of Education to accredit social work
programs. Most professions have an accreditation process to insure that graduates of their programs
are adequately prepared for professional practice – this is true for law, medicine, business,
education, nursing, engineering, and dentistry among others.
How does accreditation occur?The reaffirmation process requires the program to write a
self-study in which it documents its compliance with the educational policy and accreditation
standards of the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The
Commission, a national panel of social work educators, then reviews the self-study and schedules a
site visit to explore any identified issues and to supplement the written report. The initial
self-study, together with the report of the site visit and the program’s response to the site visit
report are considered by the Commission on Accreditation in deciding whether to reaffirm the
accreditation of the program.
The accreditation of the MSSA program of the Mandel School was last reaffirmed in 2001 for
the full eight years – until October 2009. The next self-study is scheduled to be submitted
December 1, 2008, and the site visit to take place sometime in March, 2009. The Commission will
decide on reaffirmation at its October, 2009 meeting.
The Mandel School is submitting an alternative self-study for this reaffirmation cycle, in
place of the traditional self-study. The alternative process consists of an abbreviated self-study,
called a Reaffirmation Compliance Audit, and a special project to study an aspect of the program
that will lead to improvements in the program and contribute to general knowledge about social work
education.
Why is accreditation important? Accreditation is important for several reasons.
First, the accreditation process insures that the MSSA program meets the quality standards set by
the profession, and provides the educational experiences necessary to prepare graduates for
professional practice. Second, the self-study process requires faculty to engage in an intensive
review and assessment of the program to identify what the program is doing well, and what needs to
be strengthened. Finally, to be licensed as a social worker requires a degree from an accredited
social work program.
Would you like to have a say in the process?The Mandel School invites your review and
comment on the self-study being prepared for submission in December. Involvement of students,
alumni, field instructors, employers, clients and community citizens is important for keeping the
MSSA program responsive to community needs and continuing its tradition as a leading social work
program. We invite you to review the draft of the self-study and supporting documents and to send
your comments or suggestions to:
Wallace J. Gingerich
Self-Study Coordinator
The self-study documents
Reaffirmation
Compliance Audit – the self-study document itself
Special
Project Proposal – part of the alternative reaffirmation process
Educational
Policy and Accreditation Standards – CSWE standards followed in the accreditation process
Reaffirmation
Compliance Audit Review Brief – CSWE requirements for the self-study (called Compliance Audit)
Faculty
Summary – an attachment to the Compliance Audit
Field
Education Manual 2008-2009
Student
Handbook 2008-2009
Instructor's
Manual 2008-2009
Eight Ability
Statements
Harris
Library Report
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