School Accreditation Practices: Summary and Recommendation
Little Hover Commission 2004
Regulation of Acupuncture: A Complementary Therapy Framework
Summary
The efforts to raise educational standards even higher have spilled over into the policy debate over how to best assess the quality of education that schools provide. The best information available indicates that ACAOM's process is sound, and in some ways better than the review provided by the California Acupuncture Board. California can make use of this capacity without sacrificing control over curriculum standards or other aspects that ensure adequate preparation.
Recommendation 5: California should rely on ACAOM to accredit acupuncture schools, and other institutions for accreditation that are recognized by the Secretary of Education, while developing a mechanism to ensure that state-specific curriculum standards are met.
To achieve that goal, policy-makers have two options:
- Contract with ACAOM. California could establish a memorandum of understanding with ACAOM to certify that California-specific requirements have been met by individual schools and ensure that aggregated information is publicly available.
- Require schools to document. California could require that schools document that they have met any California-specific legal requirements that exceed national accrediting standards. California uses this model for schools of podiatry.