Accreditation and Assessment
Central Arizona College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Action Projects
Action Projects are quality activities CAC selects and focuses its efforts to support and drive continuous quality improvement. These activities are tied directly to the nine AQIP criteria, and group faculty and staff to share a sense of activity, momentum, and purpose, while implementing district wide quality improvement.
QUALITY CHECKUP VISIT
Central Arizona College (CAC) had a Quality Checkup Visit on March 25-27, 2014. The Quality Checkup Visit is an important part of the regular AQIP cycle that occurs prior to reaffirmation of accreditation. Components of the AQIP Quality Checkup Visit are:
1. Systems Portfolio Clarification and Verification
2. Systems Appraisal Follow-Up
3. Accreditation Issues Follow-Up
4. Federal Compliance Review
5. Organizational Quality Commitment
CAC’s AQIP Quality Checkup Visit was conducted by two trained and experienced AQIP Reviewers — Gloria Dohman, Ph.D., Accreditation Liaison Officer, North Dakota State College of Science and Donna Wood, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Tulsa Community College.
AQIP Quality Checkup Visit Documents:
1. Quality Checkup Visit Agenda
2. AQIP Quality Program Summary
3. AQIP Federal Compliance Review
4. Check-Up Visit eResource Room
5. Quality Checkup Visit Report
QUALITY COUNCIL
To facilitate the continuous quality improvement process, the President appoints representatives, deemed experts in their area, from each college constituency group across the district. The council works closely with the college’s academic and support operations to ensure efforts that the best practices for improvement initiatives are employed. Units within the college use appropriate results to identify opportunities for improvement. These results include the CAC Systems Portfolio and Appraisal, Academic Program Review, and other institutional assessments and data. Appropriate units tackle smaller improvement initiatives on their own and are encouraged to complete CAC’s Quality Improvement Record.
Broader institutional initiatives typically employ the support of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Advancement through the Quality Initiatives Proposal process. The Quality Council owns this process with the intention of quality initiative proposals moving forward to the President and Cabinet for consideration. Quality initiatives can emerge from a variety of sources. Based on results from an evaluative tool (survey, needs assessment or formal program review), a unit or employee may propose a quality initiative. A quality initiative may result from an Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) activity such as the Systems Portfolio, Systems Appraisal or Strategy Forum. The Quality Council, as a representation of each constituent group, moves the proposal forward with the the vice president of the area that is most impacted by the proposal as the process owner. These vice presidents share the Cabinet’s decision and any related recommendations with the Quality Council.
SYSTEMS PORTFOLIO PROCESS
The Systems Portfolio is a record of CAC’s activities with regard to the nine key processes of AQIP and acts as a
- high-quality, actionable feedback on CAC’s strengths & opportunities from a team of quality improvement experts and educators,
- body of evidence to show the Higher Learning Commission that CAC is meeting its Criteria for Accreditation,
- common reference point that lets everyone at CAC share an understanding of how we are organized, what are our key processes, what kind of performance those processes produce, and how we improve,
- planning tool that helps us share the institution’s future agenda and concentrates everyone’s attention on those areas that should be the focus for scrutiny for improvement,
- body of evidence, over time, that AQIP is working to CAC’s advantage, and that our continued participation in the program makes sense,
- public information and relations tool that lets all of our stakeholders understand clearly and persuasively what we are accomplishing with our resources
ARCHIVED PORTFOLIO
- 2012 Systems Portfolio Guide
- The AQIP Categories and the Criteria for Accreditation: locations for evidence
- Central Arizona College Systems Portfolio (November 2012)
- Central Arizona College Systems Portfolio with Category Questions and Core Components (November 2012)
- Central Arizona College Systems Appraisal (March 2013)
- 2012 Systems Portfolio and Appraisal with Questions and Core Criteria_042913
- Central Arizona College e-folio website
- Systems Appraisal Feedback – Response to O&OOs
- Quality Checkup Visit
- Quality Checkup Visit Report
- Quality Highlights Report
OTHER ACCREDITATIONS |
| Education | |
| Early Childhood Education | National Association for the Education of Young Children 1313 L St. N.W. Suite 500 Washington DC, 20005 (202) 232-8777 https://www.naeyc.org/ecada/ |
| Health Careers | |
| Dietetic Technician | Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000 Chicago, IL 6006-6995 (800) 877-1600, ext. 400 http://www.eatright.org/ACEND/ |
| Dietary Managers Training Program | Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) 406 Surrey Woods Drive St. Charles, IL 60174 (800) 323-1908 www.ANFPonline.org |
| Emergency Medical Services | Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs 25400 U.S. Highway 19 North, Suite 158 Clearwater, FL 33763 Phone: (727) 210-2350 www.caahep.org |
| Health Information Technology | The Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information management Education (CAHIIM) 233 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200 Chicago, IL 606601-5809 (312) 233-1183 www.cahiim.org |
| Medical Assistant | Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) 1361 Park Street Clearwater, FL 33756 (727) 210-2350 www.caahep.org |
| Medical Billing | American Medical Billing Association (AMBA) 2465 E. Main Davis, OK 73030 (580) 369-2700 www.ambanet.net/AMBA.htm |
| Radiography | Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) 20 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 2850 Chicago, IL 60606-3182 (312) 704-5300 www.jrcert.org |
| Nursing | |
| Nursing Assistant | Arizona State Board of Nursing 4747 N. 7th St., Suite 200 Phoenix, AZ 85014-3655 (602) 771-7800 www.azbn.gov |
| Practical Nurse | Arizona State Board of Nursing 4747 N. 7th St., Suite 200 Phoenix, AZ 85014-3655 (602) 771-7800 www.azbn.gov |
| Registered Nurse | Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850 Atlanta, GA 30326 (404) 975-5000 www.acenursing.org |
| Technology | |
| Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology | Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation 615 W. 22nd Street Oak Brook, IL 60523 (630) 574-0650 www.aednet.org |
| Heavy Equipment Operators | National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) 13614 E. Progress Blvd. Alachua, FL 32615 (386) 518-6500 http://www.nccer.org |
| Welding | National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) 13614 E. Progress Blvd. Alachua, FL 32615 (386) 518-6500 http://www.nccer.org |
For more information contact William Brown at william.brown@centralaz.edu
Content on this page is provided by Accreditation & Quality Initiatives.
ACCREDITATION AND QUALITY INITIATIVES
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) granted Central Arizona College correspondent status in March 1968 candidate status in March 1971; its first full accreditation status in March 1973; NCA accreditation for a seven-year period in July 1978; and accreditation for another seven-year period from October 1985 with a focus visit in 1987. In March 1993, NCA extended full accreditation to the District for ten years (the maximum period allowable).
In November 2000, Central Arizona College was accepted as a participant in the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP), by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), a Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. AQIP provides CAC with a structure to increasingly transform into an institution focusing on continuous improvement. Action Projects (institutional quality initiatives), the Systems Portfolio (self-study), and Systems Appraisal (feedback) assist in CAC’s improvement.
CAC has an infrastructure in place to support institutional improvements consisting of the CAC Quality Council, the Director of Accreditation and Quality Initiatives, the Office of Institutional Planning and Research, and the Office of Resource Development.
1. AQIP REAFFIRMATION OF ACCREDITATION
– Central Arizona College AQIP Reaffirmation Action Letter 03-09-15
– Statement of Accreditation Status
For further information contact Dr. Mary Kay Gilliland, Accreditation Liaison Officer, MaryK.Gilliland@centralaz.edu