Code of Good Practice

ASPA Code

• Focus on student learning as defined by institutional and programmatic missions and goals.
• Evaluate educational quality in an unbiased manner.
• Encourage institutions and programs to provide pertinent, clear and accessible public information about student achievement.

• Maintain autonomy and integrity in governance and operations through appropriate relationships, practices and avoidance of conflict of interest.
• Create, document and implement policies and procedures to ensure fair and consistent application of standards and decision making that includes due process, confidentiality, and expedient response to appeals and complaints.
• Develop, review and revise standards and accreditation procedures on a regular basis with the participation of communities of interest.
• Maintain sufficient financial, personnel, and other resources for effective operations, while ensuring efficient and cost-effective accreditation processes for institutions and programs.
• Cooperate with other accrediting organizations wherever possible to avoid conflicting standards and to minimize duplication of effort by the institutions and programs.
• Provide evaluations to assist institutions and programs in developing their own approaches and solutions, making a clear distinction between accreditation requirements and recommendations for improvement.
• Provide accurate, clear, accessible, and timely information to communities of interest about accreditation: standards, procedures and status of institutions and programs.
• Maintain an effective training and professional development program for all accreditation staff and volunteers.
• Ensure that site teams have the appropriate expertise and experience for each specific review.
• Include periodic evaluations of the accreditation process that incorporate input from accredited institutions and programs.

• Encourage institutional freedom to make academic decisions while fulfilling the commitment to the accreditation requirements of the profession.
• Promote the rights of institutions and programs to determine and implement missions and goals.
• Encourage experimentation, innovation, and thoughtful change that meet the needs of the profession, students and the communities served.