A note from Karen Lowenstein, Director of Member Services
AAQEP cohorts have launched for the 2022-23 academic year. Thanks to all of you who were able to join us last week for September's cohort meetings—participation was at an all-time high! And thanks to the AAQEP ambassadors who are supporting meeting facilitation alongside staff liaisons.
If your assigned cohort day/time does not work for you, or if you are not sure what cohort you are a part of, please reach out to your AAQEP liaison or email me at k.lowenstein@aaqep.org. We hope to see you next month when cohorts meet again (October 11-13). Bring your questions for your cohort peers! |
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Fall Learning Opportunities |
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A note from Christine DeGregory, Director of Professional Learning
AAQEP has a full schedule of professional learning activities to support you this term. Whether you’re already accredited, working on your first proposal, or not even a member yet, you’ll find enriching opportunities in our webinars and workshops. Mark your calendars!
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Members-Only Webinars
In addition to monthly cohort calls for regular members, a variety of no-cost webinars are open to all AAQEP members.
Our fall Member Quarterly is October 18 and will feature three accredited members discussing “Life After the Accreditation Decision.” Learn more and register here.
There’s always something on tap in our series of five webinars supporting the quality assurance review cycle:
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Writing the Accreditation Proposal (next date: Sept. 28)
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Writing the QAR: Effectively Sharing Your Program’s Story (Oct. 5)
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Documenting Program Practices: QAR Appendices (Oct. 6)
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Site Visit Essentials (Feb. 10)
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Writing the Annual Report (Sept. 29)
Each is offered 2-3 times per year to give you timely access to support. If you can’t join us live, you can always watch a recent recording. (Members can find the latest recordings, slides, and registration links on our login-protected Access Member Events page.)
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Workshops, In Person and Online
For deeper engagement, enroll in one of our four workshops–all now offered both online and on campuses around the country:
- Making the Case for Quality
- Ensuring Data Quality and Equity
- Using Data to Sustain Improvement
- Quality Implementation
In October, we’ll be bringing the first two workshops to Texas, and in November, we’ll offer the other two in Minnesota. The fall online series kicks off October 19. Visit aaqep.org/workshops for the complete descriptions, dates, and locations.
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And there’s more: Read on for additional engagement opportunities, and visit our online Event Calendar for quick registration links.
P.S. Hello to all who are joining me in Kansas City this week for the AAQEP Institute!
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Do You Have a School Counseling Program? |
If so, you’ve already had the option to include it in your AAQEP review, but now you also may choose to have it reviewed for national recognition by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Learn more about this new service for AAQEP members in a webinar next month: |
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ASCA National Recognition Option
Through AAQEP Partnership
Wednesday, October 12, 1-2 p.m. EDT
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Please save the date for the next AAQEP Quality Assurance Symposium: February 22-23, 2023, in Indianapolis. Registration will be opening very soon!
Meanwhile, thanks to all who submitted session proposals for review by the Events Committee–which is nearly complete. We will notify you of your proposal’s status in October.
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Give a warm welcome to those joining AAQEP in August and September!
EPP members:
- Earlham College (IN)
- Lusail University (Qatar)
- Simmons College of Kentucky (affiliate member)
AAQEP now has 188 EPPs, 15 states, and several individual and organizational members. Welcome, all!
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Thank You for Responding to Our Member Engagement Survey |
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We appreciate your feedback and insights to help us improve! Here are a few things we heard.
Your most rewarding AAQEP member experiences stem from:
- Cohort participation
- Attending the Quality Assurance Symposium
- Serving as a peer reviewer
- Hosting or observing a site visit
- Attending workshops and staff-led webinars
Some of you requested a continued emphasis on virtual offerings over in-person events to save on cost. Conversely, others urged AAQEP to convene more face-to-face gatherings. (Fortunately, both modalities are well represented in the coming year’s activities!)
It was especially good to hear several of you mention the sense of belonging you’ve found with AAQEP. One anonymous example: “I have never, in 25 years, felt such community in the accreditation process.”
Here's to another great year together!
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New Service for Quality Assurance Reports |
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One of this year’s newly developed member services is now available: a “QAR completeness check,” which is a staff check of the self-study report before it moves into official review.
We’ll look through your draft to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything important, both to give you peace of mind and to set up a smooth process for your reviewers.
There’s no extra charge for this service–it’s covered by your site visit fee. All you have to do to take advantage of it is send in your draft report at least 9 months ahead of your site visit.
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A note from Sara Hiller, Director of Accreditation Services
Did you miss our Site Visit Essentials webinar? Don’t worry, the recording is posted on our Access Member Events page. This twice-a-year webinar goes over timelines and logistics around AAQEP’s site visit process.
Here’s a quick overview of where the action is in the current AAQEP accreditation cycles:
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Fall 2022 (21 site visits): Fall reviews are underway! We are so excited to go back to in-person visits. Thank you to all of our hard-working reviewers.
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Spring 2023 (18 site visits): Logistic calls start this month. Remember that Quality Assurance Reports and local practitioner selection are due 6 months before your scheduled visit date—see your Provider Review Timeline.
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Fall 2023 (28 site visits): All site visit dates have been scheduled. Be sure to return your signed site visit letter to me and pay 50% of your site visit fee to confirm your dates. (And remember to get your draft QAR to us at least 9 months in advance if you want to take advantage of our new staff completeness check!)
For an overview of the AAQEP accreditation timeline and other member resources, visit this web page. If you have any questions about the next step in your review, contact me at s.hiller@aaqep.org.
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Congratulations to the following institutions on receiving AAQEP accreditation in the past 2 months:
- National University
- SUNY New Paltz
- University of Maryland Global Campus
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Annual Reporting Materials Coming Soon |
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Member Webinar: Writing the Annual Report
Staff will offer two optional webinars this fall for interested members to walk through the report template and ask questions. Register through the links below:
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AAQEP’s annual reporting season runs October 1 through December 31. The 2022 Annual Report template, guidance, and member update survey will be available next week. The primary contact for each regular AAQEP member will receive an email with details.
Here’s a reminder of who does what:
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Update Survey: All Regular Members – All primary contacts complete this survey on behalf of their institutions/organizations to supply the latest program completer numbers and other general information.
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2022 Annual Report: Members Accredited as of December 31, 2021 – The full report is required starting the year following your initial AAQEP accreditation decision (see our Annual Report Policy), but all members are encouraged to complete it to support programs’ continuous improvement.
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Where’s the 2022 Guide?
Based on feedback from members and reviewers, AAQEP staff work on resource updates over the summer and ensure the Guide to AAQEP Accreditation is aligned with them as well as with reviewer training and templates. This summer, numerous member and reviewer guidance documents and templates have been refreshed, and updated reviewer-training modules were released in August. The 2022 Guide is now in the final stages of editing and should be available in October, offering few substantial changes but additional guidance in several areas you’ve requested.
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Interested in Becoming a Reviewer?
Join an Interest Session Oct. 24
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Serving as an AAQEP reviewer builds your professional service record, contributes meaningfully to the field, and gives you a close-up view of both AAQEP’s process and the work of your colleagues around the country. Come to a Reviewer Interest Session next month to learn more and ask questions of two veteran AAQEP reviewers.
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Like many of you, we’re hitting the road this fall–and not only for site visits! Look for our staff and/or member representatives at these upcoming state and national conferences:
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TECSCU October 2-4 in Denver, CO
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CSOTTE October 9-11 in San Marcos, TX
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CCTE October 20-22 in San Diego, CA
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PAC-TE October 26-28 in Harrisburg, PA
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NYACTE-NYSATE October 27-28 in Saratoga Springs, NY
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GACTE November 16-18 in Savannah, GA
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Would you like to include an AAQEP co-presenter in your conference proposal? (That AACTE proposal deadline is right around the corner!) Or do you have an upcoming conference we should know about? Keep us in the loop at aaqep@aaqep.org. |
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Recent back issues of this e-newsletter:
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AAQEP — Always improving together |
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