THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL
ACCREDITATION IN LICENSURE
MOBILITY
Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards
Atlanta, Georgia
May 2, 2008
Joseph Brimhall, D.C.
President, Western States Chiropractic College
Past-President, Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE)
Director, Councils on Chiropractic Education International (CCEI)
“I believe education is the great
equalizer. Our children are our
hope for the future, so we have
an obligation to provide them
with the tools to succeed. There
is no more powerful tool than
knowledge.”
--Dave Heineman
The principal goal of education is to
create people who are capable of
doing new things, not simply of
repeating what other generations
have done.
-Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Swiss
cognitive psychologist.
What is the role of CCE
accreditation?
CCE VISION STATEMENT
 “Promoting Excellence and
Assuring Quality in Chiropractic
Education”
HOW DOES CCE ASSURE QUALITY
OF CHIROPRACTIC EDUCATION?
by
 Development of valid criteria (CCE
Standards)
 Direct accreditation of programs &
institutions (COA actions)
 Recognition and Endorsement of actions
and standards of other accrediting
agencies (formerly via Reciprocal
Agreements)
ACCREDITATION IN THE UNITED
STATES
 Accreditation originated in the U.S.—it
is an American “invention”
 Relies on peer review rather than
governmental regulation
 Is “voluntary”
“Accreditation is voluntary”
 Probably essential to a college, but is
a choice, not an imposed
requirement.
 Similar to professional licensure,
accreditation is a privilege, not a
right.
Who Recognizes CCE?
 United States Department of Education – in
accordance with federal law and regulations
 CHEA (Council on Higher Education Accreditation)
– adherence to established criteria
 ASPA (Association of Specialized and Professional
Accreditors) – voluntary compliance with “Code of
Good Practice”
 CCE-I – conformance with “Model Standards”
United States Department of
Education recognition
 Recognized accrediting agencies act as
“gatekeepers” for access to federal funds.
 USDE is a “consumer” of accreditation
services (one way to view it)
CCE accreditation decisions are
recognized by:
 The United States Secretary of Education
 Other regional and specialized accrediting
agencies in the U.S.
 The Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (CHEA)
 Most United States licensing boards
 International chiropractic accrediting
agencies (via CCE-I mutual recognition
and endorsement)
Professional Regulation
 Professional licensure is the
responsibility of jurisdictional
regulation
 Accreditation may be a resource for
licensing bodies, much like
professional testing is used by
regulators
Chiropractic Regulation View
PROFESSIONAL REGULATION
 Licensing boards have the legal
authority to grant licensure and to
approve educational programs
necessary for licensure
 In the U.S., licensure and education
are under the authority of state (not
federal) government
International mobility
WHY RECIPROCITY DOES NOT WORK…
 Only 2 entities involved, by definition
 “Leap frog” phenomenon
 Presumes equivalence of the two sets
of Standards to each other
 Does not consider regional differences
WHY RECIPROCITY DOES NOT
WORK…(cont.)
 Who maintains assurance of
equivalence?
 What happens when there are
substantial differences between the
two Standards (i.e. nonequivalence)?
Alternatives to Reciprocity
Option: Each agency accredits colleges
outside its region/country (for example,
CCE could directly accredits colleges
outside the U.S.)

Requires the college’s adherence to multiple
different sets of programmatic accreditation
Standards. (many institutions in the U.S.
already do this with other programmatic
agencies)
Another alternative….
 Mutual recognition and endorsement of other
CCE agencies through compliance with CCE-I
Core Model Standards
 Membership of CCE-I is formed by the CCE
agencies of the world
 Each CCE world-wide has approved the Core
Model Standards and has representation on
CCE-I
 CCE-I is responsible to assure compliance of each
CCE with the Core Model Standards
Councils on Chiropractic Education
International (CCE-I)
 A membership organization
comprised of the four CCE agencies
worldwide (U.S., Canada, Europe,
Australia)
 Has established Core Model
Standards that all agencies comply
with
 Such compliance is the basis for
“mutual endorsement and
recognition”
CCEI Core Model Standards are
recognized and endorsed by:
 Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia (CCEA)
 Canadian Federation of Chiropractic Regulatory and
Educational Accrediting Boards (CFCREAB)
 Council on Chiropractic Education - United States of
America (CCE)
 European Council on Chiropractic Education (ECCE)
Benefits of mutual endorsement
and recognition:
 Transferability of credits among
accredited colleges
 MAY facilitate licensure mobility in
jurisdictions outside the region
Mutual Recognition and
Endorsement is already in place
 There is nothing for the student or
licensing board to buy
 The Core Model Standards are
available to anyone via the CCE-I web
site: http://www.cceintl.org/
How does this work for
regulation?
 Licensing bodies and other third
parties may rely on the mutual
endorsement and recognition
provisions as an effective and
comparable approach to resolving
questions regarding equivalency of
international accreditation
requirements and actions.
However…
 International accreditation process
and requirements are not exactly like
CCE
 Not all agencies have the same peerreview accreditation process
 Differing requirements for admission
 Educational structures vary in other
regions and countries
Limitations of CCE recognition and
endorsement of a foreign agency:
 -does not constitute accreditation by
CCE
 -does not imply eligibility for federal
funds, including Title IV funds or
federal student loan programs
Challenges for regulation
 State laws and regulations may
include requirements not covered by
recognition and endorsement
 Licensing bodies must assure compliance
with applicable laws
Also….
 The eligibility of a foreign educational
program to participate in Title IV
financial aid programs does not imply
CCE accreditation of that program
 Might not meet state requirements
for an accredited program
Therefore…
 Regulatory bodies may choose to rely
on the recognition and endorsement
of each regional CCE (via compliance
with CCEI Model Standards) as an
effective means to facilitate
international mobility.
PLEASE OBSERVE…
It should be noted that CCEI endorsement
and recognition of equivalency represents
compliance and conformity with CCEI Model
Standards and does not necessarily express
identical equivalence with CCE-US
Standards. Determination of compliance
with individual jurisdictional requirements
may require review on a case-by-case basis.
IMPORTANT:
 The decision of how much weight, if any, to
give CCE’s mutual recognition and
endorsement of other CCE agencies must
remain with the licensing and
regulatory organizations.
“The illiterate of the 21st century
will not be those who cannot read
and write, but those who cannot
learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
-ALVIN TOFFLER
Questions?
Thank you.