Accreditation News
The purpose of Accreditation News is to keep members and communities of interest abreast of actions taken during CODA meetings throughout the year. Always come to this section to find information on new, revised and proposed changes to various accreditation standards, information on open hearings, upcoming site visits and other CODA activities. The Accreditation News has permanently replaced the Communications Update, which is no longer published. You can still review archived issues of the Communications Update.
Consideration of Proposed Revisions to Accreditation Standards
Comments due: June 1, 2008
- Advanced Specialty Education Programs in Endodontics | PDF file/202k
- Advanced Specialty Education Programs in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology |
PDF file/146k
- Advanced Specialty Education Programs in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics | PDF file/130k
- Advanced Specialty Education Programs in Pediatric Dentistry | PDF file/186k
- Advanced Specialty Education Programs in Periodontics | PDF file/147k
- Advanced Specialty Education Programs in Prosthodontics | PDF file/159k
Comments due: November 1, 2008
- Proposed Changes to Language Common to all Recognized Specialties (ENDO, DPH, OMP, OMR, OMS, ORTHO, PED DENT, PERIO, PROS): Standards 1, 4 and 5
| PDF file/199k 
Return to Top
Revised Standards Effective January 1, 2009: Accreditation Standards for Dental Laboratory Technology Education Programs
Changes were made throughout the Standards to update terminology and to provide greater clarification and organization within the document. Specific Standard revisions include changes in the areas of Instruction and Specialty Content and in program administrator and faculty qualifications.
- Accreditation Standards for Dental Laboratory Technology Education Programs | PDF file/153k
Return to Top
Revised Standards Effective January 1, 2009: Accreditation Standards for Dental Assisting Education Programs
Revisions to the Accreditation Standards for Dental Assisting Education Programs were approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) at their February 1, 2008 meeting with an implementation date of January 1, 2009. For more information please contact Commission staff at 800-621-8099 ext. 2705.
Revisions within the Dental Assisting Standards include clinical practice hours (Standard 2-22); program administrator qualifications (Standard 3-5); faculty education requirements (Standard 3-7); Certified Dental Assistant certification requirements for dentists (Standard 3-9); and emergency management preparation requirements (5-4).
Return to Top
Revised Standards Effective January 1, 2009: Accreditation Standards for Dental Hygiene Education Programs
Revisions to the Accreditation Standards for Dental Hygiene Education were approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) at their July 26, 2007 meeting. The Accreditation Standards will be implemented January 1, 2009. For more information contact Commission staff at 800-621-8099, extension 2695.
Please note that changes were made throughout the Standards to provide clarification and organization of the material. Specifically changes occurred in the following areas: definitions of standard of care for dental hygiene and dental hygiene diagnosis; program director qualifications and responsibilities; faculty to student ratios; and qualifications of faculty teaching didactic courses.
Return to Top
Unofficial Report of Major Actions
Download CODA's report on actions taken at the February 1, 2008 meeting.
Return to Top
New Date for CODA's 2008 Summer Meeting
This announcement is to advise you that the date for CODA's 2008 summer meeting has changed from Friday, August 1, 2008 to Thursday, July 31, 2008. The date change was made to resolve a conflict with another professional meeting involving multiple Commissioners. Additionally, please be aware that Wednesday, July 30 is reserved for any ad hoc or standing committees that may need to meet.
We appreciate your understanding and hope that this early announcement will minimize any potential inconvenience.
Thank you in advance for sharing this information with others who may have an interest in CODA's meeting schedule.
Return to Top
New Policy: Discontinued Use of Commendations
At it's July 2007 meeting, the Commission directed that the use of commendations be discontinued within the accreditation process. This decision was made after an in-depth review of this issue. As a result, commendations will no longer be documented within written site visit reports, although verbal acknowledgement of identified achievement beyond the Accreditation Standards may be offered at the time of a site visit.
Return to Top
New Policy: Electronic Submission of Accreditation Materials
Effective on January 1, 2008, all accreditation materials sent to the Commission must be done so electronically.
The Policy on Electronic Submission of Accreditation Materials states that programs will provide the Commission with an electronic version of all accreditation documents/reports and related materials. These documents may include but are not limited to self-study guides, responses to site visit/progress reports, initial accreditation applications, reports of major change, transfer of sponsorship and exhibits. The Commission will provide programs with electronic submission guidelines including accepted formats. Accreditation documents/reports and related materials must be complete and comprehensive. The Commission will assess a fee of $500 per discipline self-study document and $250 per general correspondence/report (major change, increase in enrollment, transfer of sponsorship, progress report, response to site visit report, for example) to the program for converting the document to an electronic version.
Return to Top
Upcoming Site Visits
The Commission’s 2007 and 2008 site visit schedules for allied, advanced and
dental education programs can be downloaded in PDF format below. The United
States Department of Education (USDE) procedures require accrediting agencies
to provide an opportunity for third-party comment, with respect to institutions
or programs scheduled for review. All comments must relate to accreditation
standards for the discipline and/or accreditation policies.
Comments should be submitted to: Third Party Comments, Commission on Dental
Accreditation, 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL., 60611; or faxed to
312-440-2915. View the entire policy on Third Party Comments in the Evaluation
Policies & Procedures manual.
Return to Top
To view a PDF file, you need Adobe Reader. Click on the logo to download.
|
