A Response to Conditions SPA Program Report (“Response to Conditions Report”) is submitted when a program receives a decision of “National Recognition with Conditions” for their previous SPA report submission.

A Response to Conditions Report does not require the resubmission of all components of the original report. The Response to Conditions Report will usually focus on the submission of revised or new assessments that were developed based on the SPA’s guidance on the previous SPA Program Report. The goal is to provide improved evidence for standards previously found unmet by reviewers.

How to Plan for the Response to Conditions Report Submission:

To submit Response to Conditions Reports, a program will request shells (templates used by programs to submit SPA Program Reports) through CAEP’s Accreditation Information Management System (AIMS) using institutional login information. Instructions on how to request shells are provided here.

Shells may be requested as early as one year before the submission due date and no later than five days before the deadline. Programs need to specify during the request that the shells requested are for “Response to Conditions.” The shells are named accordingly for reviewers to know of their nature.

In responding to the SPA’s decision of “National Recognition with Conditions,” the program should focus on the conditions specified in Part G (Decisions) of the prior SPA Recognition Report (report that the program receives notifying the SPA’s decision on National Recognition). If a program can meet the conditions listed in Part G through evidence presented in the Response to Conditions Report, it should be eligible for National Recognition.

Comments provided in Part B (Status of Meeting SPA Standards), Part C (Evaluation of Program Report Evidence), Part D (Evaluation of the Use of Assessment Results), and Part E (Areas for Consideration) of the prior SPA Recognition Report may also provide valuable information on ways to address the conditions stated in Part G.

How to Complete the Program Report Template/Form:

  1. Cover Sheet (must be completed for Initial, Revised, and Response to Conditions Reports): Complete the entire section: Numbers 1-16.
  2. Sections I and II: Not required for Response to Conditions Reports unless there is a replacement of one or more of the assessment(s) originally submitted in the Initial Review Report, or there is new faculty information since the submission of the previous report.
  3. Section III: Not required for Response to Conditions Reports unless a new assessment replaces one submitted in the Initial Review Report to meet a SPA standard.
  4. Section IV: Required for Response to Conditions Reports. Follow the directions provided in Section IV of the template to provide information on the key assessments that are being resubmitted. The data requirement for a Response to Conditions Report is based on a minimum of one cycle of data; these data are collected from the revised assessment(s) based on SPA feedback received in the previous SPA Recognition Report.
  5. Section V: Required for Response to Conditions Reports. Describe how faculty are using the data from assessments to improve candidate performance and the program, as it relates to content knowledge; pedagogical and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions; and student learning. 
  6. Section VI: Required for Response to Conditions Reports. Describe what changes or additions have been made in the report to address the conditions and concerns raised in the original SPA Recognition Report. List the sections of the report you are resubmitting and the changes that have been made.