APA CoA suspend authorization vote from NACIQI

[Janay B. Sander]

Hi, all

I want to make you aware of a vote that occurred yesterday at the meeting of NACIQI, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, which makes a recommendation to the U.S. Department of Education about re-recognition and authorization of accreditors for higher education. Review of all recognized accrediting bodies is a periodic review, just like we have for our training programs in the big systems. 

The NACIQI voted 7-4 against APA CoA, voting to suspend its authorization/recognition as an accreditor. The grounds were antisemitism. 

I am not a current member of the Commission on Accreditation. I want to tell you two main things based on my personal experience as my personal opinion: 

(1) the CoA leadership condemned antisemitism in the public record at this meeting. Importantly, the complaints were more about APA as an organization, which is separate from the CoA, and the comments made by people at the meeting were not about the CoA, but about APA as the organization, not any specific actions by the CoA about accreditation decisions. 

(2) I personally also condemn antisemitism, and I can say based on my personal experience serving as a commissioner on the CoA for 6 years that the commission took it very seriously if any program had a complaint, especially in any protected civil rights category such as religion, race, etc... and the accreditation standards clearly prohibit discrimination. 

I am not sure what this means at this moment for programs and APA CoA accreditation. I do want to urge us to be informed, and to please seek to stay united to protect our profession and our institutions in this moment. I'll share if I become aware of information that could be helpful to inform us all as programs. I urge you all to avoid lumping APA in as the same entity as the APA CoA. Our field's accreditation institution is facing an unprecedented threat and from my personal experience on the CoA, the accusations seem wildly misplaced and false toward the CoA and the Standards of Accreditation. The threat to accreditation for all of us can impact the quality of training in all our programs, and may jeopardize the public by the risk of having no qualified accrediting body to ensure quality of training, and that may threaten the pipeline of trainees who wish to become psychologists. 

Here is an article summarizing the meeting:

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/accreditation/2026/09/25/accreditation-panel-recommends-suspending-apa-punts-aba 

This is the agenda from the NACIQI meeting:

https://sites.ed.gov/naciqi/files/2026/09/Final-Agenda_NACIQI-September-2026_508-Compliant-1.pdf 

[Janay B. Sander]

Here is the CoA response to the NACIQI vote: https://accreditation.apa.org/naciqi-hearing-update 

[Jason Kaplan]

Dear Dr. Sander,

I appreciate your commitment to condemning antisemitism and your service to the accreditation process.

At the same time, I find it concerning that criticism of APA or the CoA is being characterized as an "unprecedented threat" to accreditation or to the quality of training in psychology.

It is important to acknowledge that many members of our profession experience institutional actions and policies differently. While antisemitism must always be taken seriously and addressed unequivocally, concerns raised about APA should not be dismissed as "wildly misplaced" without careful consideration. Such characterizations can feel invalidating to individuals and groups who have experienced discrimination, exclusion, or marginalization within professional organizations and academic institutions.

The Commission on Accreditation performs important work and has played a critical role in maintaining standards for psychology training. However, it is also part of a broader organizational context. Like many longstanding institutions, APA has faced criticism over its history and treatment of various historically marginalized communities. Recognizing this reality does not diminish the importance of addressing antisemitism; rather, it reinforces the need to take all forms of discrimination seriously and to engage in thoughtful self-examination.

As we move forward, I hope we can hold multiple truths simultaneously: that antisemitism is unacceptable and must be addressed wherever it occurs; that APA-accredited programs continue to provide high-quality training; and that concerns raised by historically marginalized groups deserve to be heard and examined rather than dismissed. Maintaining that balance will strengthen, rather than weaken, our profession and its credibility.

Sincerely,

Jason 

On Sep 25, 2026, at 10:19 AM, 'Janay B. Sander' via Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs <CD...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



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