CUNY York

[VioletOT]

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Is anyone applying to CUNY York's OT program? I am a little hesitant to- they have probationary accreditation with AOTA, I think because of a low pass rate on the NBCOT exam. The next visit from AOTA isn't until 2015. Does anyone know what happens if they lose accreditation while you are a student in the program?

 

[KJ7984]

Is anyone applying to CUNY York's OT program? I am a little hesitant to- they have probationary accreditation with AOTA, I think because of a low pass rate on the NBCOT exam. The next visit from AOTA isn't until 2015. Does anyone know what happens if they lose accreditation while you are a student in the program?

Hi Violet - I struggled with whether or not I wanted to apply to CUNY York and ultimately decided not to. I am copying and pasting the language found on the AOTA website regarding their probationary status (which has been in effect since 2010). I can't comment specifically to if the program loses their accreditation however, it would be safe to say that it would certainly leave the student body in a lurch. Maybe another SDN contributor can shed some light on that sort of situation. I am sure you are not the only one wondering.


The occupational therapy program at York College, The City University of New York, Jamaica, New York, was placed on Probationary Accreditation effective August 7, 2010, for nearing the end of the mandated time period for returning the program to compliance with 2006 OT Master’s-Level Standard A.5.4 (certification exam pass rates).


At its April 2011 meeting, ACOTE reviewed the Progress Report submitted by the occupational therapy program and determined that the program remained in noncompliance with 2006 OT Master’s-Level Standard A.5.4. ACOTE granted the program a 1-year extension of the period for compliance with OT Master’s-Level Standard A.5.4 due to an upward trend in certification exam pass rates.


At subsequent ACOTE meetings, ACOTE reviewed the Progress Reports submitted by the occupational therapy program and determined that the program remained in noncompliance with OT Master’s-Level Standard A.5.4 (certification exam pass rates). At its April 2012 meeting, ACOTE granted the program a 1-year extension of the period for compliance with OT Master’s-Level Standard A.5.4 due to an upward trend in certification exam pass rates, which indicated successful implementation of the program’s Plan of Correction.


At its August and December 2012 meetings, ACOTE reviewed the Progress Report submitted by the occupational therapy program and determined that the program remains in noncompliance with 2006 OT Master’s-Level Standard A.5.4. The program’s status remains Probationary Accreditation due to continued concerns about the program’s ability to return the program to compliance within the allowable time period.
The program has been requested to submit a Progress Report to return the program to full compliance with the Standard within the mandated time period for correction.

 

[VioletOT]

Eek, that does not sound good. So they've been in this situation since 2010 and it's still not fixed? I have emailed them before asking about it and never got a response back. Pretty doubtful that I will even apply now. Thanks for the info, KJ!

 

[KJ7984]

Eek, that does not sound good. So they've been in this situation since 2010 and it's still not fixed? I have emailed them before asking about it and never got a response back. Pretty doubtful that I will even apply now. Thanks for the info, KJ!

You're welcome! But I do wonder if anyone on here has information or insight on what does happen to the students if the program loses accreditation while in the middle of the program.

Ultimately the decision is up to you but in my opinion, there are a handful of great schools in this area and it doesn't make good sense to me to waste money on the application. Despite their attempts to turn the program around they keep coming up short which, to me, is indicative of a much larger problem with the administration/faculty etc.

 

[aPaperMoon]

Hey Violet, I'm a current second semester student at York's OT program.

I had the same hesitation when applying last year, so I did some research. When I found the probation statements KJ has nicely quoted above I was inclined to find out more. It's one thing to know the program's accreditation status, but another to understand why it had earned that status and what was being done to address it.

I emailed ACOTE and got a reply from a representative several weeks later. She explained that York was on probation for low NBCOT pass rates and included a chart detailing the year of examintation / the number of students who took the exam / the number of students who passed. I will search for this email so I can quote it directly (and then I can forward it to you, if you'd like). I also asked how often do schools on probation lose accreditation and she said it is unlikely, but of course, will differ on a case by case basis. She said if the school does lose accreditation students will not be eligible to sit for the certification exam.

Now, when I contacted the department about what they were doing to raise pass rates they said that primarily they were introducing a method of in class testing more similar to the actual exam. This was to include an emphasis on critical thinking/analytical questions, as well as a switch to computerized testing which appeared to be an issue with past and current students.

Last semester we (the first years) did experience this pattern of high grades on paper tests / low grades on the computer based ones in the beginning. Our midterm and final grades were an improvement. I am always hopeful when I hear that the years ahead of us are doing well because come 2015 the fate of our program really lies in whether enough of them have passed the examination.

 

[karixel]

Hi does anyone know about the current situation with CUNY York being on probation? I called AOTA today and they said that there was going to be another board meeting soon (in a month or two?) to discuss on the creditation and stuff but until then, the status remains as probation. I want to apply but I'm scared that CUNY York will lose accreditation...anyone have an opinion or know anything on this matter? Thank you.