The NAACLS News

A number of program directors have contacted NAACLS regarding if “a student can be assigned a grade of “unsatisfactory/satisfactory” and/or “pass/fail.” It seems beneficial to address the issue on the NAACLS News for the convenience of all or NAACLS program directors.

NAACLS does not prescribe or deny specific methods of evaluations, such as “unsatisfactory/satisfactory” and/or “pass/fail.” It is within the program’s prerogative to select the method of “grading” to be utilized as long as the program continues to meet NAACLS standards.

Below is the NAACLS Standard VIII.C – Evaluations:

Evaluation systems must relate to course content and support program competencies. If there is evidence that competencies are not adequately achieved (through feedback mechanisms as described in Standard II.B) then course objectives will be examined in detail to assure that the objectives are behavioral, include all domains and relate directly to the evaluations used.

1. These evaluation systems must be employed frequently enough to provide students and faculty with timely indications of the students’ academic standing and progress.
2. The evaluation systems must serve as a reliable indicator of the effectiveness of instruction and course design.

Program Directors are encouraged to seek information directly from the Board of Certification, state licensure boards, and others if they have questions regarding the use of “pass/fail” or “satisfactory or unsatisfactory” in lieu of more traditional grading systems for credentialing eligibility.

We hope that you are staying safe and sane during these uncertain times. As always, staff is here to help when we can.

The NAACLS Staff has received many questions of a similar nature over the past thirty-six hours, so we felt it appropriate to share those answers with everyone. We know that in addition to the complexities COVID 19 has added to the instruction of your students, many of you are facing pressure from higher administration to provide answers to questions you usually do not face.

First, a general note. NAACLS is not relaxing our standards. We expect accredited and approved programs to remain compliant with the NAACLS Standards, and educate students to industry-established entry-level competencies. Now more than ever, we all should be diligent in ensuring the quality of laboratory scientists entering the workplace.

When NAACLS review committees and the Board of Directors developed the current standards, the goal was to provide as much flexibility as possible. Under the best of circumstances, programs regularly face unique challenges; what programs are facing now is unprecedented. Now, more than ever, nonprescriptive standards are essential.

Now, to address some common themes we have found in the questions we have been getting.

We are delaying, moving up, altering our graduation date. What do we need to send to NAACLS?

Programs do not need to notify NAACLS of these changes. NAACLS has no standard on when graduations should take place as long as the students have achieved the entry-level competencies.

Due to clinical sites closing/emergency higher administration policies/state mandates/etc. our students are unable to finish their clinical. What should we do?

If you can complete the rotations through simulation and stay compliant with the NAACLS Standards and entry-level competencies, your program can continue uninterrupted. If not, you may have to delay those essential parts of the rotation until clinical spots once again make themselves available.

NAACLS continues to monitor the quickly evolving challenges programs are facing with the COVID-19 virus.

The NAACLS Board of Directors designed the current standards to provide programs flexibility of delivery methods, under the best of circumstances.  In the case of extreme situations, as we are currently facing, we encourage programs to take advantage of this flexibility.

As some of our program directors may remember, we sent out several standards last fall for public comment. One of those proposed changes dealt directly with teach-out plans. However, the public comment standards have not been voted on by the NAACLS Board of Directors. In the interest of clarity, NAACLS would like to remind everyone of the current standard language.

Standard V.D. A teach-out plan must be developed and submitted to NAACLS within 30 days of the official announcement of the closure of the program. 

A temporary inability to serve students does not require any action or a teach-out plan. If your program is altering your current processes to handle this extreme situation, your program does not need NAACLS’ approval of these changes or need to notify NAACLS of these changes. Notification and a subsequent teach-out plan are only necessary if there is an official announcement of the cessation of service by the program for the students. At the point of that announcement, the program has thirty days to submit an action plan.

Until then, programs are encouraged to continue to innovate and use creative problem solving to maintain compliance with the standards. NAACLS is impressed by remarkable collegial collaboration and innovative ideas and discussion occurring in real-time on the CLS Educators Listserv.  

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact the office. Otherwise, keep an eye on the NAACLS News, all announcements regarding COVID-19, as well as other matters, will be posted here.