The Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) would like to bring your attention to the following announcements discussed at the January 28-30, 2015 meeting:
To view the information as a pdf, click here: COMTA Alerts – January 2015
Revised Self-Study Report
- The Commission approved the new Self-Study Report (SSR) for the revised Accreditation Standards. The new SSR will be in effect for any Self-Study Reports submitted after May 1, 2015.
- The SSR will be completed and submitted through COMTA’s Accreditation Management System (AMS), EDvera. The technical team is currently working on programming it into the system. COMTA staff will notify all schools when it is ready.
- Click here to access the Word document of the Self Study Report narrative and exhibit requirements.
Updated Self-Study Report Submission Deadlines
The Commission will make accreditation decisions at all meetings and added two new submission deadlines. In addition, the existing deadlines have been adjusted by one month to allow schools more time.
| SSR Submission Deadline | Accreditation Decision Meeting |
| February 1 | October |
| May 1 | January |
| August 1 | April |
| November 1 | July |
Revised Policy and Guidelines Documents – Call for Comment
- The Commission approved ten (10) of the new policy/guideline appendices as part of the revised Accreditation Standards.
- Advertising and Recruiting Policy
- Cancellations and Refund Policy
- Catalog Checklist
- Clinic Guidelines
- Enrollment Agreement Checklist
- Faculty Qualifications, Development and Evaluation Guidelines
- Financial Reporting Guidelines
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Guidelines
- Standard Academic Measurement Policy
- Syllabus Checklist
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The revisions are available for a public call for comment period. Please click here to review the documents and submit any feedback on any of the appendix documents to chair@comta.org prior to March 15, 2015 for consideration at the next Commission meeting.
Revised Definition of “Undergraduate Proficiency” for Science Teachers
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The Commission approved a revised version of the definition of “undergraduate proficiency” to be used for instructors of anatomy, physiology, and pathology as follows:
Undergraduate Proficiency for Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology: “Instructors teaching anatomy, physiology or pathology must demonstrate that they have completed science training which is broader and/or deeper than the course(s) being taught. If a program’s science faculty do not meet this criterion, the program is responsible for effectively demonstrating to the Commission how its faculty members meet the intent of the standard. See the Faculty Development and Evaluation guidelines for more detail.” - To access the complete revised Definition of Terms document, click here: Appendix C – Definition of Terms Reivsed & Approved 2015_01
Revised Financial Guideline Requirement
- The Commission acted to accept a Compilation with Disclosures as an alternative to an Audit or Review for financial stability evidence requirement, for schools with gross revenue below $400,000 in a given year, provided the school is not seeking to participate in Title IV programs.
- Click here to view the complete revised and approved Financial Reporting Guidelines document.
Be sure to check the COMTA website regularly for actions and alerts. The Commission updates all pertinent actions and alerts on its website.
For additional information concerning this memorandum, please contact Kate Zulaski, Executive Director, at 202-403-7744, or via email at kzulaski@comta.org. You may also email the chair of the Commission at chair@comta.org.