Accreditation
The BSW and MSW programs within the School of Social Work adhere to the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) as set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the national standard setting organization for social work programs. Our BSW Program was established in 1979 and has been continuously accredited by CSWE since its inception. Most recently, our BSW Program, which prepares students for generalist social work practice, was re-accredited in 2023 for the full eight-year cycle. Our MSW Program was established in 2000 and re-accredited in 2023 for the full eight-year cycle.
The School of Social Work upholds the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics.
All programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation (COA) are required to measure and report student learning outcomes. All students are assessed using a minimum of two measures on their mastery of the nine competencies that comprise the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) and any additional competencies programs may choose to add. These holistic competencies reflect the dimensions (knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive & affective processes) of social work practice that all social workers are expected to master during their professional training.
Competency Benchmarks and Assessment Data
Programs determine a percentage-based benchmark for each competency and determine an outcome-measure benchmark (minimum score) for each measure. The competency benchmark (which can differ for each competency) represents the minimum percent of students the program expects to have achieved the outcome measure benchmarks in both/all measures for each of the nine competencies. The program then determines the percentage of students that attained each outcome measure (e.g., minimum score or higher), and aggregates the percentages for both/all measures together to obtain the percentage of students demonstrating competence inclusive of two (2) or more measures. The result of aggregating both/all outcome measure percentages provides the percentage of students achieving the competency benchmark. An aggregated percentage at or above the competency benchmark is considered achievement of that competency. If the program has more than one program option, the program must report data for each program option, and also an aggregate of all program options combined to determine an overall percentage of students across all program options achieving the competency benchmark.
Assessment Data Collected during the Academic Year (2022-2023) - Program Option #1: Illinois State University School of Social Work BSW Program
| COMPETENCY | COMPETENCY BENCHMARK (%) | PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Aggregate of All Program Options n = 112 students |
Program Option #1 n = 112 students |
||
| Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior | 80% | 88% | 88% |
| Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice | 80% | 91% | 91% |
| Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice | 80% | 94% | 94% |
| Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice | 80% | 93% | 93% |
| Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice | 80% | 92% | 92% |
| Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 95% | 95% |
| Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 95% | 95% |
| Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 95% | 95% |
| Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 92% | 92% |
Assessment Data Collected during the Academic Year (2022-2023) - Program Option #1: Illinois State University School of Social Work MSW Program
| COMPETENCY | COMPETENCY BENCHMARK (%) (GENERALIST) | COMPETENCY BENCHMARK (AREA OF SPECIALIZED PRACTICE) | PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generalist Practice n = 19 students | Area of Specialized Practic #1 (Child and Family Practice) n = 18 students | Area of Specialized Practice #2 (School) n = 25 students | |||
| Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior | 80% | 80% | 94% | 98% | 95% |
| Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice | 80% | 80% | 97% | 98% | 92% |
| Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice | 80% | 80% | 88% | 100% | 90% |
| Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice | 80% | 80% | 91% | 96% | 88% |
| Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice | 80% | 80% | 86% | 100% | 86% |
| Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 80% | 98% | 99% | 88% |
| Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 80% | 98% | 97% | 94% |
| Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 80% | 99% | 96% | 91% |
| Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 80% | 93% | 96% | 91% |
| Competency 10: Plan for Professional Development | 80% | 80% | 89% | 100% | 85% |
Overall Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (Aggregate Findings for All Program Options Combined)
| COMPETENCY | COMPETENCY BENCHMARK (%) (GENERALIST) | COMPETENCY BENCHMARK (AREA OF SPECIALIZED PRACTICE) | PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generalist Practice n = 19 students | Area of Specialized Practic #1 (Child and Family Practice) n = 18 students | Area of Specialized Practice #2 (School) n = 25 students | |||
| Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior | 80% | 80% | 94% | 98% | 95% |
| Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice | 80% | 80% | 97% | 98% | 92% |
| Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice | 80% | 80% | 88% | 100% | 90% |
| Competency 4: Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice | 80% | 80% | 91% | 96% | 88% |
| Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice | 80% | 80% | 86% | 100% | 86% |
| Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 80% | 98% | 99% | 88% |
| Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 80% | 98% | 97% | 94% |
| Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 80% | 99% | 96% | 91% |
| Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities | 80% | 80% | 93% | 96% | 91% |
| Competency 10: Plan for Professional Development | 80% | 80% | 89% | 100% | 85% |