AASC Forms Packet - Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education - Forms and Needs Assessment Requirements

Sep 1, 2026

AASC Forms Packet consolidates CAPTE-required appendices and document formatting instructions for institutions preparing AASC/AFC submissions in Physical Therapy Education. It specifies required naming conventions, appendix management rules, and PDF/Word handling, including the need for bookmarked PDFs to locate required information quickly. The packet also details how to conduct and document a CAPTE needs assessment: timeframe, stakeholder involvement, required evidence covering current and 2/5-year workforce needs, and the report’s essential written components, analysis, and presentation expectations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatDOCX

Pages35

Reading Time12 min

AccessFree to download

Instructions and document requirements

Appendix list, naming conventions, and CAPTE change guide

Required file formats and bookmarking

Signature page and change handling

Needs assessment for program offering or expansion

When to conduct the needs assessment

Who should be involved

Required elements of the written report

Data sources and analysis requirements

Document format and typical structure

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education AASC Forms Packet (May 2020, June 2020, Jan 2021, Feb 2022, Nov 2022, Feb 2024) Instructions: The Appendix List and the AASC Change Guide with Key February 2024 document delineate required appendices for specific AASCs. Required naming conventions are identified in the Appendix List. If program wishes to provide additional appendices, add rows, list items and file name of the appendix to the Appendix list. The Appendix list is one of the required appendices. Items marked with an asterisk (*) indicates items requested multiple times; although they apply to multiple Elements, you are only providing it once. Required formats are provided in this Forms Packet. All documents must be in PDF (or equivalent) format except for the two documents that are identified as Word (or equivalent) documents. If requested policies or information live in a supporting document (e.g., Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, catalog), separate files with separate policies or information are NOT needed. If applicable, provide the supporting document bookmarked for the requested information. In the narrative, identify the page numbers where the requested policies are found, if applicable. Replace file name in Appendix List with name of supporting document IMPORTANT: must be bookmarked to identify required information The Signature Page can be found on the CAPTE Accreditation Resource Page. Don't wait until are you ready to obtain signatures to check who is pulling into your signature page. While Accreditation staff makes changes as quickly as possible, the updates may not occur when you need them. If necessary, handwrite changes on the form. Electronic signatures placed in a PDF are acceptable. Forms in this packet include the following. They are to be provided as PDFs; except where indicated. This form summarizes information in the AASC; if the AASC is approved, the form will be used in follow-up Compliance Reports. Provide as a Word document. CONDUCTING AND WRITING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) expects the institutions that are considering offering a PT/PTA program or expanding a currently accredited program* to conduct a needs assessment that carefully considers the need for a new program/expansion in light of resources as well as local and regional employment needs. A needs assessment should examine the program’s/expansion’s ability to deliver effective PT/PTA education based on (1) program resources, (2) the need for the program/expansion at the local and regional levels, and (3) the institutional structure that assures a commitment to its responsibilities as defined in CAPTE’s Standards and Required Elements for Accreditation. The results of the needs assessment must provide evidence that the local and regional resources can support the program/expansion. This evidence must include current workforce needs as well as 2 years out and 5 years out. A needs assessment is written to help an institution/program determine if it should offer the program/expansion. The needs assessment must indicate how the process was conducted, provide a summary of the outcomes/results, a description of how these were analyzed and how the analysis supports the need for a new program/expansion. WHEN SHOULD IT BE CONDUCTED? Ideally a needs assessment should be conducted at least one year before a program submits the AFC/AASC. The needs assessment should be used to verify that there is a local and/or regional need for the program/expansion. Waiting to determine need for the program/expansion until well into program planning is too late. The final needs assessment will be submitted with the Notification of Intent to Seek Accreditation. WHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS? A variety of participants from within the institution, program and externally should be included in the needs assessment process. The following categories may be effective participants: Repres

FAQs

What appendix management rules apply in the AASC Forms Packet?

The packet requires the Appendix List as a required appendix and directs institutions to follow the required naming conventions. If additional appendices are needed, institutions should add rows and list items (including appendix file names) in the Appendix list, and items marked with an asterisk should be provided only once even if requested for multiple elements.

What formats are required for documents in this packet?

All documents must be provided in PDF (or an equivalent) format except two documents identified as Word (or equivalent). The packet also emphasizes that required information must be bookmarked to ensure it can be located during review.

What is required in a CAPTE needs assessment report?

The written report must describe how the process was conducted, summarize and analyze outcomes, and explain how the analysis supports the need for a new program or expansion. It must include local, regional, and national workforce and vacancy needs (including 2- and 5-year projections) plus evidence from surveys/analysis of relevant organizations and demographics impacting PT practice.

Sep 1, 2026

Upload by Quinn Holloway