Review of Continuation in the ACPE Certified Educator Candidate (CEC) Process
While an ACPE Certified Educator Candidate is a learner, the certification process and the clinical pastoral education profession requires that CECs as educator practitioners be monitored, and action be taken when concern about incompetence, impairment or misconduct arise and might compromise student safety, justice, or CPE program quality. Informal, collegial consultation is strongly encouraged. ACPE has established this more formal process for situations in which the CEC is unwilling or unable to work with informal feedback, or when the seriousness of the concern warrants it. If serious concerns arise regarding a CEC’s fitness, competency, or readiness to continue in the certification process, a Continuation Review can be initiated by any professional connected to the CEC, such as a former or current student, member of a Community of Practice, Accreditation Commissioner, administrative supervisor, Training Educator, Theory Integration Mentor, or Certification Commission Reviewer.
1. Request for CEC Continuation Review.
The initiator contacts the Certification Chair and Chair-Elect in the event a concern arises regarding a CEC. The Certification Chair or Chair Elect may ask that a Request for Review of Continuing CEC Training be developed in writing and be sent to the ACPE Director of Education as well as the Commission Chair. The request shall be no more than five (5) pages, clearly stating why the initiator believes the educator candidate may be unfit for the role of CEC. The request will detail concerns, referencing the specific CEC competencies that may be at issue, and identifying if or how the CEC is currently assessed by the initiator as not continuing to meet previously reviewed competencies.
2. Determination if a review is warranted and/or if new materials from CEC are required.
A preliminary continuation of review team consisting of the Chair or Chair-Elect, the CEC’s Certification Commission Review (CCR), and three additional Certification Commissioners will convene within 21 days of each having received materials related to the written request for continuation review to determine if further review is warranted. If it is determined no further review is warranted, the process ends here, and the CEC may not be notified a request for review had been initiated. If a Continuation of Review meeting with the CEC is determined as warranted, the review team will determine together which CEC competencies and/or other specific concerns the CEC will be required to address in their written materials, utilizing format noted below.
3. Notifying the CEC of Continuation of CEC Training Review
If it is determined a review is warranted, the Commission Chair or Chair-Elect notifies the CEC that Certification has received a written request for a Continuation Review, and that new written materials (referenced below) are required from the Certified Educator Candidate, followed by a meeting with the Continuation Review Team, to be scheduled within 45 days of the CEC receiving the written Request for Continuation in the CEC Process review. In consultation with the Continuation of Review committee, ACPE Director of Education, ACPE Executive Director and/or legal counsel if appropriate, the CEC may be directed to not have contact with the original initiator of the request.
4. Materials from the CEC for the Continuation of Training Review
- A statement responding to any Phase I or Phase II CEC competencies at issue (if applicable, as determined by the review committee), detailing how the CEC understands the stated concern(s) and any actions to remediate the concerns raised.
- Any additional documents as determined by the Certification Chair and the review committee.
- The CEC may also choose to submit video or a presentation in additional response to the request for materials.
*Written materials are submitted using a standard 1-inch margin and a 12-point Times New Roman or Calibri font. Responses should be concise and to the point, not to exceed five (5) single-spaced pages. Any documented competencies are to follow the requirements for evidencing named in the manual (use of hyperlinks, up to three introductory sentences, etc.) Supplementary materials such as competency evidence, verbatims, bibliography, etc. do not count in the page limit. Quoted materials must be cited.
Note: Only the Use of Clinical Materials Consent Form is acceptable for obtaining students’ written permission to use personally identifiable material.
- Please note that failure to submit the requested materials by the assigned date will result in the suspension of the CEC’s credentials and removal from the Certification process.
5. The Review of Continuation in CEC Training
The length for Review is three hours: 30 minutes for review team to form/meet; 60-90 minutes with the CEC; 30-60 minutes to determine an outcome and share verbally with CEC.
6. Possible Rulings and Outcomes of The Review Committee
a. Confirms sufficient competence to continue in the CE CPE process; the review is closed.
b. Expresses concerns, with specific recommendations for enhancing competence to be demonstrated within an outlined Probationary period.
c. Counsels and gives specific instructions for remediation under the direction of the Certification Commission for a designated deadline. This may include a return to meet a subcommittee of the Certification Commission for review. Failure to comply with specific instructions for remediation could result in the Dismissal of the CEC from the ACPE certification process.
d. Suspends the right to continue in the Certification Process. Within three years of the date of the suspension of their credentials, persons will have the opportunity to start the process over and apply to be a CEC in an accredited program that is for Certified Educator CPE. Once accepted into an accredited program, then they will be eligible to apply for the ACPE Certification process. The applicant will bear the burden to demonstrate both their desire and ability to re-engage in the certification process from the beginning.
7. After the Review
a. The review committee action report is sent to the CEC in question no later than ten business days after the meeting, with copies to the Training Educator, Commission Chair, Director of Education, and ACPE Executive Director.
b. The committee action report specifies the means for determining that the requirements of the ruling have been satisfied and defines further action should the CEC fail to satisfy the requirements imposed.
c. Notifications: The Commission informs all directly involved parties of the disposition.