CFCC Strategic Plan

2026–2028

Vision

ASHA certification standards improve client/patient/student care and safety.

Mission

The Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CFCC) accomplishes its vision by

• monitoring trends in safe and ethical clinical practice;
• creating certification standards to provide for the highest quality client/patient/student care through a transparent process that solicits feedback from stakeholders;
• communicating certification standards, policies, and changes to stakeholders; and
• administering credentialing programs based on the certification standards.

Preamble

The objectives and priorities below, unless otherwise stated, apply to the certification programs for audiologists, audiology assistants, speech-language pathologists, and speech-language pathology assistants, and to the Clinical Specialty Certification program. 

Goal 1: Communicate effectively and transparently with certificants, applicants, and constituents

Priorities

• Utilize multi-modal approaches to increase awareness of certification standards, peer reviews, and public comments.
• Increase awareness of the Assistants Certification Program and Clinical Specialty Certification.
• Provide opportunities for virtual and in-person discussions with the CFCC and ASHA Certification staff.
• Expand data resources available to other national and state associations, and state licensure boards (e.g., exam results, year-over-year performance trends, Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) retention summaries by state, assistants certification data, etc.).

Goal 2: The CFCC and Certification staff will increase engagement with certificants, applicants, and constituents

Priorities

• Increase participation in peer review/comment opportunities.
• Develop resources to increase the number of ASHA-certified individuals and certification maintenance completion.
• Increase connections with related professional organizations.
• Create certification reports that provide constituents with data to improve academic programs and practice (e.g., annual performance reports, demographic summaries, multi-year reports, and comparisons, etc.).

Goal 3: Certification standards and assessments provide assurance of current competency and continued competency

Priorities

• Ensure certification standards protect clients/patients/students and applicants.
• Ensure accessibility to meeting the certification standards.
• Ensure the national examination content is aligned with the certification standards.
• Utilize the audiology and speech-language pathology competency-based framework “terminology” to define and assess when competency is achieved for areas of practice required for entry-level certification.
• Research alternative options for certification maintenance that continue to provide assurance of continuing competency but also foster engagement and leadership within the professions.
• Expand research to analyze education, regulatory, and workforce trends that impact certification and practice.
• Monitor emerging technologies that support the education and assessment of students/future applicants and the professions.