Accreditation Glossary
Key terms used across CHSPS standards, process pages, applicant records, decision letters, verification records and verification tools.
Where glossary terms are used
The glossary is not filler. In a standards system, shared definitions are part of the control environment.
Independent evaluation of an organization or program against published CHSPS requirements, resulting in a revocable, publicly verifiable status. Never attaches to an individual.
The four initial accreditation decisions. Full definitions on the Decisions & Status Definitions page.
The signed contract between CHSPS and an applicant that makes the published policies binding for that application.
An active application before any decision. Not accreditation; carries no mark rights and is not published as a current CHSPS verification record.
A defined educational credential in which stated learning outcomes are assessed. CHSPS evaluates eligible certificate and micro-credential systems through the operational CHSPS-ABC-250 accreditation pathway; the approved scope and official verification record control every public claim.
A defined assurance status attached to and limited by a current parent accreditation. It does not create standalone accreditation. HSAI-AI is an add-on to an approved HSAI accreditation scope.
A distinct CHSPS status for the named technology system, version and scope in its official record. Certified System status is not organization or program accreditation.
A defined extension attached to a current parent accreditation and limited to the module scope in the official record. WCA-TEL is a WCA scope module, not standalone accreditation.
A controlled requirements layer attached to an approved parent-provider scope. ALT-320 is an education-provider supplement and does not independently accredit the provider or platform.
The documented system defining a credential: scope, eligibility, assessment, decision rules and renewal requirements.
A single normative requirement with a stable identifier, e.g., CORE 2.1 or CERT 9.1. Clauses use “shall.”
The documented fix an applicant or accredited program makes in response to a finding, within the window stated in the findings letter.
The independent body that issues accreditation decisions. Members are conflict-screened for the matter and do not participate in the technical review they decide.
The public record for current and historical CHSPS accreditation, showing the accredited object, approved scope, dates and status. Certified Systems use their distinct official verification record and status record.
The published record answering every public comment on a draft standard: accepted, accepted in part, or not accepted, with rationale.
The written outcome of the free eligibility inquiry: Eligible, Potentially Eligible – Additional Information Required, or Not Eligible. Not accreditation.
Documents, records and data that demonstrate a clause operating in practice — not merely a policy asserting it.
The four reviewer outcomes: major nonconformity, minor nonconformity, observation, opportunity for improvement.
Freedom of accreditation-relevant decisions from commercial, financial or personal influence; enforced through disclosure, recusal and structural separation.
The documented study of what competent practice requires, on which certification requirements must be based (CERT 3.1).
A change that could affect conformity — ownership, scope, assessment model, renewal rules, outsourcing of core functions — requiring notice to CHSPS before implementation.
Failure to meet a clause. Major: absence or systemic failure of a required control. Minor: isolated lapse in an otherwise functioning control.
A coordinated engagement or workspace covering multiple scopes. Each accreditation pathway or defined offering retains its applicable standard, findings, decision or status class, approved scope and official record.
An elective cycle structure in which an organization’s accreditations share one renewal anniversary; added programs take a shortened first term with prorated fees.
The formal, tracked process for proposing standards revisions, answered in the disposition report.
The review before term expiration against the standards current at renewal. A renewal is timely when the complete renewal submission and required fee are received at least 90 calendar days before expiration; any continuation remains subject to responsiveness and continuing compliance.
Re-examination of substance. Pre-decision: review lead plus an independent member. Post-decision: the Decision Committee. Always free.
Withdrawal of a conflicted person from a matter, recorded in the file.
Exactly what an accreditation covers — the listed organization, program(s) and boundaries in the verification records. Nothing outside it is accredited.
The documented, defensible method by which a passing standard is established and periodically re-evaluated (CERT 9.1).
Temporary loss of some or all accreditation rights pending corrective action; shown publicly with dates.
The authoritative public page for one accreditation (format chsps.org/verify.html?id=<number>) that the seal links to.
Surrender of accreditation by the organization, recorded as voluntary with its effective date.
Where a page and this glossary ever differ, the effective controlled policy document governs. Missing a term? Tell us.