The defined credential system
Learning outcomes, assessment rules, pass decisions, issuing authority, credential artifact, verification and lifecycle controls.
Credential-system pathway · CHSPS-ABC
Assessment-Based Certificate & Micro-Credential Accreditation
At a glance
- Total to get accredited
- $2,500first program, all-in; includes the $650 application fee
- Every year after
- $600per program; $5,400 cap per organization
- Typical time to decision
- About 6–12 weeksplanning target, application to decision
- Accreditation term
- 3 years
Eligibility review is free. You pay nothing until eligibility is confirmed and an agreement is signed.
Accreditation for a certificate or micro-credential that is earned through assessment of defined learning outcomes — including the assessment, issuance, verification, expiry and revocation controls behind the credential.
501(c)(3) nonprofit · Standards published · Independent decision · Publicly verifiable
Fit and next steps
Who it’s for, and how it works
A good fit
- Assessment-based certificates and stackable micro-credentials
- Digital badges tied to assessed learning outcomes
- Short-form credentials with defined pass decisions
Not the right fit
- Attendance or completion recognition for one course — see Course Accreditation
- A professional credential based on occupational competence — see CERT
- A provider system running many educational activities — see EDP
- Free eligibility reviewAbout 5 minutes to submit. CHSPS sends a written outcome, targeted within 10 business days after a complete inquiry.
- Scope & agreementCHSPS confirms the scope in writing. You sign the applicant agreement and pay the $650 application fee, credited toward the $2,500 total.
- Evidence & technical reviewYou submit evidence and the $1,850 review balance. Conflict-screened reviewers evaluate it, and you can answer any findings.
- Independent decisionA separate committee makes the decision, and accredited scope becomes publicly verifiable. Planning target: about 6–12 weeks from application to decision.
Step 1 · Confirm fit
Choose ABC when the credential is earned through assessment.
ABC is for a defined certificate or micro-credential system where recipients must demonstrate stated learning outcomes before the credential is issued. It is more than attendance recognition, but it is not professional certification of ongoing occupational competence.
Assessment-based certificatesStackable micro-credentialsDigital badges tied to assessed outcomesShort-form credentials with defined pass decisions
Credential-claim boundary
An ABC credential may communicate the assessed learning outcomes it actually represents. It must not imply professional certification, licensure, board certification or broader occupational competence that was not assessed.
Choose the right pathway
Attendance or completion recognition for one course
COURSEThe educational offering itself is the unit of review; no separate assessed credential system is being claimed.
Certificate or micro-credential earned through assessment
ABCDefined learning outcomes are assessed and successful performance controls issuance of the credential.
Professional credential based on occupational competence
CERTThe credential represents professional or board-level competence beyond completion of a learning program.
Provider system operating many educational activities
EDPThe organization wants its education-production system reviewed across multiple offerings.
Step 2 · Define scope
Know exactly what ABC accreditation covers.
The accredited unit is the defined certificate or micro-credential system — not the organization as a whole and not every credential the organization may issue.
No blanket organizational claim
The provider organization as a whole, unrelated credentials, individual recipients and professional certification of occupational competence.
Credential identity is explicit
The approved certificate or micro-credential program, its credential claim and the assessment/issuance system in scope are reflected in the CHSPS record.
CORE-100 + ABC-250 · 2026.1
Published and active. Accreditation term: 3 years. The governing edition and approved scope are confirmed in writing.
Step 3 · Reviewer evaluation
What reviewers examine.
ABC review follows the full credential lifecycle — from the outcome claim and assessment through issuance, verification, learner rights, records and improvement.
Governance & program ownership
Accountability for the credential system, decision authority, roles, conflicts and documented oversight.
Learning outcomes & credential claim
What the credential says a recipient has demonstrated and whether that claim is defined, bounded and supportable.
Instruction-assessment alignment
Whether the assessed knowledge or skill actually maps to the stated learning outcomes and any required instruction.
Assessment, scoring & pass decisions
Assessment design, scoring rules, passing thresholds, decision consistency and documented completion requirements.
Assessment security & identity
Controls for candidate identity, assessment integrity, access, security incidents and inappropriate assistance.
Issuance, currency & revocation
Who authorizes issuance, when credentials expire or require currency, and how incorrect or invalid credentials are revoked.
Digital-credential integrity
Issuer identity, credential metadata, verification, status and revocation controls when badges or verifiable credentials are used.
Learner rights & appeals
Clear rules, accommodations where applicable, complaints, appeals and fair handling of disputed assessment or credential decisions.
Records & data protection
Recipient records, assessment evidence, credential status history, privacy, retention and authorized access.
Monitoring & improvement
Complaints, performance information, review of the credential system and documented corrective or improvement actions.
Credential lifecycle
A credible micro-credential is controlled after the assessment ends.
ABC follows the credential from definition through active status, expiration or revocation so third parties can understand what the credential means today.
Define
Set the learning outcomes and exact credential claim.
Assess
Measure the outcomes under documented rules.
Decide
Apply scoring and passing rules consistently.
Issue
Authorize and create the correct credential record.
Verify
Allow independent confirmation of issuer, credential and status.
Maintain
Manage currency, expiry and material changes.
Revoke
Correct or invalidate credentials when documented rules require it.
Step 4 · Eligibility & fees
Confirm the operating threshold before spending money.
The eligibility review is free. ABC is intended for credential systems that already exist in a form CHSPS can evaluate, not only a concept or launch plan.
Four basics should already be in place.
- 1Accountable legal entityA legally established entity is responsible for the certificate or micro-credential system.
- 2Assessment earns the credentialThe credential is earned through a defined assessment of stated learning outcomes.
- 3Issuance and verification rulesCredential rules, recipient records and verification controls are documented.
- 4Digital controls identified when usedDigital issuance, badge, status and related controls are identified when the program uses them.
Unsure whether your credential qualifies? The free eligibility review is designed to resolve that before a paid engagement.
$2,500 total initial review — staged, not upfront.
1 · Eligibility$0Fit and proposed scope review.
2 · Application$650After confirmed scope and signed agreement.
3 · Evidence$1,850First-program review balance at evidence submission.
Total$2,500Application fee is included in the total.
You do not pay $2,500 upfront. The application fee is credited toward the first-program review total.
Step 5 · What happens next
One seven-stage accreditation process.
ABC uses the same CHSPS decision architecture as the other accreditation pathways, with credential-system evidence reviewed against CORE-100 and ABC-250.
- 01
Free eligibility review
CHSPS confirms pathway fit and the proposed credential scope before any paid step.
- 02
Scope & agreement
You receive written scope confirmation and proceed only after signing the applicant agreement.
- 03
Self-study & evidence
Your team submits outcomes, assessment rules, issuance controls, credential artifacts, records and related evidence.
- 04
Technical review
Conflict-screened reviewers evaluate the credential system against the approved scope and standards.
- 05
Findings & corrective action
If needed, you respond with clarification, corrective action or additional evidence.
- 06
Independent decision
A separate decision body reviews the completed record and determines accreditation status.
- 07
Public verification & maintenance
The accredited scope and status become publicly verifiable and enter the maintenance cycle.
Step 6 · Why ABC
What ABC accreditation gives the credential system.
ABC gives external recognition to the controls connecting assessed learning outcomes to an issued, verifiable credential.
Independent credential-system review
External evaluation of how outcomes, assessment, passing decisions and issuance connect.
Public verification
A CHSPS accreditation record showing the approved ABC scope, current status and term.
Credential integrity
Review of assessment, issuance, verification, expiry and revocation controls.
Accreditation mark rights
Authorized use of the ABC accreditation seal under the CHSPS Mark & Claims Policy.
Digital credential integrity
Open Badges are not required. Verifiability is.
When a badge or digital credential is used, the technology must support truthful identification and current status rather than becoming a decorative image with no reliable record behind it.
Issuer identity
A verifier can determine who actually issued the credential.
Credential identity
The artifact clearly identifies what was earned and the claim it represents.
Current status
The system can communicate active, expired, corrected or revoked status as applicable.
Independent verification
A third party can confirm the credential without relying only on a screenshot or self-reported claim.
Credential portfolios
Operating several micro-credentials?
CHSPS scopes each defined credential program. The first ABC program uses the standard staged review; additional approved programs have a lower review fee, and the current annual schedule caps organization-level ABC annual fees.
First program$2,500 total
Additional program$1,100
Annual / program$600
Annual organization cap$5,400
Before you decide
Confirm fit, cost and institutional trust.
ABC is the right starting point when a defined assessment earns a certificate or micro-credential and the credential system needs independent review. The first-program review is $650 at application + $1,850 at evidence submission = $2,500 total. Standards, governance and accreditation records are public for due diligence.
Step 7 · After accreditation
Maintaining ABC accreditation.
The credential system must remain aligned with the accredited scope throughout the three-year term. Annual reporting and material-change review keep the public record meaningful between initial accreditation and renewal.
Keep the credential record current
Annual reporting confirms continuing operation and identifies changes that may affect conformity.
- credential issuance and recipient activity
- assessment performance or scoring-rule changes
- expiry, revocation or status activity
- complaints, appeals and security issues
- digital credential or verification-platform changes
Report changes that alter the claim or controls
Changes that could affect conformity should be reported before or when implemented under the applicable procedure.
- learning outcomes or credential claim
- assessment method, scoring or pass rules
- identity/security controls
- issuance, expiry or revocation rules
- digital credential format or verification method
Revalidate the living credential system
Renewal reassesses the current credential system rather than merely replaying the original submission.
- current outcomes and assessment alignment
- assessment and decision integrity
- learner rights and appeals
- credential issuance and verification controls
- records, monitoring and improvement
Published standard · CHSPS-ABC-250 · Edition 2026.1
The controlled PDF is authoritative. It contains the normative requirements governing the accredited ABC scope. Publication, application, payment or evidence submission does not create accredited status; only a final CHSPS decision and current official verification record do so.
Total cost
Standard: CORE-100 + ABC-250 · Term: 3 years · Fee Schedule 2026.1What a typical applicant pays$2,500initial review for one certificate or micro-credential program, all-inIncludes the $650 application fee. No other fee is required to reach a decision.
How long it takesSet at scope confirmationCHSPS states the planning target for your program in writing when it confirms scope. The first answer comes within about 10 business days.
- 1 · Free eligibility reviewAbout 5 minutes to submit.Written answer targeted within 10 business days
- 2 · Scope & agreementCHSPS confirms what is reviewed and the planning target.$650 application fee on signing
- 3 · Evidence & technical reviewYou upload evidence mapped to the ten ABC-250 domains; reviewers issue findings.$1,850 balance at evidence submission
- 4 · Independent decisionA separate committee decides; the result is published for verification.Annual fee starts only if accredited
- To get accredited
- Eligibility reviewFreeBefore anything else
- Application fee$650When you sign the applicant agreement; counts toward the $2,500
- First program review balance$1,850When you submit your evidence
- To keep it
- Annual accreditation fee$600 per programEach anniversary while accredited; organization cap $5,400 a year
- Re-accreditation review$1,500Every 3 years
- Only if it applies
- Each additional certificate or micro-credential program$1,100
- On-site visit travelAt costOnly if a visit is required; virtual review is the default
Optional, not required: Independent Accreditation Readiness Review, $1,500. It is not needed to apply and does not affect the decision.
Eligibility review is free. You pay nothing until eligibility is confirmed and an agreement is signed.Full ABC fee table →
What you submit
What you submit, and when
Nothing beyond the first item is needed until CHSPS confirms eligibility and scope. After that, evidence is uploaded in My CHSPS and mapped to the ten ABC-250 domains above; the controlled standard is authoritative.
- To start (free eligibility review): your name, email and organization, plus a short description of the certificate or micro-credential. That is enough for CHSPS to follow up.
- Governance: who owns the credential program and who approves changes to it.
- The credential claim: the defined learning outcomes and exactly what the credential says its holder can do.
- Alignment: how instruction maps to the assessment that earns the credential.
- Assessment design: the assessment blueprint, scoring method and how the pass decision is set.
- Security and identity: how candidates are identified and how assessment content is protected.
- Issuing rules: your issuance, expiry or currency, and revocation policies.
- Digital credentials: if you issue badges or digital certificates, how anyone can verify their status.
- Learner rights: appeals, accommodations and how candidates are informed of the rules.
- Records and improvement: records and data-protection controls, the complaints log and your improvement record.
See if your program qualifies.The eligibility review is free and takes about 5 minutes. You pay nothing until eligibility is confirmed and an agreement is signed.
Check eligibility — freeBefore you apply
Questions buyers ask first
What does it cost, all-in?
$2,500 for the first program: the $650 application fee when you sign the applicant agreement, then the $1,850 review balance when you submit evidence. After that, $600 a year per program (capped at $5,400 per organization) and a $1,500 renewal review every 3 years. Each additional program in the same organization is $1,100. The eligibility review is free.
How long does it take?
The free eligibility review targets a written outcome within 10 business days after a complete inquiry. From application to decision, the planning target is about 6–12 weeks; your scope and how quickly findings are answered set the actual pace.
What do we need to start, and what evidence comes later?
Nothing to upload. Step 1 asks only for your name, email and organization; the rest of the form covers scope, operating status and readiness, in about 5 minutes. Formal evidence comes after the agreement is signed: governance, the credential claim, instruction-assessment alignment, assessment design, security and identity, and issuing rules.
Can organizations outside the United States apply?
Yes. CHSPS is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit; organizations in any country may apply.
What if we are not eligible?
Every eligibility review ends in a written outcome: Eligible, Potentially Eligible — Additional Information Required, or Not Eligible, with the specific thresholds not yet met. There is no charge for the review, and if a different CHSPS pathway fits better, the review says so.