Shaw University News January 7, 2015 Occupational therapy program makes 142% increase in certification pass rate, removed from probation The Tuskegee University Occupational Therapy Program has fresh outlook on the future after significantly improving its pass rate on its national certification exam. The program has also been removed from probation by its accrediting agency, the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). First placed on probation in 2010, the professors and program leaders successfully redoubled their efforts and completely turned the program around. ACOTE cited the program for a low pass rate for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam (NBCOT) and student outcomes issues. The three- year pass rate at the time was 33 percent. Since then, there have been marked improvements and changes to the program that have resulted in the pass rate jumping to 80 percent. The GPA for admission was raised from 2.7 to 3.0 and an increased focus was placed on tutoring and enriching test preparation. "They're good students, they just have to know how to look at the questions," said Jannett Lewis-Clark, Allied Health department head and director of the Occupational Therapy Program. An annual 3-week refresher course for each year of the professional program and a pre-graduation exit exam were added. Professors also provided continual support for students before the NBCOT exam, even providing special Skype sessions to address information and potential problem areas. "It's not about philosophy, you have to be passionate about the students knowing the content," Lewis-Clark said. "The university is very grateful for the leadership of Dr. Lewis-Clark in restoring the accreditation of the Occupational Therapy Program. Without question, the Occupational Therapy program is one Tuskegee University's strongest academic programs and with this news, it has become that much stronger," said Tuskegee University president, Dr. Brian L. Johnson. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.