March 3, Dear <Student s Name>,

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1 March 3, 2016 Dear <Student s Name>, You are receiving this letter because you are enrolled as a student within in the Athletic Training Program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. This letter is being sent to inform you that the passing rate of first time attempts at the BOC licensing exam among our graduates is below the standard required by the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Therefore, we are not in compliance with this particular CAATE standard and the Athletic Training Program is being placed on Probation. At this time, probationary status within the program will not prohibit any student from graduating or being eligible to take the BOC examination. CAATE Standard 11 requires: Programs must meet or exceed a three year aggregate of 70 percent first-time rate on the BOC exam. The current first-time pass rate is 59% which presents certain challenges to the Athletic Training Program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christ (Table 1). The national first time pass rate is illustrated in Table 2. For the most current year, the national first-time pass rate was just under 81%. The BOC first-time pass rate is a difficult obstacle because the students graduating from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi are passing the examination overall, but are just struggling with the first attempt. This indicates that students are adequately prepared for the content knowledge on the examination and we are working feverishly to increase the comfort and familiarity with the test format and question style in the hopes of increasing the first-time test statistics. Table 1. Current BOC Pass Statistics for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

2 Table 2. National BOC Pass Rate Statistics. Due to our current pass rate, we are not in compliance with CAATE standards, and will therefore be placed on academic probation. Consequently, there is an urgent need for a more rapid rate of improvement in this area. The process for the review of programs that in non-compliance is illustrated in the document titled Official Communication Regarding Upcoming Review and Actions Related to Professional Standard 11 (See attached). As you know, the Athletic Training Program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has made significant changes over the past few years. These changes are largely the result of a new leadership in the AT program, paired with increased accreditation standards issued by the Commission on the Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) directives. Given that we are now only beginning to realize the full impact of the changes that have been implemented, we believe that on our present course, our 1 st time passing rates will begin to rise. The need for continuous program improvement has implications for all of us. It is imperative that the Program communicates the implications this has for you as a student in the Athletic Training Program. First, the academic standards for admission to and progression through the AT program has increased and will continue to be maintained at a high level. In addition, the Athletic Training Faculty has identified specific content areas where topics may be added to your existing coursework. Finally, there may be additional/supplementary activities developed for the purpose of enhancing performance on the BOC exam. We would encourage your participation in these events.

3 Again, we are proud of the improvements that we have made over the last few years, but we still have work to do to raise the academic performance of our program. We look forward to collaborating with you in moving our program forward. A copy of this letter and the review process document will be made available to all students on the Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Athletic Training Program website. Please contact us regarding any questions Sincerely, Mikaela Boham, EdD Don Melrose, PhD Director of Athletic Training Interim Department Chair mikaela.boham@tamucc.edu don.melrose@tamucc.edu

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