Insights
The ARC-PA accreditation knowledge hub.
Plain-language guidance on the questions PA program leaders actually ask: the Sixth Edition standards, assessment and data, accreditation findings and remediation, and building a program. Written by our consultants and organized so you can find an answer fast.
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Our consultants' notes on PA accreditation.
What we're seeing in active engagements, plus new articles and webinar replays as they publish. No marketing.
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Explore by Topic
The four pillars of ARC-PA accreditation.
Each pillar is a comprehensive, evergreen guide that links to focused articles, each answering one specific question. New to the hub? Start with the Sixth Edition standards, since everything else builds on them.
Pillar 01 · The Standards Start Here
The ARC-PA Sixth Edition
The standards every program is measured against. What changed from the Fifth Edition and what programs must now do, in plain language. Effective September 1, 2025.
- What changed from the Fifth Edition
- The five questions of C1.01
- Defining an ANI
- Writing the Self-Study Report
Pillar 02 · Evidence & Infrastructure
Assessment Systems, Data & Continuous Readiness
How to turn scattered program data into an assessment system that stands up to scrutiny every year, including the years without a site visit.
- Building a culture of assessment
- From "having data" to "finding data"
- Making PANCE data actionable
- Continuous readiness vs. the pre-visit scramble
Pillar 03 · Under Pressure
Accreditation Findings & Remediation
For programs under pressure. What ARC-PA cites most often, why programs get cited, and how to respond to probation or focused review.
- ARC-PA's most common citations
- Structural, not effort: why programs get cited
- The Pass Rate Report (first-time PANCE below 85%)
- Placed on probation or focused review
Pillar 04 · Lifecycle & Growth
Building, Growing & Leading a PA Program
From feasibility to expansion. Launching a program, leading it, growing it, and knowing when to bring in an accreditation consultant.
- Launching a new PA program
- The inaugural director's first steps
- Class-size & expansion applications
- How to work with an accreditation consultant
Not an Accreditation Topic · Separate Site
Looking for student success & retention?
Our evidence-based study-skills curriculum serves retention teams rather than accreditation leaders, so it lives on its own site, built by the same MACS team.
Visit studentsuccessprograms.com ↗
Latest from the Blog
New articles from our consultants.
Focused, bylined articles that each answer one ARC-PA question, published to the pillars as they go live.
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Get our consultants' notes on PA accreditation.
What we're seeing in active engagements, plus new articles and webinar replays as they publish. No marketing, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Webinars
Working sessions with our consultants.
Full replays of our standards deep-dives, free and with no registration. Every replay includes in-page chapter navigation, written chapter summaries, and the full transcript, so you can jump to the moment you need instead of scrubbing through a video.
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Replay · ARC-PA Sixth Edition
ARC-PA C1.01: When to Choose Compliant vs. ANI (All 5 Questions)
A repeatable, defensible process for working each of the five C1.01 self-study questions: which data to choose, how to triangulate it, and when a finding truly rises to an area needing improvement.
Watch the replay →
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Replay · ARC-PA Sixth Edition
ARC-PA C1.02: Building a Defensible Case for Faculty & Staff Sufficiency
The two C1.02 questions beneath the surface: capacity, workload calculations, faculty attrition, the institution's role, and when a sufficiency finding becomes an area needing improvement.
Watch the replay →Frequently Asked
How to use this hub.
What does MACS Insights cover?+
MACS Insights is the answer-first knowledge hub for ARC-PA accreditation, organized into four pillars: the Sixth Edition standards, assessment systems and data, accreditation findings and remediation, and building a PA program. Each pillar links to focused articles answering the questions PA program leaders actually ask. Student success and retention is a separate need with its own site, Student Success Programs.
Who writes MACS Insights, and is the guidance current with the Sixth Edition?+
Every article carries the byline of a named MACS consultant with credentials and decades inside PA programs. All standards guidance is written to the ARC-PA Sixth Edition, effective September 1, 2025, and reviewed against the current standards before publishing, so codes and requirements reflect what programs are held to today.
Where should I start if my PA program is on probation or focused review?+
Start with the Accreditation Findings & Remediation pillar. It covers ARC-PA's most common citations and how to fix them, why programs get cited (structural causes, not effort), the Pass Rate Report, and what to do once you are placed on probation or focused review. If the timeline is short, book a call with our team.
How can a PA program prepare for an ARC-PA site visit using these insights?+
Use the Assessment Systems, Data & Continuous Readiness pillar to build evidence year-round instead of scrambling before a visit, and the Sixth Edition pillar to align your Self-Study Report with current standards. Together they help a program walk into a site visit with documentation that already holds up to scrutiny.
How is MACS Insights different from a typical accreditation blog?+
Instead of a reverse-chronological feed, the hub is organized into topic clusters. Each pillar is a comprehensive guide that links to focused articles answering one specific question, so you can find a direct, current answer fast. The goal is to be the reference PA programs turn to on ARC-PA accreditation.
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Get our consultants' notes on PA accreditation.
What we're seeing in active engagements, plus new articles and webinar replays as they publish. No marketing, and you can unsubscribe anytime.