InsideTrack is now an IACET-accredited provider of continuing education and training

What does IACET accreditation mean to us? Taking impact even further.

Along with providing direct coaching to students, InsideTrack also provides coaching development and training to help institutions create their own in-house coaching programs. To do so, we train and certify staff members in our proven coaching methodology, equipping teams with the tools and expertise needed to carry on the sustainable impact of coaching. In addition, through our train-the-trainer model, selected institutional coaches receive additional training, learning to become coach trainers themselves. This powers a cycle of in-house student support that can be maintained and expanded for years to come. 

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For years, InsideTrack’s evidence-based, research-confirmed methodology has set the gold standard for student success coaching programs — recognized as high-impact and high-evidence by the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse of Evidence-Based Practices. And now we’re proud to announce that we are officially recognized as an IACET-accredited provider of CE units, making it possible for the rigor and impact of our coaching development and training programs to go even further.

Who is IACET?

‍The International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training — more commonly known by their acronym, IACET — is a nonprofit association dedicated to quality continuing education and training programs. The U.S. Department of Education task force that ultimately became IACET developed the original Continuing Education Unit (CEU) in 1970 and today maintains the highest standard of practice for delivering thousands of continuing education programs worldwide.  

Because of the way IACET is designed, they focus on how continuing education and training programs are developed, not what they cover. In doing so, they provide a certifiable framework of best practices that can be applied across disciplines and industries. As a result, IACET accreditation is recognized as the official standard for CE and CT units throughout the world, showing a commitment to high-quality excellence in education.

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A rigorous, year-long accreditation process

For over 100 years, products tagged with a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval logo were known to be of the highest quality, fully evaluated and backed by a warranty. Consumers knew that if a product earned this seal, it could be trusted. IACET accreditation is similar, in that when someone looking for proven, high quality CE credits sees the IACET logo, they immediately know that the training has undergone rigorous accreditation. In fact, many colleges and universities only allow staff to enroll in CE units with IACET accreditation. 

According to Megan Breiseth, Associate Vice President of Learning and Development at InsideTrack, IACET standards are based on what is proven to work. “Throughout the process, IACET assessed InsideTrack against those standards. How do our CE programs connect to our mission? How are they designed? How do they relate to staffing and quality management? How do we define and measure impact?” 

“Achieving IACET accreditation is a big deal,” Breiseth says enthusiastically. “Earning this accreditation is a powerful recognition of our expertise in training and preparing student success staff — as well as our long-time commitment to meeting the needs of adult learners.”

Breiseth and her team, including InsideTrack’s Learning and Development Manager Ben Smith, led the year-long effort. “Once you begin the process,” Breiseth explains, “you have one year to complete all the requirements. The clock is ticking. And there’s a reason they give you a full year — you need that much time.” Over the course of the process, the team fine-tuned their training processes and approaches in order to meet IACET’s criteria. 

“We went through all of our materials with a fine-tooth comb,” said Breiseth. Each time materials were fine-tuned and revised, they had to be field-tested with small institutional groups. Results were measured at the conclusion of each training session to prove effectiveness. This back-and-forth went on for months. Check-in meetings between IACET and InsideTrack gave space for both sides to ask questions and measure progress. 

In the end, the InsideTrack team turned in a 574-page report, which secured the IACET seal of approval — making InsideTrack an accredited provider and allowing college and university leaders and staff to earn continuing education units as they tap into InsideTrack’s evidence-based coaching curriculum. 

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What does IACET accreditation mean for higher ed leaders and staff?

With IACET accreditation, InsideTrack coaching certification programs can now award IACET-accredited CEUs for any college staff who complete them. Today, this includes two of our most sought-out programs: InsideTrack Coaching Certification (5.2 CEUs) and CLEAR Micro-credential (1.2 CEUs). According to Breiseth, the rest of InsideTrack's coaching and development training certifications — including Coaching Trainer Certification, Coaching Developer Certification, and Coaching-Powered Leadership Certification — will be able to award accredited CEUs by year's end.

Achieving this milestone accreditation also removes one of the barriers frequently cited by institutional staff looking for professional development opportunities. “Without that seal of approval,” Breiseth notes, “some institutions struggle to get the program approved or funded.”

According to Randy Bowman, Interim President and CEO of IACET, “With this accreditation, InsideTrack joins nearly 600 organizations that have matriculated through a rigorous peer-reviewed process by experts in continuing education, which is reflective of their commitment to implementing this evidence-based model with a high degree of fidelity.”

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What’s next?

Each year, InsideTrack must complete an annual report detailing the widespread and lasting impact created from their IACET-accredited CEUs. Since higher education is constantly evolving, IACET sets the accreditation period for five years and includes all programs offered or created during that time. After that, programs must be re-certified following the full IACET process. Knowing better than anyone all that entails, Breiseth takes a deep breath and says, “We’re ready!”