CoARC outcomes thresholds for RT programs

CoARC outcomes thresholds for RT programs define the minimum performance that every accredited entry-into-practice respiratory therapy program must meet, and they are about to be reworded for a new credentialing exam. This article sets out each mandated outcome measure, its published threshold, how the three-year window works, what follows a subthreshold result, and what the 2027 Standards and the NBRC's single examination change for program directors and deans.

How CoARC evaluates outcomes

Standard 3.07 requires every program, regardless of the degree awarded or the instructional methodology, to meet the thresholds CoARC has established for all mandated outcome measures. Each program that holds its own CoARC number submits an annual report of current status, known as the RCS, through CoARC's electronic reporting system by the mandated deadline. The report must contain complete outcome data, an analysis of the results, and a documented action plan for any outcome that falls below its threshold.

Outcome data are evaluated every year, but compliance is determined using the average of the most recent three-year reporting cycle. The interpretive guideline adds that reported percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number before the comparison, with 0.5 rounding up. CoARC also states that the published thresholds are subject to revision and that programs are responsible for monitoring current requirements.

Thresholds by outcome measure

The table below combines the CoARC thresholds page, which carries the entry-into-practice thresholds dated as of March 14, 2020, with the wording of the 2027 Entry into Practice Standards. The two sources agree on every number listed.

Credentialing measures: high cut score and RRT success

CoARC measures credentialing performance through high cut score success. It defines this as the percentage of program graduates, not the percentage of examination takers, who reach the NBRC high cut score during the reporting period. The distinction matters for directors whose graduates delay or skip the examination, because every graduate who does not reach the high cut score counts against the rate. Programs submit the NBRC Annual School Summary Report and the Graduate Student Performance Report with the RCS to document the result.

RRT credentialing success is still reported each year, but the thresholds page states that no accreditation action will be taken on it, and the 2027 Standards repeat that no threshold exists. Programs may exclude qualifying international students on a temporary visa who do not plan to take the NBRC examinations, with accurate classification and documentation.

Retention, placement and satisfaction

Retention counts students from the first core respiratory care course open only to students admitted to the program, excluding survey or prerequisite coursework. The count includes students who left before graduation for academic reasons, ethical or professional violations, or dismissal under program policy. The thresholds page excludes, among others, students in good standing who leave for financial, medical, family, military, course-change or relocation reasons. Job placement counts a graduate employed in a scope-of-practice position within the reporting period, with no threshold. On-time graduation is not a mandated measure with a threshold on the thresholds page.

Programs must administer graduate and employer satisfaction surveys between six and twelve months after graduation and keep documentation of administration, response rates and calculations. The 2027 Standards state the 80% benchmark for each survey question, while the thresholds page describes overall satisfaction, so directors should confirm their reporting against current CoARC instructions.

What happens below threshold

Under the thresholds page, a program that does not meet a threshold must develop a plan of action for program improvement that addresses the shortcomings. The 2027 Standards describe the sequence in more detail. Standard 3.08 requires a program with subthreshold results to engage with CoARC as soon as it receives written notification, through a Program Action Letter.

• CoARC opens an accreditation dialogue about the identified deficiency, and appoints a Referee, a CoARC Board member, if the program does not have one.
• The Referee consults during reporting, reviews documentation, helps the program plan remediation, evaluates progress and makes accreditation recommendations to the Board.
• The dialogue may include a resource assessment and one or more progress reports with detailed data analyses and action plans.
• CoARC may also require a focused on-site visit, for which the program must make available the Program Action Letter and related correspondence.

The 2027 Standards and the NBRC single examination

The 2027 Entry into Practice Standards, approved in March 2026, carry an effective date of January 1, 2027. Their credentialing language refers to the NBRC Respiratory Therapy Examination High Cut Score Success rate, and the numeric threshold stays at 60% as a three-year average.

The NBRC is replacing the Therapist Multiple-Choice and Clinical Simulation Examinations with a single multiple-choice examination in January 2027. It has 185 items, of which 160 are scored and 25 are pretest items, and it uses two cut scores: the low cut score earns the CRT and the high cut score earns the RRT. The Clinical Simulation Examination remains available through December 31, 2027, only for candidates who pass the Therapist Multiple-Choice Examination at the high cut score before December 31, 2026.

For outcomes reporting, the practical consequence is a transition in the data. Graduating classes in the next two years may hold results from both the old and the new examination, all feeding a three-year average whose threshold has not changed. The Standards say thresholds are subject to revision, so directors should plan against 60% and watch CoARC notices. A fuller discussion is at nbrc 2027 exam change rt programs.

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