A
Program architecture
- Program rationale, intended audience and entry requirements
- Published outcomes and curriculum-to-outcome map
- Module specifications, sequence, workload and delivery plan
- Benchmarking, market need and currency of content
CBI Standards Office · Quality Assurance
CBI Program Certification
A rigorous, evidence-led judgment that a defined education or training program is purposeful, current, well taught, fairly governed and assessed to a standard that can withstand scrutiny.
CBI-QA · 01Program quality markReviewed · Determined · Monitored
- Authority
- CBI Standards Office
- Basis
- Documented evidence
- Unit of review
- One defined program
- Status
- Time-limited and monitored
The designation
Quality must be demonstrated, not declared.
CBI Program Certification is the California Business Institute's proprietary quality assurance designation for a specific program. It is awarded only when the evidence, considered as a whole, supports confidence in the program's design, delivery, assessment and governance.
Certification belongs to the program reviewed, in the form and locations approved. It is not a blanket endorsement of every activity offered by a provider, and it cannot be transferred to a renamed, substantially changed or partner-delivered program without review.
The CBI standard · Six domains
What certification requires.
A program must satisfy every domain. Strength in one area cannot compensate for a material failure in another, particularly where assessment integrity or learner protection is at risk.
- 01
Purpose and level
The program has a defined audience, a defensible educational purpose and outcomes pitched at a consistent level of intellectual and professional demand.
- 02
Curriculum integrity
Content is current, coherent and sufficiently deep. Every module earns its place, sequencing is intentional, and the stated outcomes are fully taught.
- 03
Faculty capability
Those who design, teach and assess the program have appropriate subject expertise, professional standing and a clear understanding of the standard they apply.
- 04
Assessment validity
Assessment actually tests the published outcomes at the required level. It is authentic, sufficiently challenging, consistently marked and protected against avoidable compromise.
- 05
Learner protection
Admissions, information, support, accessibility, feedback, complaints and appeals are fair, intelligible and applied consistently throughout the learner journey.
- 06
Governance and improvement
Responsibility is assigned, evidence is retained, risks are controlled and the program can demonstrate that performance data and review findings lead to real improvement.
Review protocol
How a decision is reached.
Review is proportionate to the program's level, scale, delivery model and risk, but the burden of proof does not change: the provider must demonstrate that the standard is met.
- 01
Scope and eligibility
We define the exact program, locations, delivery modes, partner arrangements and claims to be reviewed. Conflicts of interest and the provider's authority to offer the program are screened before review begins.
- 02
Evidence dossier
The provider submits the curriculum, outcome map, faculty records, learner information, policies, performance data and the complete assessment system. Claims unsupported by evidence are not credited.
- 03
Curriculum review
Reviewers test the rationale, level, sequence, workload, currency and alignment of the curriculum. They trace each promised outcome through teaching, practice and assessment.
- 04
Assessment audit
Every form of assessment is examined: examinations, cases, projects, simulations, presentations, portfolios, group work, workplace tasks and capstones, including briefs, rubrics, marking and moderation.
- 05
Delivery validation
Documentary evidence is tested through interviews, demonstrations, observation or sampling as appropriate. We examine whether the program delivered in practice matches the program approved on paper.
- 06
Panel determination
The full record is considered against the published standard. Findings are graded by significance, conditions are explicit, and certification is never awarded by averaging away a material weakness.
- 07
Monitoring and renewal
Certification is time-limited. Annual evidence, material changes, complaints, assessment performance and corrective actions may be reviewed before renewal, and concerns can trigger an earlier review.
Assessment integrity · Core scrutiny
We investigate the assessment system, not just the syllabus.
A curriculum describes intent. Assessment shows whether learners have actually met it. CBI reviewers examine the full chain from outcome and task design to the final recorded judgment.
ExaminationsCase analysesProjectsSimulationsOral defensesPresentationsPortfoliosGroup workWorkplace tasksCapstones
- 01Alignment
- Does each task directly test one or more published program outcomes?
- 02Coverage
- Does the full assessment plan sample the breadth and depth of the curriculum?
- 03Level
- Is the complexity of analysis, judgment and execution appropriate to the award claimed?
- 04Authenticity
- Does the work resemble credible professional or intellectual practice rather than test recall alone?
- 05Reliability
- Would trained assessors applying the same criteria reach materially consistent judgments?
- 06Fairness
- Are instructions, time, language, accommodations and group-work rules equitable and transparent?
- 07Integrity
- Are identity, authorship, sources, collaboration, data and use of AI or other tools controlled and declared?
- 08Security
- Are assessment materials, submissions, access rights, records and results appropriately protected?
- 09Marking
- Do rubrics distinguish levels of performance, and is the written rationale supported by the work?
- 10Moderation
- Are high-stakes decisions sampled, second-marked or independently reviewed at a proportionate level?
- 11Feedback
- Does feedback explain the judgment and give the learner a usable route to improvement?
- 12Due process
- Are reassessment, complaints, appeals and record retention governed by clear and consistent rules?
Evidence register
What reviewers expect to see.
Evidence must be current, internally consistent and traceable to the program under review. Policies alone are insufficient where implementation records should exist.
B
Teaching and resources
- Faculty qualifications, professional experience and appointment criteria
- Teaching materials, learning activities and academic guidance
- Staff induction, calibration and continuing development
- Learning systems, facilities, accessibility and learner support
C
Assessment record
- Assessment strategy, briefs, marking criteria and model expectations
- Anonymized samples across pass, fail and high-performance decisions
- Marker comments, second-marking and moderation records
- Integrity cases, accommodations, reassessment and appeals
D
Governance and outcomes
- Committee authority, decision records and conflict controls
- Admissions, retention, progression and completion data
- Learner feedback, complaints and corrective-action records
- Annual monitoring, external input and improvement plans
Reviewers may request additional records, larger assessment samples or direct access to systems where the initial evidence is incomplete, contradictory or unusually dependent on self-report.
Panel outcomes
A reasoned decision on the record.
The panel records its judgment, evidence, conditions and review dates. Certification is not permanent and may be limited, suspended or withdrawn when the approved standard is no longer met.
Certified
The program meets the CBI standard. Any recommendations are developmental and do not limit the certification decision.
Certified with conditions
The core standard is met, but specified actions must be completed and evidenced by fixed dates for certification to remain in force.
Decision deferred
The panel needs additional evidence, a limited re-review or completion of material corrective work before it can reach a sound decision.
Not certified
One or more material requirements are not met. The decision identifies the evidence and the standard involved; a later application requires substantive change.
Continuing assurance
The mark remains earned only while the standard remains met.
Certified programs must report material changes to curriculum, assessment, delivery, ownership, partnerships or key academic leadership. CBI may review learner outcomes, complaints, integrity incidents and corrective actions during the certification term.
The quality mark may be used only with the exact certified program and within the scope and dates stated in the decision. It may not be used to imply certification of an institution, a different program, professional licensure or regulatory approval.
Certification status and scope may be confirmed in writing through the Office of the Registrar. Misleading use of the mark is grounds for immediate suspension while the matter is reviewed.
SCOPE NOTE · CBI-QARead before relying on the designation
Certification is specific. Accreditation is not implied.
CBI Program Certification is an independent, proprietary quality designation issued by the California Business Institute. It is not institutional accreditation by a governmental, statutory or higher-education accrediting body.
Unless a separate statement expressly says otherwise, certification does not confer degree-granting authority, guarantee transfer of academic credit, establish eligibility for public funding, or satisfy professional licensing requirements. Those decisions remain with the relevant authority, institution or employer.
For education and training providers
Submit a program for review.
Begin with a confidential scoping inquiry describing the program, delivery model, learner group and the quality claim you want independently examined.