18.1 ALTA Code of Ethics Overview

18.1 ALTA Code of Ethics Overview

Quick Answer: The ALTA Code of Ethics binds all credential holders—CALP, CALT-C, CALT, ICALP, CALT-QI, and Trainee Affiliates—and places them under the Ethics Grievance Committee. Domain 7 (~5% of the CALT exam) tests knowledge of this Code as Standard 7.A.

Domain 7 of the ALTA Competency Exam for Multisensory Structured Language Education evaluates ethical standards for the profession. On a 75-question CALT exam, that is a small slice of items, but ethics questions are high-stakes: they ask you to apply rules about confidentiality, competence, credentials, parents, and colleagues—not merely to recognize the Code’s name. This section builds the big-picture map: what the Code is, who must follow it, how it is enforced, and how its four principles organize day-to-day decisions for academic language therapists.

What the Code Is—and Is Not

The Academic Language Therapy Association publishes the Code of Ethics as a framework and focused guide for day-to-day professional conduct. It is partly obligatory and partly aspirational. Official ALTA language emphasizes that preserving high standards of integrity is vital to responsible practice, and that by accepting voluntary membership, members accept an obligation of self-discipline beyond the requirements of law. In other words, legality is the floor; the Code is the professional ceiling you agree to uphold in every professional activity.

The Code educates therapists, practitioners, students, allied professionals, and the public about the principles that direct conduct. It is not a checklist that names every possible dilemma. When a situation is not spelled out, ALTA expects members to follow the written provisions and the spirit and purpose of the Code. Exam items often present ambiguous-looking scenarios; the correct choice is usually the option that best protects the student, respects consent and confidentiality, stays inside documented competence, and avoids misrepresentation or financial conflict.

Who Is Bound by the Code

ALTA states that the Code applies to all ALTA credential holders:

• CALP — Certified Academic Language Practitioner
• CALT-C — Certified Academic Language Therapist–Candidate (therapy-level path without the master’s completed for full CALT)
• CALT — Certified Academic Language Therapist (therapy-level focus of this study guide)
• ICALP — Instructor of Certified Academic Language Practitioners
• CALT-QI — Certified Academic Language Therapist–Qualified Instructor
• Trainee Affiliates — individuals in training who hold affiliate status with ALTA

By holding ALTA certification or membership, these individuals are automatically subject to the jurisdiction of the Ethics Grievance Committee (EGC). That automatic jurisdiction matters for exam thinking: ethics is not optional for “full CALTs only.” A practitioner, a trainee affiliate, and a qualified instructor share the same ethical umbrella even though their scopes of practice and training differ.

For CALT candidates, connect this list to Domain 7 study: if a vignette features a CALP working in a school, a CALT in private practice, or a trainee affiliate under supervision, the Code still applies. Credential level changes what services you may ethically deliver (competence and honest representation—covered in 18.2), but it does not remove you from the Code or the EGC.

Ethics Grievance Committee: Enforcement and Professional Duty

The Ethics Grievance Committee is the body that receives and addresses alleged violations. ALTA’s public ethics materials invite complaints when someone believes a member has violated the Code, and they note that any violation will be deemed unethical. Principle IV (commitment to ALTA and the profession) also expects members to notify the Ethics Committee of possible violations and to assist the Committee in matters pertaining to the Code. Exam takeaway: ethics is not only “do no harm in my sessions”—it includes professional stewardship of the credentialing community.

You will not be asked to memorize complaint-form logistics on the exam, but you should know that jurisdiction is automatic for credential holders and Trainee Affiliates, and that ignoring a clear Code violation (including your own) is inconsistent with Principle IV’s commitment duties.

The Four Principles at a Glance

ALTA organizes the Code into four principles. Memorize the audience of each principle—exam stems often signal which principle is in play by naming students, parents, colleagues, or the association.

Think of Principles I–III as relational ethics (who sits across from you) and Principle IV as professional-citizenship ethics (how you sustain the credential and the field). Sections 18.2 and 18.3 unpack the high-yield rules inside these principles for Domain 7 items.

Why Domain 7 Still Matters at ~5%

Federal law (Domain 6) and professional communication (Domain 8) sit beside ethics on the blueprint. Ethics is the bridge: you may know IDEA/504 rules and still violate the Code by releasing records without proper consent, guaranteeing a cure for dyslexia, or representing yourself as diagnosing when you are not qualified. Conversely, strong ethics without clear communication (Domain 8) still fails families. When you study, pair this chapter with communication and law chapters so vignette answers stay consistent across standards.

Exam Strategy for Overview Items

Overview questions typically ask who must follow the Code, which body handles grievances, or which principle matches a vignette’s relationship. Prefer answers that:

1. Include Trainee Affiliates and all listed credentials—not “CALT only.”
2. Name the Ethics Grievance Committee as the jurisdictional body.
3. Treat the Code as binding professional self-discipline, not optional best practice.
4. Map the relationship in the stem to Principles I–IV before choosing a rule.

Master this map first; the next two sections supply the specific rules most often tested under Standard 7.A.