The purpose of the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement is to develop and maintain the standard and criteria for accreditation that ensure the preconditions for quality education and to foster school improvement. Below are the Commission's policies to be followed in the accrediting of schools.

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POLICY I: ACCREDITATION

In order to earn and/or maintain accreditation, a school must demonstrate that it meets the standard and criteria of the NCA CASI, demonstrate that it is in compliance with NCA CASI policies, host the required team visits, and submit all required accreditation reports.

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POLICY II: PERIOD OF ACCREDITATION

A school is accredited for the school year in which it initially earns accreditation. The accreditation continues as long as the school satisfies the conditions for accreditation established by the Commission. The Commission shall review the accreditation of every school at least once every six years as established in the procedures of the Commission. If the school is so eligible, it must be fully approved or accredited by the legally constituted or recognized accrediting agency in the state. When a school loses its approval or accreditation by the legally constituted or recognized accrediting agency within the state, it becomes subject to the accredited-warned and dropped procedures of the Commission. If a state accrediting agency uses a multiple classification, a school qualifies for the type designated by the state committee as appropriate in that state.

The accreditation of a withdrawn school shall cease to be in effect on the date of the official notice of withdrawal as submitted by the school. The accreditation of a dropped school shall cease to be in effect on the date of action by the NCA CASI Board of Trustees.

A school is accredited, a candidate, or not accredited. The Commission does not grant "full", "provisional", or "partial" accreditation.

A candidate or applying school may not project future or expected accreditation status. Such a school is not accredited until the Board of Trustees grants accreditation to the school. In any public announcements regarding the school's accreditation status, the candidacy status school must avoid any implication that candidacy status equates with accreditation or automatically leads to accreditation.

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POLICY III: CATEGORIES OF SCHOOL STATUS

Based upon an analysis of an Accreditation Team Visit report, annual report, and such additional information as the Commission may have or require; a member school shall be classified in one of the following categories:

1. Accredited. A school shall be classified as Accredited when it meets the requirements of all policies and criteria or when, in the opinion of the Commission, it fails to meet one or more of the policies or criteria and the resulting deficiency does not detract to a serious degree from the quality of the school's educational program.
2. Accredited-Warned. A school shall be classified as Accredited-Warned when in the judgment of the Commission:
   1. It fails to meet one or more of the policies or criteria and the resulting deficiency seriously detracts from the quality of the school's educational program,
   2. It consistently fails to remove or make substantial progress towards removing all deficiencies noted the previous year,
   3. It consistently violates policies or criteria, or
   4. It deliberately and unnecessarily violates one or more of the policies or criteria.
      

      The period of warning is for one academic year. If by the next annual meeting the cause for warning has not been corrected, the school will be dropped from membership in the Association, except under extraordinary circumstances when a second warning may be given. A state committee may recommend a school for second warning only after receipt of written documentation from the school, including endorsement by the superintendent, attesting to the fact that it is the intent of the school to remove the cause for warning prior to the next Annual Meeting. A second warning may be given only by means of a three-fourths vote of members of the Board of Trustees present at the Annual meeting.

      When all schools within the district are warned for a violation beyond the control of the individual school, such as the deterioration of board/staff relationships, the warning shall not become additive as far as the individual school is concerned. However, only under the most extenuating circumstances will a second warning be granted for a district-wide violation.

3. Withdrawn or Discontinued. A school which voluntarily requests to withdraw or is discontinued will be classified as "Withdrawn" or "Discontinued" for the records of the Association. A written request approved by the school's governing board shall be made to the state office at least one week prior to the Annual Meeting.
4. Dropped. A school which finds it impossible to meet the policies or criteria or refuses to do so in successive years may be dropped from membership. A school shall not be dropped without a one-year warning if it has been accredited continuously for five years, except by a three-fourths vote of the members of the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement present at the Annual Meeting.
5. Candidacy Status. A school making initial application for membership, but as yet unable to fully meet the policies and criteria for accreditation may seek candidacy status for a period up to three years. Candidacy status is not equivalent to accreditation. Candidacy status entitles the school to participate in all NCA CASI open affairs and functions, but does not entitle the school to vote. The following conditions must be met for candidacy status:
   1. The state committee helps the school ascertain which of the accreditation criteria it is currently unable to reach, and the school develops a plan for correcting those deficiencies within the period covered by the candidacy status.
   2. A formal agreement is reached between the school board and the state committee to maintain candidacy status up to a limit of three years.
   3. The school submits an annual progress report to the state committee. It is continued in candidacy status on the basis of that report, as recommended by the state committee and confirmed by the Central Review Committee.
   4. The school fulfills other specific requirements for candidacy status as established by the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.
   5. The school pays full dues for each year it remains in candidacy status.
   6. The school applies for and is granted accreditation sometime during these three years. If the school has not attained membership by the third Annual Meeting following its placement on candidacy status, the status shall be terminated.

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POLICY IV: NON-DISCRIMINATORY ADMISSION OF STUDENTS

A school shall not discriminate in its admission of students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual preference, age, disability, or veteran status. Nor shall it discriminate on the basis of faith unless the school is officially faith-based and wishes to admit students mainly from members of that faith. Schools that have been designed specifically to serve a single sex or that are supported by a state or federal agency to serve a specialized group of students shall not be considered discriminatory.

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POLICY V: ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS AND PROGRAMS TO MEET POLICIES AND CRITERIA

A school or school system may prefer to develop formats and approaches that differ substantially from one or more of the accreditation criteria of the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. The intent of this policy is to encourage these developments under controlled conditions.

Approval for such formats and approaches shall be sought annually from the state committee. Such variance will be considered and may be approved only when the following conditions are met:

1. The plans for alternative designs and programs are submitted in writing.
2. The purposes and objectives with accompanying activities and procedures are stated.
3. An evaluation process that details evaluation criteria for each of the objectives is built into the plan. When the plan extends beyond one year, the state committee shall review on a yearly basis progress towards the accomplishments of the objectives. The review may include on-site monitoring and verification of progress.