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APPENDIX E

ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES OF THE COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

(A copy of the complete Bylaws of the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement may be accessed here.)

Published List of Accredited Schools. A list of schools accredited by the North Central Association of Accreditation and School Improvement is published on the Commission website: http://www.ncacasi.org

Initial Membership. A school seeking initial membership shall follow these steps:

  1. Contact the state NCA office for help and further information.
  2. Determine the desirability of membership through discussion with the faculty, the principal, the superintendent, and the governing board.
  3. Study the standard and criteria for the membership category under which the school is seeking accreditation, consider the implications for the school, and note and correct any deficiencies the school may have in relation to the criteria. (When in the judgment of the state committee a school applying for admission into the North Central Association is of sufficient quality, some minor deviations from policies and criteria will be permitted. The specific deviations, however, shall be reported to the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement for its final action at the Annual Meeting. A school may apply for membership in the North Central Association the same year it graduates its first class.)
  4. Make formal application for membership, with written approval of the governing board of the school.
  5. Conduct a self-assessment using the Capacity Assessment Instrument.
  6. Host an examination team visit to assess the capacity of the school to undertake school improvement and to determine the extent to which the school addresses the Standard and Criteria. The team will issue recommendations to the state office regarding the school's attainment of the Standard and Criteria and the school's capacity to address the Performance Accreditation Framework.
  7. At a Board of Trustees meeting, be recommended by the state committee for accreditation and membership having undergone a review by a central reviewing committee.
  8. Be voted into membership by the Board of Trustees.
  9. Remit membership dues to the Commission.

Annual Reporting. A member school is challenged to pursue the intent of the Standard and the Membership and Improvement Criteria via the Protocol and within the parameters of the Performance Accreditation Framework. It is recognized that schools are at varying stages of development. Nevertheless, schools are expected to nurture continuous growth processes and to build upon certain capacities within the school that will enhance improved student performance. These conditions will be reflected through a system of established annual reporting as follows:

  1. A school desiring to continue membership shall submit by a date stipulated by the Commission an annual report and such other supplementary reports as the Commission and the state committee find necessary in order to accredit schools. Schools not submitting annual reports shall be dropped from membership for the current school year.
  2. Each fall, the Commission shall distribute the annual report forms with supplementary instructions and suggestions, check the receipt of reports, and make an initial review of the reports in preparation for review by the state committee. The respective committee shall examine the annual reports from member schools and make recommendations to the Central Review Committee for its consideration during the review of the status of all member schools.
  3. Each member school in its annual report to the Commission is required to list all violations of criteria cited the previous year and to indicate action that has been taken to correct the deficiencies.
  4. The Central Reviewing Committee shall be appointed by the executive director to examine reports on how well each school has observed the policies and criteria of the Commission. The actions being recommended by the respective committee (based on written policies developed by that committee addressing the areas in which committees are given discretion by the Bylaws, Committees of the Commission Handbook, or the Standard and Criteria Handbook) should be consistent among the several states. Where violations do occur, reviewing committee members should ensure that the accreditation category being recommended is similar to the recommendation that could be anticipated in their own states. The reviewing committees shall follow guidelines approved by the Board of Trustees for the review of annual reports.
  5. It shall be the policy of the Commission not to take an action affecting the accreditation of a member school that is different from that recommended by its committee without first consulting with the state director.

Membership Dues and Fees. The Board of Trustees shall establish the dues and fees owed by school members and shall detail the procedures for payment and the steps leading to ineligibility due to the non-payment of said dues and/or fees. (Please see Article VIII of the Bylaws.)

Reorganized and/or Consolidated Schools and/or Schools Seeking Transfer to Another Set of Standard and Criteria

  1. With the concurrence of the state committee, a consolidated school may claim continuing membership in the North Central Association provided that at least one of the schools involved in the consolidation was a member of the North Central Association at the time of the consolidation. There must be no break in membership.
  2. A new school or schools formed by reorganization of a member school may claim membership in the NCA with the concurrence of the state committee. The new school or schools shall be expected to meet all NCA CASI membership requirements as would any other member school. The state committee will determine whether the reorganized school must undergo a full-scale evaluation.
  3. A member school so reorganized that is no longer eligible under the set of standard and criteria by which it entered the North Central Association must apply for new membership under the appropriate set of standard and criteria. The procedures for handling the application are determined by the state committee, which may or may not require the full evaluation process preliminary to membership.
  4. If a member school has not been reorganized but seeks to transfer to another set of standard and criteria because they are more applicable to the school's mission and purposes, such request for transfer must be initiated by the member school. The school shall not be required to undergo an immediate evaluation but shall retain its current date for a scheduled evaluation. However, the state committee may require a school examination. The school is to be in compliance with the set of policies to which it is seeking transfer.

Postponement of an Evaluation to Another Cycle. If a member school is granted a postponement of its evaluation to the next cycle, it must conduct a second evaluation during that cycle to keep it in phase. All requests for postponement of an evaluation are to be written communications to the state committee co-signed by the principal and the superintendent.

Transfer of Professional Personnel. Teachers and other professional personnel in school systems having two or more member schools who are transferred from one school to another and who have been approved previously by the Commission will continue to be approved by the Commission if they are assigned to the same teaching fields or professional duties. In the case of experienced teachers who may not have been fully qualified, the administration should encourage them to continue their educational preparation.

Equivalency Certificates Based on the General Educational Development Test. Diplomas or Certificates of Equivalency of High School will be recognized by the Association only when they are issued by or on the authority of a state department of public instruction. Such diplomas or certificates should not indicate graduation from any particular high school.

Disclaimer Page for Written Peer Review Reports. In an effort to preclude the improper use of peer review reports, the "Limitations on the Distribution, Use, and Scope of This Document" must accompany each peer review report. The disclaimer page can be found in the team chair software.

Split (Double) Sessions. Double sessions are not approved except in emergencies and then only temporarily; evidence must be presented showing that plans have been made to remedy the situation.

Host Nation Teachers and Foreign Nationals. Qualified host nation teachers may be permitted to teach a second foreign language, and qualified third nationals may teach a foreign language where explanation of the circumstances is provided by the school. Native teachers, if qualified, may be employed to teach in adult evening high schools.

Graduates of an Institution Prior to Its Accreditation. An individual graduating from a college or university prior to the time of its accreditation is not a graduate of an accredited institution. In order to validate a degree earned at an unaccredited institution, an administrator must enroll in an accredited institution and pursue a recommended program until the MA degree is awarded.

Proficiency Examinations. A teacher may qualify to teach a certain subject by taking and passing a proficiency examination provided an accredited college certifies that the teacher has demonstrated competency equal to one having completed the required preparation. Successful completion of an advanced course in typewriting and/or shorthand will demonstrate proficiency.

Use of Lay Aides and Paraprofessionals. Lay aides and paraprofessionals may be used in the school wherever it is legal and appropriate.

Definition of School Year. The school year for participation in contests and activities is officially defined as the date a school opens in the fall and closes in the spring, including vacations during this time period.

Grace Period for Administrators. Wherever permissible under state certification laws or regulations, any person newly employed as a principal or superintendent in an NCA school is granted up to two years to complete the full graduate-hour requirement. However, the person must complete the necessary graduate hours by the end of the two-year grace period or the school shall be warned unless documentation of reasonable progress being made in meeting the criteria is accepted by the state committee.

Conflicts of Interest. It shall be the policy of the Board of Trustees and the Commission that all consultants, administrative staff, board members, commissioners, volunteers, and other NCA representatives shall avoid any conflict or appearance of conflict between personal interests and the interests of the Commission. (For a full text of the Conflict of Interest policy, please see the Committees of the Commission Handbook.)

Definition of a Unit School. A unit school provides a sequence of organized learning experiences for children encompassing grades kindergarten through twelve. Under special circumstances, a school with a grade organization continuing through grade 9, 10, or 11 but not through grade 12 may be considered a unit school at the discretion of the state committee. The school shall have a common identity for all grades (as determined by the state committee) and shall be so organized as to operate as a single entity. The organizational structure of the school is determined by the district to best facilitate the educational development of its students.

Organizational Structure. The organizational structure established by the school district will determine the particular policies and criteria under which the individual school is eligible for accreditation, provided this is in accord with whatever state classification of school level exists.

Affiliate Status. Affiliate status is a commitment to quality education contracted between a district and the Commission. The district, in a written agreement with the state committee promises to 1) bring all schools into accredited status within a given period (not to exceed 3 years) if all of the schools are not currently accredited. 2) coordinate the improvement activities of all of the schools. Districts need only seek Affiliate Status if they wish to pursue the dues structure affiliate districts. Affiliate status currently affects only elementary and middle school fees.

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