1. COA and NCASES will offer agencies the option to undergo an integrated COA- NCASES survey leading to dual accreditation. Agencies will notify NCASES by selecting NCASES-COA accreditation on the NCASES Application. The Agency will contact COA separately of their intent to secure dual accreditation.
2. Agencies pursuing dual accreditation will provide NCASES with their COA accreditation plan listing the dates for the site visit.
3. In those instances where an organization has elected to seek dual accreditation, COA and NCASES will make reasonable efforts to schedule the integrated survey for the same date. When this is impossible or at the agency’s request, sequential surveys will be offered. Under this arrangement the integrated accreditation process will be available so long as the COA survey and NCASES survey occur within 90 calendar days of each other.
4. Agencies completing the integrated site visit will share the COA’s peer notification letter with the NCASES Site Review Team.
5. The Team Leaders for NCASES and COA will be responsible for making contact in advance of the Site Review Team visit to discuss the site visit logistics. Including; joint entrance and exit meeting, sharing a meeting space to review on-site materials, and scheduling any joint on-site interviews.
6. In an integrated accreditation survey, COA will survey all of its Standards, and NCASES will survey only those organizational Standards not covered by COA (to be listed separately) and special education-specific Standards.
7. NCASES will accept the COA findings with regard to those Standards that are addressed through the COA assessment.
8. If the agency is not accredited by COA, the agency must provide a copy of the COA report to NCASES to review the areas of noncompliance before NCASES accreditation approval can be provided.
9. Upon successful completion of integrated survey, the agency will receive separate accreditations from COA and NCASES. Agencies will provide NCASES with their notification of (re)accreditation from COA and COA with their NCASES (re)accreditation notification.
