Overview
Through NCASES partnership with the Council on Accreditation (COA) an integrated accreditation process is offered for those programs that are currently or want to be COA accredited. A program has the choice to either have the teams (NCASES & COA) visit their program together or they can come on separate visits. The process allows, through the combination of NCASES and COA standards, to have the program be accredited by both programs once the standards are complete.
Organizations pursuing integrated accreditation will receive a 15% discount on COA accreditation fees. Please note that agencies that are members of one of COA's ten Sponsoring Organizations, and as a result receive a 25% discount on their reaccreditation fee, will not qualify for an additional 10% discount.
Process Steps
- COA and NCASES will offer organizations the option to undergo an integrated COA- NCASES survey leading to dual accreditation. Organizations will notify NCASES and COA in writing of their intent to pursue dual accreditation.
- Organizations pursuing joint accreditation will provide NCASES with their COA accreditation plan listing the dates for the site visit.
- 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 organization’s request, sequential surveys will be offered. Under this arrangement dual accreditation will be available so long as the COA survey and NCASES survey occur within 90 calendar days of each other. Organizations completing the integrated site visit will share the COA’s peer notification letter with the NCASES team.
- The team leaders for NCASES and COA will be responsible for making contact in advance of the site 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.
- 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 education-specific standards. NCASES will accept the COA findings with regard to those standards that are addressed through the COA assessment.
- 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.
- Successful completion of integrated survey, the agency will receive separate accreditations from COA and NCASES. Organizations will provide NCASES with their notification of (re)accreditation from COA and the NCASES (re)accreditation notification to COA.
Below is the 2017 Standards for NCASES/COA Integrated Accreditation Manual. Please click the cover icon to view our dynamic manual version or if you choose, you can also download the whole handbook as a PDF below as well. Please make sure you have the newest version of Flash player so that you can have the best experience. If you do not have the newest version of the Adobe Flash player, please click here. Enjoy.
NOTE: Text in italicized type provides guidance to the Site Reviewers regarding possible sources of evidence for the organization’s compliance with the standard(s) preceding it. It does not list compliance requirements. Other evidence of compliance may be offered by the organization. Where the term “state” is used to describe a jurisdiction, other terms (e.g., province) may be applicable.
