Process and Timeline

Process
The accreditation process includes three main steps:

Step One
CEP Self study—begins one to two years prior to submitting an Intent to Seek Accreditation form

A concurrent enrollment program (CEP) wishing to become accredited or renew their accreditation should begin their self study one to two years in advance of submitting an Intent to Apply form. During the self study CEP staff, faculty and partners analyze how they ensure that NACEP standards are being met. Through the self study the CEP documents how it implements the practices and policies described in NACEP standards.

A self study provides an opportunity for CEPs to become more innovative, strengthen policies and practices, and institute greater transparency and consistency. The self study concludes once the CEP is able to ensure and document that all NACEP standards are being met.

During the self study prospective applicants are encouraged to access NACEP’s resources to strengthen their CEP program, including:

• The Accreditation Guide For Peer Reviewers and Applicants that includes interpretation of NACEP’s Standards, the range of acceptable practices, frequently asked questions about the Standards, and advice on assembling a well-designed accreditation application to facilitate peer review.
• Attending workshops on the Standards and effective program practices at the NACEP national conference.
• Asking NACEP staff and volunteers for advice. NACEP offers a Pre-Accreditation Coaching Program matching an experienced professional from a NACEP-accredited CEP to advise a prospective applicant during the self-study.
• Soliciting documents, resources, and examples of best practice from peer professionals around the country via the NACEP members-only listserv.

Step Two
NACEP accreditation application—built over a four to six month period

A completed accreditation or reaccreditation application is built electronically. Please review NACEP’s Guidelines for Submitting an Electronic Accreditation Application for suggestions on how to organize an application. Applicants may build their own website, upload it to a secure portal, or utilize NACEP’s secure, password-protected document upload site. Organized by each standard, the application consists of evidence delineating how the CEP ensures that the standards are being met. A CEP typically takes 4-6 months to build the application.

Application instructions and forms may be downloaded here.

Step Three
Application reviewed

The Accreditation Committee Chair and a team of application Coordinators scan all applications received by the deadline for completeness.  If an application is missing only a few pieces of required evidence, they may ask for additional documentation before a Peer Review Team is assigned.  If an application is judged to be incomplete and not ready to be reviewed, it will not be assigned to a Peer Review Team and the application will be withdrawn from consideration during that review cycle.

Each application is evaluated by a team of at least three experienced peer reviewers from NACEP-accredited programs who are appointed by the Chair of the Accreditation Committee. The reviewers are professionals in concurrent enrollment—program directors, faculty liaisons or other concurrent enrollment staff—and come from outside the system seeking accreditation. They thoroughly analyze each application and deliberate through conferencing.

Reviewers are provided with ongoing support as they evaluate whether the application includes enough documentation of the type that fulfills the intent of each standard. Because there is great variation in institutional terminology and partnership programming, reviewers may request more information and documentation in order to clearly understand how a program is ensuring that NACEP standards are met. NACEP does not typically conduct site visits, though reserves the right to request a site visit if there are areas that can best be clarified in person. At the end of the application review, the Chair of the Accreditation Committee brings a recommendation to the NACEP Board of Directors for a vote, typically at the spring Board meeting.

Timeline

2012-13 Application Cycle
Tuesday, January 31, 2012: Deadline to submit the electronic Intent to Seek NACEP Accreditation Form
Concurrent enrollment partnership (CEP) programs seeking accreditation from NACEP must complete an online Intent Form the year they plan to submit an accreditation application

The Intent Form for the 2012-13 Application Review Cycle must be submitted online, and should take no more than 15 minutes to complete.

A concurrent enrollment partnership is eligible to apply for accreditation in 2012 if it:

• Has been operational since at least August 2007 or was initially accredited in 2006.
• Has implemented the policies and procedures described in all seventeen NACEP standards prior to July 2, 2012.
• Can submit documentation that the practices described in the standards were in place during the 2011-12 school year.
• Can submit completed program evaluation reports, including the survey of CEP alumni who are four years out of high school as described in the Evaluation Standards.

Monday, July 2, 2012: Submit application materials for review

Application instructions and forms may be downloaded here. NACEP will only accept electronic applications. Upon receipt, the program will be sent an invoice for the application fee.

A complete application consists of:

• A program description;
• A description of the university or college context within which it operates;
• A complete NACEP cover sheet for each standard, explaining how the applicant fulfills the standard and describing the evidence submitted;
• Required evidence that the program meets or exceeds the NACEP standards. The evidence includes comprehensive descriptions with contextual detail as well as documents illustrating that appropriate processes, policies and procedures are in place, are required of CEP partners, and are monitored to ensure implementation;
• Sample copies of publications, videos, handbooks, etc. used with students, teachers, faculty and schools.

July 2012-April 2013

Applications are reviewed, recommendations are made to the Chair of the Accreditation Committee and decisions are approved by the NACEP Board of Directors.

Specific questions about the process and timeline may be directed to Becky Carter, the Chair of the Accreditation Committee.