The preconditions ensure that an education unit seeking NCATE accreditation for the first time has met fundamental requirements that undergird NCATE’s standards for accreditation. The six preconditions and the documentation that must be submitted to show that the preconditions are met are outlined below.
After an education unit has established itself as a precandidate by filing an "Intent to Seek NCATE Accreditation" form, it should submit its preconditions report to the NCATE office approximately three semesters prior to its planned BOE visit (by September 1 of the previous academic year for spring visits and by February 1 of the previous calendar year for fall visits). It is very important that NCATE be notified prior to submission of the preconditions report (by August 1 for a September 1 submission and by January 1 for a February 1 submission). Documentation for Precondition #4, the conceptual framework, is reviewed by members of the Annual Report and Preconditions Audit (ARPA) Committee at its next scheduled meeting; other documentation is reviewed by NCATE staff. The committee and staff may find that (1) all of the preconditions have been met or (2) not all of the preconditions have been met. In the first case, candidacy will be recommended to the Unit Accreditation Board; in the second case, the institution will be asked to submit additional or revised documentation.
Institutions may be invited to resubmit their conceptual framework to the ARPA Committee twice, for a total of three submissions. If the third attempt does not meet the requirements, the institution is asked to wait a year before submitting its conceptual framework for consideration.
After the ARPA Committee meeting, NCATE will send the institution a preconditions report indicating whether preconditions have been met. Precondition #3 is considered met when the unit has submitted the list of programs and has indicated the commitment to submit reports of the listed programs for national review one year before the visit. If some preconditions are not met, the preconditions report will request additional information. Institution should note that all program reports must be submitted before the visit can occur.
Education units must be accepted into candidacy at least one semester before the scheduled visit. Candidates for accreditation must (1) have an accreditation visit within five years of the semester in which candidacy is granted by the Unit Accreditation Board and must maintain other requirements for candidacy, which include (2) filing of parts A and B of the annual report and (3) payment of the annual candidacy fee. (Institutions that delay their accreditation by more than two years beyond inception of candidacy may be required to resubmit preconditions and/or program reports if major revisions in preconditions or program standards have occurred.)
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