Unless special circumstances dictate differently, a three- to eight-person BOE team conducts the accreditation review. The size of the team depends on a combination of factors, including the number of candidates and the complexity of the unit and the university. In states with joint NCATE/State visits that include state BOE representatives, a team of three to six BOE members will be assigned. In states in which state BOE members do not join the NCATE team, a team of five to eight members will be assigned. The following guidelines help determine the exact size of teams:

• Three to five persons are assigned to accredited institutions with initial teacher preparation programs only; these programs can be offered at the baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate level.
• Four to six persons are assigned to small and medium-sized accredited institutions with both initial teacher preparation programs and advanced master’s programs.
• Five to seven persons are assigned to accredited institutions with initial teacher preparation programs and advanced preparation programs at the specialist and doctoral level, and to institutions seeking accreditation for the first time.
• The largest team of six to eight persons will be assigned to large comprehensive institutions with numerous programs and large numbers of candidates and faculty.

Additional team members may be assigned under the following two
circumstances:

• The institution has off-campus programs that fall within NCATE’s scope of review but are not located within easy driving distance of the campus. The need to visit off-campus sites is determined by the team chair in consultation with appropriate institutional representatives and NCATE.
• If the visit combines a continuing accreditation review at one level with the first review of the other level, additional team members may be added at the request of the team chair in consultation with institutional representatives.

NCATE staff has responsibility for assigning BOE teams. In most cases a three-member team includes representatives from (a) the organization of teacher education institutions (i.e., AACTE), (b) a teachers’ organization (i.e., NEA or AFT), and (c) an organization that represents NCATE’s professional content or policymaker constituencies. Every effort is made to include at least one team member from an institution that is similar in type to the institution being visited. Teams will also represent gender and ethnic diversity; exceptions may occur when BOE members withdraw close to the time of the visit.

NCATE sends the name of the team chair to the institution approximately four to five months before the scheduled visit. The institution should receive the names and addresses of other team members two to four months before the visit. A team member will be removed from the team at the institution’s request only if the unit can document that potential conflict of interest exists.

Assignment of the State Consultant and NEA/AFT Representatives

If the institution is located in a partnership state, NCATE invites the state education agency responsible for program approval to appoint a state consultant for the on-site visit. NCATE also invites the state affiliates of the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to appoint a representative to join BOE teams in their state.

In most cases, state consultants and representatives are actively involved in the data-collecting process. They usually participate in the BOE team meetings to provide clarification of state conditions and policies; they also report the data that they have collected in interviews and reviews of documents. These state representatives generally are not asked to assist with the writing of the BOE report, but they may be asked to work with the assigned writers and edit the team’s work.

The state NEA and AFT representatives are not voting members of the team. State consultants vote in only a couple of states.. The State/NCATE protocols describe the composition of state teams and the role of the state consultant.

The unit should send the state consultants and representatives the same materials mailed to the BOE team members. In most cases, the unit should make hotel reservations for them, but the state agency and the teachers associations are responsible for covering the travel and maintenance expenses of their representatives.

Communications with the BOE Team and State Representatives

Communications with the team chair, team members, and state representatives are conducted primarily through e-mail. Unit representatives may contact the BOE team chair as soon as it receives the chair’s name to arrange the previsit to plan the on-site review. NCATE sends the e-mail addresses, mail addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers of team members to the unit head and NCATE coordinator soon after all team members have accepted the invitation to serve on the team. If the visit is being conducted jointly with the state team, the list will include the state team members as well. The team list will also include the names and addresses of the state consultant and NEA and/or AFT representative.

The institutional report, college catalog, and other information requested by the team chair should be sent to team members two months before the visit. Both an electronic and printed version of the IR should be emailed to all national and state team members as well as to the state consultant and NEA and AFT representatives. Team members and other state representatives should also be sent the link to web-based materials with directions for access, including a password if needed. The team chair may ask unit representatives to contact team members with travel, hotel, and other logistical information.

Arranging Interviews

Most of a BOE team’s time on Monday and Tuesday of the visit is spent interviewing individuals and groups. The types of people and groups with whom the BOE team should meet are outlined in the template for the visit. However, the individuals to be interviewed may vary from institution to institution depending on the weaknesses or areas for improvement cited in the previous visit, results of program reviews by SPAs or states, new initiatives undertaken, and/or concerns identified by third-party testimony. In a continuing accreditation visit, interviews focus on activities since the previous NCATE visit that show that the unit continues to meet NCATE standards.

The BOE team chair, state consultant, state chair/co-chair, and institutional representatives should develop a preliminary schedule of interviews during the previsit. Unit representatives should identify key individuals who should be interviewed so that appropriate interviews may be scheduled. The team will need to conduct some interviews to validate information in the institutional report. Other interviewees are selected to provide additional data related to the NCATE standards.

More group interviews and fewer individual interviews are being scheduled by team chairs now than in the past. Two open meetings should be scheduled to provide opportunities for candidates and faculty to talk to BOE team members. The unit should ensure that information regarding the time and location of these interviews is posted and disseminated to applicable parties.

During the visit, team members will be talking with individuals not on the schedule. Team members will interview candidates and faculty in the hallways, lounges, or cafeteria. They may schedule follow-up interviews with individuals from group discussions, and they may need to conduct follow-up interviews with some individuals to clarify issues or concerns raised during the team’s deliberations. Therefore, faculty and administrators in the unit should plan to be flexible in their scheduling for the two days that the team will be conducting interviews. Unless the institution is small, BOE team members will not have the opportunity to interview all faculty members and administrators in the professional education unit and other units that support professional education.