Previsit by the Team Chair

One of the responsibilities of team chairs is to conduct a previsit to the institution to plan the on-site visit. In partnership states, the previsit should include the state team co-chair and the consultant who represents the state agency responsible for program approval. The team chair should initiate the planning of the previsit, which normally occurs 30–60 days before the review. However, the institution is responsible for making all necessary arrangements, including contacting the state team chair and state consultant. The previsit is usually no longer than one day in length. Institutions hosting continuing visits held from spring 2010 through spring 2012 may conduct the previsit electronically rather than in person.

The team chair should have a copy of the institutional report before the previsit but should not review drafts of the institutional report or in any other ways serve in a consultative role to the institution. During the previsit, the team chair should meet with the president and/or provost to provide an overview of the visit, describe the review process, answer questions, and ascertain his/her expectations for the visit. This meeting provides the opportunity to make institutional administrators aware of the information that will be gathered and discussed during the visit, at the exit conference, and in the team’s report.

Logistics for the visit and team accommodations should be finalized during the previsit. The organization of the exhibit room, set-up of interviews, and arrangements for visits to field sites should be discussed. It is appropriate to ask the unit to provide refreshments for team members during their working sessions. The list that follows indicates areas that should be covered during the previsit.

Agenda Items for the Previsit

Roles of Individuals Involved in the Visit

  • BOE team members
  • State consultant (i.e., representative of the State Department of Education or State Professional Standards Board)
  • State team members if a joint or concurrent state/NCATE visit
  • National Education Association (NEA) and/or American Federation of Teachers (AFT) state affiliate representatives
  • Head of the professional education unit and the institution's NCATE coordinator
  • Chief executive officer and academic officer of the institution
  • Other key institutional representatives
  • Key faculty, administrators, and other individuals identified by the institution

Interviews

  • Candidates (both in organized group settings and in informal settings such as hallways, student lounges, student union, etc.)
  • Field supervisors of student teaching and internships
  • Principals, school personnel directors, teachers, and other practitioners from area schools (both ingroup settings and on visits to field sites)
  • Faculty and administrators from the policy groups as outlined in the template for the visit
  • Recent graduates

Observations of Classes and Field Site Visits Exhibit Room

  • Location and organization of visits
  • Critical contents of exhibits
  • Team access on Saturday and Sunday

Sunday Evening Function

  • Who should attend
  • Institution's presentation, which is sometimes scheduled at this time
  • Location of dinner, if applicable

Hotel/Motel Arrangements

  • Location in relationship to campus
  • Private rooms for team members and state representatives
  • Meeting room (with appropriate lighting) for team work sessions on Saturday through Wednesday
  • Computers, printers, clerical supplies, copying facilities, and other equipment for use by the team
  • Payment of hotel expenses (direct billing to the institution or other means)

Technology Arrangements

  • Multiple computer workstations with access to website in exhibit room
  • Multiple computer workstations with access to website in hotel
  • Printing capacity in workroom and at hotel
  • Disk of website and list of additions since creation of disk
  • Name and telephone number of technology support person
  • Orientation to website as part of introduction to the unit
  • E-mail address for NCATE team while on site
  • Arrangements for video-conferencing of interviews at off-campus and branch campus sites, if applicable

Travel Arrangements

  • Nearest airport and ground transportation
  • Arrangements to contact team members about travel and hotel logistics
  • Travel between hotel and campus
  • Arrangements for observation of classes on campus and in P–12 schools
  • Travel to field sites or technological contact with field sites (e.g., video conferencing)

Meals and Refreshments

  • Recommendations for local restaurants for evening meals
  • Arrangements for Monday and Tuesday lunches on campus
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