The On-Site Visit

At the heart of the accreditation process is the on-site visit by the Board of Examiners team. The on-site visit begins on Saturday afternoon and ends with an exit conference on the following Wednesday at approximately noon. During the on-site visit, a team of individuals trained in the NCATE standards and process works to determine the quality of the unit’s candidates and graduates, as measured by their ability to help all students learn. To that end, the team will spend a substantial amount of time during the visit examining and assessing the quality of the unit assessment system and the data generated by that system. The team will also spend time evaluating the unit’s field experiences and clinical practices; curriculum and experiences related to diversity; faculty qualifications, performance and development; and unit governance and resources. While on site, the team will evaluate evidence, conduct individual and group interviews and visit school sites. The team will communicate its findings to NCATE’s decision-making body, the Unit Accreditation Board, through a written report. This report, called the BOE Report, includes a narrative description of the team’s findings, areas for improvement cited by the team, and recommendations by the team about whether or not the unit is meeting the six NCATE unit standards. During the visit, teams look for answers to the following questions related to each of the six standards :

1. What performance assessment data suggests that the unit is producing quality candidates?
   
2. What system is being used to evaluate candidate performance and unit operations? How have the results of evaluations been used to guide the improvement of practice within the unit?
   
3. How has the unit structured field and clinical experiences? How is the unit assessing the performance of its candidates in classroom and school settings?
   
4. What curriculum and experiences are planned, implemented, and evaluated to ensure that candidates are able to have a positive impact on students from diverse backgrounds?
   
5. How does the unit ensure that its faculty is qualified, models best practices, and received adequate professional development?
   
6. Does the unit have to necessary governance and resources to prepare candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards?

In order to have a successful visit, a great deal of planning must occur in preparation. For details on preparing for and hosting visits, please see the following sections of our website: