 Timelines are also available that have been customized for the semester when the BOE team will visit your institution. |
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| Two years prior to visit |
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NCATE sends the head of the institution’s professional education unit and the unit’s NCATE coordinator an e-mail message reminding them to complete the Intent to Continue Accreditation form and describing how to access web-based materials to prepare for the visit.
NCATE assumes that the professional education unit plans to continue its accreditation unless the institution indicates otherwise. To formalize the institution’s intent to seek continuation of its accreditation, the institution is asked to complete the  Intent to Continue NCATE Accreditation form, which is available on the NCATE website. The form must be signed by both the institution’s chief executive officer and the unit head before an on-site review can be scheduled. |
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| One year prior to visit |
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| The unit submits the date preference email at this time. Institutions in a partnership state must receive approval of the date of the visit from the state agency before submitting the email to NCATE. |
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The continuing accreditation visit is scheduled for the same semester seven years (or, in some states, five years) after the previous NCATE review.
The institution submits electronic program reports to NCATE. NCATE will continue to accept reports one year prior to the site visit through Fall 2007. (Submission of program reports is optional in certain partnership states.) |
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| One semester prior to visit (February
1 or September 15) |
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| The institution publishes an announcement of the upcoming visit in local news media to invite third-party testimony. |
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| Five to six months prior to visit |
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| NCATE sends to the institution the name and address of the assigned BOE team chair who will conduct the on-site review. |
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| Two to four months prior to visit |
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| NCATE sends to the institution the names and addresses of the assigned BOE team members who will conduct the on-site review. |
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| Two to three months prior to the visit |
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| NCATE sends a copy of the third-party testimony to the institution for comment and to the BOE chair. |
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| Semester of the visit (by February 1 or July 15) |
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| If programs were submitted for national review, NCATE notifies the institution of the availability of the national recognition reports for programs. |
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| 60 days prior to the visit |
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| The professional education unit submits its Institutional Report (IR) and catalogs electronically to NCATE. The institution should send both an electronic and printed copy of the IR to the Board of Examiners team, state team members, state consultants, and NEA and AFT representatives. A link to the web-based college catalogs should be sent to team members. |
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| 30-60 days prior to visit |
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| The team chair, state chair, and state consultant visit the campus for the previsit. |
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| Date of Visit |
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| NCATE BOE team and state team (in most partner states) visits the campus. |
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| 52 days after the visit |
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| The BOE team chair submits the BOE report electronically to NCATE. The team (including state team members) and NCATE staff provide feedback on a draft, after which the institution has the opportunity to submit factual corrections. NCATE forwards the final report to the unit with instructions for preparing a rejoinder and completing evaluation forms. If the institution is located in a partner state, the BOE report is available to the state agency through the NCATE website. |
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| 30 days after the institution has received the BOE team report |
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| The institution submits the institutional rejoinder electronically to NCATE. The institutional rejoinder to the BOE report is a vital part of the evidence that the UAB considers as it makes its determination about whether standards are met and the unit is accredited. The purpose of the rejoinder is to clarify information presented in the BOE report. If the conclusions of the BOE team are disputed by the unit, the rejoinder must indicate the grounds for disagreement with the team’s findings and include documentation to support that claim. This documentation must have been available to the BOE team at the time of the visit. |
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| The areas for improvement cited in a BOE report have an impact on the accreditation decisions made by the UAB. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that the unit respond to all unmet standards and areas for improvement cited in the BOE report. In addition, the unit should respond to any statements in the BOE report that are perceived as erroneous or in need of clarification, even if they were not formally cited as areas for improvement. If the unit is in full or substantial agreement with the BOE report, it may simply submit a letter indicating its concurrence. |
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| Detailed information about the required conditions, format, and timeline for submission
of an institutional rejoinder is included in the Handbook
for Accreditation Visits and in the document "How
to Prepare a Rejoinder That Will Make a Difference." |
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| Within 30 days after receipt of the rejoinder |
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| If the unit rejoined any of the findings in the BOE report, the BOE team chair has the opportunity to submit a response to the rejoinder. |
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| Semester of the visit (by April 15 or September 15) |
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| The institution submits to NCATE revised program reports responding to concerns raised in the national recognition reports. (Note: submission is optional.) |
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| Semester after the visit (by February 1 or July 15) |
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| If revised program reports were submitted, NCATE notifies the institution of the availability of national recognition reports for programs. |
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| October or March/April |
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| The Unit Accreditation Board renders an accreditation decision. |
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| Within two weeks after the
UAB meeting |
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| NCATE mails an action letter (and, for accreditation with conditions or probation, a report of the accreditation decision) to the chief executive officer of the institution, the unit head, and the state agency if the institution is located in a partnership state.. |
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| One month after the accreditation decision has been received by the institution |
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| Unless a decision is being appealed, NCATE mails information on the accreditation decision to the U.S. Department of Education and releases information to the public via the NCATE website. Information is also sent to the applicable NEA and AFT state affiliate organizations, the chief state school officer, and the state affiliate of the National School Boards Association. |
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