Accreditation

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Accreditation

• The Institutional Self Study

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What we will cover today

• What is accreditation?
• The Accreditation Process
• Your Role
• Standards
• Themes
• Evidence
• Goals
• Resources

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What is accreditation?

• Accreditation is a system of voluntary,
  non-governmental self regulation and peer review
  unique to American educational institutions.  
  
• It is a system of self-evaluation referred to as
  an institutional self-study evaluating itself in
  accordance with standards of good practice
  regarding goals and objectives. 
• It is a process by which accreditors provide
  students, the public, and each other with
  assurances of institutional integrity, quality,
  and effectiveness.
• Its purpose is to encourage planning for
  improvement in quality and effectiveness.
  
• Accreditation requires a comprehensive self-study
  every seven years and a mandatory midterm report
  in the third year.
  

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ACCJC/WASC

• The Accrediting Commission of Community and
  Junior Colleges is one of the two commissions of
  the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. 
  ACCJC accredits two year post secondary education
  programs.  The service area includes California,
  Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of
  North Marianas, Republic of Marshall Islands,
  Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of
  Palau.

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The Accreditation Process

• The Self Study
• The Site Visit
• After the Visit

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The Self Study Report

• The Self Study Report is comprised of the
  following
  
• Certification of the Self Study Report
• Eligibility Requirements
• Responses to prior team recommendations
• Descriptive Summary
• Self-analysis
• Citing the standards in the text
• Plans for improvement and references to
  institutional plans
  

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The Site Visit

• Pre-visit by team chair
• Electronic and hard-copy documents for the team
• Team room and other facilities
• Availability of key personnel
• Classroom and off-site visits
• Access to distance education
• Exit report

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After the Visit

• Draft team chair report and correction of errors
  of fact
  
• Confidential team recommendation to the
  Commission
  
• Commission action and action letters from the
  Commission
  
• Institutional follow-up

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Standards Chairs

• Your Role

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The Role of the Standards Chair

• Each chairperson is responsible for developing
  the draft report to a specific standard or
  subsection of a standard.
  
• Developing the report includes forming a
  committee, collecting data, evaluating data, and
  drafting a response to the standard.

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Steps for the Chairs

• Form a committee
• Submit a committee roster to Rose
• Gather data to evaluate your standard
• Evaluate data, reports, and documentation
• Draft a response to the standard
• Submit draft to ALO
• Make any necessary revisions
• Be available for the site visit in Spring 2008

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Accreditation Timeline

• Spring 2007
• Summer 2007
• Fall 2007
• Winter/Spring 2008

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Spring 2007

• February
• Standards Chairs orientation
• Establish Accreditation Website
• March / April
• Data gathering
• Evaluate data, reports, and documents
• Draft description
• May
• Submit first draft (Draft A) to ALO (May 31st
  deadline)

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Summer 2007

• June
• Write Evaluation and Planning Agenda
• July
• Finalize Draft A of self-study report
• Distribute Draft A to campus community for
  feedback
  
• August
• Compile feedback from campus community
• Revise self study report with feedback (Draft B)
• Submit Draft B for Board of Trustees comments

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Fall 2007

• September/October/November
• Incorporate Board comments Draft C
• December
• Submit Draft C for Board approval (Dec 12, 2007)
• Review and edit completed self study report
• Send final draft to the printer

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Winter/Spring 2008

• January 2008
• Send self study report to visiting accreditation
  team
  
• February 2008
• Make logistical arrangements for site visit
• Gather resources for team room
• March 2008
• Setup team room
• March 3-6 Accreditation Site Visit

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The Standards

• Standard I Institutional Mission and
  Effectiveness
  
• Standard II Student Learning Programs and
  Services
  
• Standard III Resources
• Standard IV Leadership and Governance

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Standard I Institutional Mission and
Effectiveness

• A. Mission Lynda Myers
• The institution
• Defines its purpose
• Defines its intended population
• Defines its commitment to student learning

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Standard I Institutional Mission and
Effectiveness

• B. Improving Institutional Effectiveness
  Catherine Indermill
  
• The institution
• Provides evidence of student achievement and
  student learning outcomes
  
• Provides evidence of program review and ongoing,
  systematic evaluation
  
• Provides evidence of cyclical and linked
  planning
  
• Provides evidence of improvement

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Standard II Student Learning Programs and
Services

• A. Instructional Programs Bob Jager Steve
  Cardimona
  
• The institution
• Offers high quality instructional programs
• Identifies student learning outcomes and
  evaluates how well students are learning
  
• Assesses student achievement
• Assesses programs systematically
• Assures quality and improvement of all programs

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Standard II Student Learning Programs and
Services

• B. Student Support Services Donald Moore
• The institution
• Identifies and meets the diverse learning support
  needs of its students
  
• Provides precise and accurate information about
  the institution to students and the public
  
• Assesses services systematically
• Assures quality and improvement of services

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Standard II Student Learning Programs and
Services

• C. Library and Learning Support Services Mark
  Rawitsch
  
• The institution
• Offers sufficient services to support
  instructional programs
  
• Includes library, tutoring, technology and other
  learning support services
  
• Trains students and staff to use these services
• Assesses services systematically
• Assures quality and improvement of services

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Standard III Resources

• A. Human Resources Terri Robertson
• The institution
• Employs qualified personnel
• Evaluates all personnel
• Ensures professional development of personnel
• Assesses its performance in employment equity and
  diversity
  
• Uses human resources to support student learning
• Integrates human resource planning with
  institutional planning

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Standard III Resources

• B. Physical Resources Darletta Fulwider
• The institution
• Provides safe and sufficient facilities and
  equipment
  
• Evaluates the quality of its physical resources
  on a regular basis
  
• Ensures physical resources support student
  learning
  
• Integrates physical resource planning with
  institutional planning

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Standard III Resources

• C. Technology Resources Steve Hixenbaugh
• The institution
• Ensures its technology supports facilities,
  research and college-wide communication
  
• Provides training to students and personnel in
  the use of technology
  
• Ensures that technology supports student learning
  programs and services
  
• Integrates technology planning with institutional
  planning

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Standard III Resources

• D. Financial Resources Eileen Cichocki
• The institution
• Ensures fiscal stability and integrity
• Plans for short-term and long-term financial
  needs
  
• Ensures that financial resources are sufficient
  to support student learning programs and services
  and to improve institutional effectiveness
  
• Integrates financial planning with institutional
  planning

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Standard IV Leadership and Governance

• A. Decision-Making Roles and Processes Debra
  Polak
  
• The institution
• Uses ethical and effective leadership that
  enables it to identify values, set and achieve
  goals, learn, and improve
  
• Provides for staff, faculty, administrator, and
  student involvement in governance
  
• Establishes and evaluates the effectiveness of
  governance structures and processes
  
• Ensures that governance supports student learning
  and improves institutional effectiveness

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Standard IV Leadership and Governance

• B. Board and Administrative Organization Kate
  Veno
  
• The institution
• Has a governing board that sets policy, assures
  quality and integrity of student learning
  programs and services and financial stability
  
• Has a chief administrator that provides
  leadership for institutional quality and
  improvement
  
• Has clearly defined and effective lines of
  authority and responsibility between colleges and
  the district/system in a multi-college system.
  
• Ensures that board and administrative
  organization supports student learning and
  improves institutional effectiveness

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Themes

• Six themes integrate the standards
• Dialogue
• Student Learning Outcomes
• Institutional Commitments
• Evaluation, Planning, and Improvement
• Organization
• Institutional Integrity

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Evidence

• When gathering data consider evidence that will
  support
  
• your final document.
• Evidence should include
• Demographic and institutional data
• Student achievement data student progress
  through the institution
  
• Student learning outcome data student knowledge
  gained through courses, programs and degrees
  
• Qualitative and quantitative data
• Documentary materials policies, minutes, etc.

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Evidence

• Characteristics of Good Evidence
• Relevant
• Verifiable
• Representative
• Intentional
• Purposeful
• Interpreted and reflected upon
• Both qualitative and quantitative

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Our Goals

• Mendocino College should establish structures and
  processes for
  
• the self study that ensure
• It evaluates itself against each standard and
  eligibility requirement.
  
• Its evaluation is holistic, integrated (themes in
  the standards), and honest.
  
• The self study uses and is integrated with
  ongoing research, evaluation and planning.
  
• The self study leads to institution - wide
  reflection about quality and student learning.
  
• The report summarizes and references evidence to
  support its analyses
  
• The report has coherence and a single voice
• The report is a meaningful document for the
  college, the team, and the Commission

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Resources

• Institutional Reports
• Institutional Data and Analyses
• Support Team
• Internet

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Resource Institutional Reports

• Previous Accreditation Reports
• Self Study, Midterm, Annual, Annual Fiscal,
  Progress, and Substantive Change Reports
  
• Team Reports(s)
• Commission Action Letters
• Institutional Plans
• Education
• Facilities
• Financial

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Resource Institutional Data and Analyses

• Program reviews
• Assessment reports
• Student learning outcome data
• Student achievement data
• Environmental scans, market studies
• Demographic studies

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Resource Support Team

• Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO)
• Meridith Randall
• Executive Assistant
• Rose Bell
• Editor(s)
• To be determined
• Institutional Research Staff
• College President

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Resource Internet

• Mendocino College Accreditation Website
• Committee rosters, meeting dates, and documents
• Communication about the self study process.
• Sharing results of assessment.
• Publishing draft analyses/reports for comment.
• Providing access to data (internal and
  external).
  
• Presenting data, analyses and plans to the
  college or to the team.
  
• Links to self study documents from other
  California colleges.
  

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Get Started! Visit the website

• http//www.mendocino.edu/Instruction/Templates/acc
  red.html
  
• Note The link will be sent to you to save in
  your favorites
  

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Support

• Meridith Randall, ALO
• mrandall_at_mendocino.edu
• Rose Bell, Executive Assistant
• rosebell_at_mendocino.edu
• 468-3010