There are three phases to Northwest Association Accreditation:
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Application: |
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Provisional Accreditation:
It is during this time (up to three years) that a school completes its
first self-study, resulting in a formal school improvement plan.
The school has all rights and privileges of a fully accredited school with
the exception of voting on resolutions or by-law changes. |
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Accreditation: The school meets all standards and moves to a six year cycle between on-site visits. The school also receives all privileges including voting on resolutions, by-law changes and any changes or modifications in NAAS standards. |
NAAS Accreditation Process:
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By August 1st. the school submits the official application form containing the resolution by the governing body (Board of Directors, Board of Trustees or Board of Education) approving the application and accepting the regulations, standards and principles of the Association along with the $100.00 application fee to the regional office at: NAAS, Boise State University, 1910 University Dr., Boise Idaho 83725. A copy of this application will be forwarded to the Oregon Advisory Committee for their necessary action. |
NOTE: Applications received after August 1st will not be considered for NAAS accreditation until the following school year. The State Chair for the Oregon Advisory Committee must approve any exceptions to the August 1 deadline.
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A representative of the Oregon Advisory Committee makes contact with the school and schedules an initial site visit to ensure the school is in "significant compliance" with the NAAS standards. This visit involves touring the facilities, reviewing materials such as curriculum, policy statements, student records and the school improvement plan, and meeting with staff and students as needed. |
NOTE:
The initial site visit team's role is to determine if a school is in
"significant compliance" with the NAAS standards. Their findings
are only a recommendation that the school be allowed to proceed in the process
of applying for provisional membership for the current school year. The
final decision to accept a school for membership is made by the Oregon NAAS
Advisory Committee at their November meeting, after a review of the Annual
Report submitted by the school.
If, in the opinion of the visiting representative, the school is not
"significantly in compliance" with the NAAS standards and
accreditation is not appropriate for the current school year, the school will be
notified of this in writing. This notification letter will include the
specific areas of non-compliance as well as necessary actions needed to become
compliant.
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The school submits a
completed annual report form, along with any required supplementary
documentation to the Oregon NAAS office by October 15 of each year.
It is imperative the report is received by this deadline to allow time for
a thorough review prior to the meeting in mid-November. |
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In Mid-November the Oregon State
Advisory Committee will give the report a 3rd and final review, listing
deviations, recommendations and commendations as appropriate and the
assignment of a classification for the current school year. The
recommendations of the committee will be submitted to the commissioners at
the NAAS annual meeting in early December for their review and acceptance. |
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Within 45 days of the NAAS Commissioners Annual Meeting, those schools making application for accreditation will receive notification of the award of provisional status, a report of their school's classification for the current school year and any comments related to information reported on the annual report. |