ISAS evaluation and
accreditation are ongoing processes. The accreditation process is
designed to achieve the dual purpose of accountability and school
improvement. Member schools progress through a ten-year evaluation cycle,
as follows:
Accreditation Visit—Year 1
Members of an ISAS Visiting
Committee review the school’s Self Study, Documentation of Adherence to
Standards, program, and mission adherence during the Accreditation Visit.
The Accreditation Visit provides a goal toward which Self Study
progresses. An ISAS Visiting Committee is chaired by the head of an ISAS
school and is composed of faculty members and administrators from ISAS
schools. The Report of the Visiting Committee identifies recommendations
which assist the school in continued improvement. The report is submitted
to the Standards Committee for recommendation to the ISAS Board of Directors on
reaccreditation.
Interim Report—Year 5
The school’s response
to Summary Recommendations provides the structure for the Interim Report in the
fifth year of the accreditation cycle. The Interim Report also requires
updated information on:
- The school’s financial condition,
- Non-discriminatory practices,
- Health and safety code compliance,
- Faculty development,
- Faculty census,
- Student enrollment and placement, and
- Any substantive changes that impact school operations.
Self Study and Documentation of Adherence to Standards—Year 10
Self Study affords a
school the opportunity for reflection on its mission, its efforts to fulfill
the mission, its strengths, and areas which call for improvement. Self
Study involves a broad cross section of the school’s constituents (faculty,
administrators, trustees, parents, students, and alumni/ae) and leads to
exploration of ways to improve the school’s program and operations.
Documentation of
Adherence to Standards is completed as part of Self Study to demonstrate the
school’s compliance with ISAS Standards. This report consists of
narrative responses and explanations, school data and statistics, and copies of
documents and requested school policies, handbooks, and publications.
Annual Report
Each school submits an Annual
Report at the beginning of each academic year which provides a brief assessment
of the school while relating any substantive changes.