AACTS principles
1To provide educationally sound study programs that are high quality, effective and current.2To maintain ethical, fair and clear advertising, enrollment and admission practices by accurately representing AACTS.3To provide student counseling and motivational programs which recognize individual differences and ensure student retention, graduation and employability.4To establish net benefits of private training programs through satisfied students. 5To maintain effective peer review systems to ensure ethical and proper administration of financial operations of the institution. 6To advance the concept of self-regulation that is inherent in the accreditation process.7To show commitment to educational services through participation and community involvement. 8To demonstrate the effectiveness of private education, and provide essential skills for a productive American work force. 9To promote continuing education of the highest integrity and quality.
Mission
Candidacy for Accreditation
Applying for accreditation, candidates should complete the “Intent to Seek AACTS Accreditation” form which requests information about institutions and professional educational unit. Once this form has been submitted, the unit becomes a pre-candidate for accreditation and they are forwarded an annual fee invoice and appropriate information to prepare and conduct a visit. As a pre-candidate, the unit is eligible for all regular AACTS services, like newsletters and staff support. A pre-candidate must submit the AACTS report annually.
A pre-candidate must meet AACTS’s preconditions prior to becoming an official candidate for accreditation. The Unit Accreditation Board (UAB) accepts candidates officially at a semi-annual meeting; they are held in April and October. On-site visits do not take place before acceptance of a candidate by the UAB. All educational units must become candidates one semester prior to the scheduled visit.
Rights and Responsibilities of Accreditation Candidates
Designation of candidacy permits the education unit to advise constituents that pre-conditions have been met and it is actively seeking accreditation within two years. The institution will be making good-faith efforts to meet the standards and must host the on-site visit. Postponing the site visit beyond two years can only be done in writing and cannot extend past a five-year period. At that point, the process must be reinstated by the institution.
Representation of Candidacy to the Public
Institutions do not have to disclose candidacy status to the public; if an educational unit decides to publicly release this information, they must accurately represent their status.
The statement which follows must be included in all institutional publications which disclose candidacy for AACTS accreditation:
“The [name of the professional accreditation unit] at [name of institution] is a candidate for accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (AACTS), www.AACTS.org. Candidacy status means that [name of the professional accreditation unit] has met preconditions for accreditation but is not accredited. This candidacy covers [initial teacher preparation programs and/or advanced educator preparation programs] at [name of all sites included in the accreditation]. However, the candidacy does not include individual education courses that the institution offers to P-12 educators for professional development, relicensure, or other purposes.”
Publications where this statement could appear include handbooks, catalogs, institutional websites, and advertisements. Candidates are not permitted to utilize the AACTS logo or the phrases “AACTS accredited” or “an AACTS-accredited institution” until they have actually earned accreditation.
Questions on applicability of the statement to particular publications and documents can be addressed to AACTS staff.
Institutions are responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the information they give to the public. Information that is released by AACTS candidate institutions regarding accreditation status and availability and the quality of programs at the institution needs to be accurate and noto misleading to the public or potential students. If the accredited unit or a candidate for accreditation misrepresents its status to the public, the President of AACTS will likely recommend that UAB reconsider accreditation status.
Candidate Notification
AACTS will notify the Secretary of Education, regional accrediting agencies, appropriate state agencies, and the public of UAB decisions to accept candidates for accreditation; notifications about the semester and year of accreditation visit are public as well.
Lapse of Candidacy or Withdrawal
- have a maximum of five years to host an accreditation visit
- must file parts A and B of their annual report
- must pay the annual fee for candidates
Those institutions that do not have their accreditation visit done within two years may be required to resubmit pre-conditions and program reports if something material changes in the program standards or pre-conditions.
Candidate institutions that do not maintain the requirements as they are noted above will be notified of a lapse in candidacy. Withdrawal from candidacy can also be done if candidates send written notice to AACTS’s president. AACTS will notify the Secretary of Education, regional accrediting agencies, appropriate state agencies, and the public by publishing it online at the website.
Repeat Candidacy after a Denial
Those institutions which are denied accreditation may return to candidacy status if its accreditation visit for the second attempt to seek accreditation is set up and completed within two years of the denial of accreditation; resubmitting pre-conditions at this time are not required. The institution is expected to continue meeting current pre-conditions prior to the time of the accreditation visit. If the institution is denied twice; resubmitting pre-conditions is required.