• 2015 National Standards & Effective Practices - members only
• 2015 Accreditation Guidelines, Revised 2016 - members only
• Trends in CAIS Independent Education & Strategy - members only

The CAIS Accreditation Guidelines were enhanced in 2015 to further inspire continuous whole school improvement. One noted enhancement is the requirement for schools to survey key constituencies every 3-4 years as part of the accreditation process.

At this time, schools will not be required to conduct these surveys using a standardized questionnaire or mandatory questions. However, CAIS is encouraging members to start from a common survey template in order to ensure that the surveys are asking relevant and appropriate questions.

CAIS has developed four survey templates to assist member schools in surveying their key constituencies:
*member login is required to access these templates

• Parent Survey Template
• Alumni Survey Template
• Student Survey Template
• Faculty Survey Template

In developing these templates, CAIS conducted thorough research by analyzing shared surveys from National and International Independent Schools, Public Schools, and Independent School Associations, and by utilizing the Standards Council of the CAIS Board, comprised of CAIS School Heads and Independents, to advised on major areas and common questions that would be valuable in meeting the needs of member schools.

The final drafts were provided to Innovative Research Group who revised the structure of the surveys to reflect industry best practices.

Jason Lockhart and Colin Whelan of Innovative Research Group held a webinar, Executing Accreditation Pilot Surveys: Industry Best Practices, to review the accreditation survey templates and industry best practices on survey design and analysis. A recording of this webinar is available in CAIS Connect.

Additionally, Jason and Colin and prepared a set of guidelines to provide an overview of the survey templates and industry best practices in surveying and reporting. The guidelines are available in CAIS Connect.

GENERAL

Visiting Committee Application
Provide your information to CAIS to be included in the database of potential Visiting Committee members. Please note that all applications need to be supported by your Head of School.

Visiting Committee Member Agreement
All Visiting Committee members and their Heads must sign and submit this Agreement before receiving a host school's Internal Evaluation Report and/or going on-site.

Visiting Committee Travel and Expense Guidelines
These guidelines outline the expectations relating to travel for Visiting Committee members, including reimbursable expenses.

Expense Reimbursement Form
Please complete this form to receive reimbursement for acceptable expenses. This form should be mailed to the CAIS office along with the original, itemized expense receipts. Debit and credit card slips do not qualify as a receipt.

TRAINING

Pre-Visit Training Webinar
This webinar provides Visiting Committee members with an overview of what to expect on-site for an accreditation review.

For convenience, we have also created bookmarks in the webinar to direct you to certain areas of the video allowing for quick refreshers:

• The Visiting Committee
• Ideal Preparation
• Interviews and Observations
• Google Sites for Accreditation
• Visit Schedule
• Final Team Meeting and Vote
• Writing Assignments and Progress Tracking
• Visiting Committee Reports
• Post Visit
• Resources

Writing Guidelines Webinar
This webinar provides Visiting Committee members with a guide to writing the Visiting Committee Report.

Guide to Writing Recommendations
Writing good recommendations is one of the keys to a solid Visiting Committee Report. This guide includes tips on writing effective recommendations and samples.

Interview Guidelines
These guidelines will help Visiting Committee members prepare for successful interviews of the host school's faculty and staff.

Accreditation Resources - Clarified Alignment
This version of the Accreditation Guidelines highlights the alignment between the Indicators of Effective Practice, the Guiding Questions, and the documentation

SAMPLES

Writing Samples
Coming soon.

Sample Schedule
A sample of a typical schedule for an on-site review including estimated times and pre-arranged meetings.

Internal Evaluation Coordinator Webinar
This webinar features four experienced Internal Evaluation Coordinators answering some frequently asked questions about organizing and carrying out an internal evaluation.

Internal Evaluation Report Template (login required)
All Visiting Committee members must sign and submit this Confidentiality Agreement before receiving a host school's Internal Evaluation Report and/or going on-site.

Accreditation Resources - Clarified Alignment
This version of the Accreditation Guidelines highlights the alignment between the Indicators of Effective Practice, the Guiding Questions, and the documentation

CHARTS

Standard 2
Table 2.1 – Co-curricular Engagement Trends

Standard 3
Chart 3.1 - Placement of Graduates

Standard 7
Chart 7.1 - Admissions Trends
Chart 7.2 - Enrolment and Attrition

Standard 9
Chart 9.1 - Finance Trends

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
With the comprehensive list of required documentation, CAIS recommends that the school set-up a secure online portal made accessible to the Visiting Committee. Documents should be organized and indexed by Standard using file names that correspond to those referenced within the Internal Evaluation Report.

School Samples:

• Crescent School Portal
• Brentwood College School Portal
• Sterling Hall School:
  • Overview
  • Individual Standard
  • Directory

SAMPLES

Sample On-Site Schedule
A sample of a typical schedule for an on-site review including estimated times and pre-arranged meetings.