During the 5-year accreditation cycle, existing Accredited Education Institutes (AEI) are required on a yearly basis to:
- Keep documentation/evidence of compliance, and live by the letter and spirit of the Standards
- Maintain their contacts in the Portal to ensure communications are received
- Submit an Annual Compliance Report in the off-years (1, 2, 3, 4)
- Pay an annual fee
Annual Compliance Report
AEIs must complete an Annual Compliance Report in their off-years to enable the ACS-AEI Program to monitor continuing compliance with the Standards. The report is required for several reasons, including to:
- Demonstrate and attest to continued compliance with the Standards
- Keep accredited programs continually aware of the Standards and educated on how to best meet the requirements, particularly when there is a leadership/staff change at the Institute
- Provide accredited programs the opportunity to receive feedback on any changes that may affect their accreditation status and receive suggested actions to maintain compliance with the Standards
- Provide accredited programs with data to help them determine how they are performing as compared to their peers
Annual Compliance Reports are administered through the AEI Portal and reviewed by AEI staff. In turn, AEIs will receive an annual Report Card that indicates whether or not the criteria are being maintained. Any criteria that are not being maintained will be reviewed by the Accreditation Review Committee (ARC). In limited situations, the annual report may provide data leading to a progress report after ARC review, if the AEI fails to respond or its response demonstrates intended lack of compliance with the Standards.
Reaccreditation and Site Visits
At the end of the five-year accreditation term, AEIs will complete an application and choose between a virtual visit or an onsite visit with an assigned surveyor. The surveyor, whether it’s a virtual or an onsite visit, will have access to the AEI's previously submitted Annual Compliance Reports and Report Cards. The results of the visit will be reviewed by the Accreditation Review Committee and a decision will be made to reaccredit for another 5 years. Please note that at year 10, an onsite visit by one surveyor is required, regardless of whether the previous visit was virtual or in-person.
Site visit resources can be found in the Resources section your AEI Portal.
If you have questions about maintaining accreditation or want to schedule an “Accreditation 101” session for new/existing staff at your AEI, contact Cathy Sormalis, Senior Manager of the Program for Accreditation of Education Institutes, at edinstitutes@facs.org or 312-202-5535.
Fees
Fees for accreditation are determined annually by ACS and are subject to change. An annual accreditation fee invoice will be sent via email to the billing contact as identified in the AEI Portal. Your center billing contact information is managed through the “Manage Program Contacts” section of the AEI Portal.
An invoice will be generated on May 1 for institutes in the June cycle and on November 1 for institutes in the December cycle. Payment of the fee is due within 30 days of receipt of invoice.
