Suggestions for the Preparatory Review Report

1.    An Introduction that describes the contents of the Institutional Presentation as a whole, together with any changes in context that may have arisen since approval of the Proposal.

2.    The Institutional Portfolio, which includes:

a.       An updated set of Basic Descriptive Data originally submitted with the Proposal;

b.       A set of prescribed exhibits and data displays including lists of institutional policies required by the Commission (stipulated by the CEO and subject to audit on site—See Appendix 1), together with more detailed breakdowns of student body characteristics; enrollments and degrees granted for the institution’s academic programs; more detailed data on faculty and staff, and on fiscal, physical, and information resources; a table listing current assessment activities; and a set of standard statistics on educational operations. Institutions whose default rate for Title IV programs requires a default reduction plan should provide a copy of their plan for review; and

c.     A set of exhibits and data displays chosen by the institution as evidence of its Commitment to Capacity. These may include examples of policies and procedures, additional data, or examples of how particular activities are undertaken, as suggested by particular Commission Standards, Criteria for Review, or Questions for Institutional Engagement.

3.    Reflective Essays in regard to each specific Standard that indicate what the exhibits contained in the Portfolio mean to the institution, what issues they raise, and why those included were chosen in addition to the prescribed exhibits.

4.    A Concluding Essay that summarizes the institution’s case that it meets the Commitment to

5.    Capacity, provides a reflective view of its strengths and weaknesses in relation to the Commission’s Standards, and proposes appropriate recommendations and follow up steps. The

6.    Concluding Essay should include commentary on the institution’s preparedness for undertaking the Educational Effectiveness Review.

7.    An Appendix that documents the institution’s response to previous concerns identified by the Commission in its action letter and major recommendations of the last visiting team.

In preparing the Institutional Presentation as a whole, institutions should be mindful of several important priorities relevant to all four Accreditation Standards. These include:

    - Establishment of clear objectives;

    - Indicators and metrics of achievement, and/or specific bodies of evidence that can help the institution to determine the degree to which objectives are being achieved; and _ Actions taken on the basis of evidence in order to improve performance. 

These three priorities should guide an institution as it conducts its self review, selects exhibits for the Institutional Portfolio and determines the contents of Reflective Essays for the Preparatory Review. 

Report Length

The entire Preparatory Review Report is limited to 35 pages of text (single spaced), exclusive of exhibits and Appendices.