Steps to AccreditationYou have made the first step by carefully looking through this online manual to determine if you are a legitimate candidate for application to ATEA. The second step is to fill out the online application completely. You will need to ensure the application is directly submitted by the director or a designated officer of the school. This application must be accompanied with online payment for $200.00. Upon acceptance of your application you will be granted a Certificate of Intent. In the unlikely event that your application is not accepted, a letter of explanation will be sent and $175 will be returned. An application processing free of $25 will be retained by ATEA. The third step will be the on-site inspection. It will be the responsibility of the school to schedule this visit and to cover all costs incurred. The total costs usually average around $1,800 from start to finish. This includes air fare, lodging and car rental. The on-site inspection fee of $400 is included in that amount. Shortly after the on-site inspection the school will receive a certificate of Provisionary Accreditation. If your institution operates exclusively online (or is exclusively a distance-learning school) the inspection fee of $400 is collected without the additional travel expenses. The “on-site” inspection will be conducted via telephone, postal mail and email correspondence, and will include the costs of all time and research invested in the careful review and authentication of provided documents. The fourth step will occur when the school comes into full compliance with ATEA guidelines. The board of ATEA will then convene on an appointed day. A representative of the candidate institution is welcome to observe in person. After careful consideration of the school’s application, progress and the final result of their efforts, the board will vote on whether to grant full accreditation status. A quorum vote in favor will result in the immediate Full Accreditation status. If the vote is not favorable, the deficiencies will be noted and the school will be advised & counseled free of charge. An extension of time will be granted (in 3 month increments up to one year). When full accreditation is granted, the school will receive an official certificate and a wall plaque with a “bronze” honor bar. At designated periods of honorable membership the institution may apply for honors bars for their plaque according to the following schedule: There is an annual membership fee which is structured accordingly: 1-25 $ 100.00 Follow-up inspections will occur every five years with the institution bearing the costs as during the first visit. This will include air fare, lodging and car rental; if applicable. On-Site Inspection InfoThis inspection is geared toward fact-finding and no decisions will be made on the spot. The information compiled during the inspection will be analyzed at the offices of ATEA. Soon after the visit, the institution will be granted Candidate Membership status along with a detailed report of systems and policies of the school that are found lacking. Based upon these findings, the school will then begin a self-study program in order to come into compliance with the ATEA guidelines. Documents that you will need to have ready for the On-Site
Inspection include: The Application and Institutional Profile will need to be on file at ATEA prior to the on-site inspections. It will be reviewed during the inspection. If you have any questions, feel free to write or E-mail. |