FCIS FiveYear Accreditation Review

In the fall of 2008,the FCIS Board of Directors, in aligning its accreditation process with best practices, approved a new five year review model for accreditation. The purpose of the FiveYear Accreditation Review is to offer schools an alternative review process. The FCIS Accreditation Commission will determine whether or not a school will qualify for the Five Year review based on the following: the school’s prior five year report, any subsequent Change reports, significant challenges in the interim years and the recommendation of previous Chairs. This new process is an option, not a requirement; if preferred, a schoolmay elect to continue with the standard Five Year FullFCIS accreditation visit.

The length of the Five Year accreditation review visit will be reduced to two days and the size of the team will depend on the size and organization of the member school. Classroom visitations are not a part of a Five Year Review Evaluation. In addition, Five Year accreditation reviews must occur between September 20 and January 30. Any school unable to comply with that timeframe will need to schedule the full Five Year Evaluation.

The following document outlines the components that are required for the Five Year Review self-study. Please be advised that all FCIS Standards must be met in order to ensure continued accreditation. The 2011 FCIS Standards and Bylawsare available on the web site. The attached list of all documents to be reviewed by the committee must be provided at the time of the visit. A suggested schedule is also attached for your review.

In order to demonstrate compliance with standards checklist, please complete the Standards Checklist and include it in the Self-Study (see template at

FCIS Five Year Review for Accreditation

Outline for Self-study

The complete template for the Five Year Review is available on the FCIS website, under “Accreditation Resources”, Templates, FCIS/FKC Review self-study template.

The Analysis sections will include:

I. School Vision

  1. Mission, Beliefs and Philosophy
  2. Describe the process used to develop and access mission & beliefs
  3. Introduction and Executive Summary

II. School Characteristics and Brief History

III.Governing Board

IV. Finance and Business Operations

III. Academic Organization, faculty and administration

V. Faculty Data:

A. Faculty Teaching conditions

B. Professional Development

C. Demographics

VI. Student data:

  1. Academic Performance/Standardized Testing
  2. Discipline, Morale and Attitudes
  3. Admissions: Qualifications for Program

VII. Technology: Planning and Implementation

VIII.Parent Organization

IX. Alumni Relations

X. Development and Marketing/Advancement

XI. Health, safety and facility

XII. Strategic Plan and Plans for Implementation

XIII. Standards with Documentation

XIV.Disposition of Previous Recommendations June 2013

Sample Schedule for FCIS/FKC Five Year Review Visit

Day 1 (typically Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday) – times are approximate:

9 - 10:00 a.m.Arrive on Campus; meet with FCIS/FKC team in school conference room; campus tour

11:00Begin scheduled meetings

1:00 – 3 p.m.Continue to meet with parents, board, business; visit classrooms and facilities as needed

3:30 Meet with teachers by division

5:00Optional reception on campus to meet teachers, Steering Committee, school administrators, board members, etc.

6:30Team dinner (committee only; working dinner)

8:00Work on individual reports

Day 2

7:00 a.m.Team breakfast, check-out of hotel, arrive on campus

8:00Team observes arrival

8:00 – 12:00Team conducts final observations, fire drill

12:00Team meets with student representatives

1:00 Team lunch – discuss special commendations and recommendations

2:00Chairs meet with Head of School, team finalizes reports; all reports are submitted to Chair

3:00Exit Interview with team and school

FCIS/FKCFive Year Review and Evaluation

Documents for review

The following documents should be made available for review by the visiting team. They should be located in the Visiting Team conference room.

  • Curriculum guides – Curriculum maps/Scope & Sequence for all grades being evaluated (electronic mapping available on-line)
  • School publications – yearbooks, newsletters, alumni magazines
  • Admissions materials – brochures, application, guidelines
  • Faculty Qualifications Data profile sheets
  • Student handbook, Faculty handbook, Parent handbook, Board policy manual
  • Strategic plan
  • Hard copies of the Self-Study (2 – 3)
  • Daily Schedules for teachers
  • List of Faculty/Staff as a sign-off sheet for observations (5 year evaluation only)
  • Campus map
  • School calendar
  • Administrative organizational chart (if not in Self-Study)
  • Job descriptions
  • College profile information (if applicable)
  • Development/Marketing plan
  • Crisis Management plan
  • Professional development plan (if not in Self-Study)
  • Nutrition policy or any other campus-wide policies
  • Surveys conducted with complete demographic data (if available)
  • Computer with school web site available for review
  • Printer capability within the team workroom
  • Computer/Internet access --- find out if team members will bring their own laptops or if you will need to set up access to school laptops or computer lab
  • Office supplies – pads of paper, pens, pencils, stapler, post-it notes, paperclips, folders
  • Water, coffee, tea, snacks