RESOURCES : Training : Accreditation for Growth (AFG) Chair Materials

The following supporting documents may be of use to all team chairs using either the Accreditation for Growth (AFG) or Validating the Vision (VTV) protocols. Documents listed here are a series of Microsoft Word files that can be downloaded for ease of editing, printing, and creating materials unique to the hosting site.

The AFG School Guide for Planning, used by the hosting institution for its self study, can be accessed, as well.

FORMS:
Instructions for Professional Development Credit Forms - Explains how to distribute and/or collect forms for team members (including the chair) to receive professional development credit in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania (1 page)
DE Professional Development Credit - The form to be distributed to team members certified in the state of Delaware acknowledging 15 hours professional development credit (1 page)
NJ Professional Development Credit - The form to be distributed to team members certified in the state of New Jersey acknowledging 15 hours professional development credit (1 page)
PA Professional Development Credit - The form to be distributed to team members certified in the state of Pennsylvania acknowledging 15 hours professional development credit (1 page)
PA Act 48 Request Form - The form that must be submitted to the MSA office in order for team members certified in the state of Pennsylvania to receive Act 48 hours for service on an accreditation team (1 page)
Generic Professional Development Credit - The form to be distributed to team members certified in states other than DE, NJ, or PA acknowledging 15 hours professional development credit (1 page)

CHECKLISTS:
Pre-Visit Checklist - Used by the chair to ensure that all details are addressed during the pre-visit (3 pages)

COMMUNICATIONS:
Sample Team Letter #1 - A sample of an initial welcome letter to team members introducing yourself and verifying their participation (2 pages)
Sample Team Letter #2 - A sample follow up communique indicating writing assignments and further team information (2 pages)
Questionnaire - A sample questionnaire to be sent to team members to aid the chair in making appropriate writing assignments and generally learning a bit about the team members before they meet (2 pages)
Team Member Guide - A guide for expectations of an AFG team member (2 pages)

ORIENTATION:
Introduction to MSA - Includes a general introduction to Middle States and the accreditation process (8 pages)
Sample Orientation Agenda - A sample agenda for the topics to be addressed during the opening meetings with the Validation Team (1 page)
AFG Components - Simple one page chart that details the three major components of the Accreditation for Growth protocol (1 page)

SAMPLES:
Interview Questions - A list of sample questions to be used in interviews with various stakeholder groups (7 pages)
Sample Schedule #1 - An example of a team visit schedule (8 pages)
Sample Schedule #2 - A second example of a team visit schedule (8 pages)
Sample Oral Report - A sample oral report (8 pages)
Expense Reimbursement Form - If the hosting institution has no reimbursement form of its own, you may use this generic form. We recommend the use of the IRS mileage rate. DO NOT SUBMIT this form to the Middle States Office. (1 page)

TEAM REPORT:
Report Writing Style Guide - Suggestions, tips, and other recommendations for chairs to use when compiling the different sections of the report into one cohesive document (4 pages)
5-member Team Writing Assignments - Sample of how the different sections of the report can be divided between five-members of the Validation Team (2 pages)
Exemplar Report - A completed sample report for demonstrating the expectations for a well-written team report (42 pages)
Written Report Template - The template to be used for an AFG team report (39 pages)

REACCREDITATION:
Instructions - These instructions explain how chairs approach a visit differently when an institution is using AFG or VTV for the second time (45 pages)
Section 14 - This section of the AFG School Guide explains the expectations for the self study for institutions that are have previously been accredited using either AFG or VTV and are entering the cycle for the second time (40 pages)
Reaccreditation Template - This template should be used for written reports for visits to institutions that are using AFG for the second time (44 pages)

VALIDATING THE VISION (VTV):
Chair Guide - This guide explains the minor differences between the AFG and VTV protocols that a chair might encounter (8 pages)
VTV Team Member Guide - A guide for expectations for VTV team members
VTV Written Report Template - This template should be used for written reports for visits to institutions that used the Validating the Vision (VTV) self-study (38 pages)