Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When is the next meeting of the ACCPAS Commission?

A: The next meeting of the ACCPAS Commission will take place in Winter 2022.

Q: When are materials slated for review by the ACCPAS Commission due?

A: Materials in support of a comprehensive review (Self-Study, Management Documents Portfolio, Self-Study Appendices) must be submitted at least four weeks prior to a school’s on-site visitation. The submission deadline for consideration of institutional applications is November 15. Instructions regarding the nature and format of Commission submissions may be found at the addresses as follows: Optional Responses, Responses and Progress Reports, Plan Approval and/or Final Approval for Listing applications. Commission Action Reports will be sent to schools thirty days after the close of the meeting. At this time, ACCPAS requests that all submissions intended for review by the Commission in 2021 be submitted in hard and electronic copy (i.e., USB flash drive). Should questions arise regarding submissions and/or submission deadlines, please contact ACCPAS staff (info@arts-accredit.org).

Q: Due to the effects of the coronavirus, the visit dates for my school were rescheduled. Must the Self-Study and accompanying materials be amended and resubmitted?

A: No. If a site visit related to a comprehensive review is rescheduled or postponed, updates to the Self-Study may be provided as part of a school’s Optional Response submitted after receipt of the Visitors’ Report. The Self-Study and accompanying materials should not be rewritten and resubmitted. Questions regarding submissions may be directed to ACCPAS staff (info@arts-accredit.org).

Q: If a school postpones its on-site comprehensive review and the Self-Study and supporting documentation have been finalized, must they be amended?

A: No. If a site visit related to a comprehensive review is rescheduled or postponed, updates to the Self-Study may be provided as part of a school’s Optional Response submitted after receipt of the Visitors’ Report. The Self-Study and accompanying materials should not be rewritten and resubmitted. Questions regarding submissions may be directed to ACCPAS staff (info@arts-accredit.org).

Q: My school is required to respond to issues outlined in an ACCPAS Commission Action Report. If additional time is needed to prepare the school’s reply, may an extension be requested?

A: Yes. A school may request an extension for good cause. A request should be sent to ACCPAS staff (info@arts-accredit.org).

Q: In what format should materials be submitted for Commission review?

A: Schools are asked to follow existing protocols, providing three copies of comprehensive visit materials, and two copies of Responses and Progress Reports and Plan Approval and/or Final Approval for Listing applications. These materials should be submitted to the National Office in hard and electronic copy (i.e., on a flash drive) by the prescribed submission deadline.

ACCPAS standards and procedures offer the wide latitude necessary for work in a creative field. The standards are frameworks that address functions and their fulfillment, leaving methods and means to institutional discretion. Such latitude supports institutional development and use of new or different means during difficult times, or at any time. Given these flexibilities, the standards frameworks and procedures now in place remain effective in the guidance and support they provide to institutions. Such a position of consistency and constancy is comforting when it appears clear that applications, approaches, and methodologies established by institutions and accepted as common practice based on years of their proven efficiency and effectiveness at times may no longer be practical, or in some cases, possible. To deal with such realities, schools adopt or may have to adopt temporary practices, procedures, and policies in response to current situations. Disruptions require schools to find new ways to address functions once served by long-standing virtually ubiquitous practices. Practices that pertain to issues such as the delivery of course content, rehearsal and performance participation, grading policies, admission procedures, and the like, are being reconsidered, recalibrated, and reintroduced in creatively modified ways. Although ACCPAS standards are set in a framework which offers flexibility and provides latitude, a framework which encourages experimentation, innovation, and the development of new approaches to curricula which enables schools to address the functions expressed in the standards and their fulfillment in various ways, many schools are left to wonder whether their planned initiatives (i.e., new curricular programs, substantive changes) and/or newly and swiftly implemented policies will enable them to continue to adhere to applicable ACCPAS standards. Should such reasonable questions arise, administrators are asked to contact the National Office staff swiftly and without hesitation. The National Office staff exists to serve ACCPAS accredited schools and constituencies. Though the ACCPAS Commission holds singular authority and responsibility to ascertain compliance, the National Office staff can provide information, assistance, and advice as you unpack and consider issues of concern and work through scenarios that not only enable the school to address current realities but attend to ACCPAS requirements. It remains important for ACCPAS accredited schools to meet the letter and spirit of the standards as appropriate – standards expressed in functions which indicate to students, the public, and state/federal agencies the basic content and level of rigor expected in community and precollegiate education and training, and the skills, knowledge, and competencies that students enrolled in these programs of study are expected to acquire and master.

Ideas and feedback provided by peers can be invaluable. However, a practice that may work well for some, accepted as a panacea for all, may be less effective in addressing individual challenges faced by other schools. It is important to remember that each school and situation is unique, and therefore that each situation requires careful thought, consideration, and decision-making which specifically addresses the issues before the school. One of the strengths of our education system is the freedom available to each school to create, design, and implement initiatives and curricular programs which align with locally stated missions and intents, and the ability these freedoms provide to schools to solve problems on their own terms given local conditions and the availability of resources. Administrators should seek information pertinent to current situations from appropriate and confirmed authorities, but use this information specifically and perhaps, uniquely. Information and analysis that specifically targets a school’s particular challenges can inform decision-making processes in invaluable ways. Implementation of a one-size-fits-all, “off-the-shelf” solution may exacerbate, rather than ameliorate, existing undesirable conditions. The strategic approach described herein will require the dedication of an amount of time necessary to collect information and consider various options. However, such an approach may provide to the school the most comprehensive set of means available to assist it to find the most effective way forward.

Q: With regard to on ground classes, rehearsals, performances, exhibitions, and the like, when can we resume daily/typical (before COVID-19) levels of activity? What effect will modifications to such practices have on the accreditation status of my school? What issues are important to consider as we study the viability and safety of conducting in-person activities and events?

A: For many, ACCPAS is a source of information, stability, assistance, and wisdom – resulting historically from its intellectually-focused, school-centered, and fair-minded approach to its accreditation responsibilities, and also from ACCPAS’s deep respect for all types and mixtures of artistic and intellectual work and for the artistic and intellectual work accomplished by accredited schools. In its role to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and dialogue, ACCPAS does not attempt to formulate doctrine, a curriculum, or a set of curricula to which all must adhere. ACCPAS seeks to preserve and enhance conditions that support different and school-specific pathways, approaches, and agendas within the arts disciplines. The breadth of variety within ACCPAS is evidence of institutional creativity. A focus on function rather than method remains a condition of creative freedom in an organization of ACCPAS’s scope. With these principles firmly in place, ACCPAS conversations concentrate on schools individually in light of existing realities in play; they assist schools to open and/or expand dialogues which advance their efforts to consider, design, and implement tailor-made solutions that will lead them to actions that enable each on its own terms to address local conditions and realities. The practice of engaging in conversations which focus solely on a particular school – its mission, its, goals, its desired outcomes – is a hallmark of the work of ACCPAS, and often provides abiding assistance and support to schools, and nurtures approaches to thinking that can be captured and applied in the future to a multitude of situations. Employing this approach, conversations in which all parties are engaged often serve as catalysts which spur and support schools to find their own answers, on their own terms, informed by their stated missions, answers also aligned with national standards. Although these conversations often focus on anticipated results, beyond the framework of functions outlined in the standards, ACCPAS avoids, and rightfully so, any suggestion of what a school must do or how a school initiative must be accomplished. Such decisions can be made only by administrators and faculties possessing extensive knowledge of local realities, potential options and opportunities, and available resources, resources which may be needed and/or are available to support initiatives designed to address school-specific challenges. During these particularly difficult times, it is important to recall that journeys marked by discoveries which result in the consideration of factual and applicable information can promote deeper understanding of conditions which may in turn, assist administrators to reach conclusions that take into account the health and safety of all individuals involved in the work school. As schools offering community and precollegiate arts study consider the advisability of conducting on ground classes, rehearsals, performances, exhibitions and the like, it remains imperative that definitive information be secured, studied, and used to support decision-making efforts, and that any advice received or good practices shared by others be entertained in light of what the school is able to accomplish reasonably and within its means given existing resources.

Resumption of activities should be considered only after comprehensive consideration of salient facts has been undertaken, and only at such times when each school deems that its activities may be conducted safely. Issues such as testing; quarantine guidelines; protocols when individuals are found to be symptomatic or test positive; physical distancing; queue markers; space capacities for facilities such as dining halls and restrooms; use capacity for tight spaces such as hallways, stairways, and elevators; total capacities for existing spaces such as dorm rooms, transportation vehicles; size of gatherings; use of masks, gloves, and shields; disinfecting and cleaning procedures and timelines for high and low touch surfaces; capacities of HVAC systems including air flow and turnover rate; and movement of air in spaces should be considered. Once protocols are approved, each should be memorialized in writing and shared as appropriate with members of the school’s community. To assist schools in this regard, ACCPAS will be offering a series of professional development seminars based on scientific studies now underway which are focusing on bioaerosol emissions in the performing arts and possible proactive measures that can be taken to reduce exposures. Please see information pertaining to the topic-focused session entitled, Bioaerosol Emissions in the Performing Arts – Reducing Emissions and Exposures: A Multi-Part Series listed in the Informed Decision-Making section of this webpage.

The dialogues which take place between schools and ACCPAS are tailored to assist and support schools as they advance initiatives intended to strengthen the education and training provided to students and advance the cause of community and precollegiate arts study. These conversations focus on each school individually. It is important to note that the provision of broad overarching statements which suggest general remedies or discipline-wide solutions for all could lead to incalculable harm to schools and their students. Noting the changes being made by schools in direct response to unfolding circumstances, some wonder whether ACCPAS will take immediate negative action which could jeopardize a school’s current accreditation status. It is important to remember that ACCPAS reviews each school against the standards as they apply to the school given its current and planned programs and initiatives. ACCPAS will continue to ascertain what has been promised to students, whether these promises are being fulfilled, and whether in fulfilling its promises, the school continues to meet applicable standards expressed primarily in functions rather than methods. It is also important to remember that ACCPAS Commission reviews operate within an existing, established, and published system of due process – a system which opens conversations; welcomes dialogue; offers the opportunity to discuss comprehensively a school’s initiatives, and based on these initiatives, its ongoing ability to comply with standards; and reaches conclusion only after consideration of all salient information. It is strongly recommended that schools concerned about how standards are applied and ongoing standards compliance seek the counsel of the staff. Such conversations offer to administrators opportunities to discuss and brainstorm a number of pressing issues. ACCPAS continues to encourage schools to consult with local health and safety officials, to monitor information and guidelines released by the CDC, and as necessary, to seek review by legal counsel of any potential risk and/or liability which could be associated with decisions pertaining to resumption of on ground activities.

Q: During these challenging times where can I find assistance?

A: Various types of assistance can be found within and beyond ACCPAS. Colleagues: The comfort of colleagues can and should be sought. Those who share an understanding of the challenges we face on a daily basis and provide kind and reassuring words at just the right moment, can awaken our tired and worn spirits and rejuvenate our resolve. Peer Schools: The practices of peers may be helpful to know, but implementation of the practices of others should be studied carefully and undertaken only if the practice aligns with the school’s intentions and abilities. ACCPAS Staff: ACCPAS staff members are available to discuss ACCPAS policies, protocols, procedures and standards, and those of external agencies/entities that may have a bearing on a school’s ability to maintain compliance with applicable ACCPAS standards. Please do not hesitate to contact the staff before a thought turns into a worry, before a curiosity grows into a saga of epic proportion. A list of staff names and assigned responsibilities may be found online. Staff members stand ready to offer assistance. As well, please do not hesitate to contact the Executive Director if assistance is required (kmoynahan@arts-accredit.org; (703) 437-0700, ext. 116). Remember that regardless of how weary you are, you have more power than you know. Look to each other for comfort, to the activities of others for inspiration, to the work of those with appropriate expertise for information, to the work we as a field have accomplished as a source of pride. Have faith in your wisdom, your fortitude, and your ability to address what arrives on your desks tomorrow knowing that your leadership is ever more critical during these challenging and unprecedented times.