Serving on a Visiting Team

Serving on an accreditation team is one of the most powerful professional development experiences you can have in your career as an educator. It's also an important responsibility and a service to your peer schools within the NJAIS membership.

During a visit, team members spend 3.5 intense days to:

  • Evaluate the school's programs and practices through the lens of the school's Mission Statement.

  • Determine the congruence between the school's Self-Study report and what the Visiting Team observes during its days on campus viewing the school in full operation.

  • Assess a school's alignment with NJAIS Standards for Accreditation.

  • Develop commendations and recommendations to guide the school's continuous improvement.

The Visiting Team includes experienced faculty members and administrators, including a business manager, from other independent schools with which the school undertaking accreditation does not compete or overlap. Team members are selected to represent different academic and co-curricular disciplines, grade levels, and administrative expertise. All team members are required to sign a confidentiality and conflict of interest statement.

The size of each Visiting Team is determined by the following general guidelines:

School’s Enrollment

Team Size

50-100                        

101-200

201-300

301-400                      

401-500

501+

501+ or multiple campuses

4-5 Members

4-6 Members

6-8 Members

6-8 Members

8-10 Members

8-12 Members

10-15 Members

Qualifications for Visiting Team members include an ability to uphold confidentiality, think analytically, work well with others, write clearly and quickly, and have a sense of humor.

If you are interested in serving on a Visiting Team, please let your Head of School know of your interest and encourage him or her to contact info@njais.org.