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Document Sample
SCC
Guidelines for
Writing Responses for
SACS Committee
Reports
May 2009
Purpose:
If you have been tasked to draft one or more sections of the SACS compliance documents, please
remember the following:
Policies only exist in written form; a practice is not a policy, even though it may function like a
policy. The general principle of SACS documentation is that nothing exists unless it exists in a
written form.
Please provide documentation for the narrative in an electronic format. Several important
documents have already been converted into that format. Contact ______________ for questions
about electronic documentation.
Be honest in your assessment; if there is anything lacking in terms of policy, practice, or
documentation, let ________________ know as soon as possible.
Our deadlines are firm; we don’t have any wiggle-room in terms of completing our compliance
document.
Writing the Response/Documentation:
Use the SPOL Template that is provided to you; organized in sections:
Example:
1. Section, Num or Statement of Description being addressed
2. Indication of Your Judgment of Compliance Status:
In Compliance
In Partial Compliance
Not In Compliance
3. Response/Documentation
4. Suggested Follow Up
5. Document Management Upload
Break down the requirement or standard into its components and use that as the structure
for responding.
1. Use the specific requirement or standard as the outline for your response
2. You can be explicit by labeling sections of your narrative to correspond with these key
elements
Define terms that are not explicit in the SACS Principles.
1. SACS/ doesn’t have definitions for terms like “sufficient” or “adequate.” If WE don’t
define what we mean, the individual reviewers will make their own assumptions.
2. Ways to define terms:
External Benchmarks – make sure the external comparisons make sense
Internal Standards – be certain you describe how the standards were determined
Use of feedback from those served – e.g., faculty or student survey of services
Write the responses so that it can be understood by someone who does NOT have prior knowledge
of the subject matter.
1. Remember that the narratives are written for multiple audiences, including local
administration, faculty, and staff as well as peer evaluators, SACS-COC staff, and the
public.
2. Avoid internal jargon, acronyms.
If you must use institution-specific jargon, etc., clearly define what you mean.
3. Be consistent in the use of terms.
E.G., don’t call something a “committee” then refer to it later as a “task force”;
don’t call someone a Vice President and Provost then later as the Provost, etc.
4. Be as concise as possible.
Exception: some things may require some degree of redundancy to ensure that the
reader understands.
Ensure that there is documentation to support every assertion made in the response.
1. Identify all documentation; these could be:
Links to websites or documents, either internal or external to SCC
Hard copies of documents – these will have to be made into PDF documents
2. Documents should be referred to in the body of your response.
Indicating Compliance Status:
Although there are three possibilities, if we say “In Partial Compliance,” the evaluators will say
“Not in Compliance”!
ONLY use “Not in Compliance” if it is VERY CLEAR that we are not in compliance.
1. Reviewers will make the close calls for us
If we say “In Compliance” make sure that the documentation we have will support that judgment.
Referencing a Document:
Within the body of the narrative, DO NOT use footnotes, rather use the name of the document
directly and a link can be added to allow a reader to click on the name to see the document.
Example: You might write: “UTSA’s Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP) . . . “
Sample from SWCC’s Compliance Report: 2.1 The institution has degree-granting
authority from the appropriate government
agency or agencies.
X In Compliance
In Partial Compliance
Not In Compliance
Response: Southwestern Community College is a
member institution of the North Carolina
Community College System (1). The North
Carolina General Statutes (N.C.G.S.), Chapter
115D -1, authorize the State Board of
Community Colleges to establish the College
(2 & 3).
One of the powers and duties of trustees is to
apply the standards and requirements for
admission and graduation of students as
established by the State Board of Community
Colleges (4, 5, & 6).The North Carolina
Administrative Code (N.C.A.C.), Title 23,
gives the College the authority to issue
degrees, diplomas, and certificates to
individuals who satisfactorily complete course
and program requirements (7).
Documentation:
Source
Location / Special Instructions
1.
North Carolina Community College System
http://www.southwesterncc.edu/sacs/reports/2.1-1.pdf
2.
Statement of Purpose – N.C.G.S., Chapter 115D-1
http://www.southwesterncc.edu/sacs/reports/2.1-2.pdf
3.
Establishment of Institutions; Capital Improvements – N.C.G.S., Chapter 115D-4
http://www.southwesterncc.edu/sacs/reports/2.1-3.pdf
4.
College Transfer Program Approval; Standards for Programs – N.C.G.S., Chapter 115D-4.1
http://www.southwesterncc.edu/sacs/reports/2.1-4.pdf
5.
Powers and Duties of Trustees – N.C.G.S., Chapter 115D-20.
http://www.southwesterncc.edu/sacs/reports/2.1-5.pdf
6.
Administration of Institutions – N.C.G.S., Chapter 115D-5.
http://www.southwesterncc.edu/sacs/reports/2.1-6.pdf
7.
Curriculum Program Approvals – N.C.A.C., Title 23, Chapter 2E.201
http://www.southwesterncc.edu/sacs/reports/2.1-7.pdf
Notice that the documentation is numbered in the narrative as well as being linked to in the narrative
and then described and linked to in the documentation section.
Audience:
Remember that the narratives are written for multiple audiences, including local administration, faculty,
and staff as well as peer evaluators, SACS-COC staff, and the public. Even the peer evaluators, who are
also educational professionals, will not be from SCC. Therefore, remember that your audience may or
may not have prior knowledge of the subject matter, and write accordingly.
Content:
Ο Findings should be reported in a simple, straightforward manner. Keep it short and simple (as
long as the meaning is clear and the explanations are sufficient).
Ο Responses should be descriptive, analytical, and, in most cases, evaluative. They should describe
the various aspects of the College’s operation clearly (even to a lay or uninformed audience. They
should analyze the various aspects by breaking them down in their respective parts. Finally, they
should evaluate those aspects vis-à-vis the SACS standards.
Example:
The College requires new faculty members to complete an orientation checklist; this checklist
requires those faculty members to ……
NOT
The College provides an excellent orientation for new faculty members.
Ο Committees should report findings in an impersonal manner. Avoid the use of personal pronouns
and the names of individuals.
Abbreviations:
Ο Use abbreviations sparingly. Before abbreviating the name of an organization, first state the
name in full followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.
Example: North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS)
Resources:
Ο Compliance report examples:
http://sacs.utpa.edu/sacs/complianceReports.html
http://sacs.harlingen.tstc.edu/ComplianceCertification.aspx
https://www.chipola.edu/SACS07/ (click Compliance Certification Report)
http://hccfl.edu/sacs/draft_report/index.htm
http://www.pjc.edu/sacs/docs/R-05-2008SacsComplianceCertification.pdf
http://www.spcollege.edu/sacs/compliance/Core_Requirements.htm
Ο SACS website
http://www.sacscoc.org/
Ο Principles of Accreditation Handbook, 2008 Edition
http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/2008PrinciplesofAccreditation.pdf
Ο Resource Manual for the Principles of Accreditation
http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/handbooks/Exhibit%2031.Resource%20Manual.pdf
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