The Cost Recovery fee schedule allows for an in-kind option that is available for institutions to use in lieu of paying the submission fee for initial program review. This option is only available in lieu of fees for Initial Program Review (IPR) documents. State law prohibits in-kind certificates from being used to offset the fees associated with annual accreditation fees other non-IPR related cost recovery accreditation activities.

Only institutions that have Initial Institutional Approval are eligible to participate in the in-kind option and the individuals serving as in-kind reviewers must have completed Board of Institutional Review (BIR) training.

How to Earn In-Kind Contributions and Certificates:

Individuals must meet the following requirements to obtain an in-kind contribution. Two in-kind contributions are required to generate an in-kind certificate which may then be used to offset the cost of one IPR submission.

  1. Completed BIR Training
  2. Completed the required training for the activity in which they are participating (Program Assessment or IPR calibration)
  3. Travel costs are the responsibility of the institution earning in-kind contributions
  4. Completed the review of the assigned document(s) according to the reviewer expectations outlined below

It is important to note that In-Kind contributions cannot be retroactively granted. Reviewers must inform the Commission of their request to receive In-Kind credit prior to receiving a document for review.

Individuals (reviewers) travel and serve in one of the following accreditation activities: Program Assessment, Initial Program Review, or Initial Institutional Review webpage. It should be noted that these types of document reviews often require several follow-up reviews which are completed remotely. The individual serving as a reviewer must finish the complete review process–both the initial review and review of resubmissions within the timelines set forth in the reviewer expectations. More information on document review session dates can be found on the Professional Service Opportunities webpage.   

Reviewers will be assigned at the discretion of the Commission relevant to documents needing review. Once two in-kind contributions are earned by the institution’s designees (volunteer reviewers) a certificate for the in-kind participation will be issued via email to the dean, superintendent, or unit head of the institution. Contributions will only be awarded upon completion of the assigned accreditation activity. An in-kind certificate may be used in lieu of the fee for one initial program review document.

The individuals may or may not be employed by the institution but must be the institution’s designee. Institutions are encouraged to be creative. For example, a county office of education that offers an induction program may elect to identify a school psychologist as part of its in-kind. In the same regard, a college with a small faculty may elect to designate a graduate with an administrative services credential. Again, it is important to note that all individuals must first be eligible for the BIR as described in this document.

In-kind contributions may be earned over time. This will enable small institutions to participate in the in-kind option by acquiring contributions over multiple years. There will be ample opportunities for institutions to earn in-kind credit.

The certificate is good for the submission of any one program for Initial Program Review and is not dependent on the kind of activity from which the in-kind participants earned it. For example, the institution could earn the contributions by providing reviewers for Mild/Moderate and School Psychology program assessment reviews and use the in-kind certificate to submit an IPR for Speech, Language Pathology.

Reviewer Expectations

Reviewers provided through in-kind contribution are expected to adhere to the same expectations as all other reviewers (such as timelines, confidentiality, training, and calibration). All reviewers must be BIR trained. If the individual has previous BIR training, but has not participated in accreditation activities (site-visit, program assessment, or initial program review) for two or more years, he or she must refresh his/her training by completing the online BIR modules prior to participating in a document review.

Reviewers, working with a partner are assigned one or more documents as determined by Commission staff, in part, based on complexity of the program being reviewed. In general, in a two-day reading session reviewers complete either 1-2 preliminary program documents (12 Standards or more), 2-3 advanced program documents (6-12 Standards) or 4-5 added authorization documents (5 or fewer Standards). Program documents are initially read in-person during a document review event and subsequent resubmissions are read remotely with the same partner.

It is expected that the reviewer originally assigned to a document will continue to review the subsequent resubmissions in a timely manner. In-kind readers must adhere to the feedback schedule to earn a contribution. Upon receipt of a resubmitted document, reviewers have two weeks to provide feedback on the resubmission. The review is complete and an in-kind contribution is awarded when the program proposal meets all Commission standards, all standards are preliminarily aligned, or when the Commission’s Administrator of Accreditation determines that the review is substantially complete. As with all reviewers, the Commission may excuse any reviewer whose performance is not adequate for the assigned tasks.

In some cases, programs being reviewed are slow to resubmit documents. In the rare event that a review continues beyond one year or the Administrator of Accreditation determines that the document will not be aligned/approved, the reviewer may be released from the review and the in-kind contribution will be awarded.

Remote Reviews for In-Kind Contributions

Typically, in-kind readers are expected to attend a reading session in person to earn in-kind contribution. The amount of Commission staff time required to facilitate a remote reading is much greater than when a reviewer attends in person and therefore is not usually an option for individuals looking to earn in-kind contributions.

Exceptions may be made for individuals who have participated in a reading session in the recent past and have a demonstrated ability to follow the reader expectations and time lines and provide thoughtful and appropriate feedback. Please inquire with the staff member coordinating the reading session to find out more information.

How to Use In-Kind Certificates:

Institutions wishing to use an in-kind certificate (two contributions make a certificate), should accrue contributions and earn the certificate before submitting a new program. Programs will not be reviewed for approval until the in-kind certificate or the submission fee has been received.

An institution must have a certificate for in-kind to submit with the new program proposal to waive the submission fee. An institution must indicate that it intends to use the in-kind option to waive the IPR Submission Fee on the Intent to Submit form. The in-kind certificate should be submitted at the same time as the program proposal so the invoice can be credited.

Once an in-kind certificate is awarded it may be used in lieu of fees for any one program being submitted for Initial Program Approval.

Description of Terms

Institution: A college, university, school district, county office of education or other entity, approved by the Commission to sponsor one or more educator preparation programs.

Travel Expenses: Travel expenses include airfare and/or ground transportation including mileage, lodging, meals, and incidentals. No reimbursement will be made to either the individual or the institution for any costs associated with attending and participating in document reviews if the institution is earning the in-kind option.

BIR-Trained: Individuals who have completed both the five (5) online modules as well as the two-day on-site training and registered their availability and credential area(s) expertise on the CTC Reviewer. Individuals that have completed the older model of BIR training are also considered BIR-Trained. Note: To be eligible to participate as a Board of Institutional Review (BIR) Member, individuals must first apply and be accepted. The application is available on the BIR webpage. Acceptance into the BIR will be based on the need to have individuals with expertise in all credential areas.

In-Kind Contribution: One in-kind contribution will be awarded for every BIR-trained individual designated for document review by an institution (the institution pays for the individual’s travel expenses) once the review assigned by the Commission has been completed.

In-Kind Certificate: Once two in-kind contributions have been earned, the institution will be awarded a Certificate for In-kind Credit, which may be used in lieu of IPR fees.

Updated September 11, 2023