New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Commission on American and International Schools Abroad (CAISA)

The Special Visit

DETAILS OF THE SPECIAL VISIT

Introduction

NEASC may require a school to host a Special Visit as part of the follow-up to the writing of a Special Report. The requirement to host a Special Visit may be communicated to the school at the same time as the notification that a Special Report is required, or the decision may be left until after the Accreditation Committee has had an opportunity to read the Special Report.

NEASC will normally appoint one person to make an on-site Special Visit of two days duration. In exceptional cases two Visitors may be required.

It is possible that a Special Visit may coincide with a “routine” visit such as a Five Year Visit, in which case the whole exercise will be particularly efficient in terms of time, travel costs, etc. However this clearly cannot always be the case, and a Special Visit will more often than not take place in a year when no routine visit is due.

Purposes of the Special Visit

The main role of the Special Visitor is to evaluate the school’s response to the Special Issues which gave rise to the Special Report, and to offer the school help and advice on the matters in question.

The Special Visitor may also be asked by NEASC to discuss with the school its progress on the other recommendations it is currently addressing, and if this is the case the school will receive prior notice. However, the Special Visit will always be mainly concerned with previously identified Special Issues.

The Role of the School

The school is responsible for:

  1. Sending a copy of the school's Special Report to NEASC on the prescribed date. The Special Visit will normally be arranged to take place soon afterwards.
  2. The payment of all basic expenses for transport, accommodation and meals for the Visitor. There is no standard fee payable to NEASC for a Special Visit.
  3. Providing the Visitor with basic guidelines with regard to practical arrangements for transport etc.. (Normally the Visitor makes his/her own arrangements to travel in the most economical manner and is reimbursed directly by the School.)
  4. Making arrangements for accommodation, to include a room in the school for the Visitor to work undisturbed.
  5. Provision of all documentation required for the Special Visitor when on-site.
  6. Scheduling any meetings with members of the school community which the Special Visitor may require.
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