ACCREDITATION STANDARDS
STANDARD 15: PROGRAM LENGTH IN CREDIT OR CLOCK HOURS 43
R. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EVALUATION 28
1. The following statement shall appear at the bottom of each page of the Curriculum Outlines: “This outline 3
and glossary may not be reproduced without the express written permission of ABFSE.”
4 5
2. Member schools are authorized to distribute glossaries to their students.
6 7
3. Member schools agree that 8
9
a. The outline is available to ABFSE accredited member institutions and approved candidates for educational 10
purposes only.
11
12
b. The Executive Committee of ABFSE, at its discretion, has the authority to distribute these documents, as it 13
considers appropriate, to ABFSE affiliated members and other member organizations only.
14 15
4. The following policies apply to the use and distribution of curriculum outlines:
16 17
a. Glossaries (but not Outlines) may be reproduced and distributed to students.
18 19
b. Outlines are not to be reproduced or distributed to anyone other than funeral service or related faculty.
20 21
c. Outlines may not be posted to public access media (e.g., the www) unless password 22
protected..
23 24
d. Outlines and glossaries are not to be duplicated for sale in any form without the written permission of 25
ABFSE.
26 27
R. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EVALUATION 28
29
1. A detailed, written annual evaluation of the Executive Director is the responsibility of the Chair of the COA 30
and the ABFSE President . 31
32
2. The Executive Director prepares a self-evaluation in February each year which is sent to the COA chair and 33
the President. The self-evaluation will include a discussion of the following: an overall assessment of the 34
accomplishments for the year based on the list of responsibilities of the Executive Director; a list of those areas 35
that merited special attention; areas that may need special attention; and goals for the next year.
36 37
3. The Executive Director, the COA chair, and the President will discuss the self-evaluation and any other 38
issues that they may wish to consider.
39 40
4. The COA chair, in consultation with the President, prepares a written evaluation of the Executive Director 41
based on the Executive Director's work with the COA and with the ABFSE in its entirety. The COA chair and 42
President shall solicit input from ABFSE Committee chairs, Executive Committee members, and others. The 43
written evaluation includes a discussion of strengths, areas needing more attention, and recommendations for 44
renewal of appointment (if that is the decision) and also for an appropriate salary increase. Also included in the 45
evaluation are any suggestions for improvement that might be thought beneficial to ABFSE, the COA, and the 46
Executive Director. The Executive Director has an opportunity to review the written evaluation and discuss it 47
with the COA chair and President before it is finalized.
48 49
5. The evaluation of the Executive Director is put on the agenda of the Committee on Accreditation for its April 50
meeting. A copy of the Executive Director’s self-evaluation as well as the written evaluation by the chair of the 51
COA and President is included as supporting material for that agenda item. At the meeting, the Executive 52
Director is invited to make a brief presentation to the Committee on Accreditation and then the COA chair and 53
President make a presentation, including their recommendations.
54 55
10-8 56
6. Members of the Committee on Accreditation are invited to ask questions of the Executive Director, the Chair 1
of the COA, or the President.
2 3
7. Following full discussion, the Committee on Accreditation votes on the recommendations of the COA chair 4
and President, including any amendments to the motion.
5 6
8. The action of the Committee on Accreditation is reported to the full membership at the annual meeting for 7
their information.
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Includes ABFSE revisions approved October 2011 ABFSE and COA Accreditation and Policy Manual 1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
APPENDIX A
24 25
GLOSSARY
26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
APPENDIX A
1 2
GLOSSARY
3 4
1. Accreditation. The voluntary submission of an institution to the close scrutiny of this association composed of 5
laity, funeral professionals, and educational representatives for adherence to high standards of educational 6
opportunity for all students.
7
2. Accreditation Term. The period for which accreditation is awarded.
8
3. American Board. American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE).
9
4. Bachelor's or Master's Degree. When required of faculty or administration such degrees shall be awarded by a 10
college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the US Department of Education.
11
5. Candidacy. This is the pre-accreditation status for programs seeking recognition/accreditation by the Committee 12
on Accreditation of ABFSE. (see Chapter IV) 13
6. Chairperson of the Evaluation/Site Visit Team. A non-funeral service educator, experienced in the evaluation 14
of institutions of higher learning, who has been appointed by the COA.
15
7. Chief Administrative Officer. If the curriculum in funeral service education is part of other curricula offered by 16
the college or university, then the chief administrative officer shall be the highest administrative officer of the 17
central administration. In this case, all matters concerning accreditation shall be sent to both the central 18
administration and the department that offers instruction in funeral service education. In a single purpose 19
institution, the chief administrative officer is that person so designated by the institution.
20
8. CHEA. Council for Higher Education Accreditation isa United States organization of degree-granting colleges 21
and universities formed to coordinate the U.S. accreditation process for higher education.
22
9. Clinical Instructor. An individual licensed and employed full or part time to assist in teaching a laboratory or 23
clinical offering under the supervision of the qualified faculty member responsible for the classroom lecture 24
course in which the lab is offered.
25
10. Committee on Accreditation. An autonomous standing committee of the ABFSE with sole authority to grant 26
candidacy, initial accreditation or reaccreditation to institutions of funeral service education. (see By-Laws, 27
Article VI) 28
11. Continuous System of Program Planning and Assessment. A written, well-defined process that produces a 29
documented plan directly related the program’s aims and objectives and which contains guidelines, procedures, 30
and methodologies for continually ensuring the on-going educational quality of the instructional program and the 31
attainment of expected student outcomes.
32
12. Evaluation Team/Visiting Committee/Site Visit Team. A committee duly appointed by the COA to visit and 33
evaluate an institution that offers a program of funeral service education.
34
13. Executive Director. The person responsible for the function of the office of the American Board.
35
14. Feasibility Study. A detailed document that demonstrates that a program/institution meets the requirements, has 36
effectively organized resources to enable it to accomplish its educational purpose, and is following realistic plans 37
to acquire, organize, and apply additional resources needed to comply with the Standards for Accreditation. This 38
document becomes the candidacy Self study.
39
15. Focus Visit. A visit by a representative of the Committee on Accreditation, to a program about which the 40
committee has a specific concern. These are solely for the purpose of reviewing the items of Committee concern.
41
Expenses are the responsibility of the program/institution being visited.
42
16. Funeral Service Education or Mortuary Science Education. An educational program designed to prepare 43
professionally an embalmer, funeral director, and/or similarly designated professional.
44
17. Initial Accreditation. Status that applies when a program moves from Candidacy to Accreditation. Maximum 45
length of initial accreditation is three years. (see Chapter III) 46
47
Includes ABFSE revisions approved October 2011 ABFSE and COA Accreditation and Policy Manual 1
18. Institution. A school, college, or university offering a program of funeral service education, whether identified 2
as an academy, a college, an institute, a school, or by similar designations.
3
19. IPEDS. Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. It is a system of interrelated surveys conducted 4
annually by the U.S. Department’ of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). IPEDS 5
gathers information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution that participates in 6
the federal student financial aid programs.
7
20. Manual. Accreditation and Policy Manual of the American Board of Funeral Service Education.
8
21. National Board Examination (NBE). The formal certifying examination for the funeral service/mortuary 9
science profession developed and administered by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining 10
Boards, 1885 Shelby Lane, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72704. (The formal description of the NBE from the 11
ICFSEB's web site at www.afseb.org follows: The purpose of the National Board Examination (NBE) is to 12
provide official licensing agencies with a national evaluation of an applicant for licensure in the diverse areas of 13
competency required for the field of funeral service. The International Conference of Funeral Service 14
Examining Boards develops, administers and provides score reporting services to the state licensure boards. The 15
NBE is used in 49 states [except California] and the District of Columbia as an assessment of content knowledge 16
needed to practice as a licensed Funeral Director or Embalmer.) 17
22. Pre-Candidacy. This represents the time during which a program/institution is considering or anticipating the 18
application for Candidacy. A consulting visit by ABFSE representatives is required to review the status of the 19
program including the ability to meet ABFSE candidacy eligibility requirements. (see Chapter IV and Appendix 20
D).
21
23. Preceptor. A licensed individual who is a full time employee of a funeral home who is under contract to the 22
school or department and who meets qualifications as indicated in this manual, to provide on the job training and 23
who assumes responsibilities for a student assigned between the times of regular visitors of the school or 24
department faculty member-supervisor of record.
25
24. Program: A program in funeral service education as one unit in a comprehensive, multi-purpose institution.
26
25. Public Members. Representatives who are laypersons in the sense that they are not educators in or members of 27
the profession for which the students are being prepared, nor are in any way directly related to the institutions or 28
programs being evaluated.
29
26. Qualified Instructor. A full- or part-time faculty member meeting qualifications as indicated in this manual.
30
27. Substantive change. Any change at the institution or program level that impacts the ability to maintain 31
compliance with standards. See Chapter VII. p. 8-6 and Appendix K for examples and associated fees.
32
28. Self Study. Is a formal process (which culminates in a written document) during which an educational 33
institution or program critically examines its structure and substance, judges the program's overall effectiveness 34
relative to its mission, identifies specific strengths and deficiencies and indicates a plan for necessary 35
modification and improvements. A similar document is prepared for candidacy and is also referred to as a 36
feasibility study.
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47
A-3 48
49
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
APPENDIX B
11 12