The National Commission for the Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES) was established in 1992 by the National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC) in response to a need for an accreditation process that uniquely addresses private special education programs and the populations they serve. A subsidiary of NAPSEC, NCASES is overseen by a Board of Directors and managed by a Commission composed of experts in the field. All NCASES Board Members, Commissioners, and Site Reviewers serve on a voluntary basis.

Why seek NCASES Accreditation?

Achieve recognition for excellence in special education based on expert peer review
Improve services through adherence to national standards of best practice
Demonstrate high quality of programs to students, families, referral sources, funders, and other stakeholders
Establish agency improvement goals for your agency

NCASES provides a voluntary accreditation process that effectively and systematically evaluates private special education and adult learning programs. The entire process welcomes diversity of educational practice and innovation and recognizes the importance of evaluating services to meet student/client needs.

Accreditation is based on a self study of compliance to fifty standards covering the range of processes, procedures, and practices critical to the functioning of a special education setting. After submitting the self study, applicant agencies undergo a comprehensive site-review performed by a highly trained team of experts in the field of special education.

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Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply for accreditation or re-accreditation, the following criteria must be met by the agency:

The agency provides special educational services to individuals with disabilities.
The agency provides services within clearly defined, identifiable program(s).
The agency provides services using directly employed and paid staff. The use of contractors is allowable as long as the agency also employs its own staff.
The applicant has been in existence for two years prior to application unless the agency overseeing the applicant has another currently NCASES accredited school/program.
The agency has approval/licensure in good standing from state regulatory bodies in states where such approval/licensure is required. A finding of organizational criminal negligence or liability resulting in the revocation of regulatory approval to operate the program will result in revocation of accreditation and ineligibility to seek accreditation until such time as regulatory approval is reinstated.

Note: Nonprofit and for-profit agencies are eligible for accreditation.

Accreditation Fees

Application Fee: $250 (nonrefundable)
Accreditation Fee:
Residential Programs: $4,000
Non-Residential Programs: $2,500
Additional Site Applications: $1,000 per site
Applicant agency is responsible for paying travel expenses incurred by the Site Review Team during the site visit.

Council on Accreditation (COA) Integrated Accreditation Option

NCASES is pleased to offer an integrated accreditation process in collaboration with the Council on Accreditation (COA). When pursuing this accreditation option, applicant agencies may choose to have NCASES and COA Site Review Teams visit their program on the same dates, or separate visits can be scheduled. Through the combination of NCASES and COA Standards, the process allows for applicant agencies to achieve accreditation through both COA and NCASES while avoiding redundancies. (Agencies pursuing an integrated site review will receive a 15% discount on COA accreditation fees. Please note agencies that are members of COA's ten Sponsoring Organizations, and as a result, receive a 25% discount on their (re)accreditation fee, will not qualify for an additional 15% discount.)