PUBLIC RELATIONS GUIDE



IV. About the Standards

A program will be accredited as a member of LVA if it complies with all of the Qualifying Standards and any ten of the 14 Scored Standards.

  1. Qualifying Standards are those critical standards to which an affiliate must comply. There are 18 Qualifying Standards.
  2. Scored Standards are those functional standards to which an affiliate should comply. There are 14 scored standards. Affiliates may choose to address any ten of these.
In the Accreditation Standards Manual, each standard is followed by an Interpreter that explains the origin, intent, rationale or meaning of the standard. Each standard also has an Indicator which provides samples of one or more ways that an organization can demonstrate that it has met the standard.

The Qualifying and Scored Standards are very practical, reasonable standards. LVA�s Maintaining the Balance: A Guide to 50/50 Management has influenced these standards as well as the U.S. Department of Education�s Model Indicators of Program Quality for Adult Education Programs and the United Way�s Measuring Program Outcomes.

Consideration of Qualifying Standards was guided by: (1) LVA�s Mission and Core Values; (2) LVA�s 1995-1998 Strategic Plan; (3) the need to distinguish the LVA network from other education organizations; and (4) generally accepted minimum "good" practices for non-profit organizations.

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