The Council on Occupational Education (COE) is scheduled to conduct the reaffirmation of accreditation for Center for Service Support (CSS) August 17-22.

The COE visit will assess CSS as an accredited institution using the standards and criteria established by COE. CSS has been a COE accredited learning organization for 33 years.

COE is a national accrediting agency committed to assuring quality and integrity in career and technical education. Throughout its history, the council and its predecessor agency have been recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education offered by the institutions it has accredited. Its current scope of recognition is as a national institutional accrediting agency for the accreditation of non-degree-granting and applied associate degree-granting postsecondary occupational education institutions. Accreditation is a status granted to a learning institution or program that has been found to meet or exceed stated criteria and standards of learning established by the Council. Accreditation provides several benefits including: identifying areas of excellence and driving the processes of validating quality and continuous improvement of CSS programs.

According to John Smith, CSS curriculum evaluation and accreditation manager, some of the COE goals include providing guidance to institutions for the continual improvement of their educational offerings and related activities; promoting high ethical and educational standards for career and technical education, and to ensure that the accreditation process validates the achievement of learning and program objectives.

COE requires all organizations conduct a self-study before the team visit. There are 10 standards organizations must meet in order to be accredited through COE, and the self-study allows the organization an opportunity to evaluate that those standards are being met and prepare exhibits that substantiate the evaluation. The process of identifying needed improvements and designating them for immediate, short-term, or longer-term implementation is one benefit of the self-study process. The visiting team will rely on CSS's self-study report, supporting exhibits, personnel interviews, and observations of conditions and practices to determine whether CSS is in compliance with the standards and criteria required for reaffirmation. CSS's self-study supports the command mission "to provide Sailors in the Naval Administration, Logistics, and Media communities the necessary skills, knowledge, and education to enhance lifelong learning and to support the Fleet's warfighting mission."

"The process of Reaffirmation began in the summer of 2014 with key CSS personnel attending the required self-study workshop. Chairpersons were chosen to evaluate CSS's compliance with 10 standards, write narratives explaining compliance, and compile exhibits that support the narratives," Smith explained. "These narratives were then combined into one final document known as the Self-Study. The process will culminate when the COE team's visit to various CSS Learning Sites and Headquarters during the week of 17 August."

CSS estimates 2,000 man-hours have been expended thus far in producing the self-study and preparing for the site visit. The COE visit will consist of a group of peers that will validate the characteristics of the whole institution, providing attention to the educational offerings and other institutional characteristics including student personnel services, financial status, administrative structure, facilities, and equipment.

CSS is comprised of active-duty military, civilian and contractor personnel who direct the training efforts of administration, logistics and media schools for active-duty and commissioned officers. The CSS team ensures curriculum and professional development tools are current.

Questions or comments about CSS's COE Reaffirmation of Accreditation Site Visit, please contact CSS's COE Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO), Michael Buechel, at michael.buechel@navy.mil, or (401) 841-1201. For additional information about COE, visit the COE website at http://www.council.org.

For more news from Center for Service Support, visit www.navy.mil/.