Accreditation process · Seven controlled stages Continuous intake

From eligibility to public accreditation record.

CHSPS uses one documented review sequence: scope is confirmed first, evidence is evaluated against published criteria, findings are resolved within the documented review record, and a separate authorized decision process acts on the completed technical review.

Start Free Eligibility Review See the 7 Stages Evidence Guide

Independence matters: applicant support, technical review and final decision are distinct functions. Payment or participation in CHSPS education never guarantees an outcome.

The review path

Seven stages, one documented record

Use this map as the high-level sequence. The detailed cards below explain ownership, handoffs and common reasons a file may pause.

1Eligibility & scope 2Agreement & workspace 3Evidence & completeness 4Technical review 5Findings & response 6Decision 7Publication & maintenance

Stage-by-stage

What happens, who owns it, and what moves it forward

The exact evidence and reviewer questions depend on the pathway and approved scope, but the control points are consistent.

Stage 1

Eligibility & scope confirmation

CHSPS confirms the preliminary pathway, intended scope and whether formal review is appropriate.

Lead owner: CHSPS intake

Applicant responsibility

Describe the legal organization, operating activity and exact program, system, service or defined offering to be reviewed. Respond to requests needed to clarify scope.

CHSPS responsibility

Evaluate fit, threshold readiness and scope boundaries; issue the written eligibility outcome and next-step recommendation.

What moves the file forward

Written fit-and-scope confirmation that identifies the pathway and whether formal intake may proceed.

What can pause this stage

Incomplete organizational information, unclear legal responsibility, wrong pathway, pre-operational scope without enough evidence, or a material change to the proposed scope.

Stage 2

Agreement & applicant workspace

The formal engagement is established before evidence review begins.

Lead owner: Applicant + CHSPS administration

Applicant responsibility

Review and execute the applicant agreement, confirm the final scope and fees, identify authorized account users and complete required administrative intake.

CHSPS responsibility

Issue the execution-ready agreement and applicable fee schedule, create the application record and activate the secure My CHSPS workspace.

What moves the file forward

Executed agreement, confirmed scope, active application ID and completion of applicable intake requirements.

What can pause this stage

Unsigned agreement, unresolved scope terms, missing authorized contacts or incomplete required administrative intake.

Stage 3

Evidence submission & completeness

The applicant maps evidence to the applicable standards and prepares a reviewable technical record.

Lead owner: Applicant

Applicant responsibility

Complete the self-study, upload controlled evidence, map it to clauses, add context and respond to completeness requests. Use the evidence library rather than duplicating files.

CHSPS responsibility

Check that the submission is sufficiently complete and accessible for technical evaluation; identify missing or unreadable components before substantive review.

What moves the file forward

A reviewable record with the required standard set, mapped evidence and sufficient context for technical reviewers to begin.

What can pause this stage

Missing clauses, unreadable files, stale or contradictory evidence, unexplained N/A positions, missing translations, or evidence that cannot be traced to the approved scope.

Stage 4

Independent technical review

Conflict-screened reviewers evaluate the submitted record against the published standards.

Lead owner: Technical review team

Applicant responsibility

Remain available for factual clarification and provide requested samples or supporting records through My CHSPS. Do not replace the entire submission when a targeted response is requested.

CHSPS responsibility

Assign qualified conflict-cleared reviewers; evaluate evidence clause by clause; document conformities, findings and questions against the applicable criteria.

What moves the file forward

Completion of the planned technical evaluation with documented findings and a clear record of any items requiring applicant response.

What can pause this stage

Reviewer conflict requiring reassignment, significant evidence gaps, inaccessible source material, material scope change or an unresolved question that prevents a defensible finding.

Stage 5

Findings & applicant response

Clarifications and corrective evidence are addressed on the same application record.

Lead owner: Applicant response + review team re-check

Applicant responsibility

Respond directly to each stated finding, identify the corrective action or clarification, submit the relevant evidence and explain where the reviewer should look.

CHSPS responsibility

Evaluate the response against the original requirement, document whether the finding is resolved and identify any remaining issue.

What moves the file forward

The findings record is complete enough for the technical review to close and move to the authorized decision process.

What can pause this stage

Incomplete responses, new evidence that creates additional contradictions, missed response windows, or unresolved findings after the allowed response cycle.

Stage 6

Accreditation decision

A separate authorized decision process considers the completed review record.

Lead owner: Authorized decision body

Applicant responsibility

No new marketing claim or accreditation status may be asserted while the decision is pending. Respond only if the authorized process requests additional information.

CHSPS responsibility

Consider the completed technical record, conflicts and required rationale; issue the formal written outcome under the published decision vocabulary.

What moves the file forward

Written decision: Accredited, Accredited — Compliance Report Required, Deferred, or Denied, with applicable conditions, next steps and due-process information.

What can pause this stage

A deferred decision requiring specified action or information, an unresolved procedural issue, or a record the decision body determines is not yet sufficient for final action.

Stage 7

Publication & maintenance

Awarded accreditation moves from decision to public verification and ongoing obligations.

Lead owner: CHSPS record control + accredited organization

Applicant responsibility

Confirm the approved scope and public organization information, use marks only as authorized, meet reporting and material-change obligations and prepare for renewal.

CHSPS responsibility

Finalize the public record as applicable, issue controlled recognition materials and administer annual reporting, surveillance, material-change and renewal requirements.

What moves the file forward

Accredited status is publicly verifiable and the organization enters the applicable maintenance cycle.

What can pause this stage

Unresolved administrative corrections, required post-decision conditions, inaccurate public information, overdue maintenance obligations or a material change requiring review.

Roles & independence

Different people control different parts of the process

Separation of roles protects both applicant support and decision integrity.

Applicant team

Owns the scope representations, self-study, evidence, responses, corrective actions and ongoing accuracy of information supplied to CHSPS.

Accreditation coordinator

Manages intake, workflow, communications and administrative completeness. The coordinator does not substitute for technical review or the independent decision.

Technical reviewers

Evaluate the applicable standards and evidence after qualification and conflict screening. They document findings and technical conclusions in the documented record.

Review lead

Coordinates the technical record, consistency of findings and completion of review work before the file is routed onward.

Decision body

Acts on the completed record under the published decision rules. It is separate from applicant coaching and routine evidence preparation support.

Records & maintenance

Publishes eligible final status information and administers the post-decision maintenance, reporting and renewal lifecycle.

Conflict screening occurs before technical review.

Applicants may be asked for information needed to identify potential conflicts. If a conflict emerges, reviewer assignment can change without changing the applicable standard or approved scope.

See governance & impartiality →

Findings & corrective action

A finding is tied to a requirement, not a general opinion.

Reviewer requests identify what needs clarification or correction so the applicant can answer the exact issue in the documented record.

Conformity

The submitted evidence demonstrates the requirement is met.

Partial conformity / nonconformity

The record does not fully demonstrate the requirement. The finding identifies the gap and the applicant responds to that gap.

Observation

The requirement conforms, but a documented risk merits attention. No corrective action is required solely because an observation exists.

Opportunity for improvement

A non-binding good-practice suggestion. It does not itself determine the accreditation outcome.

Finding issuedRequirement + evidence gap documented

→

Applicant responseClarification / corrective evidence

→

Reviewer re-checkResolved or remains open

→

Technical record closesMoves to decision

Corrective-action responses are due within the window stated in the findings letter. CHSPS currently describes the normal window as 90 days with a maximum of two response cycles; unresolved findings after the final cycle proceed to decision in the documented record.

Timing & pauses

There is no single honest end-to-end timeline for every review

Scope complexity, evidence quality, reviewer sampling, applicant response time and corrective action all affect duration. CHSPS publishes specific targets where the process can be meaningfully standardized.

EligibilityTarget: 10 business days

After a complete eligibility inquiry, for the written fit-and-scope response.

Technical reviewReadiness-dependent

Begins only after scope, intake, completeness and reviewer conflict controls are satisfied.

Corrective actionNormally 90 days

The findings letter controls the actual response deadline; maximum two response cycles are described in the current maintenance procedure.

DecisionTarget: 15 business days

After completed technical review, within the published monthly decision cadence.

Common reasons a file pauses

Missing or inaccessible evidence
Material change to the proposed scope
Reviewer conflict requiring reassignment
Unanswered clarification or corrective-action request
Contradictory documents that are not reconciled
Required administrative intake not complete

A pause is not automatically an adverse decision. It means a current-stage control is incomplete and the record cannot responsibly advance yet.

Decision & public record

Technical review informs the decision; it does not replace it.

The authorized decision process applies the controlled decision vocabulary to the completed record.

Accredited

Requirements are satisfied and the approved recognition can be published and verified.

Accredited — Compliance Report Required

Accreditation is granted with specifically identified post-decision reporting obligations and deadlines.

Deferred

No final award yet; specified action or additional information is required before the decision is completed.

Denied

Initial accreditation is not granted. Written reasons and applicable due-process rights are provided.

What becomes public?

CHSPS publishes accreditation status and scope as applicable after finalization. Applicant, deferred and denied applications are not published as accredited organizations.

Read Decisions & Statuses →

Start at Stage 1

Begin with the free eligibility and scope review.

Tell CHSPS what you certify, teach, administer or operate. Eligibility has no fee, does not create accredited status, and determines whether formal intake should proceed.

Start Free Eligibility Review How to Apply Review published fees

Process quality measures remain public.

Internal review-stage performance measures belong with CHSPS quality reporting rather than inside the applicant journey.

View quality measures →