Commission on Dental Accreditation Posting Form for Third Party Comments

The Commission currently publishes, in its accredited lists of programs, the year of the next site visit for each program it accredits.  In addition, the Commission posts its spring and fall site visit announcements on the Site Visit Process and Schedule area of the Commission’s website for those programs being site visited in the current and next year.  Special site visits and initial accreditation site visits for developing programs may be scheduled after the posting on the Commission’s website; thus, the specific dates of these site visits may not be available for publication.  Parties interested in these specific dates (should they be established) are encouraged to contact the Commission office. The Commission will request written comments from interested parties on the CODA website.

The United States Department of Education (USDE) procedures require accrediting agencies to provide an opportunity for third-party comment, either in writing or at a public hearing (at the accrediting agencies’ discretion) with respect to institutions or programs scheduled for review.  All comments must relate to accreditation standards for the discipline and required accreditation policies.  In order to comply with the Department’s requirement on the use of third-party comment regarding program’s qualifications for accreditation or initial accreditation, the following procedures have been developed.

Those programs scheduled for regular review must solicit third-party comments through appropriate notification of communities of interest and the public such as faculty, students, program administrators, dental-related organizations, patients, and consumers at least ninety (90) days prior to their site visit.  The notice should indicate the deadline of sixty (60) days for receipt of third-party comments in the Commission office and should stipulate that signed or unsigned comments will be accepted, that names and/or signatures will be removed from comments prior to forwarding them to the program, and that comments must pertain only to the standards for the particular program or policies and procedures used in the Commission’s accreditation process.  The announcement may include language to indicate that a copy of the appropriate accreditation standards and/or the Commission’s policy on third-party comments may be obtained by contacting the Commission by calling 1-312-440-4653 or by email.   

All comments submitted must pertain only to the standards relative to the particular program being reviewed or policies and procedures used in the accreditation process.  Comments will be screened by Commission staff for relevancy.  Signed or unsigned comments will be considered.  For comments not relevant to these issues, the individual will be notified that the comment is not related to accreditation and, where appropriate, referred to the appropriate agency. 

All relevant comments will have names and/or signatures removed and will then be referred to the program at least fifty (50) days prior to the site visit for review and response.  A written response from the program should be provided to the Commission office and the visiting committee fifteen (15) days prior to the site visit.  Adjustments may be necessary in the site visit schedule to allow discussion of comments with proper personnel.  Negative comments received after the established deadline of sixty (60) days prior to the site visit will be handled as a complaint. Any unresolved issues related to the program’s compliance with the accreditation standards will be reviewed by the visiting committee while on-site.

Programs with the status of initial accreditation, and programs seeking initial accreditation must solicit comment through appropriate notification of communities of interest and the public such as faculty, students, program administrators, dental-related organizations, patients, and consumers utilizing the procedures noted above.

On occasion, programs may be scheduled for special focused or special comprehensive site visits and because of the urgency of the visit, solicitation of third-party comments within the ninety (90) day time-frame may not be possible.  However, third party comments must be solicited at the time the program is notified of the Commission’s planned site visit, typically sixty (60) days in advance of the visit. In this case, the timeframe for solicitation of third-party comments will be shortened. The notice should indicate the deadline of thirty (30) days for receipt of third-party comments in the Commission office and should stipulate that signed or unsigned comments will be accepted, that names and/or signatures will be removed from comments prior to forwarding them to the program, and that comments must pertain only to the standards for the particular program or policies and procedures used in the Commission’s accreditation process.  All relevant comments will have names and/or signatures removed and will then be referred to the program at least twenty (20) days prior to the site visit for review and response.  A written response from the program should be provided to the Commission office and the visiting committee ten (10) days prior to the site visit.  Adjustments may be necessary in the site visit schedule to allow discussion of comments with proper personnel.  Any unresolved issues related to the program’s compliance with the accreditation standards will be reviewed by the visiting committee while on-site. Negative comments received after the established deadline of thirty (30) days prior to the site visit will be handled as a complaint.

Individuals who are interested in submitting third party comments, may contact the Commission office for submission guidance.  Third party comments should be emailed to the appropriate Commission staff; comments should not be sent to the Commission office via the US Postal Service.

Revised: 2/22; 8/19; 8/18; 2/18; 2/16; 2/15; 8/13; 8/12, 8/11, 7/09, 8/02, 1/97; Reaffirmed: 8/13; 8/10, 1/03; Adopted: 7/95

INSTITUTION:  ______________________________________________________________

PROGRAM(S) TO BE REVIEWED:  ____________________________________________

SITE VISIT DATE:   __________________________________________________________

60-DAY DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF COMMENTS IN THE COMMISSION OFFICE.  Please email comments to the appropriate CODA staff.  Staff emails are found at: https://coda.ada.org/about-coda/coda-staff