Frequently Asked Questions

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Program Approval: Formal Review

• When is my organization scheduled for its next Formal Review?
  • The anticipated timeline for each organization's next Formal Review is available on our Formal Review Toolkit page.
• What happens during a Formal Review?
  • The Formal Review Interactive Overview provides high-level information about the review purpose and process. The Planning Guide for each of the four Formal Review stages provides additional step-by-step guidance for organizations.
• What types of evidence does DESE use to evaluate each criterion?
  • The Follow-Up Inquiry Planning Guide and template worksheets provide additional information on the sources of evidence DESE will use for each criterion.
• Our organization has recently made changes to _____. These changes may not be reflected in course observations/candidate artifacts/survey or focus group participants. How will this impact the review?
  • We are glad your organization has been making continuous improvements! In all reviews, we fully anticipate that some of the candidates/completers we hear from or other evidence we collect may not reflect the most recent changes to programs. One benefit of the "flipped" process is that we will be able to share any gaps or inconsistencies in that evidence at the beginning of the Follow-Up Inquiry. That gives your team the opportunity to share how you have already taken steps to address those and how you will know if your actions are working.

Last Updated: January 15, 2025