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Academy Standards

Section 1 – Academy Administration

Section 1 standards are intended to ensure the applicant organizes, staffs, and manages the training process.

A1.01     The academy has established vision, mission, goals, and/or objectives. Advisory: The intent of this standard is for the academy to have a defined purpose.

A1.02     The academy establishes, promulgates, and reviews directives, policies, and procedures. Advisory: The intent of this standard is to ensure the academy has a process that supports the development, approval, and distribution of documents that govern academy operations.

A1.03     The academy establishes and documents an organizational structure. Advisory: None.

A1.04     The academy clearly defines, in writing, the responsibilities of personnel involved in managing, supervising, and implementing training. Advisory: Position descriptions or similar documents exist.

A1.05     The academy determines the training needs of its customer base. Advisory: The intent of this standard is to determine such things as facility requirements, workload requirements, staffing levels, or projected student throughput.

A1.06     If full-time instructional staff or training facilities span multiple organizations, a written agreement/policy is in place specifying the authority and responsibilities of each party. Advisory: Potentially not applicable.

A1.07     When conducting eTraining, technical assistance is available. Advisory: Potentially not applicable.

A1.08     The academy implements facility security measures. Advisory: Controls are in place for such things as facility access, protection of property, and identification of individuals.

A1.09     The academy adheres to environmental, fire, and occupational safety guidelines. Advisory: Inspections are completed to ensure training is conducted in facilities that are safe from environmental, safety, and fire hazards. Evidence may include copies of inspection reports or completed check sheets.

A1.10     The academy has, and reviews, a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). Advisory: The plan documents how to continue/resume operations in response to an unforeseen catastrophic event.

A1.11     Training equipment is maintained in accordance with organizational policy or industry standards. Advisory: None.

A1.12     The academy suspends or discontinues training activities that are in progress and become hazardous due to exigent circumstances. Advisory: The intent of this standard is to address such things as inclement or adverse weather conditions, accidents, equipment failure, power outage, infectious disease, etc.

A1.13    When copyrighted materials are used, the academy complies with relevant rules and laws. Advisory: Potentially not applicable. 

A1.14     The academy maintains records for each offering of the training program. At a minimum each record will include:

  1. curriculum content (e.g., syllabi, lesson plans, training materials, etc.);
  2. a listing of all instructors and other instructional personnel indicating the actual block of instruction in which each presented or participated;
  3. inclusive dates the program is conducted and actual dates and times when each segment of training occurs;
  4. roster of participants; and
  5. practical evaluations and/or written examinations and keys.

Advisory: None.

A1.15    The academy maintains records for each student attending the program. At a minimum each record will include:

  1. if the training has prerequisites, documentation that verifies the student met all prerequisites for attending the training program;
  2. a complete record of the students’ training evaluations (grades, scores, final results);
  3. documentation of any exceptions, waivers or reasonable accommodations requested or granted to the student; and
  4. documentation that verifies the student successfully completes the training program.

Advisory: .01 is potentially not applicable.

A1.16    The academy follows procedures for training records (physical and/or electronic), regarding:

  1. security and
  2. retention.

Advisory: The intent of the standard is to address the training organization's records management processes associated with security and retention of program and student records.

A1.17     If physical activity is a required part of the curriculum, the academy adheres to its medical clearance process. Advisory: Potentially not applicable.

A1.18     The adheres to its policy for student misconduct. Advisory: Evidence may include documentation of notification, adjudication, and/or redress for allegations of student misconduct.

Section 2 – Academy Instructor Staff

Section 2 standards are intended to ensure instructors receive the training and management oversight necessary to provide effective training.

A2.01     The academy provides an orientation to instructors that includes:

  1. applicant's mission and/or vision;
  2. program goals and/or objectives;
  3. code of conduct;
  4. potential consequences of prohibited conduct;
  5. organizational Structure; and
  6. safety rules/regulations and procedures.

Advisory: None.

A2.02     The academy monitors and provides guidance/feedback to new instructors. Advisory: Evidence may include, but is not limited to, evaluations, instructor certification panel results, personal conferences, email conversations, mentor reports, or other documentation.

A2.03     The academy ensures and documents that instructors receive basic instructor training. Advisory: None.

A2.04     The academy ensures and documents development of its instructors through formal or informal training or operational participation. Advisory: Evidence may include items such as, reviewing operational reports, journal article reviews, TDY assignments to the field, town halls, recertification, reading articles on advanced instructional competencies, development in mentoring and coaching, training on instructional systems design, etc. Evidence should show acquired skills beyond the applicant's initial or minimum instructor requirements. 

A2.05     Supervisors (or designees) conduct and document quality checks on instructors. Advisory: The intent of this standard is to ensure quality controls for instructors primarily assigned to deliver one or more training programs.

A2.06     When an academy has other than full-time instructors, the applicant ensures that training quality is maintained. Advisory: Potentially not applicable. The intent of this standard is to address instructors that are part-time, adjunct, detailed, coaches, counselors, mentors, field advisors, etc.

Section 3 – Academy Training Development

Section 3 standards are intended to ensure academy training programs are developed, implemented, and reviewed using an industry-recognized systematic approach to training.

A3.01     The academy uses an industry-recognized, systematic approach to training development. Advisory: None.

A3.02     The academy uses an archiving system to store and retrieve program curriculum development/revision documents. Advisory: None.

A3.03    When using written examination(s), the academy:

  1. approves and
  2. secures the examination(s).

Advisory: Potentially not applicable. The intent of the standard is to minimize potential compromise.

A3.04    When using practical evaluation(s), the academy:

  1. approves and
  2. secures the evaluation(s).

Advisory: Potentially not applicable. The intent of the standard is to minimize potential compromise.

A3.05     Students are evaluated on each objective. All evaluation criteria are referenced to one or more learning objectives. Advisory: An objective-to-test item matrix may be used to demonstrate this relationship.

A3.06     When training is inherently dangerous and/or creates potential safety risks, the academy conducts risk assessments and implements procedures to mitigate identified hazards. Advisory: Potentially not applicable. The intent of this standard is to show how the risk assessment is applied to the training.

A3.07     Training materials describe activities to ensure consistent delivery of instruction. Advisory: Items may include, but are not limited to, lesson plans, instructor guides, program(s) of instruction, presentations with instructor notes, etc.

A3.08     Training materials are reviewed and approved prior to their use. Advisory: Items may include, but are not limited to, lesson plans, instructor guides, program(s) of instruction, presentations with instructor notes, etc.

A3.09     Programs are piloted with documented results. Advisory: The pilot requirement addresses new or revised programs. Ongoing maintenance to training materials may not require a pilot.

A3.10    The academy establishes the standard(s) of competence:

  1. When using written examination(s)
  2. When using practical evaluation(s)

Advisory: .01 or .02 is potentially not applicable. As an example, academies may reference other programs/organizations, consider attrition/failure rates, use informed judgment, comparative/contrast groups, conjectural methods, or rely on subject matter experts or other methods when determining the standard set by the training organization. Training programs may use numerical cut scores, pass/fail, go/no go, sat/unsat, or other methods for documenting participant completion of written exams, laboratory/practical exercises, performance activities, or other tools used to evaluate the standard set by the training organization.

A3.11     When written examinations are used, equivalent versions must be available and evaluate the same objectives. Advisory: Potentially not applicable. An objective-to-test item matrix is one way of showing this.

A3.12     When equivalent versions of practical evaluations are used, the evaluated objectives must remain the same. Advisory: Potentially not applicable. An objective-to-test item matrix is one way of showing this.

A3.13     The academy conducts a curriculum review process of training programs within a five-year period, which includes the review of Levels 1, 2, and 3 evaluations of the Kirkpatrick model or an equivalent. Advisory: None.

Section 4 – Academy Training Delivery

Section 4 standards are intended to ensure processes are established and used to for effective delivery of training.

A4.01    The academy provides training space, equipment, resources, and/or student materials identified to support the program:

  1. When delivering in-person training
  2. When delivering eTraining

Advisory: .01 or .02 is potentially not applicable. Evidence may include, but is not limited to, facilities, equipment, or hardware/software.

A4.02     The academy provides an orientation to students that includes:

  1. program goals and/or objectives;
  2. training schedules;
  3. practical evaluation and/or written examination requirements;
  4. when training is conducted in person, students receive information on safety rules and emergency procedures;
  5. code of conduct rules; and
  6. disciplinary procedures.

Advisory: .04 is potentially not applicable.

A4.03     The academy adheres to its policy for student remediation and reevaluation. Advisory: This standard does not apply to prerequisite requirements.

A4.04     If professional role players are used, the academy has a process for acquiring, preparing, and evaluating them. Advisory: Potentially not applicable.

A4.05     When eTraining includes unproctored examinations, protocols are in place to verify student identity. Advisory: Potentially not applicable.

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