The FLETA Procedures and Standards 2020 Edition states:
Academy accreditation is an organizational-level recognition that an academy administers, develops, and delivers all training programs under the academy’s purview according to the FLETA standards. Attainment of academy accreditation does not confer accreditation to all programs under the academy; training organizations must obtain program accreditation for each training program seeking FLETA recognition. To be eligible for academy accreditation, a TO must:
- Have all basic training program(s) and a basic instructor training program(s) accredited through FLETA (or use a FLETA accredited instructor training program).
- Have documented academy directives, policies, and/or procedures to address each applicable FLETA standard. Academy accreditation is a commitment that all directives, policies, and/or procedures are applied uniformly across all training programs under its authority; this includes training programs that have not been formally assessed through the FLETA process.
- Include policies/evidence for the eTraining in the applicable files, even if the program is not one selected to represent the academy, if the academy manages training programs that meet the FLETA glossary for eTraining.
- Identify the sites in the application, if the academy trains at multiple locations. The facilities, resources, and training at each site must meet the standards, and policies/evidence for all locations must be included in the applicable files.
- Provide supporting evidence to indicate the academy meets each applicable academy standard. The goal is to demonstrate that all training programs under the academy meet the FLETA standards. The number of training programs used for supporting evidence will be based upon the number of training programs within the academy.
If the academy has less than 10 training programs, beyond the basic training and basic instructor training program(s), then supporting evidence will come from 50% of the “other” training programs. The academy will list the training programs used to represent the academy in the SAM. If necessary, the academy may use additional programs, beyond the “other” programs selected, to demonstrate that it meets the standards. The academy will include the additional program(s) in the SAM, if known, before submission to the OA, on the ISCR, and in the FLETA Assessment Report.
If the academy has 10 or more training programs, beyond the basic training and basic instructor training programs, then supporting evidence will come from five of the “other” training programs. The academy will list the training programs used to represent the academy in the SAM. If necessary, the academy may use more than five programs to demonstrate that it meets the standards. The academy will include the additional program(s) in the SAM, if known, before submission to the OA, on the ISCR, and in the FLETA Assessment Report.
When none of the selected “other” training programs have had the opportunity to perform an activity, as it relates to a standard, the academy will include policy and/or evidence from the academy’s basic training and/or basic instructor training program(s) in the file. The OA only acknowledges N/A status for applicable academy standards when none of the training programs under the academy perform the requirement of the standard. The assessment team validates the N/A during the FLETA assessment.
When an academy does not have additional training programs beyond its basic training and/or basic instructor training program(s), the academy must receive approval from the FLETA OA Executive Director to use evidence from the basic training and basic instructor training programs. The applicant must ensure this approval is noted in the application for academy accreditation and the SAM.
When an academy does not have basic training programs as defined in this Manual, the academy will substitute its primary program(s) as a replacement for the basic training requirement, and follow the process outlined above as if the primary program(s) were basic training.
The TO will work with the OA to identify/determine the training programs required to obtain/maintain academy accreditation. (pgs. 13 & 14)
Assessors are trained that the academy will determine what evidence to use to support each standard. The evidence will be a sampling of the academy’s programs that the academy designates. It does not mean the academy must have evidence in each file for each program used to meet the standards.
Assessors should not require or expect the academy to provide evidence for each of the designated programs in each file. This does not mean that an assessor may not ask for additional evidence from the designated programs, if it is necessary to make a determination if the academy met the standard. As with all assessments, the purpose of supporting evidence is to demonstrate that the training organization is following its own processes.
The FLETA Board has determined that contract personnel are not authorized to conduct FLETA assessments of an academy/program for consideration by the FLETA Board for a determination of accreditation. The FLETA Board based their decision on federal regulations and legal opinion. Therefore, contract personnel are prohibited from performing FLETA assessments.
As outlined in the FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual, the self-assessment of an academy/program prior to the FLETA assessment is the property and responsibility of the training organization. Therefore, an organization may allow contract personnel to perform self-assessments. The FLETA Board is not responsible for the use of contractors during the self-assessment process.
Contract personnel may attend the FLETA Assessor Training Program (ATP), space available, with written endorsement from the respective training organization. Contract personnel may also attend the FLETA Fundamentals, Accreditation Manager Workshop, and training provided at FLETA Board meetings. The training organization and/or contracting company is responsible for funding all travel and per diem.
Government employees have first priority for all FLETA training. Contract personnel may be removed from the roster to accommodate a government employee. Finally, contractors are not authorized to participate in the Team Leader Training Program.
Additional questions regarding the use of contractors in the FLETA process may be sent to FLETA@dhs.gov.
The FLETA community can suggest the creation, deletion, or revision of FLETA Standards through the “Standards Revision Form”.
The “Standards Revision Form” is available on the FLETA HSIN Community website in the Resources section. Download and complete Section 1 of the form. Unless submitted by a current Board member, the form must have the name and title of a supervisor within the agency who concurs with the recommendation. Submit the completed form to the Office of Accreditation. The form can be mailed, faxed, or emailed.
Upon receipt, the OA will complete Section 2 of the form and forward it to the FLETA Standards Steering Committee (SSC) Chairperson for review and consideration.
Section 3 will be completed when the Standards Steering Committee meets and reviews the recommendation. If the SSC approves the recommendation, notation will be made on the form and the SSC will make the recommendation to the Board. If the SSC approves the recommendation with changes, notation will be made on the form and the recommendation with the necessary changes will be made to the Board. If the SSC disapproves the recommendation, notation will be made on the form. All “Standards Revision Forms” regardless of decision will be archived by the OA.
The Standards Steering Committee formally reviews the standards annually. The OA will maintain all received “Standards Revision Forms” until the Standards Steering Committee meets.
Authority: FLETA Bylaws, approved April 21, 2020; FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual 2020 Edition
The FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual 2020 Edition states:
The FLETA Board declines to establish a policy for applicant accreditation records retention; the Board views this as an internal TO matter. It is recommended that the applicant maintain the accreditation files for the current period until the Board has made a determination of accreditation. Following the awarding of accreditation, organizations may retain any directives/policies that remain valid into the subsequent reaccreditation cycle. Supporting evidence is specific to each year of the current reaccreditation cycle. (pg. 33)
Assessors are trained that policy/directives and supporting evidence must be signed, dated or otherwise authenticated.
Policy/Directives: If training organization policy authorizes the use of electronic signatures, then a /s/, //s//, “signature on file”, or other electronic signature, deemed appropriate by the organization, is acceptable. The assessor may ask to see a document that authorizes a specific type of signature or authorizing mark (such as a stamp, seal, /s/, or any other mark). Further, if a policy is on an official government website (internal or external), it may be accepted as authentic. It is not up to the assessor whether they approve how the training organization authorizes policy/directives, but that the organization has a process and follows it consistently.
Supporting Evidence: Authentication will depend on the type of evidence, how it is generated, and any formatting or organizational procedures for generating the evidence. Authentication can be demonstrated through various methods such as, but not limited to: title on a document, date in the footer, database screen shot, printout where document is located on a government website, copy of log book entries, photos of facilities/training, printouts of rosters, evaluation analysis reports, emails, and etc. Assessors are trained to use a realistic approach to how supporting evidence is authenticated. Some general guidelines include:
- If forms are used, the forms must be completed to demonstrate that the training organization follows its own procedures.
- Protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) may require the training organization to redact information. This is acceptable and the assessor should accept the form as completed.
- If the evidence has a signature block on the form or document, then it should be signed according to the organization’s policy for signatures.
Some evidence will not have a signature/approval block and the assessor is expected to use a common sense approach when reviewing the material to determine authentication (via type of document, date on document, screenshot, etc.).
See the FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual 2020 Edition states:
If the TO had no opportunity to employ a particular directive/policy as it relates to the standard for a specific year(s), a Memo to File signed by the AO, or designee, attesting to that fact, is sufficient. A Memo to File cannot be used in place of actual evidence. (pg. 17)
Program accreditation is specific to a program. When a training organization applies for program accreditation, all the policies/directives and evidence will demonstrate that a specific program meets the standards. The training organization must submit a separate application for each program seeking accreditation.
Program accreditation is not transferable. If a program is deleted, or the whole or parts of a program are transferred into another program, the new program must be reviewed following the FLETA process.
Academy accreditation is an organizational-level recognition that an academy administers, develops, and delivers all training programs under the academy’s purview according to the FLETA standards. To be eligible to apply for academy accreditation, a training organization must achieve accreditation for all entry-level/basic programs and either use a FLETA-accredited instructor development program or achieve accreditation for its initial/introductory instructor development program.
Authority: FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual 2020 Edition
The FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual 2020 Edition states:
Provide supporting evidence to indicate the academy meets each applicable academy standard. The goal is to demonstrate that all training programs under the academy meet the FLETA standards. The number of training programs used for supporting evidence will be based upon the number of training programs within the academy.
If the academy has less than 10 training programs, beyond the basic training and basic instructor training program(s), then supporting evidence will come from 50% of the “other” training programs. The academy will list the training programs used to represent the academy in the SAM. If necessary, the academy may use additional programs, beyond the “other” programs selected, to demonstrate that it meets the standards. The academy will include the additional program(s) in the SAM, if known, before submission to the OA, on the ISCR, and in the FLETA Assessment Report.
If the academy has 10 or more training programs, beyond the basic training and basic instructor training programs, then supporting evidence will come from five of the “other” training programs. The academy will list the training programs used to represent the academy in the SAM. If necessary, the academy may use more than five programs to demonstrate that it meets the standards. The academy will include the additional program(s) in the SAM, if known, before submission to the OA, on the ISCR, and in the FLETA Assessment Report.
When none of the selected “other” training programs have had the opportunity to perform an activity, as it relates to a standard, the academy will include policy and/or evidence from the academy’s basic training and/or basic instructor training program(s) in the file. The OA only acknowledges N/A status for applicable academy standards when none of the training programs under the academy perform the requirement of the standard. The assessment team validates the N/A during the FLETA assessment.
When an academy does not have additional training programs beyond its basic training and/or basic instructor training program(s), the academy must receive approval from the FLETA OA Executive Director to use evidence from the basic training and basic instructor training programs. The applicant must ensure this approval is noted in the application for academy accreditation and the SAM. (pg. 14)
The FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual 2020 Edition states:
As with initial accreditation, if the TO had no opportunity to employ a particular directive/policy as it relates to the standard for a specific year(s), a Memo to File signed by the AO, or designee, attesting to that fact is sufficient evidence. (pg. 28)
The FLETA Board established an annual report process to provide training organizations a communications vehicle. The FLETA Board expects an academy/program to use the annual report process to notify them of any event or circumstance that an organization is facing during the process, in addition to reporting academy’s/program’s status meeting the FLETA Standards. The communication of such events provides the FLETA Board the opportunity to address it appropriately and equitably for all training organizations.
FLETA reaccreditation occurs every five years and is an independent review of an academy or program. For each reaccreditation cycle, the training organization will identify standards having potential for not applicable (N/A) status and follow the process outlined in the FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual. If acknowledged by the OA Executive Director, the N/A covers the entire reaccreditation cycle, unless changes to the program and/or academy occur that negate the request.
The FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual 2020 Edition states:
Reaccreditation is a fresh look at a program or academy to ensure continued compliance with the current version of the FLETA Standards. (pg. 27)
The purpose of the Annual Report is for the TO to assure the Board that the accredited academy/program continues to meet the FLETA standards and ensure that consistent and high-quality training continues to be provided. To accomplish this objective, the TO must complete a thorough review and analysis of the directives/policies and supporting evidence relative to each FLETA standard. The Annual Report is an opportunity for the TO to show they are meeting all applicable FLETA standards and providing the TO an opportunity to highlight improvements and/or activities the TO has implemented. (pg. 26)
The checklist included as part of the annual report form provides an outline for training organization’s to conduct the “thorough review and analysis” of their accreditation materials during each year of the accreditation cycle.
If an organization documents during their annual reports and their self-assessment certification memo that the academy/program still meets all applicable standards, and the FLETA Assessment team identifies deficiencies, then the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) process would be followed as it would for initial accreditation. The CAP process is there to support a training organization’s development throughout the process and will be followed systematically for initial and any subsequent accreditation. The FLETA Board will make the determination of compliance based on the outcome of the CAP. See the Corrective Action Plan section of the Manual for additional guidance.