2024 Accreditation Activities 

ISER 2023De Anza is preparing for a site visit this fall by an external peer review team, as part of the process for reaffirming De Anza's accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The visit follows completion of a comprehensive Institutional Self-Evaluation Report, produced through a collegewide effort in 2022 and 2023. 

Here is an overview of the process, followed by an expected timeline.


Fall 2024 Site Visit

 The peer review team will visit the campus and meet with a variety of college faculty, classified professionals and administrators on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 1 and 2, 2024.

Update on Core Inquiries - 2024 - coverOn each day, the team will also hold campus forums in a hybrid format so they can be attended in person or online. (Please watch for an Outlook invitation with Zoom links for attending online.)

During their visit, the team will focus on three core inquiries and the college update on those areas of focus. Team members also will tour facilities, conduct scheduled meetings and gather additional information to further their analysis to determine whether all accreditation standards are met, before finalizing their Peer Review Team Report which will identify commendations or recommendations. 

Tuesday, Oct. 1: Open Forum

  • 1-2 p.m.
  • MLC 255 and online via Zoom

Wednesday, Oct. 2: Team Share-Out

  • 1-1:30 p.m.
  • MLC 255 and online via Zoom

Core Inquiries Developed by Review Team

After reviewing De Anza's Institutional Self-Evaluation Report and related evidence, meeting with Interim President Christina G. Espinosa-Pieb and conducting a March 15 town hall meeting with college employees, the accreditation peer review team developed two core inquiries for the college – one pertaining to regular and substantive interaction (RSI) in online courses and one in which the team said it was "impressed with the institution’s use of disaggregated data to analyze and address achievement gaps." These will be the focus of the team's campus visit on Oct. 1-2.

A third core inquiry pertaining to regular review and revision of district policies will be the focus of the team's district visit on Sept. 30.

Final ISER Submitted to ACCJC

Following approval by College Council and the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees, the edited final version of the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) was submitted to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) in December 2023. The ACCJC peer review team is now reviewing the ISER and gathering other relevant information.

Self-Evaluation Process

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The College Planning Committee serves as the Accreditation Steering Committee to guide the college through the self-evaluation process and prepare for the peer review team's site visit, following guidelines established by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).

As part of the self-evaluation, the college conducted an extensive review of programs and activities in the context of ACCJC Standards and Eligibility Requirements. The resulting Institutional Self-Evaluation Report (ISER) includes extensive evidence and a Quality Focus Essay that identifies plans and projects for future improvement.

The steering committee received approval from College Council to assign individual shared governance groups to draft relevant sections of the Institutional Self-Evaluation Report, drawing on their representative membership and areas of expertise. This work began in fall 2022, and rough drafts were completed during summer 2023. Drawing on those draft sections, the steering committee then developed a draft Quality Focus Essay and improvement plans.

After editing by the Office of Communications, the steering committee shared the combined drafts and solicited feedback from the campus community during fall 2023. The feedback was incorporated into a final draft that was approved by College Council on Nov. 16 and by the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees on Dec. 11, before it was submitted to the ACCJC in December 2023.

Questions or Comments

If you have questions or comments for the college to consider about accreditation, please contact Mallory Newell, Accreditation Liaison Officer at 408.864.8777 or newellmallory@deanza.edu 

Comments to the Accrediting Commission

Members of the college community or public may submit comments directly to the commission by  completing the commission’s online comment form. Comments should be submitted no later than five weeks before the peer review team visit. Institutions will be provided an opportunity to review applicable third-party comments.


Accreditation Timeline for 2024

Spring: Evaluation Team Review and Findings

  • March 4: Peer review team finalizes requests for more information from the college
  • March 11: College provides responses to requests from peer review team
  • March 15 (Friday, noon-1 p.m.): College hosts campuswide virtual town hall with peer review team
  • March 18: Visiting team completes their ISER review
  • March 21: Visiting team provides core inquiries for recommendations or commendations

Fall: Campus Visit on Oct. 1-2 

Previous Events in Timeline (2022-2023)

Sept. 22, 2022: Opening Day Presentation

  • Accreditation Liaison Officer shares with campus community the purpose of accreditation and explains the self-evaluation process

October 2022: Meetings With Shared Governance Groups

  • Accreditation Liaison Officer meets with governance groups to explain process and solicit team leads for writing assigned sections.
  • Each assigned team identifies a lead writer who is responsible for collecting evidence and input from the team, drafting the section and submitting the final product
      • Standard I: Mission, Academic Quality and Institutional Effectiveness, and Integrity – assigned to College Planning Committee or writing team - Lead: Mallory Newell
          • A. Mission
          • B. Assuring Academic Quality and Institutional Effectiveness
          • C. Institutional Integrity
      • Standard II: Student Learning Programs and Support Services
          • A. Instructional Programs – assigned to IPBT or writing team - Leads: Erik Woodbury, Moaty Fayek, Mary Pape and Eric Mendoza
          • B. Library and Learning Support Services – assigned to Academic Services or writing team - Lead: Tom Dolen
          • C. Student Support Services - assigned to SSPBT or writing team - Lead: Michele Lebleu-Burns
      • Standard III: Resources – assigned to Administrative Planning and Budget Team
          • A. Human Resources - Leads: Martin Varela and Pam Grey
          • B. Physical Resources - Leads: Jennifer Mahato and Pam Grey
          • C. Technology Resources – assigned to Technology Committee or writing team - Leads: Marisa Spatafore and Mary Pape
          • D. Financial Resources - Leads: Martin Varela and Pam Grey
      • Standard IV: Leadership and Governance – assigned to College Planning Committee and the following groups:
          • A. Decision-Making Roles and Processes - Academic Senate Lead: Cheryl Jaeger-Balm; Classified Senate Lead: Deborah Armstrong
          • B. Chief Executive Officer - Lead: Mallory Newell
          • C. Governing Board - Lead: Mallory Newell with Paula Norsell  
          • D. Multi-College Districts or Systems - Lead: Mallory Newell

October 2022 – June 2023: Self-Evaluation and Initial Draft Report

  • College Planning Committee meets to work on and monitor standards in conjunction with shared governance groups serving as writing teams. 

Dec. 1, 2022: First Drafts Due From Writing Teams

Feb. 23, 2023: Second Drafts Due From Writing Teams

May 11, 2023: Third Drafts Due From Writing Teams

May 25, 2023: Fourth Drafts Due From Writing Teams

June 2023: Combined Drafts Shared

  • Teams' fourth drafts are shared on the website with college community 
  • Drafts are submitted to the Office of Communications for editing and design

July – September 2023: Communications Office Review

  • Communications Office reviews and directs questions to drafting teams or the Accreditation Liaison Officer
  • Communications Office continues with final edits, formatting and production

October 2023: Collegewide Feedback on Edited Draft

  • Accreditation Liaison Officer presents draft to shared governance process, seeking formal approval from each governance group
  • Final revisions are made as needed

November 2023: Edited Draft to College Council

December 2023: Final Draft to Board of Trustees 

Dec. 15, 2023: Final Document Submitted to Commission

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