ICF Coaching Education Accreditation Standards

Organizations seeking ICF accreditation are not required to conduct a pilot program when applying for provisional ICF accreditation. However, for all education/training programs, the completion of one program, utilizing the content as presented in the application, is a prerequisite for eligibility for full ICF accreditation.

Provisional ICF accreditation enables organizations to assert that the content and curriculum outlined in their education/training programs have undergone review and approval in alignment with ICF accreditation standards. During the provisional accreditation period, providers are not authorized to issue ICF-accredited certificates of completion, display the ICF accreditation logo, or market themselves as fully ICF accredited.

Following provisional approval, ICF will furnish the organization with specific language that can be used to communicate their ICF accreditation status accurately.

To successfully complete the ICF accreditation process, all providers with provisional ICF accreditation must graduate at least one class comprising a minimum of five participants. This graduating class should have completed the entire education program, incorporating curriculum content consistent with the intended accreditation application, within one calendar year from the date of submission of the application.

You must meet the required number of contact hours for the accreditation level you are seeking. On the accreditation application, you will be asked to document the number of hours that your education program offers and provide a list of all classes being offered.

Your program may use a mix of synchronous and asynchronous activities to meet the contact hour requirement.

Synchronous

At least 50% of all education must be delivered in synchronous activities, with 80% of it focused on the ICF Core Competencies.
Synchronous contact hours are real-time interactions between faculty and participants. They can include time spent in direct instruction, real-time discussions, observation of, feedback provided for, or practice coaching sessions, and mentoring participants.

Asynchronous

The remaining 50% of education hours can be delivered asynchronously, and 20% of it may be focused on subjects not directly related to the ICF Core Competencies.

Asynchronous contact hours are time spent outside of real-time interaction between faculty and participants. They may also be known as “homework,” “independent study,” or “self-study.” Asynchronous contact hours can include outside reading, writing, research, journaling, practice coaching, and various other activities that may occur outside of the synchronous setting.

At least 50% of all education must be delivered in synchronous activities, with 80% of it focused on the ICF Core Competencies.

Synchronous contact hours are real-time interactions between faculty and participants. They can include time spent in direct instruction, real-time discussions, observation of, feedback provided for, or practice coaching sessions, and mentoring participants.

The remaining 50% of education hours can be delivered asynchronously, and 20% of it may be focused on subjects not directly related to the ICF Core Competencies.

Asynchronous contact hours are time spent outside of real-time interaction between faculty and participants. They may also be known as “homework,” “independent study,” or “self-study.” Asynchronous contact hours can include outside reading, writing, research, journaling, practice coaching, and various other activities that may occur outside of the synchronous setting.

In the accreditation application, you will be asked to document all the classes that make up the full intended program. The following details are required for each class:

• Title.
• Brief description.
• Hours spent teaching.
• ICF Core Competencies taught.
• Primary delivery method (synchronous or asynchronous).

No matter which level of accreditation you are applying for (Level 1, 2, or 3), you must upload the following to your application:

• Course outlines.
• Participant & instructor materials.
• PowerPoint slides or other graphic handouts.
• One recording (MP3, WMA, or WAV) of an observed coaching session.
• Written feedback of the submitted observed coaching session.

Additionally, performance evaluation documentation is required for Level 1 and Level 2 applications.

• Level 1 Application: You must submit one recording (MP3, WMA, or WAV) of a performance evaluation in which a student passed at the ACC level. Written feedback and word-for-word transcript of the performance evaluation recording are also required.
• Level 2 Application: You must submit two recordings (MP3, WMA, or WAV) of a performance evaluation in which the student passed at the PCC level. Written feedback and word-for-word transcript of the performance evaluation recording are also required.

Observed coaching sessions are a vital component of quality coaching education. As such, each ICF-accredited organization is required to provide a specific number of observed sessions and feedback for each participant that goes through your program.

Within your accreditation application, you will be asked to submit one example of a recorded observed coaching session and the corresponding written feedback for that recording.

Here are some key definitions and additional considerations that may be helpful as you comply with this requirement:

• Observed coaching session: Session in which a participant is coaching any client, fellow participant, or another person as a method for practicing their coaching skills.
• Observed time: ICF does not have a minimum length requirement for observed coaching sessions. Sessions should be long enough for a coaching conversation.
• Structure: Observed coaching sessions are observed by an instructor/observer who is responsible for providing written feedback to the participant, noting the participant’s use of the ICF Core Competencies in the coaching session. These sessions may be observed live or through a recorded session. Observed coaching sessions count as part of the total instructional hours of the program.
• Confidentiality: Organizations should only submit recordings for which they have received explicit permission from the client/participant to submit recordings of their coaching sessions to be reviewed by ICF staff and performance evaluation assessors for the purposes of assessing the quality and methods of the coaching.

All Level 1, 2, and 3 accredited providers are required to provide 10 hours of mentor coaching over a time of at least three months. On your application, you will be asked to supply a description of your mentor coaching process used within the contact hours.

Here are some key definitions that may be helpful as you comply with this requirement:

• Mentor coaching: A participant being coached on their coaching skills rather than on practice building, life balance, or other topics unrelated to the development of a participant’s coaching skill. Mentoring is intended to serve as a development process for the participant that takes place in a repetitive cycle of receiving feedback regarding participant coaching, reflecting on this feedback and practicing new skills. The focus must be on the development of skills using the ICF Core Competencies.
• Structure: The 10 hours of mentor coaching should be integrated into the total contact hours and occur periodically throughout the course of the contact hours. Group mentoring may count for a maximum of seven hours toward the mentoring requirement. The group being mentored may not consist of more than 10 participants. A minimum of three of the 10 mentoring hours must be one-on-one mentoring. All mentor coaching should be completed verbally.

Level 1 and Level 2 accredited providers must administer a final performance evaluation in a formal testing environment. The final performance evaluation must, at a minimum, contain an actual observation of coaching at least 20 minutes to one hour in length which is graded as a final performance evaluation.

Grading Criteria

Performance evaluations must be graded to align with an ICF credential level.

• For Level 1 accreditation, the performance evaluation must be graded at or above the ICF ACC credential level, which is described in the minimum skill requirements for the ACC.
• For Level 2 accreditation, the performance evaluation must be graded at or above the ICF PCC credential level, which is described in the minimum skill requirements for the PCC.

For both Level 1 and Level 2 accreditation:

• Participants must receive written feedback/scoring for their performance evaluation that provides information regarding their performance on each of the ICF Core Competencies.
• Performance evaluation reviewers at your organization must hold an ICF credential at the PCC or MCC level, successfully complete the full PCC Marker Assessor training (or refresher training) and competently understand the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics.

Application Requirements

On your application, you will be required to:

• Document the performance evaluation process and grading criteria used for the final performance evaluation.
• Document the start date for a class of participants that has completed the program including the performance evaluation process and when they graduated.
• Submit recording(s) of an actual participant coaching session(s) that was used for the final performance evaluation and received a passing evaluation. Coaching demonstrations by faculty members cannot be submitted for evaluation.
  • For a Level 1 application, one recording as well as the transcript and written feedback must be submitted.
  • For a Level 2 application, two recordings as well as the transcripts and written feedback must be submitted.

Application Review

Once your accreditation application is submitted and under review, ICF Coaching Education will send the performance evaluation recording(s) to qualified ICF assessors. They will ensure that your organization assessed the recordings at the correct credential level (ACC credential for Level 1 accreditation and PCC credential for Level 2 accreditation).

If the recordings do not pass, you will be able to resubmit new recordings for a fee of $250 USD. This retake process can be completed a total of two times. If the recordings still do not receive passing scores at that time, the program will not be awarded accreditation.

For Level 1, 2, and 3 accreditation, your organization must have a director of education. On your application, you will be required to document who the director of education is and their current ICF credential level.

Qualifications

The director of education must have:

• An active ICF credential and subscribe to the ICF definition of coaching, Code of Ethics, and Core Competencies.
  • For Level 1 and Level 2 accreditation, the director must hold an active PCC or MCC credential.
  • For Level 3 accreditation, the director must hold an active MCC credential.
• Five years of client coaching experience.
• Demonstrated facilitation and training skills — training history.

Job Responsibilities

This role provides oversight of the curriculum, instructional processes, education of instructors and all observation and examination processes. Specifically:

• Curriculum and class offerings: Ensure the curriculum being taught is the same as the curriculum accredited by ICF as a part of the submitted accreditation application.
• Instructional process: Ensure content is delivered by methods noted in the submitted accreditation application, and that all time requirements for classes are met.
• Education of instructors: Train program instructors in alignment with the Train-the-Trainer program outlined in the submitted accreditation application.
• Examination processes: Ensure performance evaluation process is being followed exactly as noted in the submitted accreditation application.