(1) To ensure ongoing compliance with the board's statutes and rules, approved nursing education programs must be site visited and reevaluated for continued approval at least every ten years and in conjunction with the program's visit from an approved, recognized national nursing accreditation body. If the program is not nationally accredited, the board must perform approval site visits at least every five years.

(2) Before a site visit, a school that is not nationally accredited must submit a self-study report to the board office providing evidence of compliance with the appropriate nursing education requirements. The school must forward four copies of the self-study report and four copies of the school catalog to the board office at least 60 days before a scheduled site visit. If a program holds national nursing accreditation, any self-study report used for the accrediting body must be submitted to the board office at least 60 days before the scheduled site visit.

(3) The site visit is performed by a qualified site visitor and the board's executive director on dates mutually agreeable to the board and the school.

(a) Schools must participate in scheduling the site visit.

(b) The site visitor's report must be made available to the school within 60 days of the site visit.

(c) The school may submit a written response to the site visitor's report for clarification and correction within 30 days of receipt of the report.

(d) Site visit reviewers must include, but not be limited to, the executive director of the board and an outside reviewer with expertise in relation to the type of program being reviewed.

(4) The board shall review the self-study report. Materials and site visit reports must be in the board office at least 30 days before the next scheduled board meeting.

(5) Following the board's review and decision, the board must send written notification regarding approval of the program and the board's recommendations to the program director and the leadership of the parent institution.

(6) The board office shall issue a certificate of approval to all schools continuing to meet the minimum nursing program requirements.

(7) The board may site visit a program at any time as deemed necessary by the board or at the request of the school.

(8) Each nursing program must maintain an annual NCLEX pass rate that is not ten percentage points or more below the national average pass rate for first-time test takers.

(a) The first year a program's average pass rate is ten percentage points or more below the national average, the program will be issued a letter of notice from the board.

(b) The second consecutive year a program's average pass rate is ten percentage points or more below the national average, the program will be placed on conditional status by the board. The program must submit to the board a written plan to improve the pass rate.

(c) The third consecutive year a program's average pass rate is ten percentage points or more below the national average, the program must submit a self-study report to the board. The board will also perform a site visit.

(d) Board decisions regarding compliance with this requirement for RN programs having less than 21 students per year and/or PN programs having less than 15 students per year will be based upon two consecutive years of NCLEX pass rates for first-time test takers.