A national, nongovernmental accreditation system is the key to ensuring that education remains fundamentally sound, responsible, responsive, and effective, thereby providing public confidence in the integrity and quality of educational institutions and programs. The Council on Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) policy on the rights and responsibilities of accrediting bodies and institutions in this process is explained. Preconditions are that the institutions/programs and accrediting bodies are partners in the voluntary evaluation, and there is a mutual commitment among institutions/programs and accrediting bodies to candor, cooperation, integrity, trust, confidence, voluntary self-regulation, and assessment of educational quality. The policy statement looks at: development and promulgation of standards (with institutions/programs and accrediting bodies having the responsibility to involve broad participation of affected constituencies in developing standards and policies, develop consistent and flexible policies and standards, and conduct periodic review); and five stages of accreditation actions or process and concomitant statements of rights and responsibilities (basic procedures, information requested and supplied, site visit and review, decision, and follow-up). (SM)