School Accreditation Overview
"Accreditation engages the entire school community in a continuous process of self-evaluation, reflection, and improvement."
Accreditation is a voluntary method of quality assurance developed more than 100 years ago by American universities and secondary schools. Accreditation engages the entire school community in a continuous process of self-evaluation, reflection, and improvement. It invites external scrutiny and welcomes the constructive feedback of peers. It demands rigor, is based in data, and approaches documentation of results with discipline. Accreditation is about making the quest for excellence a habit; it's about being the best a school can be on behalf of the students it serves.
Through AdvancED, NCA CASI and SACS CASI have defined shared, research-based accreditation standards that cross state, regional, and national boundaries. Accompanying these standards is a unified, clear and powerful accreditation process designed to help schools continuously improve.
AdvancED Accreditation Standards for Quality Schools
The AdvancED Accreditation Standards for Quality Schools serve as the foundation for the accreditation process. The seven standards and accompanying indicators were built on NCA CASI and SACS CASI standards and are tied directly to research on
factors that impact student learning. Accredited schools adhere to the standards and use them as a tool for ongoing self assessment. The standards apply to all categories of schools, with the exception of postsecondary schools and schools in Latin America.
How do schools earn accreditation?
To earn accreditation, schools must:
- Meet the AdvancED standards. The standards require that schools have a clear vision and purpose; have effective and responsive leadership; have a rigorous curriculum taught through sound, research-based methods; collect, report, and use performance results; provide adequate resources and support for its educational programs; value and communicate with its stakeholders; and have a commitment to continuously improve. The standards are derived from educational research and best practice.
- Engage in a continuous process of improvement. Accredited schools are committed to being better today than they were yesterday. Schools identify a shared vision, maintain a school-wide profile of the current reality, establish plans and assess the implementation of interventions, and document the results of their efforts to improve student learning and school effectiveness.
- Demonstrate quality assurance through internal and external review. Internal review involves the schools and their stakeholders. External review involves feedback from experienced educators outside the schools. In both cases, reviewers examine evidence to determine if schools are meeting the standards and achieving goals for improving student learning and school effectiveness.
What are the benefits of accreditation?
- A distinctive mark of quality recognized internationally, that affords external recognition of the school's commitment to quality.
- Standards based on education research and best practice.
- Clear and intuitive processes for school improvement that are grounded in best practices from the education and business fields.
- A framework and support system to help meet and exceed local, state, national, and appropriate international requirements.
- Professional development opportunities such as service on review teams, annual conferences, and state workshops on all aspects of school improvement.
- An opportunity to gain valuable input, validation, and support from peers.
- A connection to the best practices of 27,000 public and private schools.
- Customized and technical assistance to maximize improvement efforts.
- Access to a rich and wide array of resources and tools aimed at enhancing improvement efforts.
