What is Accreditation?

Accreditation is the affirmation that a school provides a quality of education that the community has a right to expect and the education world endorses. Accreditation is a means of showing confidence in a school's performance. When the Commission on Secondary Schools accredits a school, it certifies that the school has met the prescribed qualitative standards of the Middle States Association within the terms of the school's own stated philosophy and objectives.

The chief purpose of the whole accreditation process is the improvement of education for youth by evaluating the degree to which a school has attained worthwhile outcomes set by its own staff and community. This is accomplished by periodically conducting a comprehensive self-evaluation of the total school. Through the accreditation process, the school seeks the validation of its self-evaluation by obtaining professional judgment from impartial outsiders on the effectiveness of the total school operation. The intent throughout the process is more than to focus on shortcomings; the chief goal is to seek remedies for inadequacies and to identify and nurture good practices.

Accreditation of a secondary school is on an institutional basis. It should be noted that the whole school, not just one program such as the college preparatory courses, is covered by the accreditation.

The following are some of the many benefits of accreditation:

• greater clarity of purpose
• stronger internal relationships
• wider professional participation
• more effective methods of planning for school improvement
• improved consistency between educational purpose and practice

Accreditation encourages and facilitates school improvement...

• Involvement in an ongoing accreditation protocol fosters excellence and ongoing improvement in a school. The question is not if we want a better school, but how we will assure continuous school improvement. Accreditation provides a systematic process that requires a school to ask why it exists, to establish a vision of its future, and to determine specific objectives for reaching that vision.
• The information surfaced through the accreditation protocol serves as a sound basis for school/district improvement, strategic planning, restructuring, and staff development.
• The accreditation process examines the entire school-its philosophy and goals, its community, its programs and services, the facilities and financial stability.
• Accreditation provides a way to manage change through regular assessment, planning, implementation, and reassessment.
• Accreditation helps schools/districts establish priorities for improvement by using thorough needs assessments, rather than faddish approaches to improvement.
• Accreditation requires a school to establish and implement a 5-year improvement plan based upon its vision of the future. Desired school-wide results are a part of the perpetual accreditation cycle that includes:
  • School self-assessment that identifies areas of strength and areas for improvement in the current educational program for students.
  • Insight and perspective from the evaluation team.
  • Regular staff assessment of progress during the intervening years between full self-studies.
• The accreditation process helps to ensure greater continuity of student experiences through continuous clarification of the school's direction.
• Participation in accreditation provides an excellent growth experience for staff who participate on visiting teams to evaluate other schools.
• Because accreditation is a regional activity that encourages broader involvement with educators from other states and independent, public, and church-related constituencies, participants learn from the differences and benefit from the resulting professional networks.
• The support of MSA staff and encouragement of the Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools motivates schools to maintain their focus on continuous school improvement.

Accreditation provides a means for public accountability...

• The accreditation process validates to the public the integrity of a school's program and student transcripts.
• The accreditation process assures a school community that the school's purposes are appropriate and are being accomplished through a viable educational program.
• The accreditation process justifies the faith and resources others place in the school.

Accreditation fosters stakeholder involvement and commitment...

• Accreditation provides opportunities for grass roots, broad-based involvement of stakeholders in charting the direction of the school.
• The accreditation process offers a mechanism for constituent groups to play a major role in determining the school's future, helping a school to be all it can be.
• Accreditation involves key people in creating a vision of the future, rather than letting the future happen to the school.

Accreditation builds positive public relations...

• Accreditation provides opportunities to emphasize the positive and show how strong and effective the school is.
• Willingly submitting a school to public scrutiny and evaluation builds commitment and a deeper understanding of the school's efforts. It helps staff to broaden its view of community expectations and fosters closer school and community collaboration.
• The accreditation process provides articulation and communication opportunities between school levels and among stakeholder groups.