Welcome to the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI)
Founded in 1895, NCA CASI accredits over 8,500 public and private schools in 19 states, the Navajo Nation, and the Department of Defense Schools. NCA CASI is an accreditation division of AdvancED. AdvancED is also the parent organization of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) and the National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE).
Overview of the AdvancED Standards and Accreditation Process for Schools
Effective 2007-08
"Accreditation is an activity, not a status. Schools are accredited because of the way they move, not the way they stand."
John A. Stoops, Late Executive Director, CITA
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. Schools will continue to earn the NCA CASI or SACS CASI accreditation seals based on the region in which they reside. The shared standards and accreditation process enhance the value, consistency, and meaning of the NCA CASI and SACS CASI accreditation seals.
The AdvancED accreditation standards and process that will be implemented by NCA CASI and SACS CASI beginning in 2007-08 are based on ongoing self-assessment against the quality standards, rigorous on-site evaluation, and continuous improvement.
Earning and Maintaining Accreditation
To earn and maintain accreditation from NCA CASI or SACS CASI, schools must:
- Adhere to the AdvancED Accreditation Standards for Quality Schools.
- Engage in ongoing self-assessment and continuous improvement.
- Document results of improvement efforts.
- Complete a Standards Assessment Report between six weeks and six months prior to the Quality Assurance Review.
- Host a Quality Assurance Review Team once every five years. Act on the Quality Assurance Review Team's recommendations.
- Submit a progress report two years following the Quality Assurance Review.
In addition, accredited schools pay accreditation fees that are used to provide accredited schools with research-based standards, nationally-trained quality assurance review team chairs, high-quality resources and tools, and ongoing professional development.
Term Accreditation The accreditation process is based on a five-year term accreditation. The process helps focus schools on a continuous process of improvement, providing external checks, support, and feedback to help schools continuously improve. The following chart outlines the process over the five-year term.
| Timing | School's Responsibilities |
| Every year |
- Adhere to the AdvancED standards.
- Engage in ongoing self-assessment and continuous improvement.
- Document results of improvement efforts.
- Update school demographic and contact information.
- Notify AdvancED of any substantive changes in the school's ability to meet the standards.
|
| Between Six Weeks and Six Months before Quality Assurance Review |
- Prepare and submit the electronic Standards Assessment Report. The report helps the school prepare for the review and provides the review team with the basis for its evaluation.
|
| Year of Quality Assurance Review |
- Prepare for the Quality Assurance Review team, working with the team chair to establish the review schedule and make arrangements for the team.
- Gather evidence and documentation in preparation for the team's review of the school's adherence to the standards.
- Host the Quality Assurance Review team.
- Share the findings from the Quality Assurance Review team report with the school community.
- Begin acting on the team's recommendations.
|
| Year following the Quality Assurance Review Visit |
- Act on the team's recommendations and document progress.
|
| Two Years following the Quality Assurance Review Visit |
- Act on the team's recommendations and document progress.
- Submit a two year progress report on the school's response to the team's recommendations.
|
The Standards
The AdvancED accreditation standards serve as the foundation for the accreditation process. The seven standards and accompanying indicators are tied directly to the
research on factors that impact student learning. The seven standards address the following areas:
- Vision and Purpose
- Governance and Leadership
- Teaching and Learning
- Documenting and Using Results
- Resources and Support Systems
- Stakeholder Communications and Relationships
- Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Accredited schools adhere to the standards and use them as a tool for ongoing self-assessment. They use the standards to continually ask themselves, "What more can we be doing to benefit our students?"
Accredited schools use a disciplined approach to document and maintain evidence of their adherence to the standards. They are continually ready to answer the question, "How do we know we meet the standards?"
The Quality Assurance Review
Purpose. Once every five years, the school hosts a Quality Assurance Review team. The purpose of the Quality Assurance Review is to:
- Evaluate the school's adherence to the standards.
- Assess the effectiveness of the school's improvement efforts.
- Review performance results and how those results are used to inform improvement efforts.
- Provide high-quality feedback with clear recommendations and actionable next steps.
- Make an accreditation recommendation.
Preparation. To prepare for the review, the school completes the online Standards Assessment Report between six weeks and six months prior to the scheduled review. The report engages the school community in an in-depth self assessment of each of the seven AdvancED standards. It helps the school identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement and provides the review team with a starting point for their work.
The school then gathers documentation to provide evidence and demonstrate adherence to the standards. The aim is to minimize additional paperwork for the school and allow the school to use existing materials and artifacts to assure the review team that it has met the standards. The following resource helps school personnel consider examples of evidence available in their school that demonstrate the school's adherence to the AdvancED quality standards.
The school works with the Quality Assurance Review team chair to define the schedule for the review team and ensure that the travel and accommodation needs of team members are met.
The Team. The Quality Assurance Review team is led by an AdvancED trained and certified team chair who is appointed to the school by the NCA CASI or SACS CASI State Office. Team members are selected for the team by the state office with input and discussion from the team chair to ensure that team members reflect areas of need/focus for the school. The size of the team varies depending on the size of the school, with teams ranging from 3-7 members.
Length of Visit. The review is scheduled by the NCA CASI/SACS CASI State Office and generally lasts two days, with at least one full day on campus.
The Review. While on site, the Quality Assurance Review Team provides an orientation, conducts interviews with members of the school community, visits classrooms, collects and reviews evidence, and meets to review findings. The team provides an oral exit report to the school, highlighting commendations, opportunities for improvement, and recommendations for action. The team also recommends an accreditation status for the school.
The Report. Following the visit, the review team completes the Quality Assurance Review Report and submits it to a nationally-trained reader who reviews the report to ensure it is well written, is of high quality, and contains targeted recommendations that will enhance the school's capacity to improve school effectiveness and student performance. The school then receives the final report and uses the recommendations in the report to guide improvement efforts.
Continuous Improvement
Accredited schools are committed to being better today than they were yesterday. This commitment to continuous improvement is demonstrated by the school's adherence to the standards and implementation of a quality improvement process that yields results for students.
Flexibility in Choice of Process. Schools may use the improvement process of their choice that meets the requirements of the AdvancED standards. This may include the use of the state's improvement model, NCA CASI's eight-phase school improvement model, Breakthrough School Improvement, or any number of improvement processes that schools have found to be effective in enhancing organizational effectiveness and student performance.
Efficacy of Process. The Quality Assurance Review team examines the quality of the implementation of the process and looks for evidence of the effectiveness of the chosen school improvement process. The team offers guidance and support on ways to enhance the school's continuous improvement efforts.
Two Year Progress Report. Two years following the Quality Assurance Review team visit, the school submits a progress report detailing the actions and progress the school has made on the team's recommendation. The progress report is intended to serve as a tool for schools to stay focused on the recommendations of the team and to use the team report as a guide to enhancing their school's improvement efforts. The report is also used as a monitoring tool by the NCA CASI/SACS CASI State Office to provide assistance to the school and to ensure that the school is addressing any deficiencies in the standards.
The Accreditation Decision
The NCA CASI/SACS CASI State Office receives the Quality Assurance Review Team Report. The office works with a State Committee/Council of practitioners to review the team's accreditation recommendation and other evidence to recommend an accreditation status for the school. The state's recommendations are reviewed at the national level, where a final accreditation status is granted. The two year progress report and other documentation gathered over the course of the school's accreditation term are reviewed on an ongoing basis at the state and national levels to ensure continued adherence to the standards.
Making Excellence a Habit
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
Aristotle
When truly embraced by the school, the accreditation process breeds a culture dedicated to excellence - never satisfied with good, always striving for greatness. 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.
