Accreditation

All of the high schools in the Archdiocese are accredited by a regional, national, or international accrediting association. These include AdvancEd/North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (AE/NCA CASI) and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). These accrediting associations establish standards which must be met by member schools.

High schools are encouraged to qualify for Accreditation by AE/NCA CASI, and the vast majority of the Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese are accredited by this organization. AE/NCA CASI is the world’s largest education community, accrediting 23,000 public and private schools and districts in 30 states and 65 countries that together serve 15 million students.

The AE/NCA CASI accreditation standards and criteria focus on seven areas: (1) Vision and Purpose; (2) Governance and Leadership; (3) Teaching and Learning; (4) Documenting and Using Results; (5) Resources and Support Systems; (6) Stakeholder Communication and Relationships; and, (7) Commitment to Continuous Improvement. Detailed information about the accreditation standards and the requirements for accredited schools can be found online at http://www.advanc-ed.org.

Accredited schools must (a) meet these standards, (b) engage in a continuous school improvement process focused on students’ academic performance, and (c) pass a quality assurance review by a team of professionals from outside the school. This review occurs every five years and involves extensive examination of school documents and data, observation of the school in operation, and interviews of students, faculty members, staff members, parents, board members, and community members.

The AE/NCA CASI school improvement activities target improvement of students’ academic performance related to specific concepts, skills, and values. Accredited schools must establish goals for improvement in each targeted area, collect and analyze data regarding the current level of student performance in each area, design and implement improvement strategies that students will experience, design and implement professional development strategies that teachers will experience, monitor the implementation of strategies, and statistically analyze the degree of change in student performance after three years of implementation.

For additional information contact:

Dr. Karen L. Tichy
Associate Superintendent for Instruction (K-12)
Catholic Education Office
4445 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis MO 63108
314.792.7321
ktichy@archstl.org