Accreditation

The identity and unique purpose of a religious and independent school is rooted in its foundational statements that specify its vision, mission, and core values. The foundation statements are cooperatively identified, clearly stated, and mutually accepted; and direct the learner throughout his/her educational and formational experience.

Members of the school community have developed, implemented, and communicated an effective school-community interaction plan to: (1) strengthen the school and community; (2) facilitate support for the school; and (3) provide opportunities for parent education and participation in the activities of the school that encourages cooperation and collaboration among home, school, religious, and civic communities.

School climate may be defined as the combination of those qualities of the school environment that affect the attitudes, behavior, and achievement of the people involved in its operation – students, parent/family members, administrators, faculty, staff, governance/consultative body, and members of the faith and civic communities. In quality schools, the adults and students care for, respect, and trust one another. School personnel believe that all children are able to learn. Students and staff expect to be successful as lifelong learners. Morale is high, and social and academic growth are continuous. The environment for teaching and learning is the lived experience of the foundational statements of the school.

An effective school community operates under the guidance of a governing/consultative body and the leadership and management of an administrator. The members of this body and the administrator fulfill their roles and responsibilities in a manner that supports the foundational statements of the school community.

An effective school has a qualified staff supported by the financial and physical resources necessary to advance the foundational statements of the school. A professional and competent staff is provided in sufficient numbers to support student learning. Professional development and support services are aligned with quality planning needed to accomplish the school improvement plans of the school.

An effective learning environment is the hallmark of a religious and independent school in so far as it provides a guaranteed and viable curriculum, an assessment program that reports the proficiency and achievement of the learner, and research-based instructional strategies that foster active meaningful engagement in learning. The professional instructional staff, under the guidance of the administrator, develops this learning environment which is based on standards for content, disposition, and process so as to encourage the learner’s development of critical and creative thinking skills, problem solving ability, and performance skills.

An effective learning environment in a religious and independent school is enhanced with materials and resources for the learner that includes instructional media and technology.

The intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual growth and development of the learner are supported by all members of the school community. Student services are provided for all learners with the understanding that each learner is given opportunities to develop his/her abilities and talents

The members of the school community plan to ensure the continuous effectiveness of the school and its programs for students.

At the foundation of a religious school is its religious identity to a specific religion or denomination. The religious school operates in conformance with the dogmas, teachings/doctrines, and laws of the religion or denomination. It is committed to teaching the fullness of faith, values, and practices and to integrating these core values into all facets of the learner’s life. This integration of faith and values according to the religion or denomination distinguishes the religious school from other religious, independent and public schools. The formation and education are evidenced in relationships with one another, prayer experiences, well-planned religious instruction, service to community, and value-oriented religious living.

The School Improvement Plan will be a multi-year, data informed, systematic process that identifies what will be improved and how the plan will be implemented to demonstrate measurable gains or progress in attaining the identified goals.