AdvancED Accreditation

Newton County School System (NCSS) has undergone its five-year district accreditation process and was informed that the accreditation team will recommend reaccreditation for the district, meaning the Newton School System and each of its schools will remain fully accredited. This means that annually, every public school in Newton County meets or exceeds the accreditation standards that support student achievement.

Accreditation is important for the citizens of Newton County as it serves as assurance that NCSS is providing and ensuring academic excellence for students. Accreditation ensures a standard of quality among credits, courses and grade level placements between schools and universities around the world. It also validates the equivalency of diplomas and certificates to other accredited schools and universities.

District accreditation is not a standalone process; rather it supports system-wide continuous improvement. Specifically, district accreditation:

  • Enhances a common language of school improvement.
  • Ensures collaboration in planning for improvement.
  • Provides the school system and community with validation and recognition for improvement efforts and recommendations from an external team of professionals.
  • Supports a system-wide approach to achieving results.
  • Integrates and supports other accountability requirements such as those mandated by the state and federal educational agencies.

District accreditation is not a given and requires commitment from the system's leadership and school board. NCSS must have in place a quality continuous improvement planning process focused on improving student learning. In addition, there must be a commitment to achieving and maintaining the following requirements:

  • Demonstration of compliance with the SACS CASI Accreditation Standards for Quality School Systems.
  • Identification and illustration of the system's framework for continuous improvement.
  • Evidence showcased of methods being employed to monitor and maintain quality assurance.

In preparation for the AdvancED Accreditation Team's visit, NCSS and each of its schools were required to do the following:

  • Conduct and analyze stakeholder surveys from parents, students and certified staff.
  • Analyze and summarize student achievement data from state and local assessments.
  • Conduct a self-assessment of the current level of performance in regard to the five AdvancED accreditation standards.
  • Develop an executive summary from the information in the self-assessment.

The five AdvancED Standards for Quality are as follows:

Standard 1: Purpose and Direction
Standard 2: Governance and Leadership
Standard 3: Teaching and Assessing for Learning
Standard 4: Resources and Support Systems
Standard 5: Using Results for Continuous Improvement

AdvancED is the parent organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). AdvancED is dedicated to advancing excellence in education worldwide through accreditation, research and professional services. AdvancED is the world's largest education community, engaging 27,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in 65 countries worldwide and educating 15 million students.

Helpful Links
AdvancED

2018-2019 AdvancED Report on Newton County School System
Final Report for Newton County Schools

2013-2014 District Executive Summary for AdvancED Reaccreditation Visit
NCSS District Executive Summary