Recognitions, Approvals, and Governance

• Recognition of ACSI's Accreditation Protocol
• The International Registry
• ACSI Preschool Accreditation Approvals by State
• Accreditation Governance Commission

Recognition of ACSI’s Accreditation Protocol

• State boards of education granting “approval” status to the ACSI instrument for accreditation (a state by state decision);
• State regulatory agencies grant “approval” status to the ACSI instrument for accreditation (a state by state decision) which allows early education to receive a higher reimbursement rate for subsidized children enrolled in the program;
• State boards of education granting recognition to ACSI accreditation through the non-public school agency of the state;
• Recognition of ACSI accreditation through membership in the National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA) and its recognition by state boards of education;
• ACSI accreditation is recognized by councils and commissions which verify the quality of accrediting agencies and their processes. These include The Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA) and The National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA)
• All six USA regional accreditation commissions have recognized the quality and essential equivalence of the ACSI accreditation process by agreeing to Joint or Dual accreditation agreements with ACSI. This means schools can be dually accredited with ACSI and a regional commission by using the ACSI process and hosting a team consisting of representatives of both agencies. The six commissions are the Middle States Association (MSA), the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), North Central Association (NCA), The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools (NAAS). 
• Internationally recognized by a growing number of other nations' departments of education.

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The International Registry

The International Registry of Accredited Schools is a searchable database containing information about schools around the world accredited by various accreditation agencies. To be accredited, a school must meet the standards of its accrediting agency.

ACSI Early Education Accreditation Approvals (by state)

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Accreditation Governance Commission

With the exciting enhancements to the accreditation program, the launch of the streamlined and simplified process necessitates a new oversight structure. The Accreditation Governance Commission (AGC) has been appointed by the executive committee of the board at their meeting in May 2008. There are four board members and four non-board members making up the commission. Four are from early education and four from K–12. 

The members are:

• Early Education Board Members: 
          Kristi Martin (South Central) and Ron White (Southeast)
• Early Education Non-board members: 
          Jo Dillard (Southeast) and Beth Guerrette (Ohio River Valley)
• K–12 Board Members: 
          Stan Baker (Northwest) and Lorne Wenzel (Florida)
• K–12 Non-board members: 
          Kathy Ralston (Southern California) and Barbara Williams (Mid-Atlantic)

The AGC includes a diverse geographical representation and careful consideration was given to ensure the members represent the diverse school and/or program structures (church sponsored, independent, franchise, etc.) that exist within ACSI’s membership.

The AGC met for the first time in July in conjunction with the Executive Board meetings. Their first meeting was primarily organizational and the agenda included key items that needed to be addressed from the regional office perspective. The AGC will be directing the draft of overarching policies that will guide the implementation of the new instrument and the fulfillment of the board’s directives about accreditation.

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