Introduction to accreditation

Before embarking on the journey of being accredited, it is important to understand what it is and its purpose.

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is getting a ‘seal of approval’ of quality from a recognised organisation. It allows schools to state publicly that they have reached a certain standard against a set of criteria and will commit to the continuous improvement of international educational standards.

Accreditation is cyclical, there is no endpoint.

Having an accreditation organisation verify educational establishments allows for independent and professional advice on the academic quality as well as accountability to stakeholders. The first phase of the process is, in most cases, a self-assessment, which provides opportunities to identify strengths and improvements to the school.

The purpose of accreditation

The accreditation process is an effective way of initiating and maintaining school improvement as well as showing a school’s ability to realise an externally established level of quality.

There are many benefits that come with a school being accredited, but the main goal in going through the process is to provide a structured process through which school improvement will come to life.

Further benefits of accreditation include the awarding of the external credential itself. Moving beyond its own self-assessment, the awarding of accreditation assures students, parents, faculty, and the community of the school’s quality.

Beyond allowing the school a chance to improve, the process of accreditation also allows a school to establish and improve its level of internal contact and understanding. Going through an accreditation process brings an entire school community together and is a significant unifying process.

Moreover, receiving feedback from external and objective accrediting bodies provides affirmation for the school’s expressed strengths and areas of improvement. This also helps to shape goals moving forward, as priorities become clearer.

The accreditation process is framed by broad standards or criteria as established by the respective organisation. They will typically be framed by the following:

• The guiding statements/mission and vision of the school

• The overall leadership and management of the school/governance

• The curriculum

• Key resources (e.g., human, physical, and financial)

• Student life and community

Broader considerations

When considering the accreditation process it is important for schools to keep in several broader points.

First, in a given national setting, schools may have to meet local requirements above and beyond any chosen, external accrediting body that a school may select.

For example, while a school may offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program as its graduation requirement, and therefore be accredited by the IB, it may be the case that local curricular requirements, including exam requirements, may also have to be met. In some cases there may be a high degree of coherence between the requirements; however, it could be the case that there are significant differences. One example of this is in Dubai, where private educational schools must meet local KHDA requirements.

A second broad consideration for schools to keep in mind when investigating accrediting bodies is that certain accrediting bodies have differing levels of access, effectively offering different services.

For example, a school can be a member of the Council of International Schools (CIS) and participate in a variety of the services it offers. To be a member, CIS expects a school to be accredited, but not necessarily by CIS. Beyond this, CIS is also an accrediting body and a school can choose to be formally accredited by CIS.

Beyond such organisations, there are also many regional associations that schools may choose to be part of but are not technically accrediting bodies. Some such organisations are CEESA in Central and Eastern Europe, WAISAL in West Africa, and EARCOS in East Asia. These organisations are of great benefit and membership gives credibility to a school in many ways, but they are not accrediting bodies.