What is Accreditation and Why is it So Important?

What is Accreditation ?

Accreditation is a status which shows the school has met and is maintaining a high level of standards set by an accrediting agency. The Main goal of the accreditation system is to ensure that education provided by schools meets acceptable levels of the quality. 

Accreditation system was developed to maintain a level playing field of quality education in schools, so that students can switch schools as comfortably as possible.

This system is very important because to ensure the quality of education, If there were no criteria to judge the validity of a school's educational program, students would have no way to determine which schools were trustworthy. 

Who does the Accreditation? 

It's a very important question. Accrediting agencies issue accreditations. These agencies are organizations made by educational professionals for-

• Establish the operating standards for educational institutions
  
  

• To determine if the school meets those standards.
  
  

• Publicly post their findings through the issuance of accreditations. 

You need to make sure that your school is accredited by a reputable agency. Do not fall into the trap of fraudulent online schools, fake accrediting agencies. 

Independent (Private) schools are accredited by private accrediting membership organizations such as the (NAIS) National Association of Independent Schools. 

And Public school accreditation is governed by state laws -performed through an office within the education department of state or by one of six regional accreditation organizations. 

What is the accreditation process like?

This process involves a quick school inspection to assess the level of conformity to set accreditation standards.

1. Schools can fill out a formal request from one of the accreditation bodies and pay the application fee. Application should be completed 3 months before a school visit is scheduled.
   
   

2. After the application approval, The accreditation organization schedules a preliminary one or two day visit by a small committee. The committee prepares a report about the school including recommendations and submit it back to the accreditation body.
   
   

3. If the committee’s report is Ok, then the school will receive a notification for “initial accreditation” or “candidacy” depending on how well the school meets the accreditation standards.

Many schools also hire an outside Accreditation Consultant or educational consultant to assist with the process. These consultants understand the accreditation procedures well and can streamline the process.

If you are looking for the help for Accreditation then JAG Consulting Services can help.