SACS ACCREDITATION
The Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools (SACS), through its Commission on Elementary and
Middle Schools, initially awarded accreditation to St. John the Baptist Catholic
School in 1999 and recently renewed the school’s accreditation again in 2010.
Founded in 1895, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a voluntary, non-governmental agency for over 13,000 public and private educational institutions ranging from preschool to college level in the Southern United States. SACS is one of six regional accrediting associations recognized by the United States Department of Education serving schools in these 11 states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
At the heart of the Commission’s philosophy of accreditation is the concept of quality enhancement. Each institution applying for accreditation or renewal of accreditation is required to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) that describes a carefully designed course of action to address enhancing student learning. Accreditation is based upon an evaluation of each school to determine if the needs of the students and community, as well as the standards of the Commission on Elementary and Middle Schools, are being met. The evaluation process includes self-study by each school’s faculty in addition to a review by a visiting committee of professional educators representing the Commission.
The purpose of regional accreditation is school improvement, which focuses on student performance. To maintain accreditation, each accredited school must conduct a continuing program of educational improvement; meet standards of accreditation; submit annual reports that certify the completion of plans for educational improvements, as well as assessment of the school’s ability to meet standards; be re-evaluated by outside peer professional educators at five-year intervals.
Regional accreditation assures students, parents, and faculty that teaching conditions at accredited schools meet necessary requirements and that efforts are continuously made for school improvement focused on student performance.