Middle States Accreditation Information

What is The Middle States Association? The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) was established in 1887. It is one of six regional organizations that together serve schools in the United States and in many countries around the world. The Association is a non-governmental, nonprofit, peer-administered organization. MSA provides leadership in school improvement for its member schools in six states in the United States and in the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, the subcontinent of Asia, and Africa. The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools has three accrediting commissions. The Commission on Higher Education (CHE) serves academic, degree-granting institutions. The Commission on Secondary Schools (CSS) serves institutions providing secondary education, including middle schools, junior high schools, intermediate high schools and senior high schools; these schools may be ungraded or have designated grade levels, including a post-graduate level. The Commission on Elementary Schools (CES) serves institutions that provide middle, elementary, and preschool level education. A committee on Institution-wide Accreditation (CIWA) serves institutions providing preK-12 education or any combination of grade levels served by both the Commission on Elementary Schools and the Commission on Secondary Schools. The Commission on Secondary Schools (CSS) was established by the Association in November 1920. The duties of the Commission are to promote the welfare and improvement of secondary education, to recommend standards for accreditation, and to promote the articulation among elementary schools, secondary schools, and post-secondary institutions.
What is Middle States Accreditation for Growth?
Accreditation refers to a standard setting and review process. The Middle States Association has adopted standards for each major area of a school’s work and activity that must be met as a condition for accreditation. Accreditation for Growth (AFG) assumes that the school is meeting all of the Association’s standards and is now prepared to base its accreditation on the school’s growth in student performance and their ability to demonstrate organizational growth on a continuing basis.
Why is Accreditation Important?
	• Involvement is an ongoing accreditation protocol fosters excellence and ongoing improvement in a school. Accreditation provides a systematic process that requires a school to ask why it exists, to establish a vision of its future, and to determine specific objectives for reaching that vision. • The information surfaced through the accreditation protocol serves as a sound basis for school/district improvement, strategic planning, restructuring, and staff development. • The accreditation process examines the entire school – its philosophy and goals, its community, its programs and services, the facilities and financial stability. • Accreditation provides a way to manage change through regular assessment, planning, implementation, and reassessment. • Accreditation requires a school to establish and implement a 5-year improvement plan based upon its vision of the future. Desired school-wide results are a part of the perpetual accreditation cycle that includes: • School self-assessment that identifies areas of strength and areas for improvement in the current educational program for students. • Insight and perspective from the evaluation team • Regular staff assessment of progress during the intervening years between full self-studies • The accreditation process helps to insure greater continuity of student experiences through continuous clarification of the school’s direction • Participation in accreditation provides an excellent growth experience for staff who participate on visiting teams to evaluate other schools. • Because accreditation is a regional activity that encourages broader involvement with educators from other states and independent, public, and church-related constituencies, participants learn from the differences and benefit from the resulting professional networks. • The support of MSA staff and encouragement of the Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools motivates schools to maintain their focus on continuous school improvement
Accreditation provides a means for public accountability...
	• The accreditation process validates to the public the integrity of a school’s program and student transcripts. • The accreditation process assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and are being accomplished through a viable educational program. • The accreditation process justifies the faith and resources others place in the school.
Accreditation fosters stakeholder involvement and commitment…
	• Accreditation provides opportunities for grass roots, broad-based involvement of stakeholders in charting the direction of the school. • The accreditation process offers a mechanism for constituent groups to play a major role in determining the school’s future, helping a school to be all it can be. • Accreditation involves key people in creating a vision of the future, rather than letting the future happen to the school.
Accreditation builds positive public relations…
	• Accreditation provides opportunities to emphasize the positive and show how strong and effective the school is. • Willingly submitting a school to public scrutiny and evaluation builds commitment and a deeper understanding of the school’s efforts. It helps staff to broaden its view of community expectations and fosters closer school and community collaboration. • The accreditation process provides articulation and communication opportunities between school levels and among stakeholder groups. The above information has been taken from the MSA’s AFG School Guide. More information on Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools can be found at www.css-msa.org
	Click here for information on Upper Moreland High School's role in the accreditation.