Accreditation

Think about your own home for a minute. Visualize the many little things that need repaired but slowly become invisible as you live with them on a daily basis. Perhaps it’s a dripping sink, an area of chipped paint, or even a piece of furniture that doesn’t quite match. Schools are no different. It is easy for schools to become complacent with the status quo. Engaging in school accreditation surfaces weaknesses and areas needing improvement. In any organization, failure to seek objective, professional critique leads to ineffectiveness and irrelevancy. Schools have the responsibility to continually question, to continually assess, and to continually implement innovative programs that improve learning.

At St. Ann, continuous school improvement is at the heart of our educational mission. On a daily basis our teacher leaders work tirelessly to teach, model, and inspire in order to promote continuous growth in our students. So too, we take on the challenge of continuously improving our entire educational institution by regularly engaging in school accreditation processes.

Seeking accreditation from leading national and international organizations is one important way of ensuring that we offer the best educational program possible. At St. Ann, we voluntarily submit our school to professional scrutiny by two different organizations. Advan-Ed/SACS is an international organization representing both public and non-public schools, and Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) which accredits only non-public schools. Both organizations address issues of importance such as organizational excellence, curriculum, professional development, governance, equity, and leadership. Both work to strengthen creativity and innovation in accredited schools, and promote the highest quality educational standards and ethical conduct.

We engage in continuous improvement because we believe in the importance of Catholic education. We take on these additional responsibilities and burdens because we believe in the mission of St. Ann School, and we work to be the best school possible because we love our students.

Southern Association of Independent Schools

The mission of SAIS is to provide leadership, accreditation services, and professional development resources that will strengthen member schools as they fulfill their missions. The Southern Association of Independent Schools is a voluntary organization of independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean.

AdvanceED/SACS

AdvancED is the unified organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), and Commission on International and Transregional Accreditation (CITA). AdvancED is dedicated to advancing excellence in education worldwide through accreditation, research, and professional services. This unified organization creates the world's largest education community, representing 23,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in 65 countries worldwide and serving nearly 15 million students. (http://www.sacscasi.org/)