FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) announced today that 195 schools and school systems in 24 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and 21 other countries have earned accreditation or reaccreditation. Accreditation is the gold standard for measuring and advancing school improvement.
“I am happy to congratulate the schools that achieved Middle States accreditation or reaccreditation,” said Christian Talbot, president of MSA-CESS. “Accreditation is voluntary, professional peer review in service of school improvement. Pursuing accreditation helps the entire school community—administrators, teachers, parents, and students—to think about the future they want and how to get there. Earning accreditation shows that a school is committed to doing everything it can to support its students.”
Middle States accredits preK-12 public, private, parochial, and charter schools. In addition, MSA-CESS accredits non-degree granting career and technical post-secondary institutions and learning services providers.
Middle States accreditation is a multifaceted evaluation process. Schools and school systems voluntarily rely on it to demonstrate they are meeting a defined set of research-based performance standards.
The accreditation process begins when the school or system undertakes a comprehensive self-study, collecting input from school leaders, teachers, parents, and students. After the self-study, a team of professional peer reviewers conducts a peer review. These professional peers come from Middle States member schools.
The peer review team makes its recommendation for accreditation or reaccreditation to the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, which voted on the recommendations at its biannual meeting, held in Hershey, Pa., last week.
A full list of schools and school systems that earned accreditation or reaccreditation at this Fall 2024 meeting is HERE.
About Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS)
Based in Philadelphia, the Middle States Association is the worldwide leader in accreditation and school improvement. For over 135 years, Middle States has been helping school leaders establish and reach their goals, develop strategic plans, promote staff development, and advance student achievement. With over 3100 accredited members in 44 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 117 countries, MSA-CESS is proud of its continuing legacy and its ongoing innovations to meet the challenges of improving education in the 21st century. For more information visit www.msa-cess.org and msaevolutionlab.com.
