NCA CASI membership is a voluntary demonstration of commitment to developing and maintaining a quality educational environment.
NCA CASI offers schools and districts the opportunity to integrate local, state, and federal efforts to improve programs for students.
Since membership in the NCA CASI is voluntary, the process provides voluntary quality control.
NCA CASI membership provides means and impetus for individual school communities to develop, evaluate, and implement educational programs which best serve their constituents and to receive recognition (accreditation) for their efforts.
Membership in NCA CASI offers two kinds of accountability: (1) the public is assured that the school is actively seeking a quality program and is committed to ongoing improvement and (2) the public and the school district are held accountable for providing and adequate support base for the member school.
NCA CASI membership provides a form of quality control that supports a consistency within the highly decentralized system of education which is pervasive in the United States.
NCA CASI membership requires that the school establish a continuous process of evaluation and improvement.
NCA CASI membership forces an introspective examination of school programs and procedures which otherwise probably wouldn't occur.
Membership in NCA CASI at any level, or in any type of school, encourages both vertical and horizontal articulation in both local and intradistrict situations.
NCA CASI promotes effective articulation between schools and colleges by providing leadership in encouraging educational experimentation.
NCA CASI promotes effective articulation by reporting on innovations and curriculum developments in its publications and Annual Meeting sessions.
Membership gives the entire school staff and community an opportunity to examine current instructional practices and to assess the adequacy of the curriculum.
Membership challenges the staff to consider alternative instructional methods and practices. Membership encourages curricular review and revision on a regular basis.
Promotes cross and interdisciplinary learning strategies, materials, and goals which affect positive student learning and outcomes.
NCA CASI processes provide a significant means for shared decision-making and problem solving.
A school must develop a mission statement (philosophy and goals) based on the staff's knowledge about the needs of students being served.
Teachers play a significant role in improvement activities through NCA CASI activities.
Member schools have an opportunity to be visited by colleague educators at a very inexpensive level of financial commitment.
NCA CASI provides a method and process for staff members to identify and address limitations related to the school program.
NCA CASI has the strength of the on-site review.
The requirement that a school plan for and undertake evaluation on a continuing basis provides not only an opportunity for review of present practices but also provides a stimulus for growth and improvement.
Provides an opportunity for schools to choose from a variety of evaluation formats and instruments to assure that evaluation meets the needs of the school.
The NCA CASI evaluation process can be applied to all levels which can then provide a structure for K-12 program articulation.
NCA CASI's organized peer review provides a high level of support and validation to member schools.
The heart of the NCA CASI program is the involvement of parents, teachers, students, and administrators in a process that evaluates the total school program in relationship to how all students are learning.
Every school and or district needs a school improvement plan in place and functioning. As a condition of accreditation, a school is required to develop and implement a plan to improve those conditions in the school that are judged ineffective.
Accreditation serves as a powerful force in helping good schools become better schools.
NCA CASI membership causes the entire school community to review educational priorities and reflect on improving schools.
NCA CASI is self-directed and regulated by the member schools which allows for more creative and self-regulating innovations.
NCA CASI is recognized leader in the development of and research in new methods of educational change and improvement.
NCA CASI provides a systematic program for identifying and implementing goals for improvement; it strengthens the school's quest for quality education.
The focus of NCA CASI processes is on school improvement.
NCA CASI membership incorporates a commitment of continual pursuit of excellence in education through the self-assessment/peer evaluation process for confirming and improving the school mission, purpose, and direction.
The evaluation/improvement process that is required and nurtured by NCA CASI brings teachers, administrators, staff, students, and parents together in the pursuit of a quality educational program.
Membership in NCA CASI results in the encouragement of judicious and thoughtful innovation and change. Schools are not encouraged to change for the sake of change but are continually encouraged to examine and monitor their total programs for means of improvement.
The development of a school improvement plan provides the school with a vehicle that will help lead it into the 21st century. The plan is monitored at periodic intervals.
NCA CASI processes assist staff and community in making decisions that need to be made about the school's educational programs.
NCA CASI provides models to assist schools in documenting change.
NCA CASI provides a framework within which a school may continuously upgrade and improve its program.
In working with NCA CASI's school improvement process, schools are secure in knowing that NCA CASI will be available to provide support over the long term.
Just as individual educators are members of various professional organizations, NCA CASI is, in fact, a professional organization of schools.
NCA CASI visiting team reports provide the governing board with an objective assessment of a school's strengths and limitations.
A qualifying factor for grants and aid is often regional accreditation, and some companies use regional accreditation as the basis for matching employee financial gifts to schools.
NCA CASI membership provides significant consultative services via visiting teams at nominal CASIts.
The evaluation process provides an opportunity for schools to measure themselves against other schools in the NCA CASI region. Schools with similar quantitative statistics can use the same standards to compare their programs for children.
NCA CASI is a prestigious organization because of longevity, tract record, qualitative, and exemplary programs; it is no-governmental and voluntary.
The NCA CASI process helps to muster greater local support.
NCA CASI membership gives individual schools the opportunity to have a voice in he mission and goals of a larger organized effort to provide a positive impact on regional and national educational practices.
NCA CASI has demonstrated stability and longevity; many state efforts have been short-lived.
Accreditation permits a school to become part of a regional league of quality schools. This affiliation establishes a credibility that goes beyond local confines.
NCA CASI provides an opportunity to highlight the many excellent accomplishments of a school.
NCA CASI provides a global perspective to the verification of school quality since the Association covers a 19-state region; NCA CASI standards are universal.
NCA CASI promotes cooperative attitudes and cohesiveness among students, staff and administration, parents and the community.
NCA CASI group processes and planning serve as an effective role model for schools, students, and communities, i.e., democratic processes.
A major strength is the voluntary nature of the Association which develops policies and standards from the "grass roots" level.
Benefits for Professional Staff
NCA CASI offers school personnel, as educators, the right and responsibility to maintain and improve student learning.
Professional growth opportunities are available via periodic review by an outside group of professional educators.
The opportunity for professional staff member schools to participate as members of NCA CASI evaluation teams has proven to be an excellent inservice (staff development) experience in observing and evaluating educational programs of other member schools.
NCA CASI accreditation provides an additional mark of quality to attract prospective teachers.
NCA CASI processes provide an opportunity for staff members from several school districts to share ideas related to school improvement.
NCA CASI activities serve to pull a staff together and encourage mutual understanding and support; they have a positive impact on staff morale.
NCA CASI standards assure that teaching schedules include time for conferences and instructional planning.
NCA CASI processes provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas and methods to better meet the needs of students and to improve strategies and techniques.
NCA CASI encourages staff members to work together as a team and allows the "leaders" a time to shine.
In some states, recertification credit and/or college credit can be earned through participation in school improvement activities, e.g., serving on a visiting team or conducting a self-study.
NCA CASI self-studies provide the staff with objective perceptions of what is occurring in the school.
NCA CASI is equated with quality. This fact is understood by the community which ensures a continuos level of support for schools.
While many individuals may or may not understand what membership signifies, NCA CASI is interpreted as something positive in regard to the school or district.
NCA CASI standards provide members of the community a basis for assessing the overall strengths of the school. It is important for parents to know that the school their youngster is attending meets the same standards as other schools throughout the region.
Families that are relocating are interested in school accreditation as a factor in their choice of residence.
NCA CASI membership provides the citizens in the community with a yardstick against which to measure their school.
Business, industry and government seek to align plants, programs, and expansion where accredited schools exist.
NCA CASI membership often provides the impetus to obtain local support, both to help the school attain NCA CASI standards and to move toward broader educational goals.
NCA CASI accreditation helps schools meet their accountability obligations to their various publics.
Businesses or those seeking housing in a school district often look toward the quality of the school system. One of the indicators of quality that outsiders recognize is regional accreditation. Communities with NCA CASI accredited schools have an edge over other communities. Therefore, there may be economic development benefits for communities seeking new industry.
NCA CASI accreditation assures parents that (a) a basic instructional program will be offered -- even in a period of declining enrollments, (b) professional staff members are qualified for their positions, (c) support programs in the areas of guidance, health, and special education are available for students, and (d) student staffing rations for administrators, secretaries, guidance counselors, librarians, and library aids are maintained.
NCA CASI accreditation assures the community and parents that teachers are certified and a curriculum is in place; the school is focused on student learning and has the resources to provide appropriate instruction.
Parents whose children are enrolled in NCA CASI accredited schools can be assured that the quality of the educational program is being analyzed on a regular and systematic basis.
Accreditation provides public notice that the school staff and district officials are committed to quality education, are willing to be measured against regional standards, and are willing to engage in evaluation activities designed to improve the teaching/learning process.
NCA CASI is recognized throughout the community as a symbol of quality -- both inside and outside of education.
Membership openly denotes to the profession and to the general public that the school has a quality program and is committed to on-going efforts toward improvement of that program.
NCA CASI membership is an indicator to parents that a school is continuously seeking to improve.
Recognition by an organization with the status of NCA CASI enhances the prestige of the individual schools and the school district.
Membership makes a positive statement about the quality of the school to the community it serves.
Membership provides verification that the school is providing at least the minimum resources for a quality education program.
Membership provides evidence that the school is part of an organization that is attempting to provide an equitable, quality education for every student.
Membership indicates to the general public that the school program meets established standards of quality and excellence.
The large number of schools in NCA CASI allows the collection of significant demographic data which can be used to analyze programs and offerings.
NCA CASI membership provides a school with the latest research-based improvement in educational practices and the means to implement or modify to fit innovations of their choice. Schools have an opportunity to participate in applied research as either a user or a research developer.
NCA CASI provides access to research and development activities in member schools and an opportunity to be able to visit on-site or via telephone with administrators and teachers in these schools.
NCA CASI provides a variety of comprehensive services and materials at very low cost; e.g., evaluation and accreditation materials, Journal of School Improvement, Annual Meeting programs and events.
Member schools are afforded the opportunity to participate in regional meetings, workshops, and projects sponsored by NCA CASI for the continued improvement of education. The sharing of educational experiences and insight through meetings and reports is an invaluable professional gain.
Member schools are afforded an opportunity to participate in educational endeavors sponsored by NCA CASI for the continued improvement of education.
NCA CASI is a voluntary organization based upon standards of accreditation that are developed and modified by professional educators.
NCA CASI standards are preconditions for quality schools. Without them, governing boards might lower standards, especially in some areas.
Membership provides for educational credibility by meeting or exceeding standards set by the profession.
Meeting NCA CASI standards offers a framework from which to gain and maintain quality education in schools.
NCA CASI develops an outside standard against which a school can measure local procedures and can serve as a protection for the local site.
Adherence to NCA CASI standards provides administrators, faculty, students, and parents with the assurance that the school is utilizing its resources in a manner supported by over 9,000 schools across the country.
NCA CASI standards give the schools a lever to get needed improvements, e.g., physical plant, library, planning periods, professional staff.
With membership in NCA CASI the school becomes a working partner in the formulation and enforcement of the standards that provide the base for a quality program for all member schools.
Meeting standards can help the school command greater local support and also strengthen it to resist inappropriate or illegitimate external pressures.
Through careful definition and selected separate standards, each member school is identified and enhanced in its particular category and level within the entire educational system.
NCA CASI, as an organization, defines (through consensus) those critical elements which are prerequisite to quality.
NCA CASI may be the only organization in he state to deal specifically with administrator-board-teacher issues.
NCA CASI provides regional standards while allowing a degree of state autonomy to decide local issues.
Colleges and universities still consider regional accreditation as an important factor in he student admissions process.
Students in NCA CASI schools realize the benefits of conforming to standards in all aspects of the educational process.
Regional accreditation is a National Honor Society application requirement.
There are often scholarship advantages for graduates of regionally accredited schools.
In school districts where adult programming has been made an extension of the curriculum of accredited high schools, certain financial benefits are available to adult students, e.g., Pell Grants.
Last Update: 1/24/02
Questions or Comments?
Contact the Webmaster.
© Indiana North Central Association Commission
on Accreditation and School Improvement 2002
