A Chapter of the National Federation of Nonpublic School State Accrediting Associations

"Assuring Excellence in Education in Missouri's Nonpublic Schools"

Purpose and Guiding Principles

The accreditation of a school has become increasingly important over the past few decades.  Society continues to demand evidence of a school's effectiveness.  Accreditation is both a measure of a school's effectiveness and a process of ongoing school improvement.  In addition, in the state of Missouri, teaching in an accredited school is required to upgrade state teacher certification.  Many foundations also reserve funding for schools that are accredited.

Underlying all the reasons to seek accreditation is a basic desire on the part of a school to provide the best educational program for the students it serves.  Accreditation should motivate a school to meet the standards of an excellent educational program.  Accreditation further indicates that -- even after the standards are met -- the school will regularly conduct school self-evaluations, develop action plans, and continue to improve in terms of how it meets the needs of the educational community.

The guiding principles of the Missouri Nonpublic School Accrediting Association indicate a strong commitment to the growth and improvement of member schools.  The Association believes that:

• a school is judged, as far as possible, in terms of its own mission and philosophy.  The fact should be recognized that although individual differences exist among schools, accreditation will be based on a school's ability to demonstrate adherence to certain standards or conditions that provide potential for quality education.
• standards, to be of value, should be stimulating and conducive to educational growth; they should be guides for continuous self-evaluation and should provide the incentive to strive constantly toward stated goals for improvement.
• the standards listed in the handbook apply to all schools that are seeking accreditation.  However, the sponsoring agency may assign additional standards and/or criteria for its schools; in such a case, these standards and criteria shall be required for accreditation.
• some divergence from designated standards may occur that will not greatly detract from the educational merits of an institution.  The determination will be made on a case-by-case basis.