Cognia (SACS / AdvancED) Accreditation Information
General Information
The McDuffie County School District is accredited with quality by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), a division of Cognia, formerly AdvancED. District accreditation certifies that the procedures and curriculum used in all the system’s schools meet the standards required to preserve the integrity of the schooling process for children. Accreditation ensures that our schools are following accepted, research-based practices for educating and maintaining standards that qualify McDuffie County graduates for admission to higher or more specialized institutions or for professional practice.
What is District Accreditation?
A district accreditation protocol was developed and initiated by SACS CASI in response to requests from superintendents and other district leaders in the nation who wanted to better coordinate accreditation with ongoing system improvement initiatives and state mandates. Specifically, they wanted the district accreditation protocol to:
- Support the work of school districts committed to developing and implementing system-wide plans for improving student learning and aligning the district’s plans with school plans
- Provide a research-based and data-driven framework for improving student learning and strengthening the effectiveness of schools and school districts
- Support the work of school districts in providing the leadership and support required to engage in a system wide process of continuous improvement.
District accreditation is a voluntary process, and districts seeking district accreditation must attend to the three major responsibilities of accreditation. The school district must meet the Accreditation Standards for Quality Systems; identify and illustrate implementation of a continuous system improvement process; and demonstrate quality assurance (excerpted from SACS CASI District Accreditation Handbook, © 2005).
District Accreditation: 2007, 2012, 2017, 2022