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Accreditation

Pinecrest School Is Proud to Be Accredited By Cognia/AdvancED

For more than 125 years, schools have been inviting Cognia and their legacy agencies, NCA CASI | NWAC | SACS CASI, into their classrooms to provide trusted expertise and actionable ideas that move the needle on school quality.
Cognia accredits more than 36,000 public and private schools in all 50 U.S. states and 90 countries.   
Schools seeking to gain or retain accreditation must meet Cognia’s high standards, demonstrating quality levels of student performance and providing evidence of stakeholder satisfaction with the school.  
As part of the process, schools must undergo a rigorous accreditation review on a set time schedule. Pinecrest School successfully earned its last re-accreditation in January 2019, and the school is fully accredited through June 30, 2025.

IEQ Score and Re-accreditation Recommendation

 At the time of our last accreditation, Cognia/AdvancED provided the Index of Education Quality (IEQ) score as a holistic measure of overall performance based on a comprehensive set of standards and review criteria.  A formative tool for improvement, it identified areas of success as well as areas in need of focus.  The IEQ was comprised of the Standards Diagnostic ratings from the three domains: Leadership Capacity, Learning Capacity and Resource Capacity.  The IEQ results were reported on a scale of 100 to 400 and provide information about how the institution is performing compared to expected criteria.

 

  • An IEQ of 275 and above indicated the institution was beginning to reach the Impact level and was engaged in practices that were sustained over time and becoming ingrained in the culture of the institution.
  • In 2018, the average score of AdvancED schools evaluated for accreditation within the last five years was 278.34 – 283.33.
Pinecrest is proud to report that our IEQ score was 349.00!

Comparison of AdvancED IEQ Scores

  • Pinecrest School Score
  • Average School Score
  • Baseline Positive Score

Noteworthy Insights from AdvancED's 2019 Review Narrative

  • “...Pinecrest School presented as an exceptional continuous improvement learning school. The Engagement Review Team identified relevant themes from the review that support their rigorous continuous improvement process. These themes support the school’s continuous improvement journey and represent strengths and opportunities to guide the improvement journey.”
  • “The commitment of the Head of School and the school staff to provide a well-managed learning environment was strongly evident throughout the school. There were consistent observations and evidence...to confirm the security, visibility, supervision, and management of a strong learning environment.”
  • “Team observations confirmed commitment of all staff to implement with fidelity the security and supervision processes required to ensure all students were engaged in a safe and learning environment.”
  • “Running parallel to the theme of providing a well-managed learning environment was the commitment to a student-first, nurturing, and supportive educational environment. The school's improvement plan and mission statement of providing a positive social and emotional environment for student development clearly guided the rigorous work that was done daily in all classrooms and throughout the school. During her presentation, the Head of School articulated a clear commitment to maintaining a culture that proactively supports students' academic and social-emotional growth. Parent interviews confirmed consistency of praised acknowledgment of the school’s nurturing culture and listed this environment as one of the main reasons they selected the school for their child. It was abundantly clear from all evidences that the school values nurtur[ing] curiosity while bolstering self-confidence and equipping its students with the cognitive skills necessary to undertake and succeed in rigorous academic pursuits throughout their lives.”
  • “During classrooms observations, there were examples of students actively engaged in a variety of learning experiences appropriate to their needs. From the exploration of each child’s interests to encouraging new and different ideas and concepts, the school focuses on the unique qualities of each individual child. Multiple evidences of this value were seen, heard, and observed as the school day unfolded. In addition, teacher interviews and observations confirmed that they exhibit warm, caring, and approachable behaviors with all children throughout the school day. It was evident through a variety of evidences and observations that the school provides intentional opportunities for student-centered supportive learning experiences where all students were considered special individuals with unique gifts all their own.”
  • “Another theme that was identified was an active learning environment of collaboration and professional growth opportunities throughout the school. The strength of the school was its Head of School’s influence and strong instructional leadership to actively engage teachers, management staff, and students for collaborative brainstorming and professional growth experiences. The Head of School encourages collaboration and shared responsibility for school improvement among stakeholders.”
  • “In addition to adult collaborative experiences, there were extended real life assimilation opportunities for learners to make connections from content to real-life experiences and the opportunities for them to collaborate with their peers to accomplish/complete projects, activities, tasks and/or assignments (i.e., Stock Market Team, community service, collaborative team presentations).”
  • “Personal relationships were naturally built and treasured as teachers talk with and listen to children attentively for deeper learning and practice. Through observations, children and adults interacted with mutual respect and a sense of community that permeated the school environment. Cooperation and peer collaborative interactions were fostered and prized as students progressed through their day.”
  • “...the school provided a standards-based curriculum that provides equitable and challenging learning experiences to ensure all students have sufficient opportunities to develop learning, thinking, and life skills that lead to success at the next level. Examples of academic rigor were part of several observations. Other classrooms observations indicated students were consistently challenged with higher order thinking tasks and required to explain their thinking and work. Students responded appropriately not only to displaying their answers on a white board but verbalizing the strategies they used to arrive at the solution. All classrooms had the learning expectations posted for students to be aware of as they completed their tasks. Students were actively engaged in activities and learning. Observations in classrooms revealed consistently that students took responsibility for their own learning. Higher order thinking was more about analyzing and attempting to apply information. Higher levels of rigor were consistently observed in all classrooms.”

Positive Comments from the AdvancED Review Team

  • Through observations, the team saw “very high instructional teaching practices” and “evidence of building confidence with students to take risks, balanced nicely with well managed environments”
  • “Teaching staff is strong”
  • There is a “well-balanced team in place at this school”
  • “This is a student-centered school”
  • “Through your school, we have greater faith in education.”