Cognia

All Archdiocesan high schools and elementary schools are accredited as a system through Cognia. Every five years, the Department of Catholic Schools completes the system-wide accreditation review, which culminates with a visit by an AdvancED External Review Team. Each school is evaluated based on the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools. These standards and benchmarks can be found at http://www.catholicschoolstandards.org.

Cognia is a Performance-based model that…

• Adopts a balanced, systemic approach
• Employs diagnostic tools
• Uses Standards, stakeholder feedback, student performance
• Focuses on evaluating performance

All schools must…

• Meet Cognia Standards for Quality
• Implement continuous improvement process
• Update demographics
• Conduct an Internal Review, which includes:
  • Self Assessment
  • Executive Summary
  • Stakeholder Feedback and Student Performance Diagnostic
  • Improvement Plan
  • Assurances
• Host an External Review once every five years
• Respond to Improvement Priorities in Accreditation Progress Report