Cognia Accreditation

General Information

The Franklin County School District is accredited with quality by 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 Franklin County graduates for admission to higher or more specialized institutions or for professional practice. The most recent accreditation was 2023.

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.

What are the benefits of district accreditation?

• District accreditation is not a standalone process; rather it supports system-wide continuous improvement. Specifically, district accreditation:

• Enhances a common language of school improvement.

• Ensures collaboration in planning for improvement.

• Provides the school system and community with validation and recognition for improvement efforts and recommendations from an external team of professionals.

• Supports a system-wide approach to achieving results.

• Integrates and supports other accountability requirements such as those mandated by the state and federal educational agencies.

What are the four Key Characteristics of Cognia Accreditation?
Key Characteristic 1: Culture of Learning
Key Characteristic 2: Leadership for Learning
Key Characteristic 3: Engagement of Learning
Key Characteristic 4: Growth in Learning

Click here for the 2023 Franklin County Schools Accreditation Report

More information on the Cognia standards are available for download here:
Cognia Standards