Certification
Demonstrate your school’s commitment to quality education and improvement through certification.
Evaluate and enhance effectiveness with Cognia Certification
Cognia offers specialized certifications that evaluate and recognize effective institutions. Grounded in rigorous, research-based standards and third-party validation, our certifications empower institutions to demonstrate proficiency in proven practices and frameworks for a defined focus area.
Join the extensive network of institutions worldwide that trust Cognia to evaluate their effectiveness and validate their impact.
We offer:
The Standards
- Certification Requirements for American Schools
- Performance Standards for Board Governance Certification
- Performance Standards for CBE Certification
- Performance Standards for Special Education Certification
- Performance Standards for STEM Certification
- Performance Standards for Early Learning STEM Certification
- Performance Standards for STEM Provider Certification
Start your certification journey
Throughout the certification process, you will enjoy support from a team of experienced educators. The standards and requirements for each certification are identified through extensive research and observation, focusing on the characteristics of effective institutions and educational programs. Whether your focus is STEM, competency-based learning, board governance, or delivering American education abroad, Cognia certification provides a clear framework for educational excellence and improvement.
Be inspired by certification success stories from our network
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Cognia Accreditation and a Cognia Certification?
The Cognia Accreditation process evaluates an institution’s overall ability to provide high-quality education and commit to ongoing improvement. All Cognia Certifications evaluate an institution's proficiency in specific practices and frameworks for a defined focus area, such as American School, Board Governance, Competency-based Education, STEM, etc.
Does my institution need to be accredited to pursue a certification?
Being accredited is not required to pursue a Cognia Certification except for special education certification, where a set of unified standards was created through a collaboration of the world’s leading accrediting agencies.
How long does certification last?
Cognia Certification is granted for a six-year term. Institutions pursue renewal through the certification review process at the end of each six-year cycle.