Catholic Schools

Supporting Your Mission

The Catholic schools’ mission and vision guide the actions and decisions made by every stakeholder in its school community. Cognia accreditation supports this commitment by applying our rigorous performance standards to the context of Catholic schools.

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Committed to serving Catholic schools for over 100 years

For more than a century, Cognia accreditation has supported Catholic schools with unparalleled expertise, resources, and diagnostic tools. Schools use these tools to measure effectiveness and improve upon school quality in areas such as leadership, learning, and resource capacities.

Insight into your stakeholder's mindset

Catholic schools rely on Cognia to shed light onto key stakeholder perceptions—from parents to teachers to students. School leaders leverage data from a variety of surveys, including our proprietary Catholic Identity Program Effectiveness and Culture & Climate surveys to steer positive change in their schools. In the past few years alone, our Catholic members have administered nearly a half-million surveys.

Guiding your educators’ growth

In the spirit of continuous improvement, Cognia places an emphasis on high-quality professional learning. Because when teachers grow, student success follows. We will work with your institution to identify which professional learning topics best meet your unique goals.

Catholic accreditation agency partnerships

Receive dual accreditation through our Synchronized Accreditation Program with our highly reputable partners.

Your relationship with Cognia matters.

Our dedicated Catholic school team members are here to assist you.

Dr. Adina Victor
Vice President Non‑Public Services

Dr. Michael Bratcher
Director Non-Public Services
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Surrendering to Your Passion for Education and Service with Diane Starkovich, Ph.D.

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Principals: Thoughtful Approaches to Maximize Professional Learning Outcomes

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Staying current for today’s students

The world of education, including Catholic education, has changed since Cognia introduced our surveys. A thorough review of the Catholic Identity Surveys is underway and will ensure alignment with the updated National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS) and current Cognia Performance Standards.

Similarly, we recently updated our Culture and Climate surveys to align with our new standards. These updates will ensure the survey language reflects new understandings of best practice and will provide Catholic institutions with proven tools to significantly impact continuous improvement in meaningful ways.

Bringing the standards to life through a Catholic lens

Cognia supports and embraces Catholic schools’ mission and identity in the accreditation experience. Aligning Cognia Performance Standards and the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Elementary and Secondary Catholic Schools (NSBECS) represents the unique context of Catholic education and provides a nationally accepted recognition of quality. Every six years, you will renew your accreditation to ensure ongoing, continuous improvement.

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Self-Assessment

  • Participate in orientation and training from Cognia

  • Reflect and collaborate on your school’s current status

  • Administer Cognia Catholic Identity Program Effectiveness and Culture and Climate Survey

  • Identify, collect, and analyze meaningful evidence and data

  • Complete Cognia Self-Assessment Workbook using the Cognia/ NSBECS Standards Alignment as a guide

  • Complete Cognia Diagnostics and Assurances

Engagement

  • Cognia evaluators schedule the Leadership Overview Presentation, review submitted evidence, and rate Performance Standards

  • Following evaluation, you’ll receive an Engagement Review Report that details Cognia’s findings, highlights your noteworthy practices, and identifies areas for improvement

  • Cognia Global Commission confirms that the findings in the report demonstrate your institution’s commitment and quality and confers your accreditation

Progress

  • Cognia evaluators schedule follow-up for your institution to assess the status of your continuous improvement efforts

  • Receive continued collaboration and guidance from your Cognia team

  • Toward the middle of your accreditation term, complete the institution’s part of the Progress Report, describing your improvements in the areas outlined in your Engagement Review Report

Ready to learn more?

Contact our Catholic schools team