Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
The accreditation process began when all Pulaski County Schools committed to undergo a two-year comprehensive self-study and evaluation of their total school program. This evaluation process was done under the guidance of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and involved teachers, administrators, students, parents, community members, and other educators.
After this rigorous first step, a visiting committee of evaluators assessed the acceptability of the self-study and each school’s compliance with SACS standards These standards are a consistent set of criteria used throughout the region and nation. The visiting team of evaluators was education professionals not connected to the county district, which assured an impartial evaluation of each school. The visiting committee made recommendations for further improvement and each school adopted these recommendations into a school improvement plan consisting of short-term and long-term goals.
When the SACS standards were met and the site visit and improvement plans were accepted, accreditation was recommended.
After review by the State Committee, the Central Reviewing Committee for Public Schools, the Elementary/Middle/High Commission, and the Elementary/Middle/High School Delegate, schools were granted full SACS accreditation.
The process does not end once a school is accredited. To maintain an accredited status, regular cycles of annual reports, interim reviews, and periodic evaluations are conducted to insure that accredited schools are maintaining the high standards set forth by SACS.