Q: Where did the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools come from? What is the basis of its authority? Who are they responsible to? Is there any appeal to a decision of the SACS?
-- Jack Burney, Dunwoody
A: The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools was established in 1895 by colleges and universities seeking a way to determine the quality of education, officials told Q&A on the News. Accreditation for k-12 schools is voluntary. When a school or school system enters into the accreditation process, it commits to uphold the standards for accreditation, implement an active continuous improvement process, and conduct internal ongoing self-assessments and host an external review team at least once every five years. If an accredited school or system fails to meet any of these three requirements, its accreditation status can be affected. "Generally when we receive concerns/complaints regarding an institution failing to meet the requirements for accreditation, we begin with communication with the superintendent and a review team visit to the institution," spokeswoman Jennifer H. Oliver wrote in an e-mail. The institutions that seek to earn accreditation give SACS its authority, she said. SACS is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an accrediting agency for postsecondary, non-degree-granting institutions (mostly career technical institutions) and by law in all 50 states as an approved accreditor for k-12 schools. Institutions facing the loss of accreditation can go through an appeals process.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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