SAIS/SACS Accreditation
Click here to view our 2009 SAIS-SACS Accreditation Self-Study (400kB PDF)
April 29, 2009 – Forsyth Country Day School has earned its re-accreditation from the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
In order to be re-accredited, Forsyth Country Day complied with quality standards, was evaluated by an outside group of peer professionals, and implemented a successful school plan focused on strategic improvement and student performance. This voluntary accreditation must be renewed each year, and the self-study process and peer review visit must be undertaken every five years in order to maintain accreditation.
In today's world of accountability in schooling, accreditation serves as a critical component of a school's demonstrated effectiveness and ability to provide successful schooling for children. A school that is able to achieve accreditation demonstrates a commitment to a process that requires the school to meet a set of rigorous, research-based standards; to engage in a program of continuous school improvement; and to demonstrate quality assurance to its stakeholders through self-evaluation and peer review. SAIS-SACS accreditation provides schools access to an integrated network of services and technical assistance that supports every school's ability to identify and meet its goals for improving student performance and the teaching and learning process.
SAIS and SACS member schools are part of a remarkable history of quality assurance in education. SAIS began its organizational life in 1903 as the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools (MAIS). In 1953, another organization began as the Southern Association of Independent Schools, providing a forum for independent school administrators to work with public schools through SACS and to contribute to the larger interest in accreditation in the Southeast. MAIS and SAIS merged in 1986 to form the present-day SAIS, which now works at the state, regional, and national levels, to serve and strengthen member schools through the promotion of the highest quality educational standards and ethical conduct.
Established in 1895, SACS is a non-governmental, voluntary organization that accredits more than 13,000 public and non-public institutions from early-childhood to university. Today, SACS is the largest accrediting agency in the world. The current SAIS-SACS partnership offers schools a process for accreditation.
