BULLHEAD CITY – For the second time in five years, the Colorado River Union High School District has been awarded accreditation by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). The three regional agencies provide accreditation that is recognized throughout the world.
All three CRUHSD schools are included: Mohave, River Valley and CRUHSD Academy High schools. Prior to the first accreditation, only Mohave and River Valley were accredited separately, not under one district umbrella.
Accreditation was completed earlier this year. The CRUHSD board received formal notification this month, said curriculum director Darolene Brown. The process was conducted by Cognia™, a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts and education service providers. Cognia, formerly AdvancED (which completed CRUHSD’s first accreditation), nationally recognizes districts that meet rigorous standards that focus on productive learning environments, equitable resource allocation that meet the needs of learners, and effective leadership. Headquartered in suburban Atlanta, it has an operations center in Tempe.
“I have been through many accreditations, and they are never easy,” said CRUHSD’s new Superintendent Monte Silk. “Our faculty, administration, student, board and community participants openly and honestly showed Cognia our outstanding strengths. Only a few areas for improvement were recommended, and those are already underway.”
Earning accreditation from the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission means that the system and all of its schools are accredited, and that CRUHSD is recognized across the nation as a school system that meets Cognia standards of quality. This is especially important for students who continue post-secondary education in college, vocational training or the military.
To earn accreditation from Cognia, a school district also must implement a continuous process of improvement, and submit to internal and external review. School systems in good standing can maintain their accreditation for a five-year term.
