What Does the Accreditation Process Include?
Overview
WHAT DOES THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS
INCLUDE?
OVERVIEW
What Is Accreditation?
AMS Accreditation is a voluntary process undertaken by
schools that are committed to continuous school
improvement. Through a self-study and documentation
process a school defines itself in terms of strengths
and areas that need improvement and validates that the
school is what it says it is and does what it says it
does.
However, the real value resides in the good things that
happen to the school as it achieves and maintains
accreditation. The self-study process is one of
discovery and empowerment. The school’s self-study
examines itself in light of its own philosophy,
involving all its constituents. It results in strong
self-evaluation and a strategic plan that fosters
continuing school improvement. The school uses Standards
For American Montessori Schools and six essential
qualities established by research and consensus as the
essence of the educational nature of Montessori
education. The essential qualities are:
-
The Montessori Learning
Environment
A child centered environment, responsive,
adaptive with individually construed competence
-
Montessori’s Learning Activities
Materials, spontaneous activity, active learning,
self-directed, freedom within limits, intrinsic
motivation
-
Montessori Learning Relationships
Mixed age grouping, social community setting,
cooperation, collaboration not competition
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Montessori Spirituality
The child as a spiritual and moral being
-
What the Montessori Teacher Is
Authoritative, observer, resource, consultant,
role model
-
What the Montessori Teacher Does
Respectfully engages with learner, able to match
learner with knowledge and materials, environment
designer, organizer and preparer
These qualities and their attributes are
described in more detail on pages 38-40 of The Authentic
American Montessori School.
The self-study process results in a strategic plan to
guide the school in achieving its self-identified goals.
A plan becomes strategic when it includes timelines,
resources (both human and financial) and tools to
measure success.
What Is
the Value of Accreditation?
Accredited schools have obtained the highest level of
recognition by AMS. Accredited schools meet a standard
of excellence in the implementation of Montessori
education that is recognized by the entire AMS
community. Accreditation affirms that a school is what
is says it is and does what it says it does. Most
importantly, accreditation is a process that results in
ongoing school improvement and professional development.
Who Is
Eligible to Become Accredited?
Schools that are fully affiliated with AMS may enter the
accreditation process. The school must comply with all
Standards for American Montessori Society Schools (see
Appendix #1) and each classroom must be guided by a
Montessori teacher certified for the age level being
taught.
How Can Our School Begin the Accreditation Process?
-
Educate yourself about the process.
You have already begun!
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Download and read the School
Improvement Through AMS Accreditation School
Handbook. Pay particular attention to the
description of the 3 self-study protocols.
-
Next, email or call the AMS office
of School Consultation and Accreditation to discuss
and confirm your self-study options. (Email
Mimi@amshq.org
or telephone 212/358-1250, ext 207)
-
Choose an approved self-study
protocol (format).
-
Complete an application for AMS
School Accreditation and send to AMS with a $420
application fee. See Appendix #2, Application for
AMS School Accreditation.
-
Begin the self-study using the
protocol you selected for your school that was
approved by the AMS office of School Consultation
and Accreditation.
How Long Does the Accreditation Process Take?
The self-study process usually takes a year or more in
order to obtain the full benefits for the school. Most
schools complete the accreditation process within 2
years. Ongoing annual up-date reports are filed with AMS
in order to maintain accreditation.
How Much Does
Accreditation Cost?
Costs vary depending on the size of the school and the
type of protocol selected. All schools must pay the $420
application fee and must reimburse accreditation team
members for their travel, housing, and meal expenses. In
addition, the school may incur costs associated with
producing the self-study and hospitality for the
accreditation team. No honoraria are paid to any
accreditation team member. The AMS Office of School
Accreditation and Consultation can help schools to
prepare a budget.
What Are the Self-Study Protocol (Format) Options?
There are three accreditation protocols approved by the
American Montessori Society.
A side-by-side comparison of these protocols is found in
Appendix #3, Self-Study Protocol Overview. A brief
description of each protocol follows:
-
The Authentic American Montessori
School
This protocol is a self-study guide that can be
downloaded from the AMS website. It was written by
Nancy M. Rambusch and John A. Stoops in 1992 and
continues to be relevant today. Written in a
metaphorical style, the guide challenges schools to
engage in a holistic self-evaluation process.
Because some of the language in The Authentic is
unfamiliar to many, A Guide To The Authentic has
been published to assist schools in evaluating and
utilizing this protocol. See Appendix #4.
Documentation that the school meets all Standards
for American Montessori Society Schools (Appendix
#1) is also required.
-
The School Portfolio: A
Self-Study
This protocol was developed by the AMS School
Accreditation Commission to assist a school
community in the development and implementation of a
comprehensive plan for school improvement. It
focuses on the school’s mission, AMS Standards, and
student learner outcomes as a framework for
strengthening the instructional and organizational
effectiveness of the school.
The development of the School Portfolio is a
community process that identifies the strengths and
areas that need improvement within the school. The
school community accomplishes this by creating teams
that gather stakeholders’ input about the mission,
practices and vision of the school resulting in a
school improvement plan. A description of the school
portfolio protocol can be found in Appendix #5,
School Portfolio Protocol: A Self Study.
Documentation that the school meets all Standards
For American Montessori Society Schools (Appendix
#1) is also required.
-
Joint Accreditation Protocol
AMS has developed a process for affiliated schools
to become accredited by several organizations at the
same time if they choose to do so. This eliminates
duplicating the work required for dual or multiple
accreditations and streamlines the process. A
complete list of the regional, national, and
international school accreditation associations that
are allied with AMS can be found in Appendix #7,
Joint Accreditation Options.
In order to engage in a joint accreditation protocol
the school must contact the regional office of the
joint accrediting agency as well as the AMS School
Consultation and Accreditation office to begin the
process. Schools must be in compliance with the
requirements of the other accrediting agency as well
as AMS requirements. A description of the Joint
Accreditation Protocol can be found in Appendix #6,
Joint Accreditation Protocol.
The school must also document compliance with the
following Standards for American Montessori Society
Schools (Appendix #1): #11.1 concerning teacher
certification, #12.0 all material resources
requirements and #13.0 all program planning and
implementation requirements.
What If Our School Needs Help to Engage in This Process?
AMS offers consultation services for schools. An AMS
consultant can help a school to successfully organize
and complete a self-study and prepare for an on-site
visit. Contact the AMS office of School Consultation and
Accreditation for assistance or utilize the information
on consultation services located on the AMS website,
www.amshq.org. In addition, mentoring is available from
accredited schools.
How Does Our School Provide Evidence That We Have Met
the Standards for American Montessori Society Schools?
Use the Standards for American Montessori Society
Schools (Appendix #1) as a tool and checklist to
organize documentation for each standard such as
handbooks, forms, lists, records, etc. This version of
the standards is formatted so that schools can add notes
for each standard.
What Happens After Our School Completes the Self-Study
Process?
After the school completes and documents its self-study
as prescribed in one of the three approved protocols,
the self-study and documented AMS Standards are mailed
to the AMS Office of School Consultation and
Accreditation along with a Request for On-site
Accreditation Team, Appendix #8. AMS reviews the
documents to see that they are complete and include the
AMS Standards checklist. Then a team of volunteer
professional peers is assigned to visit the school to
validate the school’s self-study process and findings.
It takes a minimum of 6 weeks from the time the written
materials reach AMS to the arrival of an on-site team.
See Appendix #9, Guidelines for Schools Preparing for an
On-Site Visit and Appendix #10, Sample School Schedules
– On-Site Visit.
What Is the Role of the On-Site Accreditation Team?
The on-site team, consisting of two or more qualified
members, visits the school for 2 - 3+ days depending on
the size of the school. Team members are chosen for
their educational and/or administrative experience,
their ability to provide meaningful, objective judgments
and their writing ability. Team members must also meet
the following AMS requirements to serve as a team member
and be free of any conflict of interest.
AMS Accreditation Team Members are required to:
-
Hold a minimum of a Bachelors Degree
-
(Teachers) hold AMS, AMI or MACTE
credential and three years teaching experience not
including internship.
-
Be current AMS members
-
Complete an AMS accreditation
training program and/or have
experience in a leadership role in an AMS school
accreditation self-study
-
(Heads) be the head of an AMS
affiliated school with a minimum of 3 years
experience
A person with a recognized area of
expertise that does not meet the above team member’s
criteria may be asked to serve. This would have to meet
approval of the Head of School to be accredited and the
Director of SCandA.
The visiting team’s task is to validate the school’s
self-study and they do this work by observing all
classes and special programs, reviewing all
documentation that validates the AMS standards and
interviewing a broad spectrum of the school’s
constituents. At the conclusion of the visit the on-site
team presents its findings to the school in the form of
a written and oral report that includes commendations
and recommendations.
What
Kind of Feedback Will Teachers Get?
Accreditation observations are focused on process,
standards and the school’s self-described program and
strategic plan, not on individual teacher performance.
On-site team members are observing to verify that the
school is what it says it is and does what it says it
does and to help the school to discover any issues not
addressed in the self-study and strategic plan.
Therefore, the feedback will address broad issues and
not teacher specific issues.
Who Decides if a School Will Achieve Accreditation?
The team of peers who visit the school to validate the
self-study process and findings will make a
recommendation to the AMS Accreditation Commission, a
volunteer group of Montessori professionals who oversee
the accreditation process. The Commission reviews the
report and the accreditation recommendation of the
on-site team as well as the self-study materials created
by the school and forwards its recommendation to the AMS
Board of Trustees. The AMS Board of Trustees will
consider and vote on accreditation recommendations
presented by the Commission up to 4 times per year. The
Board votes for accreditation, accreditation probation,
or non-accreditation and notifies the school within one
week of the decision.
How
Does A School Maintain Accreditation?
Each year the school submits an Annual Report For
Accredited Schools to AMS that documents continuing
compliance with the Standards for American Montessori
Schools, reports on the status of the school’s
implementation of the strategic plan and reports on the
status of the recommendations made by the Accreditation
Team. An annual fee of $105 is required to maintain
accreditation status. This fee is in addition to the
school affiliation fee calculated by the number of
students enrolled.
Is It Worth All the Time, Energy, and Expense to Go
Through the Accreditation Process?
YES! Here’s what schools say about the process:
“The "Authentic" process of AMS accreditation was a
transformative process for the entire Walnut Park
Montessori School community. It was a light-year leap of
growth which empowered us to deepen our awareness of who
we are and who we can become for the children we serve.
This process is not to be missed by any school that is
committed to the journey of self discovery!” Mary Ann
Connolly, SC ~ Principal, Walnut Park Montessori School
~ Newton, MA
“The process of accreditation was healthy and productive
for every member of our school. Our board members, full
time faculty and administrators, as well as many
parents, all participated together in the process, which
was unifying and provided clear goals for the following
seven years as a result. The process itself is truly
worth the time and expenses as it is such a healthy one
for the school organization. However, the product is
great too! New families are reassured to know that the
school they are choosing has been through a rigorous
internal self-study as well as visits and input from
professional consultants. This is very affirming for the
work we are doing and impact we are trying to make on
the professional education community as a whole.” Marie
Pendleton, Head of School, Bowling Green Montessori
School, Bowling Green, Ohio
"The path to accreditation is a difficult upward climb
but the exhilaration of knowing you have reached a
summit where staff, students and community have come
together and all have benefited is well worth the
struggle." Donna Kaiser, teacher, Bunche Elementary
Montessori School, Ft Wayne Community Schools, Ft Wayne,
Indiana.
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