What is ECIS (CIS) ? ECIS Accreditation Process at Eyüboğlu Characteristics of a CIS Accredited School

What is ECIS (CIS)?

ECIS (European Council of International Schools) is a non-profit membership organization founded in 1965. Being the largest organization regarding international schools, it has over 436 members, both primary and secondary, around the globe. The services that ECIS provides include:

• assisting schools in their endeavours to hire staff,
• organizing in-service training activities for teachers,
• disseminating information through publications and resources,
• Accrediting schools (ECIS has been executing this function since 1972).

Since 1 July 2003 , " European Council of International Schools " (ECIS) has been operating under the name "Council of International Schools". In order to enable a smooth transition, the accredited schools have been allowed some time to make the necessary changes in their systems.

What is accreditation?

The dictionary meaning of "accreditation" is "the act of granting credit or recognition especially with respect to educational institution that maintains suitable standards". In the context of ECIS, accreditation means ECIS's recognizing international schools' success in acting in accordance with some pre-determined standards and criteria as well as the schools' own philosophies and objectives.

What is the aim of accreditation?

The aim of accreditation is to:

• ensure that the school seeks perfection in all areas of its activities;

• guarantee that the school provides a high quality education in line with its pre-determined aims /standards;

• enable all the members of the school community to be aware of their strong and weak areas and to make sure that they engage in a continuous effort to develop and reach perfection; and

• enable the school to compare itself to other similar schools around the globe and to test itself at the international arena.

What are the benefits of the Accreditation process?

• The school's possession of accredited status submits a very positive message about the school to the national and international circles, educational institutions and universities;

• The rigorous self-study process provides a significant contribution to the school's development;

• The accreditation process improves intra-school contact and understanding;

• This objective evaluation, conducted by an authority outside the school, enables the school to receive numerous valuable, constructive suggestions;

• The accreditation process enables the school to get in contact and communicate with other schools around the globe;

• The self-study document and the team visit reports serve as a working material for the school as it maps out its direction for the years ahead;

• The accreditation process ensures that all aspects of the school are adapted to rigorous standards and criteria;

• The information regarding all aspects of the school are recorded on electronic media;

• The members of the school community recognize their areas that need development and engage in a continuous effort to improve them;

• All the individuals in the school community question and evaluate themselves and the school.

What are the stages of the accreditation process?

• 1. The school seeking accreditation informs ECIS about its intention in this vein and prepares a preliminary report, which includes the answers to the 140 questions posed by ECIS.
• 2. A school seeking accreditation for the first time hosts a Preliminary Visit, usually lasting t\vo
  to three days and normally involving two Visitors, one from each of the two Accrediting
  associations. The purpose of the visit is both to clarify the Accreditation process and to
  ascertain the school's readiness to undertake the self-study. When the school concerned is
  seeking re-accreditation a similar visit is conducted, the main differences being that the school
  remains in accredited status Throughout and that the visit is entitled The Preparatory Visit in
  order to highlight this distinction.
• 3. The self-study is the most important part of the whole evaluation and accreditation process, both in the commitment of time and effort involved and in the values to be derived. The self-study begins with Pan One, a survey which involves all the key constituents in the school community. Then in Part Two the school reviews its philosophy and objectives and subjects each area of its operation to a searching evaluation.

Part Two of the self-study is divided into the following Sections. Each covering a major area:

• A. Philosophy and Objectives
• B. Organization and Administration
• C. School Staff
• D. Early Childhood Program
• E. Elementary Curriculum Program
• F. Middle School Curriculum Program
• G. Secondary Curriculum Program
• H. Special Education Services
• I. Guidance Services
• J. Health Services & Safety
• K. Student Services
• L. Student Life
• M. Library/Media Center
• N. School Facilities
• O. Finances and Financial Management
• P. Assessment of Student Learning and Performance

For each Section Listed above the school assembles and analyzes certain data, views its current practice in the light of its own Philosophy and the Standards for Accreditation, considers a set of accepted Effective Practices, writes a statement of conclusions and a Description Statement.

The self-study requires a considerable commitment of time from all members of the school's teaching and administrative staff and also from a number of parents, board members and students. it is the intention of NEASC and ECİŞ that the self-study should present an honest, broad view of the school and that it should not represent the views of any minority group within the school.

Every staff member should have a meaningful assignment of assignments, preferably including two aspects, one related to his/her own area of duties, and öne involving an overview of the school's operation. Secondary staff normally work within their own subject departments on one of their assignments, Primary staff normally select a curriculum area of particular interest.

• 4. Following the completion of the self-study the school is visited by a Team of suitably qualified administrators and teachers drawn from other schools.

The primary function of the Team is to assist the school by providing an objective assessment of the conclusions of the self-study. The Team visits the school, usually for at least four working days, to see it İn action. Team members visit classrooms, talk to students, parents, members of the staff and board and examine all aspects of the school in the light of the self-study, the school's own Philosophy and Objectives and the Standards for Accreditation.

The Standards are designed to ensure that a school must be offering a broad general education of a high quality before being awarded accreditation. However, they do not pre-suppose any specific model of excellence nor seek to impose the methods of one school upon another. The guiding principle of the program is that a school will be evaluated in terms of its own Philosophy and Objectives.

It is worth pointing out here that during the course of the visit no assessment should be made of individual staff performance, nor will critical reference be made to any staff member in the report of the Visiting Team. The Team reviews the quality of education offered, not the qualities of individual teachers.

The Team writes a detailed report which addresses each of the Sections in the self-study. For each Section the Team offers a description, its perceptions and a set of commendations and recommendations. The Report, however, does not contain the Team's recommendations with regard to accreditation, which is made directly to the NEASC Committee on American and International Schools Abroad (CAISA) and to the ECIS Accreditation Committee.

• 4. The respective committees of NEASC and ECIS review carefully the Visiting Team Report and consider the recommendations of the Visiting Team relative to Accreditation. Each Committee then makes a recommendation upon which its appropriate governing body acts:

in the case of ECIS, the decision may be to:

(a) award Accreditation or Re-Accreditation.

(b) award Accreditation or Re-Accreditation with specific qualifications.

(c) postpone Accreditation or Re-Accreditation for some specified reason(s).

(d) not award Accreditation or Re-Accreditation. in the case of NEASC, the decision may be to:

(a) award Accreditation (initial or continued)

(b) award Accreditation on warning or Accreditation on probation

(c) postpone Accreditation for some specified reason or reasons (only for schools seeking initial Accreditation)

(d) not award Accreditation

Any adverse recommendation is subject to appeal by the school. Adverse accreditation decisions are defined as denial of accreditation, placement on probation, postponement of re-accreditation, or termination of accreditation.

• 5. Subsequent Procedures

A number of review procedures have been established, including:

(a) The One Year Report, prepared by the school during the year following the award of Accreditation or Re-Accreditation, in response to the recommendations contained in the Visiting Team Report.

(b) A Five Year Report that requires a two person on-site visit, (one visitor from each association.)

(c) Special Reports and/or Special Visits if considered necessary