Purpose & Guiding Principles

The accreditation of a school has become increasingly important. Society continues to demand evidence of a school’s effectiveness. Accreditation is both a measure of a school’s effectiveness and a process of ongoing school improvement. In addition, in the state of Missouri, teaching in an accreditedschool is required to maintain state teacher certification. Many foundations also reserve funding for schools that are accredited.

Underlying all the reasons to seek accreditation is a basic desire on the part of a school to provide the best educational program for the students it serves. The accreditation process motivates a school to meet the standards of an excellent educational program.  After the standards are met, an accredited school will regularly conduct school self-evaluations, develop action plans, and continue to improve in terms of how it meets the needs of the educational community.

The guiding principles of the Missouri Nonpublic School Accrediting Association (MNSAA or the Association) indicate a strong commitment to the growth and improvement of member schools. The Association believes that:

• a school is judged, as far as possible, in terms of its own mission and philosophy.  Although individual differences exist among schools, accreditation will be based on a school’s ability to demonstrate adherence to certain indicators or conditions that provide the potential for quality education.
• indicators are stimulating and conducive to educational growth, are guides for continuous self-evaluation and provide the incentive to strive toward stated goals for improvement.
• the standards and indicators listed in this handbook apply to all schools that are seeking accreditation. However, the sponsoring agency may assign additional standards and/or indicators for its schools.

A Chapter of the National Federation of
Nonpublic School State Accrediting Associations