District receives high marks on Index of Education Quality (IEQ) score.
Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE), the world’s first private online school district, announced today that it has earned system reaccreditation by Cognia™ Accreditation Commission, a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers. Originally accredited in 2011, SHCOE’s 2021 reaccreditation is for a five-year term.
Cognia, formerly AdvancED, recognizes school districts that demonstrate the following: rigorous standards that focus on productive learning environments, equitable resource allocation that meets the needs of learners, and effective leadership. Earning accreditation from the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission means that the SHCOE school district and all its schools are accredited, and that SHCOE is recognized nationally as a school system that meets Cognia Standards of Quality and maintains a commitment to continuous improvement.
Dr. Howard Liebman, Superintendent of Schools stated, “Systems accreditation as conferred by the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission demonstrates to our stakeholders our commitment to excellence, our openness to external review and feedback, and our desire to be the best we can be on behalf of the students we serve.”
Dr. Mark A. Elgart, President and CEO of Cognia, stated, “Cognia System Accreditation is a rigorous process that focuses the entire school system and its community on the primary goal of preparing lifelong learners in engaging environments where all students can flourish. SHCOE is to be commended for demonstrating that it has met high standards and is making progress on key indicators that impact student learning.”
During the reaccreditation review, the Cognia team uncovered a deep sense of the “culture of hope” within SHCOE, noting the following themes:
- Academic coaching is the cornerstone of SHCOE’s programs and the academic coaching system provides excellent practices for adult learning.
- Partnerships with public libraries and corporations across the country provide rich connections between the adult students and SHCOE.
- SHCOE is a highly mission-directed and strategic organization with passionate leadership guiding the way.
- SHCOE is a data-rich and information-rich educational organization.
Cognia is the parent organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). Parents and interested community members can learn more about the Cognia Accreditation at cognia.org.
About Cognia
Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, professional learning, and improvement services to institutions and other education providers. The result of the merger of AdvancED and Measured Progress, Cognia was formed to bridge the gap between school evaluation and student assessment. As a global nonprofit working in over 80 countries, our 36,000 institutions serve and support nearly 25 million students and five million educators every day. Cognia serves as trusted partner in advancing learning for all learners. Find out more at cognia.org.
About Smart Horizons Career Online Education
Founded in 2009, Smart Horizons Career Online Education (SHCOE) is the world’s first private accredited online school district. SHCOE offers online high school diploma programs designed to re-engage adults and older youth in the educational system and prepare them for the workplace or postsecondary education. The high school program includes a vocational certificate in career pathways such as home care professional, child care, office management, certified protection officer, homeland security, commercial driving, retail customer service, food services, hospitality, and general career preparation. For more information, visit shcoe.org.