Archdiocese Of Chicago Catholic Schools, The Largest U.S. Private School System, Recommended For First System-Wide Accreditation

CHICAGO, April 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Office of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago ("OCS") is pleased to announce that the entire Archdiocesan school system has received a recommendation for  AdvancED School System Accreditation after a two-year internal review process. For the first time in history, all 240 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago will be accredited through AdvancED, the world's largest education community.

"This groundbreaking AdvancED accreditation is another impartial validation of the exceptional education students in the Archdiocese of Chicago are receiving," said Interim Superintendent Dr. Mary Kearney. "We are the first Catholic school system of our size to undertake this process and we are committed to continued transparency and accountability in our work with the children and families of the archdiocese."

Each year Catholic school elementary students in the Archdiocese of Chicago outpace state and national averages on standardized tests and average student attendance rates are just under ninety-seven percent. At the high school level, ACT scores have continued to rise for four straight years. In 2014, the students' ACT composite score was 23.3; 2.6 points above the State of Illinois average. Ninety-eight percent of Catholic high school seniors graduate and ninety-six percent of those students continue on to postsecondary education.

"While our Archdiocese has more Blue Ribbon schools than any U.S. system of any kind, we are also proud that our students demonstrate an unwavering commitment to service and social justice," said Archbishop Blase Cupich. "Over the past 160 years the Archdiocese has educated more than one million children, and this independent accreditation validates that our tradition of excellence continues today."

As part of the in-depth AdvancED accreditation process that surpasses state standards, a group of educators, school administrators and superintendents from around the nation spent four days evaluating the Archdiocese of Chicago system and its school improvement efforts. The review included interviews with individuals, including parents, students, teachers, principals and board members. Following a thorough evaluation of their findings, the team found that OCS met the requirements for accreditation and announced that it will be recommending the school system for AdvancED School System Accreditation. Their recommendation will be reviewed and acted upon by the national AdvancED Accreditation Commission in June. As part of the accreditation process, OCS must report to AdvancED its progress in addressing the team's Improvement Priorities within two years and participate in a comprehensive review every five years.

"AdvancED recognizes the historical and modern-day impact of Catholic schools in and around Chicago. We commend the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools for their commitment to the power of systems thinking; as well as their knowledge of the important interdependencies that exist between, and among, the individual schools that comprise the system," said Dr. David Hurst, Deputy Chief Accreditation Officer at AdvancED. "We know that the Archdiocese of Chicago will use the accreditation process to achieve greater results from their schools and the school system as a whole far beyond the internal and external review process that the Archdiocese experienced through AdvancED."

About the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools
The Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools serves close to 83,000 students in 240 schools in the city of Chicago, as well as Cook and Lake counties. It is the largest private school system in the United States and the recipient of the greatest number of U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Awards of any school system in the nation.

About AdvancED
AdvancED is the world's largest education community, serving more than 30,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in 70 countries that educate 20 million students. AdvancED conducts rigorous on-site external reviews of PreK-12 schools to ensure all learners realize their full potential. The world's leader in accreditation and continuous improvement, AdvancED offers educational technologies, advocacy and improvement and accreditation services to education providers of all types in their pursuit of excellence in serving students.

AdvancED is the parent organization for 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).

CONTACT:
Michelle Adamowski, Communications Project Manager, 312-534-8238, [email protected]
Susan Burritt, Media Relations Director, 312-534-8233, [email protected]

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SOURCE Archdiocese of Chicago