SCS Celebrates CSI and WRISA Full Accreditation
Sheboygan Christian School is proud to announce a full accreditation from Christian Schools International and Wisconsin Religious & Independent Schools Accreditation! Our school will receive this recognition for a cycle of 5 years when we will go through the process again. This commitment to continual improvement is one of the major strategies that our school employs to ensure that we are on track with our goals, on board with our practice, and on mission.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is an external recognition of an organization’s adherence to a set of standards to hold a certain status. In our school’s case, this recognition comes to us courtesy of two organizations: Christian Schools International and the Wisconsin Religious & Independent Schools Accreditation.
Christian Schools International (CSI) is a nonprofit education organization. Established in 1920, CSI provides accreditation, curriculum, curriculum, and instruction, employee benefits, and leadership development services to Christian schools.
CSI has met member schools’ accreditation needs for more than two decades. CSI accreditation is a continuous cycle of review and reflection based on established standards of excellence.
Wisconsin Religious & Independent Schools Accreditation (WRISA) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1991 by the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools to provide non-public schools with an ongoing school improvement process.
WRISA’s three phase accreditation process provides school communities with the opportunity to explore every aspect of their school program, receive valuable feedback from a team of impartial professional educators, and develop a long range plan using the WRISA framework. Once accredited, schools file an annual report documenting that they are in compliance with the WRISA Standards and that they have made progress on their long range plan.
Why does SCS pursue accreditation?
Our mission is to partner with the Christian community, use a biblical perspective to integrate academic excellence with Christ-centered learning, and prepare students’ hearts and minds for service in God’s world. We take that mission very seriously, and we want to make sure that we’re actually doing what we say we’re doing. Having two objective outside accrediting firms verify our commitment to and execution of this mission is vital to our school leadership.
Site Team Commendations
After a thorough review of all things SCS, what did the accreditation site visit team have to say about our school? They focused on six commendations:
Christ-Centered Education
“Sheboygan Christian School is to be commended for its dependence on God’s faithfulness, focus on mission, and legacy of generations committed to the school for almost 125 years. Through times of abundance and difficulty, the school has remained true to God’s calling to provide Christ-centered education.”
Leadership
“The school has hired qualified administrators who not only have a heart for Christian education but are highly skilled in their positions. All stakeholders affirm a high level of trust and respect for the current head of school and her visionary leadership, deep engagement, love for Christ and how she loves students as Jesus does.”
Faculty & Staff
“Parents and students note their appreciation for teachers and staff and how they model Jesus, live out their faith, and commit to their calling. Teachers and staff establish a strong foundation for faith development in students, sincerely love and care for students, and support them in their learning in innovative ways and in partnership with families. Students are respected and valued. It is the desire of the staff to make individual connections with every student and support them with what they need in order to thrive in the school setting.”
Teaching for Transformation
“Schoolwide, SCS engages deeply in the work of Teaching for Transformation which supports each teacher in developing rich biblical understanding within their content areas and finding opportunities for their personal faith expression. It is clear, based on walking into classrooms and seeing teachers’ deep hopes displayed and in talking with them, that teachers have a clear faith commitment. Numerous teachers noted that they were drawn to SCS due to the focus on faith and how it permeates everything.”
Community
“Sheboygan Christian School prioritizes close community as it continues to expand and embraces opportunities to welcome new families. The Site Visit Team often heard appreciation for the supportive environment and expressions of God’s love lived out daily.”
Academic Excellence
“Educators have a clear vision for academic excellence and seek ways to further this priority to continue to grow and improve. This is not merely an academic pursuit, but flows from the school’s God-given mission.”
Thank you!
For such a big recognition, Sheboygan Christian School would like to thank:
- The Accreditation Site Visit Team, and, in particular, Mary Paterson the CSI Accreditation Regional Coordinator
- SCS Board of Trustees
- SCS Administration
- The amazing SCS Faculty & Staff
- The School Improvement Team
Most of all, we would like to thank our Lord for His constant provision and faithfulness to our school community! We have an amazing school- and this school is committed to a perpetual cycle of improvement. We can be very thankful for that!