Advancing Excellencene in Education Worldwide ( AdvancED)

AdvancED is a dynamic accreditation and evaluation organization that protects the public trust and is proactive in promoting a system of education that:

• Enhances student learning and love for learning.
• Fosters healthy, creative and innovative human beings.
• Prepares students to live and learn in an ever changing and diverse world.
• Provides standards and evaluation services for schools that ensure successful school transitions for its students.

AdvancED is a non-profit organization, accrediting over 23,000 schools divided into 7 categories: Elementary, Middle, Secondary, College Preparatory, Vocational/Adult, Optional/Special Function, and Unit (K-12). Those 23,000 schools are spread out over 30 states, 65 countries and include the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools overseas. At its heart, AdvancED is an accreditation and evaluation organization. To become a member of AdvancED, a school must meet AdvancED standards, conduct a self-study, and adopt a model of continuous school improvement that focuses on improving student performance.

AdvancED strongly believes that AdvancED standards and their application will enhance learning, but there are other benefits to membership. AdvancED membership:

• Helps schools to focus on improving student performance
• Increases the effectiveness of the school improvement process
• Provides school recognition that is useful in the college admissions process
• Promotes staff development
• Involves schools as partners in the formation of regional standards
• Provides a framework for accountability
• Assists the school by promoting essential school conditions such as programs,
  services, staffing, finances, and instructional resources.

Finally, AdvancED membership protects the public's trust. Schools that are AdvancED members have been examined by an outside team made up of their peers, and have had their school improvement plan reviewed by experts.

AdvancED Quality Assurance Reviews (QAR) occurs at each of our schools every five years. These important reviews determine our school’s accreditation status. These three-day reviews assess the schools in great detail in many different areas. Following the visits, a report is prepared by the QAR team and sent to the school, the district superintendent, the local commander, the European director, and DoDEA headquarters. It is the school’s responsibility to address the QAR recommendations and create a “QAR Next Steps” plan. You can learn more about these reviews by reviewing the AdvancED Standards Assessment Rubric for School Systems. Below is the current schedule of the QAR reviews for our schools:

SY 2009-2010
- Vicenza ES, Vicenza, Italy
- Vicenza MS/HS, Vicenza, Italy
- Incirlik Unit School, Adana, Turkey

SY 2010-2011
- Aviano ES, Aviano, Italy
- Aviano MS/HS, Aviano, Italy
- Rota ES, Rota, Spain
- Rota MS/HS, Rota, Spain
- Seville ES/MS, Moron, Spain

SY 2011-2012
- Bahrain Unit School, Bahrain
- Livorno Unit School, Tirrenia, Italy  
- Sigonella ES, Sigonella, Italy
- Sigonella MS/HS, Sigonella, Italy

SY 2012-2013
- Lajes Unit School, Azores, Portugal
- Naples ES, Naples, Italy
- Naples HS, Naples, Italy

SY 2013-2014
- Ankara ES/HS, Ankara, Turkey