The Headmaster’s Office was notified Monday that Darlington School has achieved dual accreditation by the Southern Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. This option has only been available within the last five years; in the past, independent schools were accredited by SACS only.
“The new SACS/SAIS dual accreditation process is specifically designed to assist independent schools in realizing their strategic goals,” said Dr. Mark Carleton, assistant headmaster and director of Upper School. “A school accredited by this dual process becomes part of an international network of accredited schools that are recognized throughout the world as emblematic of the highest quality in education.”
To earn dual accreditation from SAIS and SACS, Darlington complied with quality standards, was evaluated by an outside group of peer professionals, and implemented a school plan focused on strategic improvement and student performance.
“We are proud to share this news with all of you,” said John Irby (’81), chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Dual accreditation provides schools access to an integrated network of services and technical assistance that supports every school's ability to identify and meet its goals for improving student performance and the teaching and learning process. We at Darlington intend to take advantage of these offerings in order to provide the best possible experience for each and every student.”
In today’s world of accountability in schooling, accreditation serves as a critical component of a school’s demonstrated effectiveness and ability to provide successful schooling for children. A school that is able to achieve accreditation demonstrates a commitment to a process that requires the school to meet a set of rigorous, research-based standards; to engage in a program of continuous school improvement; and to demonstrate quality assurance to its stakeholders through self-evaluation and peer review.
Throughout the accreditation process, Darlington demonstrated a systematic approach for meeting quality standards in the following areas: a continuous process of educational improvement; beliefs and mission; governance and leadership; finances and resources; human resources; library and media services; facilities; communication and community relationships; curriculum and instructional design; citizenship and conduct; assessment, measurement and effective results; and dormitory life.
“Darlington’s self-study, following in the wake of a comprehensive strategic planning process completed in the spring of 2006, makes clear the School’s commitment to its mission and motto, to the children it serves, and to ongoing improvement in all areas of school life,” stated Billy Peebles, headmaster of The Lovett School, in Darlington’s SAIS-SACS Dual Accreditation Visit Report. “Darlington clearly articulated its current profile, its vision, its plans for the future, and the results to be measured. This process was thorough, thoughtful and inclusive … The comprehensiveness, rigor and integrity of the self-study and strategic planning processes give the visiting committee great confidence that Darlington will sustain and indeed strengthen its already keen commitment to carrying out ever more effectively its important mission.”
Accreditation is voluntary and must be renewed each year. In addition, the self-study process and peer review visit must be repeated every five years for continued accreditation.
SAIS and SACS member schools are part of a remarkable history of quality assurance in education. SAIS began its organizational life in 1903 as the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools (MAIS). In 1953, another organization began as the Southern Association of Independent Schools, providing a forum for independent school administrators to work with public schools through SACS and to contribute to the larger interest in accreditation in the Southeast. MAIS and SAIS merged in 1986 to form the present-day SAIS, which now works at the state, regional, and national levels, to serve and strengthen member schools through the promotion of the highest quality educational standards and ethical conduct.
Established in 1985, SACS is a non-governmental, voluntary organization that accredits more than 13,000 public and non-public institutions from early-childhood to university. Today, SACS is the largest accrediting agency in the world. The current SAIS-SACS partnership offers schools a process for dual accreditation.
Darlington has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 1913, according to SACS records. In addition, the School holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, the Southern Association of Independent Schools, the Southeastern Association of Boarding Schools, the Georgia Independent School Association, the Association for Boarding Schools, and several other educational associations.
