Monday, December 18, 2006

ECOT earns international accreditation

The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) can now add “international accreditation” to its list of academic accomplishments in 2006.

An alliance of the largest American accrediting associations has concluded that ECOT “has demonstrated to the international academic community that it effectively advances the quality of the educational experiences it provides for its students.”

Earlier this year, ECOT jumped two categories on the State Report Card to the “Continuous Improvement” rating and had the third highest gain in two years of all Ohio schools on the Performance Index, the state’s measure of academic growth for schools.

ECOT successfully completed the required steps for accreditation by CITA (Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation), which include: initial registration, a CITA candidacy visit, a rigorous self-study, a site visit by CITA’s evaluation team and an intensive review by the CITA staff and Board of Directors.

Accreditation has been a goal of Superintendent Jeffrey Forster since he first joined the school in 2001.

“In 2001, the goal seemed a long way off,” Forster said. “This accomplishment demonstrates that the six years of hard work by our teachers and staff have now paid off."

Based in Columbus, ECOT is the first and largest e-school in Ohio and educates over 7,000 students statewide. The school is recognized as one of the nation's leaders in online education.

About CITA: The Commission of International and Trans-Regional Accreditation (CITA) is the most rapidly growing accrediting agency in the world. It was created in 1996 by five USA regional associations that accredit schools and universities.

CITA provides customized accreditation protocols and standards for schools that cross the USA regions and for national and international schools around the world. On the web: www.citaschools.org

The CITA Alliance includes:
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA CASI)
• Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools (CES MSA)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS CASI)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC-ACS)
• National Council for Private Schools Accreditation (NCPSA)
• Council on Occupational Education (COE)