Salisbury Academy recently earned reaccreditation as a member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
To earn accreditation from SAIS and SACS, Salisbury Academy 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.
In today’s world of accountability in schooling, accreditation is 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.
SAIS-SACS 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.
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.
Established in 1895, 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.
Salisbury Academy was founded in 1993 by Georgi Goss with 13 students, and now has 148 students enrolled in grades junior kindergarten through eighth grade.
Quick facts about Salisbury Academy:
– Student: Teacher Ratio is 8:1
– 100 percent of seventh- and eighth-grade students qualify for Duke Talent Identification Program.
– All students consistently score at or above grade level on Educational Records Bureau testing.
– Last year, five Spanish students were awarded medals on the National Spanish Exam ó one first place in N.C.
– Technology, music, art, science and social studies are taught in all grades, all year.
– Past three student body presidents at Salisbury High School are Salisbury Academy alumni.
– Our outstanding athletic program is opened to students in fifth through eighth grades.
– Field trips are an integral part of the curriculum, bringing learning to life.
– Minority enrollment is 16 percent.
– Tuition Assistance is 10 percent to 60 percent of tuition costs.
The school is at 2210 Jake Alexander Blvd. N., Salisbury.