FCIS Accreditation

On Sunday, Shorecrest Preparatory School will welcome our FCIS accreditation team for a three-day visit to campus. This is the culminating step of our accreditation process, a quinquennial (every five years) process where Shorecrest is evaluated on all aspects of school life, as set by the standards established by the Florida Council of Independent Schools. 

Shorecrest, then a K-6th grade school, was first accredited by FCIS 1955. The process includes an intensive year-long self-study review, along with a visit by a team of peer educators from similar institutions. FCIS accreditation is a key aspect of a school’s reputation for educational excellence. It serves as a critical admissions marketing tool, effectively communicating the meaning, quality, and value of an independent, FCIS-accredited education to current and prospective parents.

 

Our accreditation team will be chaired by Tyler Hodges, Head of School at Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, and by Village School’s Head of School Dennis Chapman, joining us from Naples, Florida. Our 12-member team includes three other Heads of School, along with administrators and classroom teachers from similar independent schools from around the state. These educators have different areas of expertise and come from outside the Shorecrest’s competitive market. The accreditation team has already completed its pre-visit day, where they spoke with various administrators and faculty about key indicators and standards from the self-study. I know that Tyler and Dennis were impressed with what they saw and heard, and they are eager to get onto campus and meet our full community. 

You will see the accreditation team out and about at morning carline on Monday. Their agenda is chock full as they visit classes, attend Morning Meeting for Middle and Upper Schools, sit in on administrative and departmental meetings, eat lunch with students, experience a fire drill, attend athletic practices, sit in on a spring musical rehearsal, watch robotics competition preparation and talk with students, teachers, staff, trustees and parents throughout their visit. Their goal is to facilitate Shorecrest’s ability to establish and maintain the highest standards and best practices. The guiding principle is to assess whether we do what we say we do and ensure that we are mission-aligned in our policy and practice. 

In addition, an accreditation visit is the School's opportunity to ask for feedback from the visiting  team on specific programs, initiatives, systems, etc. These educators will consider the three essential questions formulated by the faculty and staff through the year-long self-study process: 

At the end of the visit, the accreditation team writes an evaluation report with its observations, commendations and recommendations, culminating in its recommendation for continued accreditation through FCIS.  

This process is a time-intensive one that requires careful planning and reflection on behalf of the school, and all faculty and staff are involved. I am grateful for the hours of work that our teachers and staff have invested to make accreditation go smoothly. In particular, I want to thank our Shorecrest accreditation chairs, Dr. Anna Baralt and Anne Michelle Frey, along with Julie Meyer, for their supremely organized and thorough efforts throughout the past year. 

FCIS accreditation is considered to be the seal of educational excellence for families seeking an independent school education in our state. We are delighted to be a part of the FCIS community and we value this opportunity to welcome our visiting team and learn from their experience and expertise. More than an accreditation process, we look forward to working with FCIS as a partner in ensuring Shorecrest’s exceptional quality, sustainability, and continued success.

 

All the best, 

Nancy