From the point of initial membership, UMSI schools have two school years in which to apply for NAUMS certification. However, it is recommended that the entire process be completed within a two-year period.
Currently, there are 16 schools not yet certified. If your school is one of these, and you have not yet applied, please contact Karen Cannon at kcannon@umsi.org today.
Progress toward AdvancED Systems Accreditation is being made, and it is projected that all details of this program will be in place by fall of 2019. Once the NAUMS, Inc. Board of Trustees officially adopts this program (expected in spring of 2019), all certified UMSI schools will be accredited or candidates for accreditation by virtue of membership in NAUMS, Inc. All certified schools already accredited by AdvancED will maintain their same accreditation through this program.
Other details include:
- AdvancED reaccreditation visits will not be scheduled to all UMSI schools every five years; instead, a small number of schools will be visited every five-year cycle,
- When schools are visited by AdvancEd, the NAUMS corporation will pay the cost of travel and lodging for those visits (instead of the school),
- As an accredited corporation, AdvancED holds NAUMS responsible for holding schools accountable for all accreditation standards. Therefore, the NAUMS corporation will visit schools every five years, but these visits will serve a dual purpose: certification and accreditation.
- The NAUMS corporation will be visited by AdvancED officials every five years, along with the small number of schools selected for a site visit,
- The AdvancED annual fee, charged to each UMSI school, will be $900, and there are numerous professional development benefits available via AdvancED (advanc-ed.org), in addition to school accreditation for all UMSI schools,
- Beginning SY 2019-2020, the cost of initial certification will be $500, and the cost to process and execute each recertification visit will be $300. As with accreditation visits, the NAUMS corporation will pay the travel and lodging of all certification team members, and finally,
- The goal of AdvancEd Systems Accreditation for UMSI schools is that 100% of schools will be fully accredited via the Systems program by SY 2023-2024 (five-year goal from this school year).
Furthermore, the NAUMS corporation has been accredited since 2006 (CITA initially, and AdvancED in 2012 and 2017). If its distinctly Christian beliefs and philosophy continue to be recognized and respected, the NAUMS corporation will maintain its partnership with AdvancED.
If possible, officials of the NAUMS Corporation also recommend Christian school accreditation. Christian agencies available to accredit University-Model® schools include Christian Schools International (CSI), accrediting the UM since 2008; the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), accrediting the UM since November 2015, and the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS), accrediting the UM since January 2017.