Accreditation comes from the Latin word credito--meaning to trust since the late 1800's. American schools and colleges have had their trustworthiness and quality validated through accreditation.

     The value of being accredited is that e-Tutor's quality is validated through Self-Study and on-site evaluation by educational professionals. As a result of the accreditation, e-Tutor is more focused on improving student achievement. Administrators and instructional staff are involved in the improvement process.

     e-Tutor is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement and the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation, an alliance of the premier American educational accrediting agencies.

CITA Alliance

     The CITA Alliance is the largest accrediting organization in the world and is comprised of several of the United States regional accrediting organizations and related organizations. The CITA Alliance grew out of CITA, the Council on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation.

NCA's Relationship to CITA

     The North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) manages CITA for the CITA Alliance. NCA provides the executive director, technology support, accounting services, and related infrastructure for CITA.

     CITA schools that are managed by NCA CASI earn NCA accreditation as well as CITA accreditation. They are considered to be dual accredited and enjoy full recognition and benefits of both accrediting agencies.

Description of NCA CASI Accreditation

     The North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) is a non-governmental, voluntary organization that accredits more than 8,500 public and private schools in 19 states, the Navajo Nation, and the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools worldwide.

     To earn accreditation, e-Tutor had to meet NCA CASI's quality standards, was evaluated by an outside group of professionals, and implements a school improvement plan focused on increasing student performance. e-Tutor volunteers to be accredited.

Benefits to Students

Increased performance

     Accreditation focuses e-Tutor on improving learning for all students. A six-year study of schools actively engaged in NCA CASI's process revealed that 79% made verifiable gains in student achievement. Consequently, NCA CASI accreditation is a proven method for improving student performance.

Transfer of credits

    In addition to raising student achievement, accreditation eases the transition of students as they move from e-Tutor to another accredited school. The regional nature of accreditation allows a receiving school in the same or another state to assess the quality of e-Tutor and accept the incoming student's credits and academic record. This ease of transfer applies across the nation through reciprocal agreements between the regional accrediting agencies.

Access to programs and scholarships

     Accreditation can also benefit e-Tutor students as they participate in specific sports programs, apply for federal grants or scholarships, or pursue admission to colleges, technical schools, or military programs that require students to come from regionally accredited schools.

Benefits to Parents and the General Public

     Accreditation assures parents and the public that e-Tutor is focused on raising student achievement, providing a safe and enriching learning environment, and maintaining an efficient and effective operation. Accreditation extends across state lines, assuring parents and the public that e-Tutor adheres to high quality standards based on the latest research and successful professional practice.

Benefits to e-Tutor Instructional Staff

     Accreditation provides the e-Tutor instructional staff with a proven process for raising student achievement. We benefit from multiple resources (publications, manuals, software, professional development, and conferences), all of which assist us in improving instruction. In addition, our instructional staff gains access to a network of over 8,500 programs across a 19 state region to share best practices and professional knowledge. We also gain valuable information about effective practices in other programs through participation on peer review teams. Through the accreditation process and resources, we improve our ability to analyze data and make sound educational decisions based on that data. Finally, accreditation provides e-Tutor administrators with deserved recognition for going above and beyond the minimum to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to quality and to success for all students.