AMS/NAEYC: New joint accreditation process

Montessori Life, Winter 2003 by Basso, Mimi

Accreditation certifies to the general public that a school community meets established criteria or standards. Accreditation is a declaration that a school is what it says it is and does what it says it does. Although accreditation serves as an indicator of quality for a school, the primary goal of the AMS school accreditation process is continuous school improvement.

The availability of joint accreditation is an important service that AMS provides to member schools. AMS has a long-standing agreement with the six regional accrediting bodies. When an AMS school enters a joint accreditation process, it enjoys the credibility, recognition, and expertise of the larger educational community. The larger educational community also is exposed to excellent schools that are practicing the Montessori approach.

The AMS Accreditation Commission and representatives from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) engaged in a series of discussions focused on school accreditation. Our discussions began with gathering information and thoroughly researching our accreditation processes. We then did a detailed crosswalk of NAEYC Standards and AMS Standards. The NAEYC Standards are based on research. Both NAEYC and AMS Standards reflect best practices, in other words, developmentally appropriate practice. While there are non-negotiable standards for Montessori schools, we found that AMS and NAEYC were in substantial agreement about quality educational programs.

In addition to the NAEYC Standards, there are non-negotiables with which Montessori schools seeking accreditation must be in compliance, including:

* Montessori credentialed teachers certified at the level they are teaching,

* mixed-age groupings of children,

* an educational philosophy that embraces Montessori principles,

* evidence of a Strategic Plan.

The Accreditation Commission has announced a protocol that is now being utilized by AMS schools to achieve AMS/ NAEYC accreditation. It is important to note that this protocol is available only to AMS member schools that serve children through the age of 6. (If a school has an elementary component, joint accreditation through a regional agency is available.) In providing this service, our goal is to guide schools through a renewal process that will allow them to be recognized as excellent and committed to improvement and growth.

The following provides the sequence of steps for schools seeking AMS/ NAEYC accreditation.

* CAMS member schools serving children through age 6 apply for accreditation from BOTH AMS and NAEYC. Information is available at www.amshq.org and www.naeyc.org.

*Complete the NAEYC self-study. *Request a validating team from NAEYC.

*After successful completion of the NAEYC process, send documentation that you have achieved NAEYC accreditation to the AMS office of School Consultation and Accreditation (ScandA).

*Send documentation of compliance with the non-negotiable standards listed above to the AMS office of ScandA.

*The director of ScandA will assign a validator from AMS to validate the process.

This effort links Montessori educators to other early childhood educators. We have much to learn and much to teach. Approximately 400 of our schools are eligible for AMS/NAEYC accreditation.

We anticipate a need for Montessori educators to validate these schools. As a result, we are sounding a call for volunteers. NAEYC will be providing a Validators Training Session at the AMS National Conference in Covington, KY. Please consider being part of this collaborative effort.

National Academy of Early Childhood Programs

The accreditation division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children

1509 16th St. NW

Washington, DC 20036-1426

202-232-8777 * 800-424-2460

Fax 202-232-1720

email academy@naeyc.org * www.naeyc.org

Training Session Title: NAEYC

Validator Training/Retraining

Dates: Thursday, May 1, 2003 (9 a.m.-6 p.m.) and Friday, May 2 (9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)

NAEYC's National Academy of Early Childhood Programs invites individuals to become active to help verify the quality of early care and education in our region and offer this training session for new validators and required retraining for current validators who were trained 3 or more years ago. All participants must attend the entire training session. Space is limited.

Qualifications for validators include (1 ) direct experience with all phases of the accreditation process; (2) experience using all NAEYC accreditation documents as a participant in the self-study process; (3) experience working with young children in a group setting using developmentally appropriate practices; (4) administrative or supervisory experience in an early childhood setting (preferably during the accreditation process); (5) a baccalaureate degree (preferably in early childhood education, child development, or related field); (6) availability to conduct at least three validation visits per year; and (7) strong observational skills and effective interpersonal communication.

Both training and retraining participants must apply to attend training. Training information and applications are available online at naeyc.org. Those who have already submitted a validator application and want to participate in this training session should contact Dedra Duncan at NAEYC headquarters at 1-800-424-2460, X 11393. Walkins are not accepted. Applicants who are accepted will receive pretraining exercises and training materials at least one week before the training. Please contact Dedra Duncan at the number above if you do not receive notification regarding your application.