The staff of our Lutheran school has worked hard to complete a rigorous school evaluation and improvement process so that our school is now fully accredited. Parents and others in our congregation and community can be assured that our school has been observed, evaluated, and recognized by National Lutheran School Accreditation as a quality school, worthy of the distinction of being State of Indiana accredited. Parents want only the very best education for their children. Accreditation today is the mark of the best in education—and our school has been found worthy of accreditation. You can feel proud of the fact that our school is accredited and assured that our school provides a quality Christian education.

WHAT IS ACCREDITATION?

Accreditation is a process of self-evaluation and school improvement based on national standards and the school’s purpose. The purpose of National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA) is to help Lutheran schools improve for the benefit of students and their families.

Since the beginning of the 20^th century, accreditation has had a major impact on American education. It is a response to the increased expectations of the American people for improved quality and greater accountability in schools. Accreditation agencies serve the purpose of assuring parents that educational institutions who are accredited are indeed quality schools. Accreditation agencies serve the public. They are trusted to examine and evaluate schools to see if they measure up to accepted standards of quality. They, especially National Lutheran School Accreditation, can be trusted by parents and others to assure that Lutheran schools are who they claim they are and do what they claim to do. Accreditation helps Lutheran schools improve and assures parents and other school constituents that the accredited school meets reasonable, accepted standards of quality in American education in addition to the higher standards expected of a school which is based on Christian principles.

Accreditation is a voluntary process. It is not required of Lutheran schools. Our school values quality Christian education so much that it was willing to undergo the extra work, self-evaluation, school improvement, and review process that accreditation requires. That is because our school staff values your children so much that they are willing to “go the extra mile” to ensure that your children receive the best education possible.

What has happened at Trinity since we became “official” in August of 2003? First, we thank God that He had blessed us with 155 years of His grace! That is a remarkable number of years for a Lutheran school to be in Mission. We are blessed to be in the Darmstadt community. Thank you to our congregation for the support it has given its school, and we pray together that we will grow to higher numbers for one reason and one reason only: to touch the lives of children and their families with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.



HOW DOES A SCHOOL BECOME ACCREDITED?

The National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA) accreditation process includes six steps:

1. The school staff and leadership resolves to become accredited. Recognizing the extra effort the accreditation process requires, they apply for NLSA accreditation.
2. Working with a consultant assigned by NLSA, a local steering committee and subcommittees are appointed by the school administrator or school board. These committees include staff, parents, school board and congregation members, and sometimes students.
3. The school’s self study/evaluation, based on national standards and the school’s philosophy, is carried out by the committees. A self study report is drafted by the subcommittees, reviewed by the faculty, and approved by the steering committee. School improvement, based on the self study, is done. Evidences to support the responses in the self study are gathered.
4. A team of outside observers, educators representing Lutheran and other schools, visits the school to validate the self study report and to evaluate the school (this occurred at Trinity in October of 2002). The team submits a report to the school, which includes their recommendations for school improvement and for school accreditation.
5. The team’s recommendation for accreditation is reviewed by the District Accreditation Commission. The Visiting Team Report is reviewed by experienced Lutheran school educators in other parts of the country. The National Accreditation Commission grants accreditation for seven years. The certificate of accreditation is presented to the school by the District Education Executive at a public school gathering (this occurred at Trinity in August of 2003).
6. The school continues to improve on the basis of the visiting team’s recommendations. Its continued improvement is documented in annual reports which are reviewed by the District Commission. (Our first annual report was submitted in May of 2004 and was fully accepted by the Accreditation Commission. We also have to submit an annual $250 fee.)
7. A new site visit for our re-accreditation will take place in the fall of 2009 or the spring of 2010.
   

WHAT IS NLSA?

National Lutheran School Accreditation is a voluntary process of school evaluation to help Lutheran schools improve for the benefit of students and their families. It is similar to other legitimate accrediting bodies, but specifically designed to help evaluate and improve not only the curriculum, instruction, and administration, but also the religious dimension of the school. It is a process supervised and managed by the National Accreditation Commission, made up of one voting member from each District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), and supported by the LCMS District and Congregational Services--School Ministry. NLSA accredits schools of any level (early childhood, elementary, and secondary) operated by one or more LCMS congregations. NLSA is a nationally recognized, respected accreditation process with more than 600 schools accredited or working toward accreditation.

NLSA was established to:

• Provide uniform, nationwide standards by which Lutheran schools may evaluate themselves.
• Give appropriate recognition to Lutheran schools that complete the NLSA process successfully.
• Help Lutheran schools evaluate and improve their unique ministry as Lutheran schools.

NLSA provides a service which empowers our schools to develop and improve high quality Christ-centered education through a voluntary process which helps them to:

• Analyze themselves based upon rigorous national standards.
• Identify needed improvements.
• Establish a plan and a process to systematically improve the school.
• Implement the improvement plan.
  
• Continue an ongoing evaluation and improvement of their mission and ministry.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF NLSA ACCREDITATION?

Benefits for Children:

• A recognized, high quality Christian education.
• Teachers who constantly seek to improve their instruction.
• A school which values and strives for school improvement.

Benefits for Parents:

• Assurance that the accredited school has been evaluated according to national standards of quality education and found worthy of recognition as an accredited school.
  
• Knowledge that an NLSA accredited school, wherever it is found, is a quality Christian school.
• Opportunities to be involved in the evaluation and improvement of the school, since the accreditation process requires the involvement of a wide variety of school constituents.
• A feeling of security, knowing that their child attends a school that values each child so much that school improvement is important.

Benefits for the School:

• Recognition by a national, respected accreditation body specifically for Lutheran schools.
• Knowledge that the accreditation process helped them improve their mission and ministry as a Christian school.
• Greater self-respect by the faculty and staff who have successfully completed the accreditation process.
• Public acknowledgement of the quality Christian education provided by the school

Trinity is also seeking accreditation with the state of Indiana. The standards are not as rigorous as those of NLSA, but with several distinctions: 1) our teachers need to be licensed, and 2) our school needs to follow the tenets of the No Child Left Behind legislation that was developed by the Bush Administration. We have many state reports to file, which includes a great amount of data. It is a difficult process, but again, I can only see it making our school a better place for our children to learn. The process is a good one. It truly brings esteem to our humble school. It means we cannot rest on our laurels, but we must continually improve to be the best we can be, with God’s help. It is a vision, one that will continually change. However, as we keep our eyes to the cross, it is what gives us direction in our Mission and Vision. May God bless us richly each day in our service to Him!