International Accreditation

How does your school demonstrate commitment to high quality international education to parents, students and staff members? How do you ensure your school is continually improving and keeping up with leading international education standards and practices?

As a leader in the field of school evaluation and accreditation worldwide, we offer a developmental approach to accreditation which align your practices with your school’s strategic priorities. Research-informed standards will be your guide, supporting your school to assess and strengthen the impact of international education on your community and develop socially responsible leadership.

Achieving CIS International Accreditation demonstrates that your school provides high-quality international education and in an effective and agile learning organization. The quality and rigour of CIS International Accreditation is recognized by ministries, departments of education, and universities around the world as demonstration of a school’s commitment to high quality international education.

More than 675 CIS member schools are engaged with CIS International Accreditation.

 

Graphic for the CIS International Accreditation Framework

Our framework and process offer a multidimensional framework of standards comprised of three areas through which a school pursues strategic and operational development for the future.  

Having established evidence of their Purpose, Practices and Planning, the school will engage in development through their Guiding Principles and designs for Learning and Well-being.  

The framework is designed to enable the development and modelling of socially responsible leadership. 

CIS International Accreditation has been further validated and is accepted by other countries and associations internationally as a mark of quality assurance. This includes the International Commission Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA) and the International Alliance for Accreditation in the United States of America, ONESQA in Thailand, the Victoria and Queensland State Departments of Education in Australia, the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) in the UK, the British Schools of the Middle East (BSME) and the Federation of British International Schools in Southeast Asia (FOBISIA). CIS International Accreditation is recognised throughout the United States, facilitating the acceptance of students’ transcripts with colleges and universities. Read more about our global recognition and collaborations with other agencies.

 

Characteristics of a CIS-Accredited School

The final award of CIS accreditation shows that the school has achieved high standards of professional performance in international education and has a commitment to continuous improvement. In particular, the award of accreditation shows that the school:

  • is devoted to its mission and vision for students
  • has thought deeply about the services it offers to students, family and community
  • invests the time and resources for validation from a globally-recognized accreditation authority
  • focuses on the quality of teaching, student learning, as well as student safeguarding and well-being
  • is committed to the development of the students’ global citizenship
  • has a suitable philosophy of education suitable for its students
  • promises only what it can deliver
  • is open to regular evaluation by its own school community and peer evaluators
  • constantly seeks improvement in all areas of the school plans strategically for the future

CIS member schools are invited to apply for Accreditation.