Menu
CISNA is the largest member organization of accredited Islamic schools in the world.
CISNA Accreditation provides a means to review and evaluate all aspects of a school’s program with an Islamic lens. The accreditation process is based on rigorous standards and measures a school’s progress towards continuous improvement. CISNA began providing accreditation services in 2012.
CISNA is the lead accreditor in a partnership with Cognia, an international agency accrediting schools in 90 countries! CISNA schools can now apply for accreditation with CISNA and receive dual accreditation with COGNIA. CISNA is also recognized by the New York State Department of Education (the largest in the US) as an accrediting agency.
Assurance for parents and the community that the school is of high quality
Provides a systematic framework for improvement of programming and services
Self-evaluation based on your school’s unique purpose and on CISNA’s standards
Public recognition for completing the accreditation process successfully
Increased accountability to your community and constituents
Demonstration of quality as assessed by objective educational professionals
Eligibility for grants and other sources of funding
Accreditation is a must for any private institution that wishes to remain competitive and maintain a legitimate reputation. Today’s parents are asking more questions about accreditation than ever before. School accreditation provides a national protocol for schools committed to systemic, systematic, and sustainable continuous improvement. The process supports, enhances, and stimulates growth and improvement throughout the school. It requires that a school focus on continual improvement of programs, services, and teacher quality through regular evaluation, data analysis, professional development, and long-range strategic planning. The accreditation process examines the whole institution—the program, the cultural context, and the community of stakeholders—to determine how well the parts work together to meet the needs of learners. While the accreditation standards of a state or regional agency address general areas of institutional quality, the CISNA standards address all areas through an Islamic lens and the process focuses on the spiritual life of the school.
The CISNA standards were revised in 2020 after consulting with experts in the field of education. These standards are categorized under four domains: Governance, School Leadership, Teaching & Learning, and School Culture & Environment. These domains provide a systematic framework for self-evaluation and the improvement of programming and services. The first part of the CISNA accreditation process includes a thorough self-study based on the CISNA Standards and an Islamic Identity Survey administered by the school. The second part of the accreditation process consists of a review visit by the CISNA executive director, an Islamic school educator, and/or a CISNA board member. The visit serves to ascertain how the components of the school’s mission statement are integrated into the entire academic program and the culture of the school.
To successfully complete the CISNA school accreditation requirements all schools must do the following:
Step 1: Become a CISNA Member
$200.00 CISNA general membership fee.
Step 2: Submit the CISNA Accreditation Application form and fees
Once the application is received the CISNA Executive Director will provide the school with the standards and guidelines and schedule a meeting to review the process.
Complete the Self-Study & Administer the Islamic Identity Surveys
Each standard should be addressed in terms of “how” the school meets the standard. The goal is to not simply indicate that the school complies, but to describe how and to what extent the school complies with each standard.
A school should be able to demonstrate how it meets each standard by supplying supporting documentation such as governing board minutes, policy and procedure manuals, handbooks, minutes from staff meetings, etc. All supporting documentation is collected and presented along with the self-study. The results of the self-study become the basis for a school’s improvement plan and provide the context for the review team’s accreditation visit.
An important part of self-evaluation is to collect valuable feedback about the school’s purpose and impact from stakeholders. Surveys are administered to parents, students, and staff. The data is analyzed by the school to interpret the impact the school is making in each standard. A summary of the results is to be provided to the CISNA team.
CISNA On-site Review Visit
The team will focus on:
One or more CISNA representatives, depending on the size of the school, will visit the school to conduct a review. The review team gathers valuable evidence and information from stakeholders, including students, through interviews, surveys, and additional activities. The team assesses the quality of learning environments to gain valuable insights and gain a broad understanding of institution quality to target improvements.
At the end of the visit, the team will present their preliminary findings to school leadership. The team will document a thorough report of their findings which will identify commendations that the team identified where the school exceeds average performance, and recommendations that the team identified as areas of improvement. This report will be submitted to the CISNA Board for approval of accreditation. Follow up virtual meetings may be conducted with CISNA Board members following the onsite visit. The report will not be finalized until approved by the CISNA Board.
CISNA Board Approval
Upon receiving the Review Team Report, the CISNA Board reviews the report for clarification and overall compliance with standards. The Board will make the final determination whether the school will be approved for full five-year accreditation or provisional accreditation contingent on completing requirements outlined in the report. The final determination will be communicated to the school in writing.
Step 6: Follow up after Accreditation
The CISNA Accreditation Report should serve as a guide to long-term and ongoing school improvement. The school should consider the findings and begin implementing changes to meet any deficiencies found by the Review Team. The school is required to develop an Improvement Plan based on the findings of the self-study and the team report.
The school will submit an annual report in which they will document changes and actions taken to meet the team’s recommendations.
Schools must submit an Annual Report and fees by January 15 of each year with the CISNA Office.
The Annual Report describes any changes in the school that have occurred from the previous report. This may include:
Failure to submit a report in a timely manner may result in revocation of the accreditation or a fine. Once a school is accredited, it must maintain membership in CISNA throughout the entire period of the accreditation. If membership is dropped during this time, then the accreditation itself becomes null and void.
Please contact Ms. Sufia Azmat, CISNA Executive Director at cisnaoffice@gmail.com with any questions.
Fill out the Accreditation Application below and submit the fee online. The one-time, nonrefundable Accreditation application fee is $250.
NOTE: To apply for accreditation, a school must first become a member and then submit the accreditation application
All Rights Reserved © 2023 Website Design By: Digital Learning Partners LLC
