Holy Name of Jesus Community,
Every six years our school completes the process of re-accreditation through Cognia, a global school accreditation agency, that provides guidelines and standards that we strive to adhere to in a holistic manner. During the accreditation process, education professionals from across the country review data, conduct personal interviews, evaluate our performance, and recommend research-based suggestions for improvement. The review team evaluated all of our supporting materials, current practices, and academic standings. They also interviewed students, parents, alumni, teachers, and administration.
There are 40 standards divided among three domains that are assessed and evaluated. Each standard receives a score of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest. A total score, called the Index of Education Quality (IEQ) is then calculated. An (IEQ) of 275 and above indicates the institution is beginning to reach the Impact level and is engaged in practices that are sustained over time and are becoming ingrained in the culture of the institution. Holy Name of Jesus’ Institution IEQ score is a phenomenal 360.50! To provide context, the average range for our Cognia Improvement Network, institutions evaluated for accreditation in the last five years within our network, is 278.34 - 283.33. HNJ scored 80 points higher than our network average.
To summarize, the review team found that a strong culture of community, collaboration, and purpose exists at HNJ. Instruction is driven by data and used to meet the individual needs of students. They also found that there is a culture of high expectations. Additionally, the review team communicated that Holy Name of Jesus is an exemplary school for others. Finally, the review team found that “the school is committed to collecting, analyzing, and using data to direct instruction and school-wide decision-making. The review team noted across the Cognia Domains that many to most stakeholders are engaged, desired practices or programs are monitored, a formal process is used, results receive generally favorable ratings, and the desired processes and programs are often embedded into the school culture.”
Brief areas of improvement indicate a need to continue collecting longitudinal data to show growth over three and/or more years, a need to revisit and revise the Strategic Plan as the current one expires, and a need for school leaders to formulate and implement a comprehensive mentoring program for teachers new to the profession and those new to the school. These improvements were already recognized by HNJ before the review and were highlighted in the executive summary as focus areas for the 2022-2023 school year, indicating a strong understanding of necessary planning for continuous improvement.
A summary of the findings is as follows:
To review the comprehensive Cognia review document, click here. We are proud of HNJ and look forward to continued success in the future!
God Bless,
Kirsch