Accreditation Accomplished
We did it!
I am very happy to report that Providence Classical Christian School is being recommended for accreditation by the Association of Classical Christian Schools. This is a huge accomplishment for our school and a great blessing from the Lord’s hand.
Providence already holds state accreditation with the Georgia Accreditation Commission (GAC), a state agency. However, ACCS accreditation is the national leader in classical Christian education, so this is the gold standard for us. While every accrediting agency seeks to endorse a school’s commitment to educational excellence, ACCS accreditation is unique because it emphasizes the foundational principles of classical Christian education. The ACCS standards cover classical methods, Christian commitment, and organizational stability.
Of the 450+ schools in the ACCS, there are only about 60 accredited schools, and we are joining this team of schools dedicated to classical Christian education.
Why pursue accreditation? St. Paul wrote, “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding” (2 Cor 10:12). It is wise to measure yourself using an objective standard outside of you. Then you can allow someone else to commend you rather than simply engaging in self-congratulation.
Three fellow classical Christian educators spent two full days on the Providence campus this week, visiting classrooms and interviewing students, teachers, and board members. Additionally, they examined the school’s plans, records, finances, curriculum, culture, teacher development, leadership, and administration. That we are being accredited means that we meet or exceed the ACCS standards of excellence, and therefore, having done so, we can say that we are serving our parents well in the great task God has called us to.
I hope that you, parents, find this news encouraging. I hope when you hear that knowledgeable friends from outside our school took a look under the hood and concluded that everything is in great working order, you feel blessed that God is doing this work among us. We’ve been affirmed in something we already knew – that our graduates are receiving a special gift as they are being prepared to serve Christ for a lifetime.
I want to congratulate our fine faculty and staff for all their hard work preparing for accreditation. We are a better school because of their diligence and preparation. And I also want to thank our school board for their sacrificial service, leadership, and guidance.
Most of all, we thank the Lord for moments like this, when we get to see the fruit of our labor and give Him glory for what He is doing.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:20-21).