These qualities and their attributes are described in more detail on pages 38-40 of The Authentic American Montessori School.

The self-study process results in a strategic plan to guide the school in achieving its self-identified goals. A plan becomes strategic when it includes timelines, resources (both human and financial) and tools to measure success.

What Is the Value of Accreditation?
Accredited schools have obtained the highest level of recognition by AMS. Accredited schools meet a standard of excellence in the implementation of Montessori education that is recognized by the entire AMS community. Accreditation affirms that a school is what is says it is and does what it says it does. Most importantly, accreditation is a process that results in ongoing school improvement and professional development.
 

Who Is Eligible to Become Accredited?
Schools that are fully affiliated with AMS may enter the accreditation process. The school must comply with all Standards for American Montessori Society Schools (see Appendix #1) and each classroom must be guided by a Montessori teacher certified for the age level being taught.

How Can Our School Begin the Accreditation Process?

1. Educate yourself about the process. You have already begun!
2. Download and read the School Improvement Through AMS Accreditation School Handbook. Pay particular attention to the description of the 3 self-study protocols.
3. Next, email or call the AMS office of School Consultation and Accreditation to discuss and confirm your self-study options. (Email Mimi@amshq.org or telephone 212/358-1250, ext 207)
4. Choose an approved self-study protocol (format).
5. Complete an application for AMS School Accreditation and send to AMS with a $420 application fee. See Appendix #2, Application for AMS School Accreditation.
6. Begin the self-study using the protocol you selected for your school that was approved by the AMS office of School Consultation and Accreditation.

How Long Does the Accreditation Process Take?
The self-study process usually takes a year or more in order to obtain the full benefits for the school. Most schools complete the accreditation process within 2 years. Ongoing annual up-date reports are filed with AMS in order to maintain accreditation.

How Much Does Accreditation Cost?
Costs vary depending on the size of the school and the type of protocol selected. All schools must pay the $420 application fee and must reimburse accreditation team members for their travel, housing, and meal expenses. In addition, the school may incur costs associated with producing the self-study and hospitality for the accreditation team. No honoraria are paid to any accreditation team member. The AMS Office of School Accreditation and Consultation can help schools to prepare a budget

What Are the Self-Study Protocol (Format) Options?
There are three accreditation protocols approved by the American Montessori Society.
A side-by-side comparison of these protocols is found in Appendix #3, Self-Study Protocol Overview. A brief description of each protocol follows:

1. The Authentic American Montessori School
   This protocol is a self-study guide that can be downloaded from the AMS website. It was written by Nancy M. Rambusch and John A. Stoops in 1992 and continues to be relevant today. Written in a metaphorical style, the guide challenges schools to engage in a holistic self-evaluation process. Because some of the language in The Authentic is unfamiliar to many, A Guide To The Authentic has been published to assist schools in evaluating and utilizing this protocol. See Appendix #4.
   
   Documentation that the school meets all Standards for American Montessori Society Schools (Appendix #1) is also required.
   
    
2. The School Portfolio: A Self-Study
   This protocol was developed by the AMS School Accreditation Commission to assist a school community in the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan for school improvement. It focuses on the school’s mission, AMS Standards, and student learner outcomes as a framework for strengthening the instructional and organizational effectiveness of the school.
   
   The development of the School Portfolio is a community process that identifies the strengths and areas that need improvement within the school. The school community accomplishes this by creating teams that gather stakeholders’ input about the mission, practices and vision of the school resulting in a school improvement plan. A description of the school portfolio protocol can be found in Appendix #5, School Portfolio Protocol: A Self Study.
   
   Documentation that the school meets all Standards For American Montessori Society Schools (Appendix #1) is also required.
   
    
3. Joint Accreditation Protocol
   AMS has developed a process for affiliated schools to become accredited by several organizations at the same time if they choose to do so. This eliminates duplicating the work required for dual or multiple accreditations and streamlines the process. A complete list of the regional, national, and international school accreditation associations that are allied with AMS can be found in Appendix #7, Joint Accreditation Options.
   
   In order to engage in a joint accreditation protocol the school must contact the regional office of the joint accrediting agency as well as the AMS School Consultation and Accreditation office to begin the process. Schools must be in compliance with the requirements of the other accrediting agency as well as AMS requirements. A description of the Joint Accreditation Protocol can be found in Appendix #6, Joint Accreditation Protocol.
   
   The school must also document compliance with the following Standards for American Montessori Society Schools (Appendix #1): #11.1 concerning teacher certification, #12.0 all material resources requirements and #13.0 all program planning and implementation requirements.
    

What If Our School Needs Help to Engage in This Process?
AMS offers consultation services for schools. An AMS consultant can help a school to successfully organize and complete a self-study and prepare for an on-site visit. Contact the AMS office of School Consultation and Accreditation for assistance or utilize the information on consultation services located on the AMS website, www.amshq.org. In addition, mentoring is available from accredited schools.
 

What Happens After Our School Completes the Self-Study Process?
After the school completes and documents its self-study as prescribed in one of the three approved protocols, the self-study and documented AMS Standards are mailed to the AMS Office of School Consultation and Accreditation along with a Request for On-site Accreditation Team, Appendix #8. AMS reviews the documents to see that they are complete and include the AMS Standards checklist. Then a team of volunteer professional peers is assigned to visit the school to validate the school’s self-study process and findings. It takes a minimum of 6 weeks from the time the written materials reach AMS to the arrival of an on-site team. See Appendix #9, Guidelines for Schools Preparing for an On-Site Visit and Appendix #10, Sample School Schedules – On-Site Visit.
 

What Is the Role of the On-Site Accreditation Team?
The on-site team, consisting of two or more qualified members, visits the school for 2 - 3+ days depending on the size of the school. Team members are chosen for their educational and/or administrative experience, their ability to provide meaningful, objective judgments and their writing ability. Team members must also meet the following AMS requirements to serve as a team member and be free of any conflict of interest.

AMS Accreditation Team Members are required to:

A person with a recognized area of expertise that does not meet the above team member’s criteria may be asked to serve. This would have to meet approval of the Head of School to be accredited and the Director of SCandA.

The visiting team’s task is to validate the school’s self-study and they do this work by observing all classes and special programs, reviewing all documentation that validates the AMS standards and interviewing a broad spectrum of the school’s constituents. At the conclusion of the visit the on-site team presents its findings to the school in the form of a written and oral report that includes commendations and recommendations.
 

What Kind of Feedback Will Teachers Get?
Accreditation observations are focused on process, standards and the school’s self-described program and strategic plan, not on individual teacher performance. On-site team members are observing to verify that the school is what it says it is and does what it says it does and to help the school to discover any issues not addressed in the self-study and strategic plan. Therefore, the feedback will address broad issues and not teacher specific issues.
 

Who Decides if a School Will Achieve Accreditation?
The team of peers who visit the school to validate the self-study process and findings will make a recommendation to the AMS Accreditation Commission, a volunteer group of Montessori professionals who oversee the accreditation process. The Commission reviews the report and the accreditation recommendation of the on-site team as well as the self-study materials created by the school and forwards its recommendation to the AMS Board of Trustees. The AMS Board of Trustees will consider and vote on accreditation recommendations presented by the Commission up to 4 times per year. The Board votes for accreditation, accreditation probation, or non-accreditation and notifies the school within one week of the decision.
 

How Does A School Maintain Accreditation?
Each year the school submits an Annual Report For Accredited Schools to AMS that documents continuing compliance with the Standards for American Montessori Schools, reports on the status of the school’s implementation of the strategic plan and reports on the status of the recommendations made by the Accreditation Team. An annual fee of $105 is required to maintain accreditation status. This fee is in addition to the school affiliation fee calculated by the number of students enrolled.
 

Is It Worth All the Time, Energy, and Expense to Go Through the Accreditation Process?

YES! Here’s what schools say about the process:

“The "Authentic" process of AMS accreditation was a transformative process for the entire Walnut Park Montessori School community. It was a light-year leap of growth which empowered us to deepen our awareness of who we are and who we can become for the children we serve. This process is not to be missed by any school that is committed to the journey of self discovery!” Mary Ann Connolly, SC ~ Principal, Walnut Park Montessori School ~ Newton, MA

“The process of accreditation was healthy and productive for every member of our school. Our board members, full time faculty and administrators, as well as many parents, all participated together in the process, which was unifying and provided clear goals for the following seven years as a result. The process itself is truly worth the time and expenses as it is such a healthy one for the school organization. However, the product is great too! New families are reassured to know that the school they are choosing has been through a rigorous internal self-study as well as visits and input from professional consultants. This is very affirming for the work we are doing and impact we are trying to make on the professional education community as a whole.” Marie Pendleton, Head of School, Bowling Green Montessori School, Bowling Green, Ohio

"The path to accreditation is a difficult upward climb but the exhilaration of knowing you have reached a summit where staff, students and community have come together and all have benefited is well worth the struggle." Donna Kaiser, teacher, Bunche Elementary Montessori School, Ft Wayne Community Schools, Ft Wayne, Indiana.