MEDIA RELEASE
Brooksville - The Hernando County School District’s accreditation has been renewed another six years through Cognia, a global nonprofit organization that serves more than 32,000 school districts in 90 countries. The accreditation process took about a year and a half and included staff from departments throughout the district.
Said Gina Michalicka, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning: “This was a very huge undertaking for my team, other departments and our school principals. I just want to give them a very big 'Thank you'! We are very proud of the score we received through the accreditation and we look forward to continuing to do that good work and reach our goals.”
Cognia (formerly AdvancED) has 127 years of experience and expertise. The organization’s accreditation is based on rigorous research-based standards and evidence-based criteria, probing into all aspects of the district, from policies to learning conditions, and determines how well it meets the needs of students. Dr.
Jessica Swere, Cognia's Regional Director, presented the district with its certification at the Hernando School Board meeting on Sept. 19. She also shared this "noteworthy practice" from the evaluation: "Hernando County School District's operating practices both cultivate and set expectations for collegiality and collaboration. Curriculum and instruction practices are regularly assessed through a formal systemic process that ensures alignment, relevancy, inclusiveness and effectiveness of all learners. The professional learning communities provide high quality professional development and an opportunity for a professional staff to work together intentionally and consistently to review information, identify common problems, and implement solutions for all of its learners."
"This accreditation process is a challenging, arduous task, to say the least,” said Superintendent John Stratton. "And this achievement is evidence of the dedication and pride of all of those who spent countless hours demonstrating that our academic programs are second to none. The process highlighted that our leaders have the highest integrity and our graduates are ready to compete in the workplace or in the college classroom.”
