International Association of Schools and Colleges (I.A.S.C.)
The International Association of Schools and Colleges (I.A.S.C.) accredits only programs meeting rigorous academic criteria, including a commitment to nourish individual student strengths.
Since government sponsored accreditation, especially in the United States, has perennially resulted in poor academic performance measured with respect to international standards, in 2000, the I.A.S.C. Governing Board rejected recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. To accept U.S. DOE recognition would have required that I.A.S.C. accredited schools pre-prepare all courses irrespective of the students to be served. The I.A.S.C. Governing Board unanimously agreed that following that path would seriously compromise I.A.S.C. accredited schools' ability to deliver courses sensitive to individual student need.
The I.A.S.C. is the world's only international Student-First (SF) accrediting body.
The I.A.S.C. obtains its accrediting authority from a cadre of independent Advisory Board members who serve without pay or financial benefit, and who represent the very highest student-first educational standards.
I.A.S.C. accreditation is available to all institutions that offer student-first programs.
Student-First (SF) programs are defined as programs which build courses around an individual student based on his or her learning style, aptitudes, subject skill levels, and interests.
Mission of the I.A.S.C.
The I.A.S.C. serves to certify that an institution is promoting a Student-First educational model.
Student-First schools rely on input from students, parents/guardians, and credentialed teachers using such accepted tools as Holland Testing (oral and written), and student interviews to design curricula that will encourage students to lead with their strengths. Student-First schools replace the traditional static curriculum/syllabus course orientation with a dynamic, wide-ranging, flexible design model, a model sensitive to the point-in-time needs of each student.
Why Student-First Accreditation?
- SF Accreditation certifies to the public that the school or private tutor maintains a student-first rather than syllabus/textbook-first curriculum
- SF Accreditation validates the school's or private tutor's courses and transcripts
- SF Accreditation fosters the improvement of student performance through student-fist learning principles
- SF Accreditation provides objective perspective and insight regarding a school's or private tutor's courses
- SF Accreditation provides a method to manage and reorient programs should they, over time, incline or drift toward the syllabus/textbook-first school management model
- SF Accreditation supports and enhances the relevance of subject matter and method to the individual student
Importance of SF Accreditation
I.A.S.C. Student-First accredited programs offered by universities, colleges, secondary schools, and private tutors work on the principle that only trained instructors possessing knowledge of each student's aptitudes, skill levels and subject concentration interests working with students directly can determine program delivery methods successfully.
Currently, most universities, colleges, secondary schools and private tutors implement a syllabus/textbook-first program structure that determines method prior to understanding individual student requirements. This, without exception, leads to a partial or full failure on the part of a program to maximize a student's learning experience.
The teacher and student in an I.A.S.C. accredited program have the ability to adjust program methods on a point-in-time basis, thus accommodating changes in student variables as the process of maturation unfolds.
Section Index
- Introducing The International Association of Schools and Colleges (I.A.S.C.)
- The Purpose of Accreditation
- I.A.S.C. Accreditation Criteria
- Apply for Accreditation
- I.A.S.C. Frequently Asked Questions
- I.A.S.C. Recommended Reading List
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