FSD3 Receives Schools of Distinction Award

FSD3 Receives Schools of Distinction Award
Posted on 12/17/2021

Florence School District 3 is one of 20 school systems worldwide to receive a District of Distinction award from Cognia™. 

FSD3 earned this recognition based on Cognia’s rigorous accreditation engagement review process. The 2021 Schools of Distinction listing appears on the Cognia website.

“This award is a testament to the quality education Florence 3 offers students and to the efforts of our teachers, support staff, and administrators to ensure that our students are college or career ready when they graduate,” said Dr. Laura Hickson FSD3 superintendent. 

During the 2020–21 school year, Cognia conducted more than 1,200 school engagement reviews for accreditation. This year, 59 schools and 20 systems received this recognition. The number of institutions reviewed and those who earn this designation will vary yearly. Winners carry the title for one year.

“Congratulations to the schools and systems for demonstrating excellence in education in meeting the Cognia Performance Standards based on the results of their 2020–2021 accreditation reviews,” said Cognia President and CEO Dr. Mark A. Elgart. “Having earned the School of Distinction recognition, each of these institutions provides evidence of growth in learning, maintains a healthy culture for learning, supports engaging and high-quality instructional environments, and demonstrates effective leadership for learning.”

Member institutions in Cognia’s Global Network may seek accreditation. They participate in a rigorous evaluation process conducted by trained external, third-party evaluators and an improvement phase focused on the evaluation results. Cognia’s Performance Standards for accreditation are based on ever-expanding research and understanding of learning and define high-quality education for today and tomorrow’s world. Cognia is a global, nonprofit improvement organization dedicated to helping institutions and other education providers grow learners, teachers, and leaders. Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, and professional services within a continuous improvement framework. Serving 36,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 85 countries, Cognia brings a global perspective to advancing teaching and learning. Find out more at cognia.org.