Accreditation
Deer Valley Academy is accredited by AdvancED whose purpose is continuous school improvement focused on increasing student performance. To earn accreditation, schools must meet AdvancED’s high standards, be evaluated by a team of professionals from outside the school, and implement a continuous process of school improvement. Founded in 1895 as NCA, AdvancED accredits over 34,000 schools and more than 20 million students across the United States and the world. This accreditation is recognized across state lines and also assures parents that the school is meeting nationally accepted standards for quality and successful professional practices. Dr. Mark Elgart, President/CEO of AdvancED stated that, “Accreditation is a rigorous process that focuses the entire school on the primary goal of creating lifelong learners. Deer Valley Academy is to be commended for engaging in this process and demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.” DVA Executive Director Barbara Dalicandro stated, “Accreditation demonstrates to our students, parents and community that we are focused on raising student achievement, providing a safe learning environment, and maintaining an efficient operation staffed by highly qualified educators.” The AdvancED Assurance Review Team commended Deer Valley Academy for having a “family environment that is safe, caring, nurturing and understanding.” The Review Team said this “was evidenced by student, administrative, parent and teacher interviews” as well as “newsletters, newspaper articles, local events, student recognition and graduation." They also commended Deer Valley Academy for its “failure is not an option” approach to student academic expectations. They found three categories of evidence that supported this view: (1) Academic performance,substantiated by grade distributions, (state mandated) scores and graduation rates; (2) Instructional plans that were designed to meet graduation requirements based on individual student needs; and, (3) Interviews of teachers, students, parents and support staff.
Parents and interested community members can learn more about accreditation at http://www.advanc-ed.org