Two of the nation’s six long-established regional accrediting agencies are planning to merge, creating a group that will serve more than 23,000 schools in 30 states and abroad.
The governing boards of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement voted last week to unify the organizations while keeping the regional names for their accreditation seals.
The unification also includes the National Study of School Evaluation, a Chicago research-and-development group founded by the six accrediting agencies.
A new name is being chosen for the merged group.