Accreditations & Reviews
Quality assurance procedures at the British School of Chicago are designed to provide confirmation that the educational provision of the school supports, encourages and enables high standards of learning. This is accomplished through both internal and external reviews and external accreditation.
Accreditation
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
The British School of Chicago is accredited to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IDBP). The year-long accreditation process includes preparation of resources, teacher training and an authorization visit. Each programme must includes a curriculum and pedagogy, student assessment appropriate to the age range, professional development for teachers and a process of school authorization and evaluation.
The British School of Chicago is accredited by Fieldwork Education as a Learning-Focused School. This comes as part of the whole school reviews carried out by Fieldwork Education Services where accreditation is based on the quality and quantity of learning taking place at the school.
Read more about the Learning-Focused School accreditation and what it takes to become accredited.
National Independent Private Schools Association (NIPSA)
The British School of Chicago was awarded an Accredited Member status in 2006 by the National Independent Private Schools Association.
Council of International Schools (CIS)
The British School of Chicago was awarded CIS accreditation in November 2008 at the annual ECIS Conference in Nice, France. The Council of International Schools encourages high standards of professional performance in international education and a commitment to school improvement through process of continuous self-study and peer evaluation.
Read more about the Council of International Schools and what it takes to become accredited.
Reviews
As part of the British Schools of America and the WCLS internal quality assurance and an annual school-wide self review, the British School of Chicago undergoes a review every two years. Internal reviews are conducted by a team from a sister organisation, Fieldwork Education Services, and the external reviews are conducted by independent consultants. The reviews serve to confirm or disaffirm a school's self-evaluation. Internal reviews focus on student learning and the factors influencing such learning. External reviews evaluate a school's responses to the internal and leadership reviews.
Professional Associations
The British School of Chicago is an active member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and the Council for International Schools in the Americas (CISTA). The school is also a member of the National Independent Private Schools Association (NIPSA) and an affiliate member of the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS).