Every five years, Villa Madonna Academy Elementary School participates in a Cognia accreditation review. Cognia is a non-profit organization that accredits primary and secondary schools throughout the United States and internationally to ensure continuous school improvement focused on increasing student performance. To earn accreditation, schools must meet Cognia's high standards, be evaluated by a team of professionals from outside the school, and implement a continuous process of school improvement.
Villa was evaluated in February on thirty different standards built around domains - Culture of Learning, Leadership for Learning, Engagement of Learning, and Growth in Learning. Villa received the highest possible ranking in 29 of the 30 categories!
These rankings are then figured into an Index of Education Quality (IEQ) score, a number that correlates to overall performance of a school on a scale of 100 to 400. The IEQ is a holistic measure of overall performance based on a comprehensive set of standards and review criteria. The average of all Cognia Improvement Network evaluations over the last five years is 280. Villa Madonna Academy Elementary School far exceeds the average receiving an IEQ of 367!
Elementary principal Soshana Bosley was thrilled with the news and shared that the accreditation team remarked that Villa has a highly effective culture of learning. The team’s review also noted Villa's mission statement and the Benedictine values are known, proclaimed, and lived. Another strength noted is that the faculty is deeply committed to each students’ growth and well-being, putting learner’s needs at the heart of the continuous improvement process. The team was very impressed with the collaborative leadership of the elementary school and commitment by the faculty to lifelong learning.