American Christian Tours® is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI). NCA CASI is an accreditation division of Cognia. Cognia has access to over 100 years of expertise in accreditation and school improvement.

Accreditation lays the groundwork for success for schools and students. Parents have long held education as a key to their child’s preparation and success in life. Equally, educators have known that a quality education is of the utmost importance for a child’s future. Quality and success are not mutually exclusive in the education process. Quality and student success go hand-in-hand and are why American Christian Tours (ACTS) sought accreditation as a travel school. ACTS has met a set of standards developed by Cognia that offer education providers a framework for continuous improvement. We have agreed to regular self and outside reviews to ensure ongoing progress. We take pride in knowing our Education Programs and institutional integrity meet and exceed the standards, and are committed to ensuring that expectation into the future.

Cognia is the largest community of education professionals in the world. They are a non-profit, non-partisan organization that conducts rigorous, on-site external reviews of PreK-12 schools and school systems to ensure that all learners realize their full potential. With expertise grounded in more than a hundred years of work in school accreditation, Cognia combines the knowledge and expertise of a research institute, the skills of a management consulting firm and the passion of a grassroots movement for educational change. Their goal isn’t to certify that schools are good enough. Rather, their commitment is to help schools improve. They serve as a trusted partner to 32,000 schools and school systems-employing more than four million educators and enrolling more than 20 million students-across the United States and 70 other nations.

When a school or school system achieves accreditation, parents and the community can be assured that the top priorities are: •increasing student achievement •providing a safe and enriching learning environment •running an efficient operation Students are assured: •qualified instructors who are working to improve their methods •more focus on student learning •rigorous, diverse, and sound instruction based on quality standards •a range of student activities and support services Education institutions want parents to be actively involved in the improvement process. Parents need to: •stay informed •give feedback to the travel school through surveys, focus groups, and parent meetings

Our Education Program Leaders are held to a high level of instruction and infuse every part of your travel program with specified Learning Objectives. Each student 8th grade and higher that completes an ACTS Education Program will receive a Certificate of Completion for their high school portfolio. As a partner to the education process of your school, Cognia Accreditation means that you can establish a plan of action for your students - that includes your ACTS Education Program - that can be awarded credit by your school. The amount of credit that you offer for a completed plan will be determined by your school based on the rigors of your established plan.