North Dakota’s DPI Earns Historic National Accreditation

North Dakota’s Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) has become the first state K–12 education agency in the United States to receive national accreditation.

Cognia, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia, that supports school improvement internationally, gave this honor.

State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced the milestone, emphasizing the dedication of the department's employees to serving students and families. "Our team has been working at a high level and serving our families, students, and taxpayers well for 12 years,” Baesler said. “Continuous improvement is part of our culture, and being recognized by a third-party reviewer as top-notch truly means something.”

Cognia's board of directors officially approved NDDPI’s accreditation last month. Andre Harrison, Cognia’s vice president for accreditation services, noted that the Department of Public Instruction is the first state K–12 education agency to receive such accreditation from a regional accrediting organization.

Baesler highlighted that the accreditation process identified several strengths within the department, including its focus on students’ academic results, efforts to improve instruction and school board administration, and programs aimed at increasing the supply of high-quality teachers and school principals in North Dakota.

The review also suggested areas for improvement, such as better tracking of high school graduates' success in college, the military, and the workforce, and enhancing the effectiveness of the agency’s Choice Ready initiative.

The comprehensive review process included an evaluation of the department’s culture, operating practices, and leadership at all levels.

It involved interviews with school district leaders, legislators, parents, community partners, and more.

Cognia, formerly known as AdvancEd, sets performance standards for public schools, charter schools, and districts across the country. This is its first accreditation as a state K–12 education agency.

Baesler began exploring the idea of accreditation shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, working closely with Cognia to develop the necessary framework.

“This was a true partnership committed to excellence in education for students,” Baesler said. “Now this process is available for use in other states.”

Cognia’s review highlighted five key strengths of the NDDPI:

• Developing an authentic environment with a strong focus on children.
• Maintaining a climate of collaboration and partnership with schools, communities, other state agencies, and key stakeholders.
• Innovative efforts to address the supply of high-quality teachers and principals through apprenticeships and securing funding.
• National leadership in initiating programs like Be Legendary Board Training and the K–12 Cybersecurity and Computer Science curriculum.
• Designing and implementing programs to meet students' needs and inform instruction, such as the ND A+ program and the Native American Essential Understandings.

The review also identified areas for future improvement, including:

• Establishing systems to monitor and adjust state improvement actions.
• Studying the success of North Dakota graduates in the workforce, postsecondary education, or the military will strengthen efforts to ensure students are prepared for success after high school.
• Ensuring the public and school community understand student achievement expectations under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
• Determining the effectiveness of state teaching and learning initiatives to support student and staff success.

Joe Kolosky, NDDPI’s director of school approval and opportunity, said the accreditation review would help document processes and maintain consistent service standards, which will be useful in training new employees.

Superintendent Baesler noted the importance of maintaining high standards of service and support for all customers, whether they are state agencies or schools. North Dakota law requires schools to undergo a review process designed to improve student achievement through continuous improvement cycles, with external reviews every five years.

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“The accreditation process is similar to what we ask our local K-12 schools to do,” Baesler said, “so it’s only right that we make the same demands on ourselves.”

Mark Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia, remarked that accrediting state education agencies would strengthen their capacity to help schools improve education for all children. "It helps state agencies increase their efficiency, improve collaboration, eliminate redundancy and silos, and work more effectively with schools and districts to help them meet improvement goals,” Elgart said.