Quality Assurance

Quality assurance involves more than the enforcement of agreed standards of operation. The standards that recognized accrediting associations develop and use to inspect and evaluate institutions and programs are important, but are minimum criteria. Meeting those standards means that a school or higher education institution has earned approval from its peers in the U.S. education community and is eligible for other privileges, including participating in state and federal assistance programs.

Most educators strive for more than basic recognition. They aim to achieve excellence, a far less definable goal but an important one. Quality is not defined by regulations or negotiated standards. It ranges from the achievement of good results in traditional areas and processes to innovations that advance the state of the art.

General Quality Assurance

The United States belongs to the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), a Netherlands-based organization promoting quality assurance programs and initiatives around the world. Several U.S. accrediting associations are active members of INQAAHE, as is CHEA.

Center for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (CQAIE) provides U.S. leadership on issues relating to transnational education, the relationship of education and training services to globalization, and the assessment and evaluation of high-quality educational providers and programs.

Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) represents the U.S. accrediting community involved in postsecondary standard-setting. It is involved in international and distance education issues as well as domestic quality assurance.

National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) is a federal advisory committee that makes recommendations to the Secretary of Education regarding which accreditation associations to recognize under applicable U.S. laws.

National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is the national advisory committee that oversees the development and implementation of U.S. national and comparative educational assessments, including the annual National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

School Level Quality Assurance

Developing Educational Standards is a comprehensive guide to U.S. national, state, and local school curriculum standards organized by location, level, and subject area. Maintained by the Putnam Valley Central School District in New York State.

ENC Standards and Frameworks for Mathematics and Science Education is the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse's guide to state and national subject association guidelines for improving the content and delivery of mathematics and science education in U.S. schools.

NCLB Blue Ribbon Schools is a national evaluation and award program that honors public and private primary and secondary schools for innovations and best practices in their academic, community service, and operational aspects.