By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Chilton Christian Academy has announced its full accreditation through AdvancED.

This gives the school accreditation from three accrediting organizations. In addition to AdvancED, the school is also acredited by the Association of Christian Teachers and Schools and National Council for Private Schools.

“These accreditations validate the school’s excellence in the areas of our facilities, safety measures and inspections, curriculum, teacher credentials and instructional methods, extracurricular and athletic programs, finances, admission procedures, operational and policy manuals, public website and parental support,” according to the accreditation announcement released by the school on Dec. 19.

Chilton Christian began the AdvancED accreditation process in the 2016-2017 school year and was approved for accreditation May 2018.

“The accreditation process included a self-study report, extensive record keeping and documentation and a site visit by an accrediting team,” according to the press release. “Accreditation is for a period of six years at which time in 2024 an accrediting team will revisit the school and review the process for renewal.”

Principal Charles Gottshall said applying for the AdvancED accreditation was something the school had been considering for several years.

“I think it has been a very good process,” Gottshall said.

Changes to the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund requirements led to the school deciding to pursue the accreditation in 2016-2017. Gottshall said the changes required schools to be accredited through one of the approved accreditation organizations. AdvancED was one of the options.

The Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund allows families to apply to receive funds to attend a private school. Funds come from corporate sponsors, who receive a tax break for participating. If the school had not received the higher-level accreditation, students would have lost this funding.

“We only have a few students on it, but we wanted to keep it for them,” Gottshall said.

He said the process was also good for the school in continuing improving.

The accreditation committee visited the school in May 2018 and made recommendations to the school based on observations.

“I think it give parents reassurance that what we are doing has been checked by an outside source, and it has been validated by professional educators,” Gottshall said.

AdvancED’s website states the organization is dedicated to helping schools and school systems improve on a continual basis.

“Combining 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, we serve as a trusted partner to 36,000 educational institutions — employing more than four million educators and enrolling more than 20 million students — across the United States and 70 other nations,” according to the AdvancED website.

CCA will remain committed to educating students from a Biblical worldview.

The school will retain accreditation through the Association of Christian Teachers and Schools, an accrediting organization for Christian schools, and National Council for Private Schools.

The CCA press release stated the Association of Christian Teachers and Schools is “passionately committed to maintaining a Biblical worldview consistent with God’s Word that assists member schools in keeping with their calling to remain Biblically distinctive in philosophy and instruction.”

Chilton Christian Academy has 200 students enrolled in preschool for three year olds to 12th grade. CCA was founded in 1977 by Victory Baptist Church of Jemison.

“Moving forward we will continue to maintain our standard of excellence having been evaluated and having received accreditation to these long-standing accrediting institutions,” Gottshall said. “We thank our faculty, staff and administration along with our supporting parents for continuing to provide our school with excellence and an institution where strong academics governed by Biblical truth is offered to those within our community. com where there is a comprehensive overview of our curriculum and our extracurricular activities.”

For more information about the school, visit chiltonchristian.com.