Photo by Erik M. Lunsford/The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.
National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA) serves as the accrediting body for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod schools across the nation and abroad. The purpose of NLSA is to encourage, assist and recognize schools that provide quality Christian education and engage in continuous improvement. A voluntary program for schools, NLSA provides the framework for schools to complete a Self-Study process and develop a School Action Plan based on compliance with national standards that reflect the essential qualities expected of Lutheran schools. As a part of the process, each school is responsible to construct a school action plan based on the improvement areas identified. Schools submit annual reports to their district office regarding their progress with their school action plans during the next five years and reapply for accreditation at the close of the fifth year.
NLSA is a valuable service for Lutheran schools. The NLSA Evidence Based Accreditation (EBA) and Early Childhood Accreditation (EC) protocols provide the framework for the fulfillment of the accreditation process and a systematic approach to the school improvement process.
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Resources Available
NLSA Application
Schools looking to begin the National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA) process need to complete an Application and submit it and the appropriate Application Fee to their local LCMS District office for processing. Once the Application has been submitted for District office approval, the District office will submit the completed Application and payment to the NLSA national office for processing. After the NLSA Application and payment have been processed, the school administrator will be sent a confirmation letter from the national office indicating that their Application has been accepted and that they are approved to begin the school accreditation process.
NLSA Powerful Practice Webinars
The National Lutheran School Accreditation commission annually recognizes schools which demonstrate innovative leadership through the implementation of best practices related to the academic quality and spiritual development of its students. These schools also demonstrated compliance with (NLSA) accreditation criteria that exceeded expectations related to the educational and ministry standards that are required for accredited schools. With this recognition comes additional responsibility as the leaders of these schools are required to intentionally share their “Powerful Practices” with other Lutheran schools. During the school year, each school with a recognized Powerful Practice will prepare a print article and present webinars that are open to participation for all Lutheran schools as these Powerful Practices provides opportunities and ideas that have the potential to improve all schools.