District Accreditation

After an extensive review process, the Papillion La Vista Community Schools (PLCS) received renewed District Accreditation from Cognia (formerly AdvancED) Accreditation Commission in March 2020.  The Papillion La Vista Community Schools remains among an elite group. There are currently only 828 public school districts in the United States and 24 in the state of Nebraska that are accredited at the District level.

All of the schools in the PLCS have been individually accredited for over 30 years.  However, the District Accreditation process is fairly new.   Cognia promotes excellence in education worldwide.  By receiving District accreditation the PLCS now has a distinctive mark of quality, recognized internationally.

By receiving District Accreditation parents in the PLCS can be assured that the PLCS is focused on raising student achievement, providing a safe and enriching learning environment and maintaining an efficient and effective operation.  The PLCS has been recognized for adhering to high quality standards based on the latest research and successful professional practices.

In 2010, the PLCS was one of the first school districts to receive Accreditation in the state. In order to keep accreditation status, school districts must go through a review process every five years. To receive accreditation, a portfolio of information is sent to the Cognia engagement review team and then a review team visit was scheduled.  On March 1, 2, 3 and 4, 2020 the Cognia engagement review team comprised of state and national experts, spent four days analyzing PLCS.  They interviewed a variety of employees, parents, business partners, school board members and community patrons.  They requested evidence to verify the status of each of the standards and the visited numerous schools.   At the end of their review, they announced that the PLCS was highly recommended at an exemplary level for District Accreditation.

“Receiving renewal of District Accreditation is a validation of our teacher’s hard work,” said Dr. Rikli Superintendent.  

School districts earn District Accreditation by meeting the Cognia standards, engaging in continuous improvement and demonstrating quality assurance through an internal and external review.  The three performance standards are the leadership, learning and resource capacity domains.

The bottom line accredited school districts are focused on student achievement and have all the characteristics in place that support student achievement.