On the Tenth Day of Christmas

…Whitehead Learning Group gave to me a new way to study! Read on to learn how to decode all the abbreviations littered on private school websites as you put your research into overdrive in the New Year.

Blasted on the homepages of private school websites are a myriad of abbreviations—accreditations, associations, organizations, and more. Here, we share a few of the associations you should familiarize yourself with as you begin your school admissions journey:

AdvancED

Advance-ed.org

Advances education excellence through accreditation and school improvement initiatives.

Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools (AAAIS)

Aaais.org

Promotes standards and best practices for Atlanta’s accredited independent schools.

Georgia Association of Christian Schools (GACS)

Gacs.org

Uses indicators of quality, voluntary self-improvement, and peer review to measure Christian school performance.

Georgia Independent School Association (GISA)

Gisaschools.org

Serves the professional growth, advocacy, and interscholastic needs of member schools.

JATP (Joint Admissions Testing Program)

https://jatp.org

Standardized test for K-5 application required by 14 Atlanta Area schools

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)

Sacs.org

The recognized regional accrediting body for public and private schools in eleven U.S. southern states.

Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS)

Sais.org

Provides accreditation, professional growth, and leadership development for independent U.S. schools. 

SSAT

https://ssat.org

Standardized admissions test required by all private schools