Accreditations

Countryside Montessori School enjoys the highest recognition status granted by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) which was founded by Maria Montessori in 1929 to protect the integrity of her work. Countryside Montessori School is one of only 2 Montessori schools in Illinois to receive the highest recognition status for the full Montessori program granted by AMI. Our Montessori teachers hold AMI credentials in addition to university degrees.

The school has also earned full-accreditation status from:

Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)

North Central Association (NCA CASI)

and is registered with the Illinois State Board of Education.

Affiliations

Countryside is affiliated with the following professional organizations:

Independent School Management Consortium  

Illinois Coalition of Non-Public Schools

North American Montessori Teachers' Association (NAMTA)

Requirements for Accreditation

Requirements for full recognition status from the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI):

1. Each class is to be directed by a teacher holding an AMI diploma appropriate for that age group (0-3 yrs., 3-6 yrs., 6-9 yrs., 9-12 yrs).
2. AMI consultation every three years. Each class should contain a full set of recognised Montessori materials with no superfluous materials added, i.e., none which are not listed in the AMI albums.
3. An approach consistent with Montessori philosophical principles as offered in AMI training courses is to prevail in the classroom. Specifically:
• Classes will have children of mixed ages (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12 years).
• Classes should have between 28-35 children including a well-balanced division of ages to ensure social development.
• In addition to morning sessions five days per week with the full class, an afternoon session or extended day consisting of two to three hours of Montessori activities should be offered to the older children in the Primary (3-6) classes, five days per week.
• The importance of a three hour work cycle should be respected and any additional subjects, such as foreign language and physical education, are to be scheduled outside this period.
• There should be only one non-teaching aide in the classroom. AMI does not support the practice of offering split sessions, nor of team-teaching as these are unsound pedagogical practices.

Requirements for full accreditation status from the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) can be found through this link: ISACS Requirements

Countryside also holds full accreditation status granted by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA-CASI). This dynamic school accreditation and evaluation organization accredits over 9,000 schools, both public and private, in 19 states.

To become a member of NCA-CASI a school must meet NCA-CASI's standards, conduct a self-study, and adopt a model of continuous school improvement that focuses on improving student performance.