Brasilia International School

One of the oldest American accreditations, working since 1887 in more than a hundred countries and linked to the Office of Overseas Schools of the US State Department. It judges the school as an institution across twelve areas, including finances, governance, premises and student support.

What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.

An accreditation of Christian schools: the school spends eighteen months to two years on a self-study, and then peers from other Christian schools visit. Faithfulness to the Christian confession is part of the standards, so this is an accreditation with a condition of belief. It often runs jointly with MSA or Cognia, and such a pair is stronger than ACSI alone.

What the badge means for this school. The school has been through this organisation's accreditation. It was judged as a whole: governance, safeguarding, staff, premises, teaching. The entry stands in the organisation's public register - anyone can check it.

The American school programme, with the High School Diploma at the end. It usually comes together with AP courses, which the College Board stands behind, and with an American accreditation - MSA, NEASC or Cognia.

What this means for this school. The diploma is written out by the school itself: the American programme has no common leaving exam, and the content of the senior years is set by the school. Outside checking therefore rests on two things here - the accreditation of the school, and the AP exams if the school runs them.

Network of International Christian Schools - an American non-profit organisation with 501c3 status, head office in Southaven, Mississippi. The first school was founded by Joe Hale in 1983 in Uijeongbu in South Korea. The size is named differently on the site: the section on the schools speaks of 13 schools in 11 countries, the history and head office sections of 14 schools in 12 countries. The head office is described as the service centre of the network: recruitment and placement of teachers, personnel, leadership development, oversight of the quality of teaching and financial supervision.

What this means for this school. The network owns or operates the school. Its accreditation and programme authorisation the school obtains separately, in its own name.