⭐️ Woodford County Public Schools Achieves Accreditation through Cognia and is the First District in Kentucky to Earn Competency-Based Education Certification ⭐️
WOODFORD COUNTY, Ky. — Woodford County Public Schools (WCPS) Superintendent Lori Jones and Chief Academic Officer Ryan Asher are pleased to announce that WCPS has achieved a simultaneous accreditation and certification through Cognia. Cognia is a non-profit organization of educational professionals dedicated to aiding schools and school districts in their continuous improvement endeavors. Both the accreditation and certification processes are rigorous, in-depth studies into the practices and performance of Woodford County Public Schools.
Dr. Lori Jones says, “Woodford County Public Schools has long held a Legacy of Excellence and a Future of Opportunity for our students. The accomplishment of becoming both accredited and certified through Cognia is significant. It shows that we are strong in our commitment to provide excellence for our students. I am so proud of the work our district is doing each day to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful.”
Mr. Ryan Asher explains, “Going through this process is the nature of continuous improvement in education. We, too, want to be Resilient Learners and improve our practices to support our students and prepare them for their next steps in life.”
Cognia is a trusted partner in the state of Kentucky. The accreditation and certification processes through Cognia require extensive data collection and analysis. The data is quantitative in student achievement in Kentucky Summative Assessments, AP exams, ACT scores, and more. Cognia also looks at the data received through climate surveys from parents, caregivers, students, and staff members. Data is qualitative in the experience of learning, such as classroom observations, demonstrations of learning, and more. In the accreditation process, WCPS provided evidence for meeting the high expectations in the following criteria: Culture of Learning, Leadership for Learning, Engagement of Learning, and Growth in Learning.
WCPS is the first district in Kentucky to be certified in Competency-Based Education (CBE). This type of certification is rooted in the positive, tangible impact of the WCPS Portrait of a Learner. Mr. Asher explains, “CBE is a whole-child approach. It encourages the development of soft skills that students need to be successful throughout life. It encourages more engaging practices in our schools and classrooms, such as collaborative learning and project-based learning (PBL). We started on our Portrait journey four years ago. The certification validates our work thus far and provides motivation to continue to build capacity toward our collected vision. CBE sparks creativity and lets learning come alive for students.”
WCPS is thrilled to receive the accreditation and certification. We are committed to keep pursuing excellence for our students and staff members as we care for and educate our Resilient Learners, Reflective Collaborators, Empathetic Communicators, Creative Problem-Solvers, and Responsible Contributors.