Senate Education Committee hears support and concerns for bill to expand school accreditation options

At a Senate Education Committee hearing, members heard testimony on Senate Bill 2362, a proposal to expand the list of state‑approved accreditation options available to North Dakota public schools and to allow districts to pursue nationally recognized school‑improvement frameworks such as High Reliability Schools (HRS) as alternatives to the current Cognia accreditation pathway.

The bill’s sponsor told the committee the measure would give districts flexibility to choose accreditation aligned with local instructional and community goals and reduce duplicative reporting. Senator Shibley introduced the bill and said it "ensures our schools have the flexibility to pursue accreditation models that align with their unique instructional goals, operational needs, and community needs and desires."

Why it matters: supporters said alternative accreditation options can embed continuous improvement into daily practice rather than leaving evaluation to intermittent external visits. Kevin Hoertz, representing the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders, called the change a way to "remove duplicate work" and to…