Tempe Union pursues systems-level Cognia accreditation; staff outlines data and deadline for submission
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Summary
Teaching-and-learning staff told the board the district is seeking systems accreditation from Cognia to evaluate districtwide effectiveness across 30 standards. The district completed a candidacy review and a site visit at Marcos Niza; staff must submit 11 narratives and three years of evidence to Cognia by Jan. 15, 2026.
Teaching-and-learning staff presented a progress update on Tempe Union High School District's application to move from individual-school Cognia accreditations to a systems-level accreditation that evaluates the district as a whole.
The presenter, identified in the meeting as Dr. Lehi from Teaching and Learning, said the systems approach will allow the district to assess whether components of the district's framework "work well together for all students" and to use system-level data to set district goals. The presenter said Cognia groups its standards into four characteristics (culture of learning; leadership for learning; engagement of learning; growth of learning) that together contain 30 standards the district must self-evaluate.
Dr. Lehi outlined four buckets of evidence Cognia requires: documentation (policies and procedures), observations (classroom and teacher evaluations), perceptions (surveys of students, staff and families), and performance data (grades, graduation, dropout). A Cognia systems steering committee composed of district executive staff, principals, special education and other instructional leaders has completed an initial self-assessment. The presenter reported an on-site visit on Jan. 14 at Marcos Niza in which the Cognia reviewer met with the principal, classroom staff and a student focus group, and later interviewed parents and the executive team.
Next steps include professional development workshops required by Cognia, collecting three years of performance and perception data, distributing a survey in mid-May, drafting 11 required narratives, and submitting all materials and analysis to Cognia by Jan. 15, 2026. The presenter said principals and school improvement teams will continue work in the first semester of the next school year to prepare narratives and evidence.
Board members had no questions following the presentation. The update did not propose board action; it served as an informational briefing on the accreditation timeline and responsibilities for staff and school teams.
