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Baldwin County Public Schools wins six-year Cognia accreditation; district outlines follow-up actions
Summary
District leaders told the board that Cognia awarded Baldwin County Public Schools a six-year accreditation (official vote Jan. 28, 2026), citing high scores for student growth and expanded pathways while calling for stronger PLC structures and action research tied to the strategic plan.
Baldwin County Public Schools has been awarded a six-year accreditation term by Cognia, district staff told the school board at its Feb. 19, 2026 meeting.
Tom Hartner, presenting the Cognia engagement review, said the district scored a 310 on Cognia's index of education quality, "13 points higher than the Cognia network average," and noted that Baldwin earned top marks in the growth-and-learning category with several standards rated at the highest score. Hartner said Cognia identified strengths including expanded pathways (career tech, IB, AP, dual enrollment, STEM and a virtual school) and a multi-tiered system of supports the district uses for instructional and behavioral intervention.
The accreditation process, Hartner said, began in 2024 and involved stakeholder surveys, data-analysis narratives and scoring across Cognia's 31 standards. He said the district earned a 4.0 in growth-and-learning and scored above the network average on stakeholder feedback and student-performance measures. "As of Jan. 28, Baldwin County Public Schools is accredited for a six-year term," Hartner told the board.
Hartner and colleagues flagged two Cognia growth areas that the district must address: standard 5 (developing and implementing a structured process for professional learning communities) and standard 25 (implementing action-research tied to identified improvement areas). District staff said both topics are already being addressed through an ongoing strategic-plan rewrite and PLC work with Solution Tree.
Ashley Clolinger and Becky Turner, who participated in the accreditation leadership team, said the review will require a midcycle report in three years and continuous annual data submissions on progress. The presenters stressed that the Cognia feedback largely confirmed work the district already had underway, and they pledged to return to the board with planned strategic-plan updates and measurable milestones.
The board applauded the staff for the work that led to the accreditation and the district's efforts to streamline data collection and reduce burden on schools.
What's next: staff will incorporate Cognia feedback into the district strategic plan and bring a revised plan to the board (target: May). The district will also prepare materials for the required midcycle review and continue data collection in areas Cognia identified for monitoring.
