The word “accredit” means to authorize, endorse and officially approve. What ordination is to a minister, accreditation is to a school. Accreditation is a group process by which schools voluntarily agree to participate in a set of established standards in order to encourage quality education.
Accreditation is a voluntary, unregulated function of both governmentally approved and governmentally unapproved agencies. As a non-governmental organization, ITAA provides high standards and conducts a thorough evaluation of religious education institutions who seek to improve their academic standards and institutional integrity.
Schools are not legally required to become accredited, but it is a very desirable standing. Accredited status means a school has voluntarily undergone a comprehensive examination to determine that it operates at a worthy level of performance. ITAA has chosen not to seek endorsement from governmental entities such as the Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Our rationale is that we strongly believe in maintaining our religious freedom, and as such, choose not to be affiliated with a governmental entity that inhibits our expression of faith and the existence of the faith-based work that we do. The following quote is taken from the website of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA):

“There are accrediting organizations that may not be recognized but are not accreditation mills. For example, the accreditor may be seeking recognition, but the process is not complete. Or the accreditor does not meet the requirements of CHEA or USDE for reasons that do not relate to quality.”

The following quote is from the United States Department of Education:

“It should be noted that some institutions have chosen not to participate in the federal student aid program and therefore do not have to be approved by an accrediting agency recognized by the Department. While these institutions do not appear on the Department’s list, they may be legitimate schools.”

As a governmentally non-recognized provider of educational quality recognition, we encourage and support compliance with quality educational standards, institutional fidelity and professionalism through ongoing evaluations and reporting, to ensure continuous improvement in educational curriculum and institutional integrity.