Five years ago, YCIS Shanghai was selected by the National Center for Curriculum and Textbook Development (NCCT) to serve as the pilot project for the new China joint accreditation project along with the worldwide Council of International Schools (CIS), the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).  This required a Preliminary Visit, then a full year of Self-Study followed by a visit from a team of 15 experts, five from each agency to verify the Self-Study and make recommendations and commendations. Following that visit, YCIS Shanghai was fully accredited by all three agencies and received many commendations for quality education.

This past school year, YCIS Shanghai made preparations for the customary Five-Year Review by the same three agencies. In November, a team of three people, one from each agency, visited each campus in Shanghai to verify the progress made toward fulfilling the original recommendations.  After the compilation and review of extensive reports, all three agencies announced that YCIS Shanghai continues in good standing within the accreditation process.

“Accreditation is a mark of quality assurance,” says Tom Ulmet, Superintendent of YCIS in Mainland China. “There are presently 102 Schools for Children of Foreign Personnel in China and only 13 are accredited jointly by CIS and NCCT with 9 others in progress.  In addition, we are honoured by the fact that NEASC has accredited only 6 international schools in mainland China, two of which are YCIS in Shanghai and Beijing. This confirmation of quality education is valid for YCIS in Puxi and in Pudong equally.”

During the past five years, veteran staff members of YCIS Shanghai on all four locations in Shanghai in Pudong and Puxi have worked very hard to achieve even higher outcomes which are now well documented in the Five Year Report.  The report includes commendations as well as recommendations for YCIS Shanghai to focus on until the next full review cycle in 2015.