FBCS shines in annual accreditation review

SANDPOINT —  Forrest M. Bird Charter School recently completed its accreditation review through Cognia, a nonprofit that accredits all public schools in Idaho. 

While this review is required to ensure that a school is up to standard, Mary Jensen, executive director at FBCS, finds it to be more than that. 

“The review allows FBCS staff, board, families and community to have an impartial reviewer evaluate what the school does well and what can be improved upon,” she said. “From our review, we celebrate all we have accomplished, and we take seriously what we need to improve upon.”

This year’s review highlights how well the school’s staff board worked together with families and students, Jensen said. 

Cognia is part of a network with over 30,000 schools, including colleges and universities. Schools are reviewed every five to six years to keep their accreditation. This year, FBCS ranked higher than the Cognia network average in all areas, and four out of four stars in “stakeholder feedback” and “growth in learning.”

“We are particularly excited about the Growth in Learning score as this shows we take the students where they are when they come into the school and are able to have those students make great strides in their learning growth,” Jensen said. 

The report breaks down core areas into 30 performance standards. FBCS scored four out four stars on eight of those standards.

The review also includes an “index of education quality” score 

“We scored an overall IEQ score of 334, [which] is amazing to me,” Jensen said.  

Cognia’s average network score is 253. 

Forrest M. Bird Charter School offers innovative learning opportunities by fostering community, individuality, and imagination, officials said on the school’s website.