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Making The Grade

Yeshivat Akiva earns
non-public school accreditation.

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fter 38 years, the Southfield-
based Yeshivat Akiva has
received recognition by a
statewide accreditation
agenCy as a quality educational provider.
" I feel great about it," said Rabbi
Yigal Tsaidi, educational director at the
Orthodox day school. "I knew what we
had, but it's nice to have outsiders verify
it."
Akiva began the accreditation process
in spring 2000, choosing the Michigan
Non-Public School Accrediting
Association (MNSAA) at the recom-
mendation of Rosalie Lake, the school's
former secular studies director. The
MNSAA is part of the Michigan
Association of Non-Public Schools and
a member of the National Federation of
State Non-Public School Accrediting
Associations.
The MNSAA accredits more than
300 other reli-
giously oriented
schools. They
include schools
in seven
Catholic dioce-
ses in the state
of Michigan as
well as schools
of the Lutheran
Missouri Synod
and Christian
Schools
International.
Schools must be re-accredited every
seven years.
Yeshivat Akiva, which educates 267
students in preschool through 12th
grade, is the first Jewish school the asso-
ciation has accredited. This is the first
time Akiva has sought accreditation.
Barbara Stork, the group's director,
said accreditation with MNSAA is not
connected to any one religious belief, or
to the amount in the school's bank
account, or to the specific scores stu-
dents receive on standardized tests.
Instead, a seven-member MNSAA team
examines such factors as the profession-
alism of the staff, whether each child is
treated with dignity, and if the school
implements its philosophy and is com-
mitted. to self-improvement.
MNSAA standards, which include a

10-item checklist of requirements, are
"heavily laden with religious dimen-
sions," said Stork. -"If you go into a
school's philosophy or mission state-
ment, what we're looking for is helping
each student to work to his or her
capacity, using the giftedness God has
given them," she said.

Feeling Proud

The final portion of the accreditation
process, the site visit, took place Dec. 3-
5, said Marc Jerusalem, Akiva president.
All faculty members worked on the
process as well as members of the com-
munity and the PTA.
The school passed with flying colors,
except for suggestions for more thor-
ough teacher background checks, more
frequent inspections of playground
equipment, and for building a gymnasi-
um. Thanks to a donation from Edward
Meer of Bloomfield Hills, a school gym
is planned.

"I feel great about it.
I knew what we had,
but it's nice to have
outsiders verify it."

— Rabbi Yigal Tsaidi

"Their standards are incredibly strin-
gent," Jerusalem said of MNSAA.
"They were especially impressed by how
the religious instruction integrated into
the entire educational environment."
Michael Greenbaum, Akiva's former
president, compared the school's accred-
itation to peer review in his profession
of accounting.
"First and foremost, the accreditation
will enhance our reputation in the com-
munity," Greenbaum said. 'And the
process itself, which is continuous, makes
the school take a good look at itself."
Public schools in Michigan are
encouraged to seek accreditation from
the North Central Association of
Colleges and Schools (NCA). There is
no accreditation requirement for private
schools. But, if they decide to be accred-

