Catholic Identity Standards

The schools within the Diocese of Kalamazoo follow the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools.

*The National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools is intended to describe how the most mission-driven, program effective, well managed, and responsibly governed Catholic schools operate. They are offered as school effectiveness standards rather than curriculum content standards, although they support curriculum development consistent with national standards and the Common Core State Standards. They provide benchmarks to determine how well a school is fulfilling its obligation to those who benefit from its services (e.g. students, parents/guardians and families, faculty and staff), to donors and contributors, to the Church, and to civil society. 

This document contains three types of statements grounded in Church teachings, best practice, and proven success of those committed to the future of Catholic elementary and secondary education in the United States.

The Defining Characteristics flow directly from the Holy See’s teaching on Catholic schools as compiled by Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB (The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools, 2006), and from statements by Pope Benedict XVI and the American bishops. The characteristics define the deep Catholic identity of Catholic schools and serve as the platform on which the standards and benchmarks rest. The defining characteristics authenticate the standards and benchmarks, justifying their existence and providing their meaning.

The Standards describe policies, programs, structures, and processes that should be present in mission-driven, program effective, well-managed, and responsibly governed Catholic schools that operate in concert with the defining characteristics. The standards address four domains: Mission and Catholic Identity, Governance and Leadership, Academic Excellence, and Operational Vitality.

The Benchmarks provide observable, measurable descriptors for each standard. Benchmarks provide a solid basis for future development of more detailed self-assessment and diagnostic instruments, data collection and reporting structures, and accreditation tools, as appropriate at the local, diocesan, regional, and national levels.

*Information provided by catholicschoolstandards.org