June will mark five years since a major milestone in the development of the Austin Tennis Academy. That month, the ATA College Prep program, which at the time was a young community-supported learning environment, earned full accreditation through AdvancEd, the largest accreditation organization and education community in the world with a network of 32,000 private and public pre K-12 schools, colleges and universities. At the time, ATACP was both the youngest and smallest school ever to receive full accreditation through AdvancEd.

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“The growth and development as well as the accreditation and reaccreditation of ATA College Prep is a fantastic accomplishment and opportunity for our community. ATA College Prep allows us to impact our students in both their academic and athletic lives in powerful and meaningful ways. Teachers and coaches are focused on high performance as a way of life and students are getting positive, impactful messaging throughout their day.   This has led to ATA College Prep college placements that are in the words of one of our evaluators: ‘off the chart’.”

Accredited status eases the process for transfer students moving between accredited schools, while demonstrating that ATACP meets nationally recognized standards for quality and professional practices.

As the status requires renewal after 5 years, ATACP recently went through the evaluation process with AdvancEd. First, through in-depth reporting and data tracking, and next through a two-day on-site visit including classroom visits, and extensive interviews, the evaluators conducted a rigorous review of the school and its systems.

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The committee Lead stated that ATACP attained the highest overall scores in all 7 domains received by any school during the year and announced that CP would be recommended for re-accreditation. In example, ATACP scores as compared to National Averages were: High Expectations Environment 3.51 to 2.81; Active Learning Environment 3.43 to 2.94; and Well-Managed Environment 3.4 to 3.14.

“ATACP is committed to continuous improvement which is apparent through our community culture of mindfulness, holistic programming, excellent instructional staff, above national SAT averages, and 100{37ef6ac642fae6f93f343032eb62785d28fa7a25a4a4f0267a12512c541c53a9} graduation rate to 4-year universities. It is very rewarding to gain validation from a national board of experts that our programs, processes and people are exemplary among our peers,” states Carol Hagar, Director of ATACP.

Looking back, many of the goals outlined five years ago after being evaluated – like establishing a permanent school building – have been accomplished. Looking forward, CP leadership has again defined a set of goals that both ensure continuous improvement and confirm that it is creating lifelong learners.

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Carol reflects that, “Conquering the stigma often associated with a small independent school or sports academy education has been a challenge. But innovation is often uncomfortable, uncommon and unrecognizable until much later when the stories of change, success and gratitude are told and remembered. Enhancing the overall vision of the Austin Tennis Academy, ATACP is a place where young minds and bodies can reach for excellence, develop a mindful approach to life, and dare to become citizens of significance.”

For more information about ATA College Prep, click here, or contact Carol Hagar directly at Carol.Hagar@AustinTennisAcademy.com.