Is Our School Ready?
Schools are ready to apply for the credential when they can demonstrate:
strong implementation of the EL Education Core Practices
excellent and equitable impact in all Three Dimensions of Student Achievement.
To Earn the Credential
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Confirm that your school has an overall score of 90 or higher and
average score of 3.5 or higher across Character items from the 2024-2025 school year
average score of 3.5 or higher across Instruction items from the 2024-2025 school year
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Your Coach and Regional Director will each submit a letter of recommendation speaking to your school's credential-level impact in Three Dimensions of Student Achievement.
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EL Education will review your status with your authorizer to verify your school is in good standing.
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Eligibility
Credential Criteria
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School administers a 5-question character survey provided by EL Education in 2024-25
Site visit/renewal presentation demonstrates behaviors that evidence ethical people, effective learners, & contributing to a better world
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School submits three student work samples to Models of Excellence
Site visit / renewal presentation demonstrates complexity, craftsmanship, authenticity in student work
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School submits assessment data that demonstrates proficiency or growth in Mastery of Knowledge & Skills according to the criteria. The MKS Worksheet is available on the "Apply" page
Site visit / renewal presentation demonstrates learning conditions supportive of deeper learning and academic success
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To qualify for the Credential...
Your high school's graduation rate must outperform that of their district or state for 2 of the previous 3 years
Your high school must regularly engage with postsecondary data to inform your work with students.
Your high school must provide students with access to college and career coursework.
To demonstrate impact in CHARACTER, your school will be asked to:
Share an overview of your 2025-26 priorities for Character & Crew culture in context, including progress monitoring structures and equity considerations.
Submit summary results of any current or historical data your school uses to monitor progress in Character for all students and across groups of students (walkthroughs and surveys, focus groups, performance assessments, etc).
Administer a five-question student character survey provided by EL Education during fall 2025 or winter 2026 to students in Grades 4-12, and share results & a completed reflection template with EL Education at least six weeks in advance of your site visit or renewal presentation.
To demonstrate impact in HIGH-QUALITY WORK, your school will be asked to:
Share an overview of your 2025-26 priorities for fostering high-quality work that has complexity, craftsmanship, authenticity, including your use of HQW attributes in classroom instruction, progress monitoring structures, equity consideration.
Submit summary results from three pieces of current or historical data you have from examining High-Quality Work. Identify trends for all students and across groups of students & include examples.
Submit at least three student work samples to the EL Education Models of Excellence project for review by October 31st, 2025.
To demonstrate impact in MASTERY OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS, your school will be asked to provide:
An overview of your 2025-26 priorities for Deeper Learning, including progress monitoring structures and equity considerations.
Disaggregated data by student subgroup that demonstrates, in comparison to your state or district, either:
Overall Student Proficiency
Student Growth, or
School Growth
All applicants must submit the MKS data worksheet along with their application.
A “Beating the Odds” analysis will be made available to schools who believe their impact is not accurately captured in this data.
Credential Annual Cycle
Credential Readiness (June - Oct)
Review the eligibility criteria to see if you are eligible to apply. Review your school data in each Dimension against the credential criteria. Confer with your school designer/coach to support your data review. The credential team is also here to support you with resources, office hours, and for 1:1 conversations around specific questions.
2. Credential Application (Sep - Oct)
Collaborate with your school team and EL Coach to submit an application. Provide evidence of impact in the three dimensions, demonstrating your school’s readiness for either a Renewal Presentation or Site Visit.
3. Begin Planning (Nov - Feb)
By the end of November, learn whether your school has been accepted into this year’s credential cohort. Collaborate with your school’s coach, director, and the credential team to schedule and begin planning your site visit or renewal presentation.
4. Host a Site Visit or Renewal Presentation (Feb - May)
Tell your story in Three Dimensions of Student Achievement, through a 2-day in-person site visit for new applicants or a 3-hour virtual presentation for renewing applicants, and through the submission of data your school collects to track progress towards impact in Character, High-Quality Work, and Mastery of Knowledge and Skills.
5. Decisions & Continuous Improvement (May - June)
At the end of the process, receive a final decision and detailed feedback from EL team. Celebrate your community’s achievements and implement feedback gathered through the process.
Schools may emerge from this process earning the Credential or a Pathway Credential in one or two Dimensions. It is also possible that a school emerges not yet ready to earn a Credential. In any case, EL Education will provide detailed feedback and ongoing support for continuous improvement work.