In February 2005, the leadership teams from the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), and National Study of School Evaluation (NSSE) met to discuss ways to further meet their mutual objectives, respond to the future needs of customers, and collectively better serve schools and school districts.

Schools and school districts had communicated an ongoing need for:

The leadership teams of NCA CASI, SACS CASI and NSSE agreed that, by working together as partners, each organization could become stronger, better meet the needs of its clients, and ultimately further advance the shared mission of helping schools and districts improve on behalf of the students they serve. The primary strategic aim of the partnership was to create the next generation of accreditation.

After a year of working together as partners, in April 2006, the NCA CASI, SACS CASI and NSSE came together to form one strong unified organization dedicated to education quality. That unified organization, known as AdvancED, creates the world's largest education community, representing 27,000 public and private schools and districts, across the United States and in 65 countries and educating 15 million students.

 More About the Unification
 Histories of the Founding Organizations
 From Then to Now