Lumen Accreditation
What is Lumen Accreditation?
Lumen Accreditation is a gift for school communities that desire a distinctly Catholic accreditation program. As a service to Jesus Christ and His church, Lumen’s standards integrate Church teachings on Catholic education and attend to the specific charisms of dioceses and Catholic schools. The Catholic University of America partnered with the bishops of the United States and other educational leaders to create a framework of guiding principles for P-12 Catholic schools. By choosing Lumen Accreditation, dioceses and schools will align their goals for improvement with the Church’s vision for Catholic school mission and identity.
Below is a summary of data from Overbrook Catholic School's Lumen Accreditation. For more information on the accreditation process, click HERE.
Summary of Data
Community Surveys
Three groups (Faculty/Staff, Students, and Parents) were surveyed in October 2025 in the following domains: Academic Excellence, Governance and Leadership, Mission and Catholic Identity, and Operational Vitality on a 5-point likert scale.
National Standards and Benchmarks of Effective Catholic Schools (NSBECS)
The NSBECS cover the following domains: Academic Excellence, Governance and Leadership, Mission and Catholic Identity, and Operational Vitality. Each standard was graded on rubric sheet for which 4 = Exceeds Benchmark, 3 = Fully Meets Benchmark, 2 = Partially Meets Benchmark, 1 = Does Not Meet Benchmark.
Of the 71 benchmarks, Overbrook Catholic scored a 3 or 4 on 61 of them, or 86%. Only 10 of them were scored as 2s.
Lumen Assurances
The Steering Committee reviewed the Lumen Assurances, discussing each on and determining if we met each and the evidence that proves it. Only one of these assurances was identified as not being fully met, and a curriculum specialist was hired to bring this to completion.
Catholic School Discernment
There are four domains in the Catholic School Discernments: Spiritual, Intellectual, Cultural, and Operational. The entire faculty and staff went through each one deciding where we fell and the reasons over the course of several faculty/staff meetings. Of the 82 benchmarks, we scored 3 or 4 on 77 of them, or 94%. We scored a 2 on five of the benchmarks.
Spiritual
We are thrilled that our lived experience of the Spiritual domain at Overbrook is almost a perfect 4. The faculty and staff recognize this, as do the parents and students. This is who Overbrook Catholic is.
Intellectual
We identified four areas within our intellectual discernments that present opportunities for growth, all connected to our curriculum and instructional methodologies. As we continue to move toward a more integrated approach across subjects, we are thoughtfully refining our teaching methods to better support student learning. This work builds in part on our intentional efforts to effectively educate boys and meet their learning needs.
Cultural
We strive to serve a wide range of students and welcome families who are aligned with our mission. While we aim to support each child’s academic and personal growth, there are rare instances when a student’s specific needs may extend beyond the scope of what we are able to provide.
Operational
We are delighted that the Operational dispositions were all 4’s except for one 3. This is interesting as Operational Vitality was our lowest scores in the surveys. This could be that these benchmarks were clearer than the wording of the surveys.
Accreditation Visit
With all 152 benchmarks scored and over 800 documents uploaded, including our renewal priorities/strategic plan, we were ready to welcome the visiting team from October 1st – 3rd, 2026.
Our Visiting Team included Todd Sweda, Ed.D.: Visit Team Chair; Associate Director, Lumen Accreditation; Tim Fletcher: Principal, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School, IN; Melissa Link, D.Min.: Office of Catholic Schools Director of Mission and Culture, Archdiocese of Chicago, IL.; and Michelle Radomsky: Executive Director, St. Mary's Early Childhood Center, IN.
During their time, the vising team met with students, parents, faculty/staff, and administration. They commented on the joy that permeated each of the group meetings. In addition to their meetings with stakeholders, the visiting team reviewed the progress on our Strategic Plan 2021 – 2026 and were pleased that everything is on par for completion. The Strategic Plan for Overbrook for the next five years will be crafted in the coming months, and Lumen's recommendations for continuous improvement will be highly considered.
We are grateful to the Lumen Accrediting Team, our faculty, staff, parents, students, and all who helped in the accreditation process. We look forward to continuing to grow in excellence together for many years to come.
You are unapologetically who you are.
-Todd Sweda, Ed.D.
I find here a love for learning, a foundation on how to live, a freedom to learn, and reverence in all that is done.-Tim Fletcher
What best exemplifies Overbrook to me are the words of one of the teachers, ‘It is my privilege to be with the children.'
-Michelle Radomsky
You have a shared commitment to the mission.
-Melissa Link, D.Min.
