Cognia was formed as AdvancED in 2006 by the consolidation of the pre-college divisions of two of the U.S. regional accreditation organizations: the Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA CASI), and the Council on Accreditation and School Improvement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS CASI). In 2012 the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) joined AdvancED. AdvancED merged with Measured Progress in 2018 and the organization rebranded as Cognia in 2019.[2][3]