ACS/WASC OVERVIEW

ACS/WASC OVERVIEW

Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Brian kissmanWhat is accreditation?
Accreditation is a voluntary dual-purpose process that schools (1) must be worthy of the trust placed in them to provide high-quality learning and (2) clearly demonstrate continual self-improvement.

An accredited school is focused on a mission and goals for students; it is student-oriented and examines its students’ performance continuously; it accepts objective evaluation from a team of outside peer professionals trained by ACS WASC; it maintains a qualified faculty within an effectively organized school; it collaboratively assesses the quality of its educational programs on a regular basis; and it plans for the future.

Why Accreditation?

  • Assures a school community school is trustworthy for student learning in a global society
  • Validates integrity of school’s program and transcripts worldwide for university acceptance
  • Fosters ongoing improvement to support learning
  • Provides valuable insight from educators visiting the school
  • Benefits schools choosing collaborative processes, e.g., WASC/CDE

Who benefits from Accreditation?

Everyone! Accreditation is a valuable service to the parents, students and educational institutions themselves. ACS WASC accreditation is a school improvement process and therefore is a process that serves as the foundation for quality education. An accredited school is a statement to the broader community and the stakeholders that it is trustworthy institution for student learning and committed to ongoing improvement:

  • The public is assured that accredited institutions are evaluated extensively and conform to expectations of performance and quality. Because accreditation requires continual self-evaluation and monitoring of its programs and operations in relation to the impact on student learning and periodic external review, the public can be assured that the educational quality of programs and services offered by the institution are current, reflect high standards of quality, and are offered with integrity.
  • Students can be assured that the institutions in which they seek to enroll have been reviewed and the educational programs that are offered have been evaluated for quality.
  • Educational institutions benefit from the stimulus for self-study and self-improvement provided by the accreditation process.

What is ACS WASC?

The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges advances and validates quality ongoing school improvement by supporting its private and public elementary, secondary, and postsecondary member schools to engage in a rigorous and relevant self-evaluation and peer review process that focuses on student learning.

The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), a world-renowned accrediting association, a regional accrediting association in the United States, works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools under the Department of State. ACS WASC provides assistance to schools located in California, Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Asia, and other parts of the world. ACS WASC extends its services to approximately 5,000 public, independent, church-related, charter, online, supplementary education programs/centers, and proprietary pre-K-12 and adult schools; and works with 18 associations in joint accreditation processes, and collaborates with other organizations such as the California Department of Education, the Hawaii Department of Education, the Association of Christian Schools International, the Council of International Schools, and the International Baccalaureate.

Philosophy

The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges believes that the goal of any school should be to provide for successful student learning. The philosophy of ACS WASC centers upon three beliefs: (1) a school’s goal is successful student learning; (2) each school has a clear purpose and schoolwide student goals; and (3) a school engages in external and internal evaluations as part of continued school improvement to support student learning.

Therefore, the primary goals of accreditation are:

  • Certification to the public that the school is a trustworthy institution of learning
  • The improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning

Accreditation is integral to a school’s perpetual cycle of assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reassessment based upon student achievement. It fosters excellence in elementary, secondary, adult, and postsecondary education by encouraging school improvement through a process of continuing evaluation and to recognize, by accreditation, schools that meet an acceptable level of quality, in accordance with established criteria. In addition to its official title, WASC means We Are Student-Centered.

Accreditation is integral to a school’s perpetual cycle of assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reassessment based upon student achievement. It fosters excellence in elementary, secondary, adult, and postsecondary education by encouraging school improvement through a process of continuing evaluation and to recognize, by accreditation, schools that meet an acceptable level of quality, in accordance with established criteria. In addition to its official title, WASC means We Are Student-Centered.

Accreditation Principles

The ACS WASC accreditation principles, embedded within the Focus on Learning (FOL) process and reflected in the ACS WASC Accreditation Cycle of Quality, enable a school to demonstrate:

Accomplishment of its vision, mission, and school-wide learner outcomes

  1.   High achievement of all students in relation to school-wide learner outcomes and academic standards
  2.   Use of multiple ways to analyze data about student achievement, including student and staff perceptions/interviews, examining student work, and observing students engaged in learning
  3.   Evaluation of the program effectiveness in relation to 1) impact on student learning based on school-wide learner outcomes, critical learner needs, and academic standards; and 2) meeting an acceptable level of quality in accordance with the ACS WASC criteria
  4.   Alignment of prioritized findings to a school-wide action plan focusing on student achievement
  5.   Ongoing improvement/accountability
  6.   Total involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders.

Where is NYA in the ACS/WASC Accreditation Process?

  • We submitted the “Request for ACS WASC Affiliation” in December 2017.
  • After processing our Affiliation Request, we were informed that the request was accepted and that we are eligible for to continue with the Accreditation process.
  • We were asked to submit initial visit materials and a school description report describing the purposes and operation of the school and evidence of the school’s status in relation to the conditions of eligibility.
  • Upon reviewing our school report, ACS WASC has arranged for a two-member, two-day visit to the school.

Next Steps:

  • The Visiting Committee will be at NYA from April 8th to 10th.
  • The purpose of the one- or two-day visit by a two-member team is to understand the school’s purpose, its program, and operations based upon the ACS WASC criteria and detailed school description.
  • Following the visit, the committee will prepare a report to present to the Accrediting
    Commission for Schools for action. This will include recommendations regarding the school’ ongoing improvement and assess its readiness for initial affiliation. The executive director of the Commission’s action will notify the school.
  • If the Commission’s action is unfavorable and the school is not granted affiliation, the school may re-apply when, in its judgment, it meets the conditions of eligibility.
  • If the Commission’s action is favorable, the school will be granted either initial accreditation or candidacy for a period not to exceed three years. It is expected that the school will conduct a self-study and participate in an accreditation visit during the third year.
  • Schools that are granted candidacy status are to submit a first-year progress report addressing the visiting committee recommendations indicating the progress being made in meeting the recommendations of the initial visiting committee and noting any substantial changes in the organization or operation of the school.

New York Academy is proud to kick off our WASC Accreditation process!

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