WASC Accreditation

WASC (Western Area Schools and Colleges) Accreditation

As our parents may or may not know, COA has just finished the successful completion of our WASC accreditation visit! During the visit the committee outlined many positive attributes including our schoolwide culture, instruction and instructional strategies (Common Core alignment and differentiation), dedicated and caring teachers and administration, our After School Program, and our community outreach with Slavic populations. We received accreditation for another 6 year term, which is the longest term offered by the organization! For those who may wonder why an Elementary and Middle School would pursue accreditation, the following is a list of reasons why many schools, including our own, choose to go through this process:

• Certification to the public that the school is a trustworthy learning institution.
• Validation of the integrity of a school's program and student transcripts.
• Fostered improvement of the school's programs and operations to support student learning.
• Assurance to the community that the school's purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable educational program.
• A way to manage change through regular assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, reassessment, and reflection.
• Assistance to a school/or organization in prioritizing areas for improvement as a result of the continual accreditation cycle. These areas include: schoolwide self-assessments and reflections regarding the current educational programs for students; insights and perspectives from the visiting committee; and regular school staff assessments of progress through the intervening years between full self-studies.

To find out more information about the WASC Accreditation process and what it means to our school, you can access the WASC website at www. acswasc.org.

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