CCEA Newsletter September 2003, Page 4

Text Box: served. A review of these research-based support factors includes:

* The establishment of a vision/purpose and student learning goals in alignment with high quality content standards, instruction and assessment;
* The support of a culture of trust that focuses on the high-performance of all students and on the sense of efficacy for all stakeholders;
* The involvement of total staff and school community in self-directed, problem-solving, including the analysis of pertinent data about student achievement and the school program;
* The opportunity for meaningful dialogue, collaboration and shared decision-making (e.g., ongoing professional development school wide as well as within instructional areas, such as teachers collaborating in the design, refinement and evaluation of instructional approaches);
* The use of high quality WASC criteria for an effective educational program;
* The opportunity for an objective perspective from fellow educators that serve on the visiting committees as the school refines its areas for improvement; and,
* The supportive encouragement and feedback to the school about its action plan implementation, monitoring, and assessment through accreditation progress reports and reviews.

The accreditation process, therefore, is a dynamic results-based approach. It is integral to a school’s perpetual cycle of assessment, planning, implementation and reassessment based upon student

Text Box: By Marilyn George, Ed.D. Associate Executive Director Accrediting Commission for schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation comes from the root word “accredere” which means “to be worthy of trust.” Over 3100 schools in California, Hawaii, East Asia, and the Pacific Islands choose to be accredited as it is a statement worldwide that the school is trustworthy as an institution of learning for all students and involved in continuous school improvement. Since 1962 when the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), was established alternative education schools have been involved with accreditation. Currently, the Commission is looking to refine the accreditation process in order for it to become more effective, efficient, and relevant for the schools served. However, as we work to improve the process in collaboration with the educators who are involved, we do not want to lose sight of the important concepts and issues integral to a quality WASC school improvement process. These are listed below:

- High achievement of all students - Multiple means of data analysis
- Program assessment
- Alignment of findings and action plan
- Integration of programs and initiatives
- Ongoing improvement/ accountability
- Total involvement/collaboration
In today’s world of external accountability for all schools, the accreditation process supports a school in developing its internal capacity for being accountable to high standards of quality that encompass a vision of the well-educated student and in maximizing the potential of all students

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