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WASC Accreditation at Olympic HS |
Olympic High School earned WASC Accreditation for the first time in its 41 year history! The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) awarded Olympic High School an initial accreditation term of three years, the longest term award possible at this stage in the school’s accreditation process. This recognizes Olympic as a “trustworthy institution of learning (1).” “Initial accreditation is for schools that meet the WASC criteria for full accreditation and have a history and support system indicating a high quality program that can be sustained into the foreseeable future (2).” The term award is the result of several years of preparation, culminating in the writing of a self-study document which is forwarded to the WASC Commission in Burlingame, California. In May of 2007, a team of teachers and administrators visited Olympic High School as representatives of WASC, to validate the findings of the school’s self-study. The cycle of self-evaluation and visitation is called Focus On Learning. The intent of Focus On Learning is to validate the quality of a school’s educational program. High schools and colleges in the western United States are members of WASC and participate in these visits. Schools must receive WASC accreditation in order for the diplomas they issue to be accepted by other WASC member schools. Accreditation terms range from one year to six years. After a one day initial visit during which the WASC team visited classrooms, met with staff, site and district administrators, parents, students, and community members, a three year initial accreditation term was recommended by the visiting team and approved by the Accrediting Commission. Olympic is now preparing for a full, three day WASC visit during the 2009-2010 school year. Congratulations to the Olympic Learning Community on a successful visit and result! (1) WASC Accrediting Commission for Schools, “Why Accreditation?” www.acswasc.org |