WASC takes the school by swarm
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was on campus from Nov. 16-19 to visit classrooms as well as meet with students, parents, and staff members.
As one of six regional accrediting associations, WASC evaluates more than 4,500 high schools to determine if they are “trustworthy institutions of learning,” according to its website. In other words, WASC determines whether or not high school diplomas are valid.
In order to prepare for the visit, Karen Kikuchi, math teacher and the school’s WASC coordinator, led a self-study process that has taken place over the past year. “Starting last fall, we asked ourselves: what is the school doing well, and what are the areas of improvement?” Kikuchi said. “Based on the areas of improvement, we created the school action plan.” The staff will work to implement this action plan over the next few years.
The first goal of the plan is to successfully implement Common Core, which will replace California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) in the spring of 2015. In addition, the staff will be working to integrate more technology into classroom instruction. Lastly, the action plan includes provisions to increase support for students and encourage them to utilize resources the school already offers, including counseling and clubs.
Linda Saeta, visiting WASC evaluator and Claremont High School math teacher, spent her time on campus evaluating the student culture. “I’ve been very impressed … the pride that the students and teachers have comes through strong,” she said.
Saeta is responsible for writing a report on her findings, including what the school is doing well and what it can do better. This will be combined with those of the other evaluators to create a comprehensive profile of the school that will be available in three to five months. The evaluation process is categorized into five separate criteria: organization; curriculum; instruction; assessment and accountability; and support for personal and academic growth of students.
The WASC evaluators shared their observations in the Performing Arts Center during lunch on Nov. 19. Overall, the evaluators agreed that teachers should develop an effective system for studying student performance data. Also, the assessors added that the teaching curriculum should align with the Common Core standards.
“The biggest thing was they talked about how much pride we have as a school, how successful our school is, and how great our students are,” Principal Josh Eby said. “That’s just the best feeling to have as a principal.”
