On Feb. 25 through 27, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges visited CHS to give the school an accreditation. According to www.acswasc.org, accreditation evaluates the school’s organizational effectiveness and certifies that a school is a trustworthy institution of learning.
The WASC accreditation status options include a six-year accreditation status with a required mid-cycle self-study report, a three-year accreditation status and a withheld accreditation status. A six-year accreditation status demonstrates that a school needs minimal additional support for high-quality student learning, while a withheld accreditation status demonstrates the school does not meet the WASC criteria for high-quality learning. Once the accreditation term is over, the WASC visits the school once again to provide the school with its next accreditation status.
“[The WASC allows CHS] to maintain its status as an accredited school, meaning [CHS] diplomas are accepted by colleges,” said Principal C.J. Foss. “It also is a source of pride that [CHS] can share with [the] community, a testimony of how much effort our staff and students put into making CHS a great place. ”
The WASC requires a mission statement from all California public schools. The mission statement at CHS is an expansive list of guidelines known as PACK. PACK teaches students, parents and faculty the importance of problem-solving, analyzing and applying data, communicating effectively and knowing moral and civic responsibilities.
“We have always had a mission statement and learning objectives at CHS,” said self-study coordinator and Spanish II, III and V Advanced Placement teacher Caryl Benner. “[We use the acronym] so that students better understand which skills they are practicing in certain tasks. We need to address all aspects of the PACK throughout high school so that students are well-prepared for their future in a global economy.”
The WASC Accreditation Committee verified that CHS addresses PACK in the school’s teachings and confirmed that students are appropriately learning the mission statement. The last self-study report that CHS has sent the WASC identifies that students are able to learn and apply the skills from the PACK and use them in classes such as English, math and science. The statistics released by CHS to the WASC also show that CHS has met all of the WASC’s standards for the Adequate Yearly Progress in the English and math divisions. The WASC Accreditation Committee will determine CHS’s status by June.
