Every public high school seeking initial or continued
accreditation must conduct a self-study and host a NEASC commission visiting committee
at least once every ten years as a requirement for accreditation. The New
England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Accreditation process
begins with a Self-Study Phase. The self-study is the time period (three
semesters) during which the school prepares for a visiting committee by
evaluating its own educational program in terms of the commission’s Standards
for Accreditation. The focus question for the self-study is “How
well do we meet the seven Standards for Accreditation?”
The central purpose of the self-study is to draw and substantiate conclusions that the school has built about how well it meets each Standard for Accreditation. These conclusions will subsequently provide guidance regarding ways to strengthen and support the school’s ongoing efforts to improve its practices related to teaching and learning. The visiting committee conclusions, informed by the school’s self-study and other sources of evidence, ultimately provide the Commission on Public Secondary Schools (NEASC) with information that will affect the school’s continued accredited status.
The evaluation visit, the second phase of the accreditation process, scheduled for March 2004, is a process in which the school hosts a visiting committee, developed by NEASC, for three and one-half days. The task of the visiting committee is to determine the extent to which the school meets the seven Standards for Accreditation and what it needs to do to improve and better meet its stated mission and expectations.
The visiting committee will ensure examination of self-study findings by talking with:
____________________________________________________________________Student, parent and community input, along with faculty and staff participation is absolutely necessary to ensure a comprehensive accreditation process. Anyone interested in volunteering time or in learning more about the self-study should contact Lucille DiLeo at Sutton High School who is coordinating the evaluation process.
She may be reach at 508-581-1640 ext.1152 during the day, 508-865-4785 in the evening or by e-mail lucydileo@aol.com or dileol@sps.net