WASC Accreditation

Why Accreditation

• Certification to the public that the school is a trustworthy institution of learning
• Validates the integrity of a school’s program and student transcripts
• Fosters improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning
• Assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable educational program
• A way to manage change through regular assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reassessment
• Assists a school/district in establishing its priority areas for improvement as a result of the perpetual accreditation cycle that includes
  • School self-assessment of the current educational program for students
  • Insight and perspective from the visiting committee
  • Regular school staff assessment of progress through the intervening years between full self-studies.

Below are additional examples with respect to accreditation:

• In December 2002 UC faculty approved a policy that requires all California public and private high schools to be ACS WASC-accredited (or a candidate for accreditation) in order to establish and/or maintain an “a-g” course list.
• Accreditation is required with respect to the Cal Grants.
• The ACS WASC/CDE (California Department of Education) process serves as the basis for the Single Plan for Student Achievement.
• Colleges and universities examine transcripts to determine if the students have attended accredited institutions.
• Teachers will not receive credit for the years during which they taught at a non-accredited school by many schools/districts nationwide. ACS WASC receives calls from school personnel who are recruiting applicants for teaching positions with respect to their prior schools of employment.
• Military recruiters expect the applicants to be from accredited schools.
• Many districts have policies to accept credits only from ACS WASC-accredited schools or schools accredited by other regionals with which ACS WASC has reciprocal agreements