Reps Visit NMHS As Part of Re-Accreditation Process

Today marks the last day that a team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges will visit as part of the high school’s re-accreditation process.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges – or WASC as it is more commonly known as – is a regional accrediting association that aids schools throughout California, Hawaii, Guam and more areas, according to its website.

The goal of the team's visit is to analyze whether Newark Memorial's in-house study of its programs are aligned with what the accreditation association believes the high school needs in order to be accredited, district administrators said.

Being accredited is a recognition that an education instutition provides the “highest quality learning experience” it views for students, according to WASC’s website.

Every secondary school is required to go through WASC’s accreditation process, said Superintendent Dave Marken.

In its self-study, Newark Memorial documented numerous strengths and recommendations in the approximately 400-page document, Marken noted.

Marken said an example of a strength identified in the self-study was a strong number of qualified staff members and that one recommendation for improvement that Newark Memorial has already begun addressing is building is parent community.

Once the visit concludes, WASC representatives will provide information to the school on what can be improved and send a recommendation to the association’s accreditation board, Marken said.

Newark Memorial High School is currently accredited and was last granted accreditation in February 2008, according to Christine Herrera, administrative assistant with Newark Unified's Educational Services Department.

Herrera added that the accreditation process was to occcur last year but an extension was requested and approved due to an administrative change at the high school.

At a Feb. 7 Newark Unified Board of Education Meeting, NMHS Principal Edward Marquez said Newark Memorial’s goal has “always been to receive a six-year accreditation.”

To learn more about WASC and the accreditation process, visit http://www.acswasc.org.