Public schools are eligible for accreditation every ten years; accreditation provides confidence that schools have the resources to deliver high quality education, a framework for school improvement and growth.
The Somerville High School (SHS) leadership team and the Somerville Public Schools District are pleased to announce that SHS is considering seeking official accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Public schools have the option of applying for accreditation once every ten years. According to ANESC websiteaccreditation is an ongoing, voluntary cycle of internal and external assessment, planning, and reporting that enables schools to achieve their unique goals while maintaining alignment with research-based standards that define the characteristics of communities effective and high quality learning.
SHS has announced plans to enter the formal accreditation process this fall, but the full process will take place over three years, with NEASC’s final decision due by the end of 2025.
Co-Director Sebastian LaGambina said, “We are very pleased to start the NEASC accreditation process. We are very proud of our recent work in developing Highlander Habits as a profile for our graduates, our revamped community model, extensive support systems, CTE program and workforce development initiatives. work, as well as integrating equity work into our practices. We are confident and excited to highlight these strengths through self-learning reflection and know that we will grow in all areas. »
To kick off the process, Somerville High School faculty members gathered on October 12, 2022 to hear strategies for preparing for self-reflection from the school. The session was offered by Bill Wehrli, Associate Director of the Association’s Commission on Public Schools.
To become a member of NEASC, a school must align with the accreditation standards. Self-reflection provides the school’s professional staff with the opportunity to examine its instructional programs, processes, systems, and practices to determine how well the SHS School aligns with these rigorous standards. The standards have been established to ensure that the elements necessary for effective education exist within the school. Mr. Wehrli noted that “Although accreditation by the Association does not imply perfection, it ensures that the school has the resources, leadership and organization to support the continuous improvement required of all the schools.
Following extensive self-reflection, an assessment will be made by visiting teams of professional educators, sent by the Commission, who will review all materials prepared by the faculty as part of the self-reflection, visit classrooms and speak with students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members during their four-day visit to the school. Somerville High School was scheduled for visits at the end of self-reflection and again in April 2025.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, founded in 1885, is the nation’s oldest accrediting agency and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the only agency to accredit PreK-12 schools, elementary schools , colleges and colleges. New England high schools.
NEASC is a voluntary accrediting agency of more than 2,000 public and independent schools, colleges, and universities, as well as vocational, technical, and vocational institutions. Of these, approximately 725 schools are accredited by the Association’s Public Schools Commission. The Commission works with individual schools to improve the quality of education through an ongoing process of assessment and accreditation.
