One vital way that an independent school proves its worth or validity to the outside world is through receiving accreditation by a nationally or internationally reputable commission or association. Wise School is accredited by WASC, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. WASC has been accrediting schools worldwide since 1961, and currently serves 5,200 schools in the United States, Asia, Pacific Islands, Africa, the Middle East, Mexico and Europe.

The WASC accreditation cycle runs every six years for most schools. This cycle consists of:

  • a school assessing itself through a self-study process and report, followed by
  • a multi-day site visit by a WASC team of experienced educators and school leaders, and then
  • the school following-up on their self-prescribed goals and action plans in subsequent years.

The primary focus throughout all these steps is students – how well and how much are they learning and growing?

The accreditation cycle encourages and supports schools in self-reflecting, self-evaluating, focusing primarily on student needs and outcomes, and fostering a collaborative school environment. The report that we get from the visiting committee after their stay with us provides valuable insight about student learning at Wise which:

  • validates our school program
  • celebrates our school’s strengths
  • provides recommendations on areas of potential growth.

It is time for us to earn our re-accreditation and so we have started the cycle anew this school year. This past Fall we began our self-study, which culminates in a five-chapter report that we must submit a little over a year from now.  A visiting committee will come out to spend a few days with us in April of 2021, and then they will submit their report to the WASC commissioners recommending the term and conditions of our next accreditation. Wise School is proud that we have always received the top accreditation, and for the maximum six-year term.

We will keep you abreast of our progress in this journey and will even be asking some of you to participate in our focus groups so that your voice can be heard and included in our report. We look forward to the insight and “next steps” that will be gleaned from our reflective self-study.

-John Heffron, Elementary Principal