February 12, 2020
Dear Friends in Education:
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
This piece of Scripture is one that the Sierra Lutheran High School Board of Directors, faculty, and staff, as well as parent and student volunteers, will reflect on over the next year as the school formally begins the protocol to renew its accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Purpose & Process
In short, the accreditation process is a comprehensive review of all aspects of the school by a broad cross section of stakeholders to assess how it is operating in relation to its mission and vision. Through this process, the committee, which functions in both corporate and smaller self-study groups, recommends the most critical learner needs to be addressed over the next accreditation cycle, as well as a revision of the schoolwide action plan, which syncs with the school’s Strategic Plan.
Timeline
Over the next year, the findings and recommendations from the on-site SLHS Accreditation Committee are systematically forwarded, in sections, to an independent committee of educators from WASC schools across the western United States, who have been formed to review where the school has been, where it is, and where it aspires to be over the next several years. Once the final section of the WASC report is filed later this year, the committee will visit the school next Spring to meet with the on-site SLHS Accreditation Committee, as well as other stakeholders.
Pertinent Information
The total timeline for performing the school’s self study, forming updated critical learner goals, and refreshing the schoolwide action plan will run through November, 2020. The visiting committee will take time over a 2-3 month period to review the report, ask follow-up questions, and seek additional information to augment the report before visiting the school in Spring, 2021. This presentation was created by Dr. Seddon for the school’s on-site committee. It does an excellent job of sharing the goals, objectives, and process involved. If you have questions about anything related to the process, please contact her.
As we seek to sharpen the school’s focus on Christ and educational excellence through this process, the on-site committee invites your prayers for wisdom and discernment to faithfully fulfill our mission statement to the Lord, which guides us to be ever “Encouraging And Nurturing Faith In Christ And Academic Excellence.”
In Christ,
Julia Bonafede
Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
