The Western Association of Schools and Colleges will visit HHS to validate a self-study conducted by the school’s WASC commission this year, principal Denae Nurnberg said. As a non-profit, non-governmental school accreditation commission, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges aims to ensure effective education for students, according to WASC.
To conduct the self-study, HHS staff is divided into five subgroups, each of which look into a specific aspect of the school, WASC commission co-chair Christina Graham said. The WASC commission will also seek community involvement from students and parents, as well as other groups, Graham said.
“The reason we want to make sure everybody’s involved is [to get] not only the big picture stuff, but also the small picture stuff,” Graham said. “We use evidence on what’s happening in the classroom and what’s happening in the teams within the department.”
Data from the self-study is compiled into a report that is typically completed every six years, Graham said. The report, synthesized in its majority by Graham and her co-chair Ashley Pitta, evaluates performance through data including graduation, attendance and discipline statistics, allowing administrators to determine where improvement is needed, Graham said.
“We look at that data, and we look at our goals [as well as] our goals in the past,” Graham said. “[Through the self-study,] we identify where our strengths are as a school and where we want to continue putting our effort for the future.”
During the second semester, a WASC committee will read through the completed report and assess HHS during a visit, Nurnberg said. Committee members will do this by observing classes and interviewing staff members as well as FUHSD leadership, awarding a final grade by the end of their visit based on how well the school meets its criteria, according to WASC.
“[The report] really drives a lot of the work that we do over the next six years as a school,” Nurnberg said. “We set goals as a school aligned to whatever it is that we uncover in our conversations.”
Ultimately, WASC accreditation is necessary to prove to universities that HHS is providing high quality education to its students, Graham said. However, the process itself is also important, Graham said, as it inspires the community to make changes based on feedback.
“[The WASC accreditation process] gives everybody at [HHS] the power to have a say in what’s happening,” Graham said. “We have the power to shape and change [our school], and this process is one of the ways we can do that.”
