Facts & Figures » WASC Accreditation

WASC Accreditation

WASC Accreditation

Palms Middle School is proud to be a WASC-accredited middle school. Our current certification covers 2020 to 2026, the maximum interval over which a school can earn accreditation.

Certification is granted by the Accrediting Commission (ACS) for Schools of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Accreditation identifies schools that are "worthy of the trust placed in them to provide high-quality learning and have clearly demonstrated continual self-improvement."

An accredited school like Palms has shown that it:

  • is focused on a mission and goals for students
  • is student-oriented and examines its students’ performance continuously
  • accepts objective evaluation from a team of outside peer professionals
  • maintains a qualified faculty within an effectively organized school
  • collaboratively assesses the quality of its educational programs on a regular basis
  • plans for the future

Why is WASC Important?

  1. WASC certifies to the public that the school is a trustworthy institution of learning and validates the integrity of a school's program and student transcripts.
  2. WASC supports continuous improvement of the school's programs and operations to enhance student learning and well-being through strategic assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reassessment.
  3. WASC assists a school in determining growth areas for continuous improvement as a result of the perpetual accreditation cycle that includes:
    • school self-assessment of the current educational programs for students.
    • insight and perspective from the visiting committee.
    • ongoing assessment of progress of school-wide action plans and impact on student learning and well-being throughout the intervening years between self-studies.

School-wide action plans include

    • School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)
    • Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP)
    • Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
    • California Adult Education Program (CAEP)

Timeline

The Initial WASC Leadership Committee was formed in Spring 2018.

The Initial WASC report was submitted on March 16, 2018 and approved by the WASC Initial Visiting Committee in May 2018.

Ms. Garret and Mrs. Wohl were co-coordinators for the Palms Middle School WASC Self Study process.

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