QUILCENE — The Quilcene School District has earned accredited status for the first time in its history, which the principal said will set a quality standard and improve connections with other districts.
“The awarding of accreditation to Quilcene signifies that our school has met the standards for accreditation at an exemplary level,” said Principal Gary Stebbins.
“The awarding of accreditation certainly validates the continued good work taking place at our high school.”
The entire kindergarten-grade-12 school was granted full accreditation by the Washington Association of Educational Service Districts, the regional accrediting association in the state that offers programs and services that monitor school performance and school-improvement efforts, Stebbins said.
The district learned of the accreditation May 25.
Accreditations are for a limited period. In this case, the school has earned a six-year term with a review after three years, Stebbins said.
Quilcene graduates will now have increased chances of getting into the college of their choice with accreditation, Stebbins said.
In a news release, Stebbins said accreditation assures that tax money is supporting a school facility and programs that have been judged worthwhile by an outside team of evaluators, both in terms of the school’s stated core values, beliefs about learning and student learning expectations and in terms of the school’s adherence to the standards for accreditation.
“Through the process of accreditation, the citizen is advised of the strengths, needs and long-range plans of the school,” he wrote.
The school has already received a plaque to be presented at a future school board meeting and purchased a banner, which Stebbins said will be displayed on the front of the school for a period of time before moving to a location inside.
“It’s more than a plaque and a banner,” he said. “With accreditation, the school gains transparency about its curriculum.”
Stebbins said the school district last sought accreditation in the 1990s.
Earlier this school year, Stebbins was investigating the possibility of accreditation when he was told the reason for the refusal in the 1990s was the lack of a librarian. He later found that the requirement was that the school have a certified library program, which was then established.
Area schools
The Port Townsend and Chimacum School districts are currently accredited: Port Townsend by the state of Washington and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and Chimacum by AdvancedEd of Stone Mountain, Ga.
Port Townsend Schools Superintendent David Engle said there are many options for schools who seek accreditation.
“There are academic standards you need to meet if your kids are going to graduate and go to college,” he said.
Engle said that districts find accreditation useful.
“In many ways it is a way to self-evaluate the school and line up your curriculum to meet your kids’ needs,” he said.
“It’s a way to look at the system in a productive way.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
