WASC FBHS Accreditation September 12, 2012

What is WASC?  Western Association of Schools & Colleges  This is the agency that issues accreditations to all high schools in the Western United States.  The accreditation issued by WASC tells every college and university that FBHS classes meet the standards set forth by the California Department of Education.

What’s happening with WASC this year?  Our WASC representative, Anne Dolid, who is the Vice Principal from Piedmont High School, will visit FBHS for the first time on November 2, She will be here to help us prepare for our big visit which is scheduled in April  A team of teachers and high school administrators representing WASC will visit FBHS in April 2013 to determine our school’s accreditation status.

What do we need to do to prepare for our WASC visit in April?  Faculty, staff, community members, and student representatives have been working on completing our WASC self- study since March We’re almost done!!  Faculty, staff, community members, and student representatives have been working on completing our WASC self- study since March We’re almost done!!  It’s important that all students know our school goals and understand our school’s mission and vision.

Who can find our WASC poster?  Select a volunteer to read the following:  Mission Statement  Vision Statement  School Mantras  School Goals (A copy of the WASC poster is on the next slide. )

Do I need to know the parts of the WASC poster?  YES!!  For students, the most important components to know are the school goals and the school mantras.  We reviewed the school mantras earlier this week.  We will address the school goals throughout the year in advisory and in your daily classes.

School Mantras  Be Respectful  Be Prepared  Work Hard

School Goals  Develop 4-year plans which include community service and career investigation  Close the Achievement Gap  Increase number of students meeting A-G requirements  Meet AYP

School Goals  Develop 4-year plans which include community service and career investigation  We will discuss our 4-year plans, career investigations, and community service opportunities later in the grading period.

School Goals  Close the Achievement Gap  When we talk about closing the achievement gap, our goal is for all students to perform at a proficient or at an advance level regardless of socio-economic status, gender, or ethnicity.

School Goals  Increase number of students meeting A-G requirements  We believe every student should have the opportunity to apply to a four year college during senior year.  In order to be able to apply, you need to meet A-G requirements.

School Goals  Meet AYP (Annual Yearly Progress)  Our school must meet four components in order to meet AYP:  95% or more of our students must participate in state testing.  A certain percentage of our students must score proficient or advance on the CAHSEE.  We must meet API growth targets each year (our API score needs to improve).  Our graduation rate must meet state guidelines.

WASC, here we come!  We have been working diligently to prepare for our WASC visit.  We’ll keep referring to our school goals and mantras throughout this year.  You can read the WASC poster every day in all your classes. The WASC poster is hanging in every classroom. Can you find it in all your classes?

FBHS Rocks!  We have a GREAT school!  Let’s work together to make our WASC visit rock!!