Staff Writer
HOULTON — The accreditation process at Houlton High School is moving forward.
Principal Marty Bouchard said last week that they have completed a series of in-depth reports and the chair of the visiting accreditation committee is scheduled to make a preliminary visit this week.
“The chairman of our accreditation process is Jay Fitzgerald, a mathematics teacher from Jay High School,” explained Bouchard. “He will be coming on Friday … to make sure the preparations are all ready for the visit[ing team]. He’s read all our reports and been very complimentary of the work that has been done thus far.”
Accreditation, a process completed every 10 years, is orchestrated by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. It includes self-evaluation by the school followed by scrutiny from the visiting committee. The goal is to evaluate school programs to determine if they meet particular goals and established accreditation standards.
In preparation for the accreditation process, school staff have formed their own accreditation committee, chaired by teacher Joe Fagnant. The committee, working in sub-committees, examines different areas: school and community profile, community resources, school resources, leadership, mission, curriculum, instruction and assessment. Each sub-committee generates a 10- to 25-page report on their findings which the committee as a whole votes on.
“Our staff has spent numerous hours writing, collecting and examining,” said Bouchard. “They always goes above and beyond for the sake of the cause and that’s so good to know. It brings us together as a staff because we open ourselves up and look at everything we do. Even though it is an awful lot of work, it’s a nice time to reflect and see if we are meeting the needs of our students.”
Finally, a visiting team, made up of educators from across New England, will spend four days at the school in March. The visiting team will hear panel presentations, review anonymous student work, interview teachers and students and more. At the conclusion of their visit, the visiting team will compile an initial report for Houlton High School; a final report will follow a few months later.
Although the accreditation process demands a huge time commitment, Fagnant considers it an important facet of education excellence.
“I think its an excellent process. It’s very intense and involved, but it makes you look within yourself and, as you do that, you get to find out not only the things you struggle with and may need to improve on, but also on the things you’re doing great at already.”
Over the past decade, Houlton High School has worked to maintain high education standards, said Fagnant, and accreditation is one way to show that effort.
“We’ve changed a lot over the past 10 years,” he added. “And now, is a time to reflect on that and show that change.”
