Accreditation

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is a regional accrediting association in the United States. WASC assists schools in California, Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Asia, and other parts of the world. WASC extends its services to approximately 5,200 public, independent, church-related, charter, online, supplementary education programs/centers, and proprietary pre-K-12 and adult schools; and works with 20 associations in joint accreditation processes and collaborates with other organizations such as the California Department of Education, the Hawaii Department of Education, the Association of Christian Schools International, the Council of International Schools, and the International Baccalaureate.

Accreditation is a voluntary dual-purpose process in which schools must be worthy of their trust to provide high-quality learning and demonstrate continual self-improvement. An accredited school focuses 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 trained by ACS WASC, maintains a qualified faculty within an effectively organized school, collaboratively assesses the quality of its educational programs regularly, and plans for the future.

ACS WASC accreditation is a school improvement process and therefore is a process that serves as the foundation for quality education. An accredited school is a statement to the broader community and the stakeholders that it is trustworthy institution for student learning and committed to ongoing improvement.

• The public is assured that accredited institutions are evaluated extensively and conform to expectations of performance and quality. Because accreditation requires continual self-evaluation and monitoring of its programs and operations in relation to the impact on student learning and periodic external review, the public can be assured that the educational quality of programs and services offered by the institution are current, reflect high standards of quality, and are offered with integrity.
• Students can be assured that the institutions in which they seek to enroll have been reviewed and the educational programs that are offered have been evaluated for quality.
• Educational institutions benefit from the stimulus for self-study and self-improvement provided by the accreditation process.