Having recently completed another difficult year of budget building, it is completely understandable that schools are taking a hard look at each line item and making difficult choices. Like it or not, we are living in an age when our schools do not have the luxury of doing the “nice to do’s” if they require general fund budget support. We are forced to prioritize the “must do’s,” and this belt-tightening is causing many schools in Maine to question their participation in the accreditation process.
This accreditation debate is happening in a time of significant controversy around standardized testing. From legislation to pull out of the Smarter Balanced consortium and instead utilize the Maine Comprehensive Assessment System to numbers of parents choosing to have their students opt out of testing, there is evident concern around how schools are measured. While standardized tests do play a role in school accountability, it is clear that parents, students and taxpayers need other ways to receive assurance of school quality. Accreditation by an independent organization, such as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, or NEASC, is an excellent way to provide that assurance.
I am concerned about any school that may consider eliminating accreditation and not have a plan for self-reflection and review. Accreditation is a voluntary process schools undertake to review all aspects of school quality. NEASC is the independent organization that accredits schools in our region. Eighty-six public high schools in Maine are NEASC-accredited, including Old Town High School in my district. I hear school administrators argue that accreditation isn’t relevant or necessary. My experience at Old Town High School has led me to believe this is not true. In a time when many want to opt out of educational assessments, accreditation should not be viewed as anything but essential.
NEASC accreditation is very different from state accountability measures, which tend to focus on test scores and compliance. The accreditation process, by contrast, evaluates the quality of the entire educational experience. It uses data, but also gathers extensive information on critical work in curriculum, instruction, school leadership, culture and resources. As the process combines a school’s self-study with a comprehensive peer educator review, accreditation is driven by those who are on the front lines of the work we do in schools every day.
Schools face more demands today than ever before because of changes in society and increased state and federal mandates. As a superintendent in Maine public schools for the last 17 years, I know firsthand the pressure schools are under to respond to the increasing number of demands. According to the Bangor Daily News, 750 standards and testing-related bills came across U.S. lawmakers’ desks last year — nearly double the previous year. But in the frenzy to address the latest standards- and testing-related mandates, big picture school improvement work sometimes can be lost.
By contrast, accreditation offers a consistent guide for school improvement, ensuring we’re measuring ourselves against standards for quality education that are rooted in national research and best practices. As a principal and teacher before becoming superintendent, I learned school improvement is a process. Self-reflection is critical. Without systematic self-evaluation, schools can’t effectively identify weaknesses, build on strengths and develop a roadmap for improvement. Maine schools can’t build a high quality education on compliance alone.
Accreditation also plays a vital role in assuring families of school quality. This is especially important for Maine high schools that compete for students that do not have an in-district high school option. As student populations decrease, the tuition that these students bring to districts is ever more important — and schools that aren’t accredited may not be as attractive to these students and their families.
Just because accreditation is voluntary doesn’t mean it is dispensable. I worry that students will be the ones who pay if schools forgo this valuable school improvement tool. And in an era of questions around assessment and what’s really essential to measure quality and performance, Maine students, parents and taxpayers deserve the assurance of their school’s commitment to sustained excellence that accreditation brings.
David Walker of Old Town is superintendent of Regional School Unit 34.