Font ResizeHINSDALE, N.H. -- The town’s high school is seeking community members and parents to volunteer to serve on one of seven standards committees as part of an accreditation process with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Vice Principal Joe Boggio said accreditation must be reapplied for every 10 years and willing participants are needed for a mandatory self-study the entire school’s staff will be involved with.
Parents and members of the community are asked to commit four hours a month to working as a committee member to assess the school’s adherence to each of the seven standards for accreditation -- school culture and leadership, core values and beliefs, curriculum, assessment, community resources, school resources and instruction.
"It’s always valuable to get outside perspective," Boggio said.
There will be about 10 people in each committee, according to Theresa Davis, a teacher of the Hinsdale Alternative Reinforcement Program.
Each teacher at the school will be assigned to one committee and students will take part as well. As part of the accreditation process, 15 educators from schools of sizes similar to Hinsdale High are expected to visit the school in November 2014. Boggio said each of them will be assigned to a student and attend classes all day. They will also conduct interviews with teachers.
"They will determine if the school is on the right track or needs some
The NEASC uses a rating system with four categories: Exemplary, acceptable, limited and deficient. Boggio said there will also be a student focus group made up randomly of one out of every six students at the school. This is done to get student input, he said.
Anyone interested if volunteering should e-mail a letter of intent to the steering committee co-chairs, Davis and social studies teacher William Wahlstrom, at neasc@hnhsd.org. A letter of intent can also be mailed to Davis or Wahlstrom at Hinsdale High School, 49 School St., Hinsdale, N.H., 03451. The deadline, Davis said, is Wednesday, Oct. 31.
"(The self-study) is very important to take an accurate picture," Davis said, adding that parents, community members, teachers and students all offer different insight.
Boggio, Davis and Wahlstrom attended a self-study seminar at Springfield (Mass.) Central High School on Tuesday, May 8. The seminar is designed to familiarize principals and steering committee members of schools scheduled for evaluations in November 2014 with the evaluation process and the critical components of the standards for accreditation. It was sponsored by NEASC’s Committee on Public Secondary Schools.
Boggio said NEASC accreditation is critically important, especially for seniors applying to college.
Domenic Poli can be reached at dpoli@reformer.com, or 802-254-2311, ext. 277.
