WASC Accreditation

Pioneer High School Earns Six Year WASC Accreditation Term

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) just awarded Pioneer High School a six year accreditation term with a mid-term review, the second longest term award possible. This recognizes Pioneer as a trustworthy institution of learning . . . whose programs and operations support student learning. [1]

The term award is the result of several years of preparation, culminating in the writing of a self-study document which is forwarded to the WASC Commission in Burlingame, California. At the end of March of 2012, a group of teachers and administrators from across southern California visited Pioneer High School as representatives of WASC to validate the findings of the self-study. This cycle of self-evaluation and visitation is called Focus On Learning.

The intent of Focus On Learning is to validate the quality of a schools educational program. High schools and colleges in the western United States are members of WASC and participate in these visits. Schools must receive WASC accreditation in order for the diplomas they issue to be accepted by other WASC member schools. Accreditation terms range from one year to six years.

After a three day visit during which the WASC team visited classrooms, met with staff, site and district administrators, parents and students, a six year term with a single day, mid-term review was recommended by the visiting team and approved by the Accrediting Commission. Congratulations to the Pioneer Learning Community on a successful visit and result.

[1]WASC Accrediting Commission for Schools, Why Accreditation? www.acswasc.org

2012 PHS Wasc Self-Study Click Herethe PHS WASC Focus on Learning Self Study Report (Adobe Acrobat required).

Click here for the official Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).