Accreditation teams from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) visited Assumption Schools (both elementary and high school) and Majuro Cooperative School recently, as well as public schools, as part of ongoing accreditation review.
Assumption received praise for their continuing efforts to improve the school from visiting WASC representatives Evelyn Managa and Doug Baumgart during an exit report held at the school recently.
Managa admired four key points or goals by the school: to employ more highly qualified teachers; to integrate technology into the school; to get more alumni support; and to get RMI government support.
Majuro Cooperative School received a positive review from the four-member visiting US accreditation team.
Capturing this positive evaluation was the team’s top point: “The school community exemplifies in word and action the vision, mission, philosophy, and expected school-wide learning results of Co-op.” The team visited as Co-op is winding up a six-year accreditation term.
The team reviewed a “self-study” prepared by the school in advance of the visit, using this report to validate the educational program at Co-op.
The WASC team said the school sets “high expectations of learners and has placed value on extending its program to incorporate personalized, interest based, curricular and co-curricular opportunities.”
The team noted some areas for improvement, including: Board and administration review of establishing school-wide improvement as a continuous process and expand professional development around interventions and teaching strategies for English language learning students.
Reports on both schools go to the WASC Commission that meets in a few weeks to decide accreditation terms for the schools.
Read more about this in the May 20, 2016 edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.