Accreditation association releases report on ARHS: 44 commendations and 28 recommendations

Above: Algonquin received a positive assessment from peers in its NEASC report. (photo by Susan Fitzgerald)

The New England Association Of Schools and Colleges released its assessment of Algonquin Regional High School. It’s part of their accreditation process revisited every 10 years. The report listed 44 commendations and 28 recommendations.

The Metrowest Daily News reports that the Superintendent Dr. Charles Gobron expressed satisfaction with the report. He told the School Committee that he expects the reaccreditation to come through next year.

As for the recommendations, Gobron said some could be addressed immediately, but not all:

some of the suggestions – like providing more daily time for teachers to discuss curriculum – have budgetary implications. Others, he said, may be value judgments the School Committee will need to consider.

Overall, Gobron said he didn’t see any major problems noted in the report, and noted that many of the suggestions had already been identified by the district in a recent self-study.

Click here to read the full report posted on the district website. To give you a taste, here are some examples of their findings.

Under the section on the quality of instruction:

Commendations include:

• The widespread use of productivity and collaboration technology tools to enhance instruction
• The school’s professional culture which promotes collegiality, discourse on best practices, and continued learning
• The extensive use of strategies that personalize instruction and encourage self- directed learning

Recommendations include:

• Provide professional development to all staff in the area of strategically differentiating instruction
• Create formal time and structures to ensure that all teachers use instructional practices that are informed by assessment data
• Ensure that formal processes are in place to ensure that all instructional practices are consistent with the school’s stated core values

NEASC’ based their finding on a review conducted last May. It was part of the 10 year cycle of self-study, peer review and follow up. The report explains:

A visiting committee of 16 evaluators was assigned by the Committee on Public Secondary Schools to evaluate Algonquin Regional High School. The Committee members spent four days in Northborough, reviewed the self-study documents which had been prepared for their examination, met with administrators, teachers, other school and system personnel, students and parents, shadowed [16 students for a half day], visited classes, and interviewed teachers to determine the degree to which the school meets the Committee’s Standards for Accreditation.

The next peer review visit isn’t expected until spring of 2023.