Representatives from the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) granted this campus another six-year term of accreditation after their visit, Nov. 28-Dec. 1.
The visiting committee commented on the various strong campus programs and left suggestions for continued improvement.
?Members of the commission studied the report of the visiting committee, noting the stellar programs and suggested growth areas,? Gary Davis, Commission Chairman, said. ?Consideration of the recommendations should be helpful in efforts to maintain and improve the campus’ quality.?
The committee focused on three main aspects of standards on campus: teacher performance, curriculum and expected school-wide learning results.
?We are working on implementing their suggestions,? Debbie Siebert, K-12 Director of Curriculum and Instruction, said. ?The committees used our school?s plan as a basis for their recommendations and affirmed we are doing the right things.?
Students on campus were pleased to hear positive feedback from both ACSI and WASC groups after their visit in December 2006.
?I?m relieved to hear our school is accredited,? Stuart Dunn, ?08, said. ?As a junior that is planning on attending college, I definitely want the reassurance that my school is preparing me for my future.?
While some students understood the importance of the accreditation, others remained ignorant to the presence of the representatives.
?I didn’t know we were accredited,? Tyler Enns, ?07, said. ?I didn?t even see them. I?m glad to hear our school is performing at the necessary level.
FC first became accredited in 1980, just over two years after it was established by a group of local sponsoring churches.
Although the school was new, it received the highest level of accreditation and has ever since. The first campus graduating class was 1983.
The previous accreditation years were: 1980, ’88, ’94, 2000 and during the 2006/07 school year as the school celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The discrepency in the ’80 to ’88 years represents when administration applied for accreditation in ’80 FC was only 2 years old and did not have a graduating class yet. The school was granted the highest level of accreditation possible at that point in time which was 3 years.
While FC?s six-year term will expire on June 30, 2012, the WASC Commission requests a concise report on the campus? progress in three years.
For more information click here on Taylor Torrence’s Sept. 12, 2006, article, Accreditation significance exceeds policies, standards, or check out Benjamin Dang’s Nov. 28, 2006, article, Accreditation assesses core programs, standards.
