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Date: 7/19/2023
LONGMEADOW — Longmeadow High School was recently reaccredited by the New England Association of School and Colleges’ Commission on Public Schools, a private, nonprofit organization approved as an accreditation agency by the National Association of Independent Schools and the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Public Schools requires schools to undergo a reaccreditation process to certify that a quality education is being provided.
According to the New England Association of School and Colleges, schools must undergo a Self-Reflection completed by the school, a Collaborative Conference “with a small team of peer educators,” the development and implementation of a school growth plan, a reflective summary report completed by the school and a personalized Decennial Accreditation visit.”
There are five standards for accreditation. The school community must be found to provide a safe environment and have a written document “describing its core values, beliefs about learning and vision of the graduate.” There must be a written curriculum in a “consistent format for all courses in all departments.” The school is required to have a current school improvement or growth plan and intervention strategies to support learners. Finally, the school site supports “the delivery of curriculum, programs, and services.”
Longmeadow High School met these criteria.
“LHS began this process during the 2018-2019 school year,” said Principal Thomas Landers. “In addition to the staff, students and community providing feedback and input, there were two [New England Association of School and Colleges] visits to LHS — the first being in November of 2020 (virtual visits of online classes, virtual interviews with staff and students) and the final visit being in person in December of 2022. There were several aspects of the process, but the highlight was the development of our Vision of the Graduate, which identifies six competencies — independence, accountability, problem solving, communication, collaboration, critical thinking — and challenges us to embed these into teaching and learning activities, assessments, and the overall student experience.”
The school received 10 commendations from the accrediting organization. These included recognition for a “safe and supportive school environment that supports students in meeting the school’s expectations,” and the existence of “positive relationships between the students and faculty” that foster a “safe and secure environment.” The school’s “many extracurricular activities” were found to “support and honor diverse perspectives and identities.”
Landers was acknowledged for developing a supportive and inclusive school environment. Longmeadow High School’s “extensive integration of the Vision of the Graduate” into all environments and the School Committee’s support for the Vision of the Graduate were both commended.
The report also called out the school department’s commitment to the high school’s improvement plan and the allocation of resources to developing “extensive Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions,” which serve students with various levels of needs within the multi-tiered system of support.
The report also made four recommendations. These were to expand the understanding of the Vision of the Graduate and the school’s core beliefs, develop wide-ranging assessment strategies and measurements of student achievement in connection with Tiers 2 and 3 of the multi-tiered system of support, and safety regarding the high school’s display cases.
Longmeadow Public Schools Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea said, “Principal Landers and his staff did an outstanding job working through a rigorous [New England Association of School and Colleges] reaccreditation process. He and his staff completed a very thorough self-reflection as part of the reaccreditation process. The report is a reflection of the excellence of LHS and the school’s commitment to continuous improvement. The [Vision of the Graduate] has become an important strategic focus for all LPS schools.”