SACS CASI Team Finds GM ‘Highly Effective’

Accreditation Committee Visit Yields
Commendations and Recommendations

By Margaret Lipman (November 25, 2005)

Following an intensive examination of all of Mason’s programs, a three-person accreditation team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) has termed the high school “highly effective” and recommended continued accreditation.

In the few days preceding the Thanksgiving holiday, the quality assurance peer-review team visited GM to formulate its report on the school’s accreditation status, strengths, and weaknesses.

GMHS has been accredited by SACS CASI since 1954, and this year, it appears, will be no different.  SACS CASI accredits over 13,000 schools throughout 11 southern states and Latin America (predominantly American-International schools); the organization’s mission statement is "to help schools improve student learning through accreditation." SACS CASI is the world’s largest non-governmental accrediting agency; involvement with SACS CASI is a voluntary committment, although the benefits of accreditation are irrefutable.  Accredited schools have the privilege of access to a wide variety of additional educational resources, ease in transferring student grades/credit among schools, student access to a variety of programs and scholarships, and a commitment to achieving and maintaining high standards of educational practice.

Assistant principal Dr. Monika Bilby, right, thanks SACS CASI chairman Mr. Den Boyd for the committee’s work as principal Bob Snee looks on. (Photo by Margaret Lipman)

The accreditation process revolves around three requirements: meeting a specific set of accreditation standards: engaging in a process of continual improvement (including documentation of the school’s current progress, future goals, and plans for achievement), and providing for quality assurance through both documentation of student accomplishments and a peer review at least once every five years.  

Mr. Den Boyd chaired the collegial-review team, which also consisted of Ms. Laura Kelanic, a math teacher at Wakefield High School, and Mr. Dave Roylance, a former IB coordinator in Fairfax, Virginia.  On Monday and Tuesday, they met with school administrators and faculty and visited a variety of classes.  At a special faculty meeting on Tuesday afternoon, the team members shared their impressions of George Mason, including areas of both commendation and recommendation.   They also declared that they would be forwarding their recommendation of continuing GM’s full accreditation to SACS CASI for the final vote on accreditation next month.

“We never have trouble trying to find commendations, but we do have to stretch to find recommendations,” commented Boyd about GM as he addressed a gathering of almost the entire faculty.

Kelanic presented the team’s commendations of GM.  They were impressed with the school’s safe, secure, well-maintained, and open learning environment, the dedication of the teaching staff to accommodating student needs, the use of creative programs and strategies such as the Mustang Ambassadors, the Teacher Advisory period, and small class sizes.  They also praised Mason’s tradition of personally recognizing student achievement, the wide participation in IB, AP, and CP classes, and the extensive curricular and extracurricular activities--specifically citing Lasso Online--that accommodate a wide range of student interests and needs.  The team concluded that the transition into an 8-12 high school had been “very successful” and commended the school’s utilization of technology, as well as its community involvement through a large PTSA and several Booster groups.              

Roylance presented the committee’s suggestions of “opportunities for growth” at GM.  He suggested continuing to close the “achievement gap” between student populations, increasing the specificity of the GMHS plan for improvement, setting aside more planning time for teachers, assisting students in making appropriate decisions to manage their level of stress, and addressing the misconceptions about the IB program versus the CP program. 

At the conclusion of the team’s presentation, Boyd addressed the assembled faculty again.  “[We would like] to commend the students, staff, and parents for their continued dedication to the improvement process,” Boyd commented.  He was hopeful that the committee’s visit and GM’s continued participation in the SACS CASI accreditation process would lead to “enhanced learning and achievement” for Mason students.