Lisence to WASC
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Srihita Madiraju Feb 14, 2026
Every few years, students and staff undergo an event that can shape the school’s future: WASC accreditation. For students, these visits may sound like just another administrative process, but these checks—from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)—are vital in maintaining the quality of education received.
WASC is a regional accreditation organization that evaluates schools across the West Coast. While it is not looking to punish schools for their shortcomings, it ensures they provide equitable, high-quality learning environments for all students through evaluations, reflection and feedback.
“Accreditation of the school is crucial as it ensures that students’ high school diplomas are recognized and accepted by employers and schools of higher learning. The WASC Visiting Committee's recommendations also form the action plan for each school year and are also tied to our Single Plan for Student Achievement goals, which is closely tied to how schools spend their funds,” Kim Kelley-Lafranconi, English Department and Leland WASC Committee member, said.
The process begins with a self-study, where stakeholders such as teachers, students, administrators and parents are given a chance for their voice to be heard through discussions, surveys and meetings. Once the school has an idea of its strengths and weaknesses, a committee made up of retired superintendents, teachers and other administrative members performs a three-day visit. The visit involves classroom visits and discussions to validate the school’s self-study report. Following the evaluation, the committee will issue a report listing strengths, areas for growth and the school’s accreditation status.
“We look for the strengths and areas of growth the school has already identified for themselves, particularly in their mission and vision, curriculum and school culture. WASC is essential so that schools understand it is about all schools and people, not just selective communities or groups. We want to remind everyone that it is important to be inclusive and to not leave anyone out. It is also an opportunity for me as a committee member to learn successful strategies to bring back and implement at my school, such as Leland's tutorial system,” Logan High School principal and Leland WASC committee member Ron Polk said.
Preparing for WASC is a time-consuming process. Between climate surveys, data analysis and reflection, feedback is collected for months leading up to the visit.
“We do not specifically do anything just for the WASC visit. Rather, we take what we are already doing—listening to students and asking for their opinion, observing stress, access and equality—and curate the self study. From there, we implement changes that we think would benefit the school. For example, the block period system was implemented through the self-study report and discussions with our WASC evaluators several years ago,” Stacy Rapoport, Visual Arts Department and Leland WASC committee member, said.
As the school prepares for its visit during the first week of February, students are not just observed in the process; they may also be interviewed by the evaluators to get a better idea of how different demographics of students feel about the quality of education they are receiving.
“I was interviewed by the WASC committee that visited our school this week as part of the focus group. The board members asked questions pertaining to the chance-dependence of course selection, strengths and weaknesses in staff and our thoughts on our quality of education,” Sophomore Chiba Abraham-Igwe said.
The outcome of the visit is more than just a simple accreditation. It determines whether or not education received at the school is legitimate and transferable. The feedback from the committee will also determine what priorities will guide future decisions made regarding the school, ultimately to ensure a learning environment that is more inclusive, responsive and better equipped to serve every student.
About the Contributors
Srihita Madiraju
Staff Writer
Srihita Madiraju is a senior at Leland High School and a staff writer for The Charger Account. When she isn't busy lifeguarding she loves going to the beach with her friends, going on long walks, and reading.
Dilara Varoglu
Artist
