IB and ACS WASC to work together to rationalize onsite school visits
The International Baccalaureate (IB) and The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), a regional U.S. accrediting association that serves schools worldwide, have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), that establishes a framework of cooperation between ACS WASC and the IB for synchronizing accreditation and evaluation visits.
For over five decades, ACS WASC has assisted schools to improve by providing quality assurance and specific criteria that schools must meet in order to be accredited. Additionally, schools must show that they are adding value to the experience of students and that they are engaged in a school improvement process. Many of these schools have already been authorized, to deliver one or more of the IB’s four programmes.
ACS WASC and the IB have a history of working together and this agreement will allow that relationship to be strengthened and streamlined. Andrew Macdonald, IB Chief Schools Officer says, “We are constantly looking at how we can strengthen the services that schools receive, while at the same time rationalizing how they are delivered. Close cooperation by the IB with ACS WASC will clearly be of benefit to IB World Schools and allow them to concentrate on their demanding mission of delivering an outstanding education to their students”.
Fred Van Leuven, Executive Director of ACS WASC recognises that teachers and administrators face a daunting array of organizational tasks on an annual basis. He says, “It is important that we help educators to maintain focus on the mission and goals that define their school or district. By synchronizing accreditation and evaluation visits with the IB, we will help schools evolve and improve both as IB World Schools and as ACS WASC accredited schools”.
About Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges
ACS WASC has a proven track record of providing services to public and independent schools in California, Hawaii, Pacific Islands and overseas. It advances and validates ongoing school improvement by supporting elementary and secondary schools to engage in a rigorous and relevant self-evaluation and peer review process that focuses on student learning. ACS WASC provide criteria and indicators drawn from educational research that focus on the impact of all aspects of the school’s program and operations with respect to student accomplishment and personal growth.
