Schools

Coginchaug High School Welcomes Accreditation Group on Sunday

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges will evaluate the school during a four-day visit from March 17-20.

 

An accreditation team is scheduled to arrive in Durham on Sunday to begin its evaluation of Coginchaug Regional High School.

The four-day visit by a 16-member committee representing the New England Association of Schools and Colleges' (NEASC) is part of a process that takes place every 10 years and is critical to the high school's success, school officials said.

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"They come in and look at everything from grounds, facilities, classrooms, class sizes, number of teachers, teacher to student ratio. Everything that creates the school," said Coginchaug math teacher Craig Bradanini who serves as co-chair of the school's NEASC steering committee.

Without accreditation, students would have a difficult time getting into college, he said.

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As part of the process, the school recently finished a three year self evaluation that the visitors will use to examine the high school to determine whether the school meets NEASC standards.

"We've looked at what we do good. We've also looked at the things we need to improve on. When NEASC comes, it's an outside, separate set of eyes," Bradanini said.

Coginchaug science teacher Erika Anderson co-chairs the committee with Bradanini and every teacher at the high school is involved in the process, he said. Students also participate in the visit, taking part in interviews and guiding the committee on tours.

The visit kicks-off Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., with a panel presentation at Coginchaug High School. The event is open to the public. (See attached PDF for the NEASC visit full schedule)

Superintendent Susan Viccaro said Wednesday that two educators from South Africa will join the NEASC group during their visit to the school to observe the process.

NEASC will submit a report on the visit this fall, Bradanini said. Schools are generally given a 2-year or 5-year window to make any changes based on recommendations by the committee.

"We're excited," Bradanini said. "We're prepared for this visit and we're welcoming the opportunity."


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