Mid-States accreditation for Avon Grove

From the Daily Local News:
Mid-States accreditation for Avon Grove

Commission affirms high school provides quality education
Sunday, September 26, 2010
By MARCELLA PEYRE-FERRY, Special to the Local News


LONDON GROVE — Avon Grove High School has a new accomplishment.

The school is now one of a handful of public high schools in the county accredited by the Middle States Association's Commission on Secondary Schools.

Avon Grove received initial accreditation in 2001 and is now reaccredited for the period running from spring of this year through May 1, 2017.

"Accreditation means a validation of our school and our students and where we're heading toward the future for Avon Grove High School," Principal Tom Alexander said. "It's an intensive process. We went through it and came out clean. I'm very proud of the faculty, staff, students, administrators, and the whole Avon Grove community."

The accreditation came after a 3½-day visit to the school late last year by a team from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. They met with teachers, students, parents, administrators and school board members and toured the facilities, studied the school's strategic plan and observed classrooms in action.

According to the Commission on Secondary Schools, accreditation is the affirmation that a school provides a quality of education that the community has a right to expect and the education world endorses.

To be accredited, a school must meet the organization's standards that cover all facets of the high school from the school's mission and objectives, to leadership, technology, student life, safety and educational programs.

Avon Grove took a challenging route to this goal by using the Accreditation for Growth protocol. This required the school to meet additional standards that look at the strategic planning for school improvement and growth in student performance. The school must establish objectives for improving student performance based on a vision of a preferred future for the school and reach them.

"Our folks worked very hard. It's a great accomplishment. We have a lot of hard goals to accomplish for the faculty and staff," Superintendent Augustus Massaro said. "The priorities are outlined in the plan. We'll follow the plan just as we follow the district plan."