For 3 days in March, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) representatives will visit campus to examine administrative performance, teaching practices, course content, student performance and general school culture as part of the evaluation process that determines whether or not the school will be accredited.  In other words, this group will determine whether or not Campolindo is adequately serving its students.

The school and the district have been preparing for the visit for over a year through a self study process that culminated in the recently completed self study report, a lengthy document written by both teachers and administrators about the current state of the school.

Other preparations have included presentations by Leadership students during the academy period on February 10, which provided a brief overview of the WASC process to students and explained what they should expect from the visiting WASC representatives.

“I am very positive that we will do well,” said associate principal Karen Findley. “In order to do well, the whole school community has to work together to show that Campolindo is a good academic school.”

Sophomore Luka Brown said, “I think it is a good thing for schools to be evaluated because it lets us as students know what type of school we are going to.”

While the prevailing sentiment is that Campolindo is an outstanding school and should fair well in the evaluation, some schools, like Bidwell High School in Antioch, do not always receive accreditation. Failure can be the result of a variety of issues, including inadequate facilities, poor leadership, ineffective teaching practices, and low student achievement.

If a school does not pass the examination, its diplomas are not recognized by colleges and its students’ college applications are rejected.

During their visit, WASC representatives will be visiting classrooms and asking questions of both students and staff in an effort to determine whether or not the self study report accurately represents the school.

Campolindo received the maximum 6-year accreditation during its last WASC evaluation in 2013.