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The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), is a world-renowned accrediting association and one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States. WASC provides assistance to schools in California, Hawaii, Guam, Asia, the Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

The Accrediting Commission for Schools, WASC, collaborated with the California Department of Education (CDE) in order to align the accreditation process with the planning process for California public schools required by state and federal statutes in the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and the Local Control Accountability Plan. The ACS WASC/CDE Focus on Learning (FOL) Joint Process Guide is the collaborative process that helps schools identify and implement school improvement needs and supports accountability.

ACS WASC Philosophy

The philosophy of the Accrediting Commission for Schools centers upon three beliefs: (1) a school’s goal is successful student learning; (2) each school has a clear purpose and schoolwide student goals; and (3) a school engages in external and internal evaluations as part of continued school improvement to support student learning.

Accreditation is integral to a school’s perpetual cycle of assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reassessment based upon student achievement. It fosters excellence in elementary, secondary, adult, and postsecondary education by encouraging school improvement through a process of continuing evaluation and to recognize, by accreditation, schools that meet an acceptable level of quality in accordance with established criteria.

Why Accreditation?

Assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable education program — a trustworthy institution for student learning
Validates the integrity of the school’s program and transcripts
Facilitates transfer of credits to other English-speaking schools — critical for college/university acceptance worldwide
Fosters the ongoing improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning
Provides valuable insight from fellow educators visiting the school
Benefits schools that choose joint accreditation or other collaborative processes, e.g., ACS WASC/CDE

Mission

The mission of the Accrediting Commission for Schools Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS/WASC) is to foster excellence by encouraging school improvement through a process of continuing evaluation and to recognize, by accreditation, schools that meet an acceptable level of quality, in accordance with established criteria.

Contact Us

Adriana Trejo, Director, High School Instruction

Division of Instruction

Guadalupe M. Arellano, Coordinator

Division of Instruction

333 South Beaudry Avenue, 25th floor

Los Angeles, CA 90017

(213) 241-2070