Valley Frontiersman

WASILLA SUPERINTENDENT EXPLAINS ACCREDITATION

WASILLA—There are apparent misconceptions of high school accreditation and what it means to a school, superintendent James Pendleton of Wasilla school declared this week. He said many questions recently had arisen concerning the purpose of accreditation and what it means to a school's students for that school to lose accreditation.
He explained that although there are many minor accrediting agencies, territorial school law is the chief accrediting agency for Alaskan high schools. However standards are set by recognized accrediting agencies throughout the United States and its territories.
Wasilla high school, the smallest in Alaska to be accredited, met the standards of the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools in 1945, and was placed on the approved list.
The purpose of this Association is to fix and maintain certain minimum standards of high schools.
Nine standards have been set up by this Association, which vary in some degree according to the size of the school.
The Northwest Association requires that standards be met in these fields:
Building, heating, lighting, ventilating, cleanliness and equipment;
Adequate library and laboratory facilities;
Attendance and scholarship records;
Minimum graduation requirements;
Atmosphere, efficiency of instruction and morale;
Preparation and experience of teachers;
Teacher-load, clerks, secretaries, extra-curricular activities;
Pupil-load amount of school subjects being taken;
Requirements pertaining to athletic events.
Committees of the Association meet annually to revise or improve these standards and to advise, approve or reject high schools already accredited who are not meeting standards.
Many colleges recognize these standards which have been set up for accredited high schools as sufficient requirement for college entrance.
Therefore students from unaccredited high schools often are required to indicate their preparation for higher education through achievement and aptitude tests.