Why is Lisbon High School NEASC Accreditation relevant and Important?‏

 I recently asked myself what would happen if Lisbon High School eventually lost accreditation, how it would affect our student’s college applications, how it would affect the community, and how it would affect prospective residents.  Currently, LHS is one step away from losing its’ accreditation.  (1. Warning, 2.Probation, 3. Loss of Accreditation.)  I keep hearing these big questions, so I did some research, and I called college admissions offices myself after hearing that other Lisbon residents have done the same (stating that they called all the sub-Ivy League colleges in Maine (Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, etc…)) and what they stated they received for answers were varied, generic and incomplete at best.  It took some time, but I have spoken with many guidance counselors not just the “big three.”  What I have found is that colleges do not have a blanket policy that they will not accept applications from non-accredited schools but applications from non-accredited schools will trigger stricter scrutiny.  It’s clear that no college wants to penalize a qualified student for problems at the student’s high school and that the student’s own qualifications, such as SAT scores and class rank, are the big factors in any decision.  However, one college admissions dean—yes, I actually spoke with one—told me that loss of accreditation may raise a “red flag” about the quality of a student’s education.  Several people have told me that, if a college is interested in a candidate and has the time, the college would call the school directly to discuss these issues.  However, the bigger risk is that a college may not have time or inclination to investigate the reason for the loss of accreditation and that loss of accreditation might hurt a student’s application.  I also researched into how a college would even know that a school is not accredited.  Come to find out, each high school submits an official School Profile, which summarizes college matriculation rates, course offerings, grade distribution and SAT scores at each school.  A school’s accreditation status is usually noted on the School Profile.  Colleges rely heavily on this School Profile to compare candidates.

In researching the benefits of, and the shortfalls of being fully accredited, I came across two research studies, both doctoral dissertations that examined local education leaders’ perceptions of the high school accreditation process and its impact on school and community improvement.  The first study involved a survey of the superintendent, high school principal, and a randomly selected school board member from 130 public high schools in Massachusetts.  These schools had participated in a NEASC visitation over a 5-year period.  The response rate was 47%, with the highest response rate from principals.  The second was a derivative of the first with a survey of similar groups from 66 public high schools in New Hampshire.  These schools had participated in a NEASC visitation for 10-years.  The response rate was 56%, also with the highest response rate from principals.  The two doctoral studies produced very similar findings.  Both studies found that a majority of superintendents, principals, and school board members held positive perceptions of the NEASC high school accreditation process, and felt the process was beneficial to their school and community in general.  All three groups viewed the NEASC self-study as the most important component of the process, and felt it was valuable for its potential to identify strengths and weaknesses in the school, and to indicate goals for school improvement.  Principals particularly emphasized the value of the accreditation process as a vehicle for positive change in their schools, and also noted that the process provided a means to validate school practices, an opportunity for self-evaluation and teamwork among teachers, and supported school funding requests and Capital Improvements.  School board members and superintendents emphasized the importance of the outcome of accreditation, in maintaining accreditation status to ensure public confidence in their local schools.  All three groups indicated that their communities EXPECT their schools to maintain accreditation, and the community (and prospective residents) would view that loss of accreditation very negatively.

Responses were remarkably similar and supportive of accreditation from superintendents, schools board members, principals and teachers for which I have spoken in the area.  One person stated: “It provides a uniform yardstick of quality and measures what high schools are achieving.”  Another person reflected on the value of the self-study: “I think it’s good for the staff and good for the folks in the school to really take a good look at what they’re doing and have some goals as to improvements that can be made that are good for kids.”  Another education leader was supportive of accreditation:  “. . . because that stamp of approval is expected by community members and many parents of kids who attend Lisbon high school.”

One of the main reasons that high schools seek accreditation is to strengthen students’ application to post-secondary institutions.  While some are unsure about how important high school accreditation is in the evaluation of college applications, their perception is that accreditation could only strengthen students’ chances of acceptance, particularly for more elite colleges and universities. 
To investigate the importance of high school accreditation in the college admissions process, these studies included a sample of post-secondary institutions in Maine and the New England region for the purpose of conducting phone interviews with experienced college admissions counselors and directors and reviewing on-line documents.  Broadly, the interviews asked counselors what criteria are most important in evaluating college applications, how important high school accreditation is in the decision to accept or reject an application, and how non-accreditation may influence that decision.

Across the diverse group of post-secondary schools contacted, there were some differences in the importance they placed on high school accreditation.  Yet, most of the counselors we interviewed agreed on certain points.  These schools generally assume that most high schools ARE accredited, and therefore they do not always look specifically for this credential.  Counselors said that the profile a high school submits with a student’s application includes information about what year the school was last accredited.  Information about the school’s accreditation is sometimes on the student’s transcript. If the high school profile does not mention accreditation, then college admissions counselors would be alerted that the school is most likely not accredited.  Although some colleges stated that a student may not be penalized if the high school is not accredited, the University of Connecticut admissions counselor indicated the school’s policy is not to admit students from non-accredited high schools.  Some representative comments included the following:

·        “We try not to penalize the student if the school is not accredited. “

·        “I do not think we would ever not admit a student if they were in a school that was not accredited.  But it’s easier for us to understand the value of the student’s education.”

.        “We need to look at the student as an individual.  We might want to find out more, but may not have time to inspect the application.  …we would try not to penalize the student.”

Across the colleges and universities, when asked specifically about the importance of high school accreditation in college admissions decisions, the responses were more varied and ranged from “not very important” to “extremely important.”  Admissions counselors from three selective small private colleges, two large private colleges, and two state universities placed more importance on high school accreditation than did counselors from two community colleges in Maine and three state universities.  Several of the schools, including the selective private schools and two state universities, indicated it would be more difficult to evaluate a student’s application without the certainty that the high school is accredited.  For these schools, the credential is important in that it indicates the high school has met certain standards that are consistent for the New England region. 

.        There’s no question that schools that are accredited give us a context to better understand the value of what the school offers. The school has achieved a standard . . . I think it is important enough for school boards and communities to invest in this, especially as college admissions are more competitive.  It gives you an outside standard (small private college in Maine).

.         Of-course we want to see schools be accredited because it means they have achieved a certain level of quality (small private college in Maine). If we do not know a lot about the school, it is hard to judge the student (public university in New England).

Most of the schools contacted indicated they would look for more information to evaluate the quality of the high school program if the school was not accredited.  For example, admissions counselors said they might call a high school guidance office to find out why the school was not accredited or why the school was on probation status.  Some counselors said they would look at the rigor of courses offered by the high school, the percentage of high school graduates going on to college, and the caliber of post-secondary institutions the students attend.  While most schools indicated a certain degree of willingness to search for more information about a high school when the school is not accredited, some schools indicated that the large number of applications they receive, and competitiveness means that it may be impractical for them to spend additional time researching a particular high school.  This sometimes results in the rejection of that prospective student.  Some admissions counselors admitted that non-accreditation of a high school would make a student’s application less competitive or successful than other similarly qualified students from accredited high schools, and in the case of the University of Connecticut, the representative indicated that accreditation was a requirement for admissions, and the applicant wouldn’t be considered. 

Counselors from other schools made the following comments:

·        It would contribute to a candidate not looking so great.

·        If we saw that the high school is continually on probation or loses accreditation, that might be a concern and it might affect our review of the student’s application

·        We need the information [about accreditation] to be on the transcript.  If it is not there, then the student may not be as successful in the applicant pool.

·        If the school were not an accredited high school, then the student would not be admitted (University of Connecticut).

·        For the other state universities, non-accreditation would prompt the school to seek more information about the high school.  One counselor explained

·        If the school was not accredited, we would ask for more information from the school, go to their website, read the course descriptions, where students went to college, the percentage of students going on to four year high education. We wouldn’t exclude a student, but we would work to get more information.

For the community colleges, counselors indicated non-accreditation would not be an important issue, and would not prevent a student from being accepted.  One counselor said, “We aren’t going to reject a student because their high school is not accredited” (C.M.C.C.).

Currently, three public high schools in Maine are on probation status, Lisbon has been on probation since 2009.  The schools on probation status share a common need—community funding for renovation of aging, unsafe and/or crowded facilities specifically.  The two other public high schools on probation are Edward Little High School (Auburn), and Medomak Valley High School (Waldoboro).

So why is having an accredited High School important to the average taxpayer?  

Accreditation by NEASC assures that your taxes are supporting facilities, and programs that have been judged worthwhile by an unbiased team of evaluators, both in terms of the school's stated mission and expectations and in terms of the school’s adherence to the seven Standards for Accreditation (Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations, Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment of and for Student Learning, School Culture and Leadership, School Resources for Learning, and Community Resources for Learning).  Through the process of evaluation, the citizen is advised of the strengths, needs, and long-range plans of the school.  Finally, the reputation of the community benefits from accreditation since the retention or the loss of accreditation has a demonstrable effect on local property values.  It is quite common for principals of member schools to receive inquiries from potential home buyers or renters in a given community seeking information about the nature and quality of programs in that community’s high school.  In addition to requests for information about the breadth of curricular and CO-CURRICULAR programs, and about standardized and state test results, those inquiries often include specific questions about a school’s accreditation status.  A lack of accreditation could discourage individuals from pursuing residency in communities on probation.

You probably won't post this seeing that I haven't given my name, but I think this is important non-biased information that may be quite useful to folks.

False Deluder
Lisbon Falls, ME 04252