No School-May 14

No School-May 14

Accreditation! It is a word that has been heard by the staff and faculty multiple times this past year and now students and parents are beginning to notice it as well. What is accreditation, and why should Riverside Christian School pursue such a lofty goal? Accreditation, or in the case of RCS, reaccreditation by a well-recognized agency such as the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) is a seal of quality on our school and assures our graduates have been provided a high-quality education and are fully prepared to be successful at the post-high school level. It is a process of recognizing and assessing Riverside for standards, performance, integrity, and quality while striving for educational and spiritual excellence. In addition, accreditation from ACSI allows us to enjoy joint accreditation status with AdvancED, a nationally-recognized secular organization. The process of accreditation involves three significant elements. The first is an intensive, school-wide, self-appraisal and analysis, of the educational program and planning for improvement. This part of the process involves a great deal of participation from the staff and faculty which has necessitated the additional teacher in-service day on May 14th. Next, there is an external consultation, review, validation, and sharing of insights from a visiting peer group. This will occur in the spring of 2019. Finally, accredited schools have ongoing accountability for improvement through annual reporting and renewal. Accreditation is what Riverside Christian School seeks in order to validate quality and to verify that we are striving for excellence. Since ACSI schools bear the name of Christ, which is excellent (Ps 8:1, KJV), we should reflect His name in a way that provides high-quality education for students in the Yakima Valley.

The RCS Board of Directors, administrative team, staff, and faculty covet your prayers as we work together toward the goal of reaccreditation.

Wendy Schmidt
Vice Principal: Curriculum and Staff Development

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