High Schools Earn Six-Year Accreditations

All six of the Long Beach Unified School District’s large, comprehensive high schools have earned the full six-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. WASC teams recently visited the schools to observe how well they serve students. “We’re delighted that all schools reviewed have earned the full six-year accreditation,” said Christopher J. Steinhauser, superintendent of schools. “This reflects the tremendous amount of work being done each day by our high school students, teachers, administrators, support staff and parents. Not all school districts are as fortunate to have such glowing WASC reports across the board. It’s truly a significant accomplishment.” Reviewers noted several areas of strength at each school. Cabrillo High School: • A caring and safe campus environment; • Collegiality among all staff members; • A standards-based curriculum and college-going culture; • Intervention programs and support for students; • Implementation of small learning communities. Cabrillo reviewers further noted that students were engaged in learning and “the resources available to them to learn are state of the art.” Upon randomly interviewing students, reviewers said, “it was apparent that they all valued their school and took pride in the teaching and learning environment.” Jordan High School: • Use of data to adjust instruction, develop programs and place students; • Focus of curriculum and instruction toward achievement of standards; • Increase in enrollment in higher-level courses; • Mutual respect among staff and students, and clear sense of loyalty to the school by stakeholders. Lakewood High School: • Commitment of staff to work together to improve student achievement; • Monitoring of student progress by using data; • Implementation of new, smaller learning communities; • Website that communicates school activities, training opportunities and student grades. Millikan High School: • Smaller learning communities that promote personal connections for students, and experienced, caring staff committed to student success; • Nationally recognized AVID college readiness program and college-bound culture; • Support by the Long Beach community; • Diverse academic offerings addressing academic, personal and social needs. Polytechnic High School: • Pride in diverse and collegial campus; • Multi-faceted academic and personal support system; • Highly qualified teachers and support staff; • AVID college preparation program; • Success and growth in Advanced Placement. Wilson Classical High School: • Faculty, administrative staff, student and parent efforts to provide a safe learning environment and clean school; • Faculty, administration and staff’s dedication to students, effective delivery of curriculum to all students, and commitment to provide the strongest instructional program with equal access to all students; • Students’ significant progress on high-stakes tests; • Students’ appreciation of diversity, respectful attitude toward learning, and their care for their school. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the United States. Learn more at www.acswasc.org.