OCSI Accreditation
Which Agencies Accredit OCSI?
OCSI is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Both of these agencies are located in the United States and are internationally recognized to certify schools as trustworthy educational institutions. ACSI focuses on maintaining high standards for Christian schools in the U.S. and all over the world, while WASC accredits both private and public high schools and universities in the western U.S. and the Pacific region. OCSI first gained WASC accreditation in 1981, followed by ACSI accreditation in 1991.
What is Accreditation? Why is it important?
The following explanation of accreditation (taken from the WASC website) is a very good one:
- Validates the integrity of a school
- Fosters improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning
- Assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable educational program
- A way to manage change through regular assessment, planning, implementing, monitoring and reassessment
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Assists a school/district in establishing its priority areas for improvement as a result of the perpetual accreditation cycle that includes:
- School self-assessment of the current educational program for students
- Insight and perspective from the visiting committee
- Regular school staff assessment of progress through the intervening years between full self-studies.”
Accreditation from a recognized accrediting body (such as WASC or ACSI) means that school records and transcripts are accepted by other educational institutions worldwide. Graduation from an accredited school is vital for students seeking to advance to college after graduation. In Japan, the Ministry of Education recognizes OCSI as one of 16 accredited international schools, meaning that OCSI graduates are also eligible to enter Japanese universities.
How is accreditation conducted and maintained?
The accreditation process is lengthy and rigorous:
- Initial Accreditation Application (first-time only)- once a school has been in operation for at least 3 years, an initial application is made to request accreditation.
- Initial Visit- representatives of the accrediting agency visits the school for a 1 to 2 day period to get an understanding of the school’s academic program and operations. If the representatives are in agreement, the school is granted “candidate” status.
- Full Self-Study- The school seeking accreditation is required to do an exhaustive self-study of its academic programs and operations. The resulting self-study document is typically hundreds of pages in length and is designed to show the school’s adherence to high academic standards as well as provide in-depth information about school operations (eg. governance, finances, safety, facilities, etc.). OCSI’s latest Self-Study was completed in the summer of 2006. (PDF available here)
- Accreditation Visit- a committee of representatives from the accrediting agency visits the school for a 4-5 day period to conduct a detailed review the school’s academic programs and operations. The self-study document prepared by the school is used as a guide to this process as the committee checks to see that what is represented by the school in the self-study is actually being accomplished. The committee finishes its visit by submitting a report to the school with commendations and recommendations in all areas. The recommendations from this report form the basis for an “Action Plan” the school is expected to implement immediately. OCSI’s latest accreditation committee visit was conducted in November, 2006. A copy of the report compiled by the visiting committee may be viewed here. (PDF available here) A copy of OCSI’s action plan, nicknamed “GROW” may be viewed here. (PDF available here) The "GROW" plan was developed in response to the committee's recommendations.
- Granting Accreditation- after the visit of the accreditation committee, the accrediting agency reviews the self-study and the visiting committee’s report. A final decision about accreditation is then made and announced to the school. Standard accreditation length is 6 years. OCSI was granted a further 6-year’s accreditation (SY2006-2012) by both WASC and ACSI in February, 2007.
- Mid-Term Report and Visit- at the mid-point of the accreditation term granted, another visit by representatives of the accrediting agency is made to the school. The purpose of the visit is to review the recommendations (and the resulting “Action Plan”) made by the accreditation committee during the accreditation visit. OCSI hosted a mid-term visit from WASC and ACSI in March, 2009. The Midterm Visiting Committee's Report may be viewed here. (PDF available here)
- Full Self-Study- as the 6-year accreditation term draws to an end, the school seeking to maintain its accreditation will apply to ACSI and WASC for renewal and begin its Self-Study process again. OCSI will apply for renewal and begin a new Self-Study in 2011.
