News Reporter
The Choate Rosemary Hall campus was recently invaded by twelve men and women of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Charged with the important task of re-accrediting Choate. The Visiting Committee, chaired by Mr. Robert Mattoon Jr., Head of Hotchkiss School, consisted of faculty members from NEASC accredited schools in New England such as the Northfield Mount Hermon School, Miss Porter’s School, and The Gunnery.
All members of NEASC, including Choate, are subject to re-accreditation ever ten years. A few years prior to a school’s accreditation year, the school is notified by the NEASC and informed of its responsibilities for self-assessment. The first step of the program is a self-assessment or self-study process organized by the school. After the school has finished its self-assessment, the program continues with a four day visit from a NEASC-assigned committee. Following the four day visit, the accredited school then works together with the NEASC in an attempt to address any recommendations made by the visiting committee.
Mrs. Kathleen Wallace, Dean of Academic Affairs and Assistant Headmaster, oversaw the self-study process at Choate Rosemary Hall. Two years prior to the visit by the accreditation committee, Mrs. Wallace began speaking with Choate headmaster Mr. Edward Shanahan to in order prepare for the 2006 accreditation visit. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Katharine Jewett was asked to serve as a coordinator of the self-study with Mrs. Wallace.
During the 2005-2006 school year, Choate faculty began work on the self-study. According to Mrs. Wallace, faculty (and some staff) members were assigned to committees that reviewed the sixteen standards presented to the school for self-assessment by NEASC. These standards included Governance, Student Body/Admissions, Program, Experience of the Students, and Residential Program. Each standard was comprised of multiple indicators, or statements about the school to which each committee must respond. Each committee had a school-appointed faculty chair that oversaw the assessment process. These committees met a minimum of four times during the 2005-2006 school year, during meeting backs built into the calendar in advance.
In addition to the main Self-Study report, all of the academic departments, the Summer Programs office, and the Athletic Department carried out supplemental reviews in their areas, contributing to the development of a booklet entitled Subcommittee Reports.
According to Mrs. Wallace, each academic area was asked to respond to three of the sixteen standards. The three standards related to the program, the experience of the students, and the resources to support the program. In addition, each department identified “action steps” or areas of weakness that need to be addressed.
Overall, every returning faculty member played a role in the self-study. In August, Choate provided the Visiting Committee members with the Self-Study Report. The Subcommittee Reports were shared with the visiting committee once they arrived on campus, per NEASC guidelines. In addition, the chair of the committee, along with the chair of the NEASC Commission on Independent Schools, was provided with a confidential financial report. A supplemental document – A Multi-Year Plan – was also shared with the committee.
In order to complete the accreditation process, NEASC appointed a committee to visit the school under review. Mr. Shanahan worked with NEASC in selecting the chair of the Visiting Committee. After it was agreed that Mr. Mattoon, would chair the committee, NEASC, Choate, and Mr. Mattoon worked to find a convenient time for the re-accreditation process to take place.
NEASC then proceeded to appoint the other members of the Visiting Committee. The NEASC website explains that the Visiting Committee “assures that the self-study describes the school accurately, measures the school against the standards and produces a report which will include commendations and recommendation.”
By the format used by Choate for accreditation, each committee member is assigned to review one or more NEASC standards. After its four day visit, the committee partook in a series of votes. In its self-study, Choate provided its own assessment of how it feels the school met the standards.
Mr. Mattoon remarked that the committee “either endorses that recommendation or doesn’t.” He continued to explain that it is usually not necessary to vote on the school as a whole unless the school has failed in numerous standards.
“[Choate’s] doing great!” exclaimed Mr. Mattoon on the second day of the committee’s review. He continued to explain that “our committee in most cases seems to be agreeing with everything that Choate has put forward in its report. We probably will question nuances in one or another aspect of the report, but overall it is very positive.”
Following the accreditation process, the Visiting Committee provides the school with a list of both recommendations and commendations. Mr. Mattoon explained that while the school has ten years to address the recommendations of the committee, it must report back to NEASC after two years that it is making a concerted effort to comply with the recommendations.
NEASC accredits not only independent high schools in New England, but also public high schools, colleges, and universities. The organization currently has 552 accredited members that are independent high schools.
