President's Update
Barry R. Groves | President, Accrediting Commission for Schools, WASC
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Welcome to the first edition of our WASC Pacific Islands newsletter. As the field of education continues to evolve and challenge us all, we will continue to recognize these challenges as opportunities, and a chance to make a profound impact on our young leaders. As always, we are here to collaborate, support, and navigate these times together.
Sincerely,
Barry R. Groves
Virtual Visit Guidelines
As the COVID pandemic continues to have a global impact, our accreditation visits will remain virtual. We are proud of the positive feedback and success of these virtual visits.
In response to the virtual visits, WASC has put together new procedures that may be viewed in your portal or by clicking here.
As always, remember WASC is here to provide guidance as you prepare for your upcoming virtual visit. Thank you for supporting the WASC process during these unprecedented times.
All 41 Guam DOE Schools Achieve WASC Accreditation!
All 41 Guam Department of Education (DOE) schools achieved accreditation under WASC, which makes Guam DOE the first school district to accomplish this milestone.
A virtual celebration was held in May 2021 to celebrate this incredible accomplishment.
WASC President Dr. Barry Groves stated:
“We congratulate Guam for achieving their goal of earning accreditation for all 41 of their schools. This accomplishment assures the educational quality of programs and services offered by their schools are current, reflect high standards of quality, and are offered with integrity.”
Since 2015-2016 the Guam Department of Education has also been fully accredited by WASC, initiating the district accreditation process for WASC. The purpose of district accreditation is to embark on a thorough review of how the district supports its school community and students.
Remembering Patrick Lickiss
Patrick Lickiss, WASC Trainer for 15 years, sadly passed earlier this year. Pat was a wonderful trainer, and more importantly, a great person. Pat worked for Acalanes Unified School District for 37 years; 17 of those years as principal of Las Lomas High School. Pat also served as a chair or member on over 125 WASC visiting committees since 1989.
WASC was fortunate to bring Pat on board as a trainer which he continued until his passing. It was enjoyable to watch him train with his very approachable style. Attendees felt comfortable with him and he always managed to interject some humor.
Pat Lickiss will be missed dearly by the many people he impacted and connected with throughout his life, both professionally and personally. While we mourn the loss of this incredible man, we remember his greatness and passion for WASC and the educational community.
Strengthening and Building our Community. Connect with Us!
One of the areas our WASC Communications Team is focused on is strengthening connectivity between WASC schools and developing opportunities for sharing best practice in school improvement.
Stay connected with WASC on social media by following, liking, or connecting to our accounts by clicking on the links below. If you're already on social media, don't forget to tag WASC in your posts!
WASC Portals
The ACS WASC School and Member portals were released during the 2020-21 school year. School and visiting committee materials have been moved from the WASC website and are now found in the portals. Schools and visiting committees members will only see the materials appropriate to them. We hope you have had a chance to log in and familiarize yourself with the new experience.
- Member Portal: https://acswasc.force.com/memberportal/s/login/
- District/Association Portal: https://acswasc.force.com/schoolportal/s/login/
Meet our 2021-2022 WASC Commissioners
Welcome back to school! As a new school year begins, we wanted to introduce you to the 2021-2022 WASC Commission.
Get to know our Commissioners here:
https://www.acswasc.org/about/commissioners/
The Commission is comprised of thirty-five persons, representing various constituencies of WASC, selected by the Commission’s Nomination Review Committee from candidates nominated by member organizations or the Commission.
About Us
Email: mail@acswasc.org
Website: https://www.acswasc.org
Location: 533 Airport Boulevard, Suite 200 Burlingame, CA 94010-2009
Phone: 650.696.1060