4 Cs help SIS earn accreditation

Adapting the 4 Cs from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills helped Saipan International School in achieving a six-year accreditation status from the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

SIS headmaster Ron Snyder told Saipan Tribune that it was AP English and statistics teacher Ingur Lee who suggested that they adapt the 4 Cs from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills as the school’s objectives.

“In a partnership between business leaders and educators in K-12 and Higher Education, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity have been identified as critical for success in university and the working world in the future,” said Snyder.

“SIS applied for accreditation through WASC. We have been accredited before but need to undergo a full self-study evaluation every six years. This self-study lasted a full year and involved the full staff, parents and students.”

The ACS WASC commissioners, in a letter sent to Snyder, said they found that SIS’ PK-12 programs have met their criteria for accreditation. “This accreditation status is based on all of the information provided by the school, including the self-study report, and the satisfactory completion of the on-site accreditation visit.”

“SIS is required to prepare a mid-cycle progress report for the mid-cycle visit. The report and visit should demonstrate that the school has: Addressed the critical areas for follow-up through the school-wide action plan, made appropriate progress on the implementation of the school-wide action plan, and improved student achievement relative to the school-wide learner outcomes and the academic standards.”

Snyder said they looked at SIS’ whole educational program in order to find areas where they could improve. “This included re-evaluating the school’s mission and vision. We realized that our former school-wide learner objectives were not meeting the needs of our students so looked at what could help out our students best.”

He added that SIS’ accreditation meant their program went into a rigorous quality control program that would help their students as they seek higher education. “Because of this, universities can rest assured that our students are prepared for success in post-secondary classes.”

“It also means that the U.S. government recognizes our program and has authorized us to accept international students with student visas,” said Snyder.