On June 30, 2007, WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) granted full accreditation to our school, for all grades from preschool through 8th grade.  WASC granted interim accreditation through June 30, 2010, thus allowing our school three years to conduct a “self-study” and address the recommendations of the initial visiting committee.  We are named in the WASC directory at http://www.acswasc.org/directory_search.cfm under Armenian Sisters’ Academy (search engine is case sensitive - do not forget the apostrophe after Sisters’).

What is WASC? The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is one of six regional accrediting associations in the United States. The Association provides assistance to schools located in California, Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Fiji, and East Asia.

WASC-approved schools must meet rigorous, research-based standards that reflect the essential elements of a quality and effective school, but again, must also be able to demonstrate engagement in as well as capacity to provide continuous school improvement.
Candidate vs. Full Accreditation: Candidate for accreditation is a status of affiliation, which indicates that an institution has achieved initial recognition and is progressing toward, but does not assume, accreditation. The candidate for accreditation classification is designed for institutions, which are not yet ready for full evaluation based on the WASC criteria for accreditation. After the initial visit schools in which the initial visiting committee found that the WASC criteria were already being fully addressed may be granted interim status. Similar to the candidacy status, a school is expected to undergo a full self-study in the third year of the interim period.  We are proud to say that the Armenian Sisters’ Academy received full interim accreditation.

Why Accreditation? 
1. Certification to the public that the school is a trustworthy institution of learning,
2.      Validates the integrity of a school’s program and student transcripts,
3.      Fosters improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning,
4.      Assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable educational program,
5.      A way to manage change through regular assessment, planning, implementing, monitoring and reassessment,
6.      Assists a school/district in establishing its priority areas for improvement as a result of the perpetual accreditation cycle that includes,
7.      School self-assessment of the current educational program for students,
8.      Insight and perspective from the visiting committee, and
9.      Regular school staff assessment of progress through the intervening years between full self-studies.

Parents and volunteers are urged to participate in the self-study process, by serving on various committees and teams (e.g. curriculum, student government, etc.)
By getting involved, parents help the school help their children.