In the next step toward Accreditation, eight outside educators will conduct an on-site Decennial Accreditation visit at Somerville High School beginning on April 13 through April 16. The purpose of the Accreditation visit is to assess the school’s alignment with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ (NEASC) Standards for Accreditation.

The visiting team of educators will meet with school stakeholders, visit classrooms, examine student work and review Somerville High School’s Self-Reflection. As part of the comprehensive Self-Reflection, faculty members have identified the school’s strengths and areas where improvements can be made.

The visiting team, made up of teachers and administrators from a variety of schools in the Massachusetts area, will be chaired by Carl Johnson, Associate Director for Accreditation and School Improvement at NEASC, who brings extensive experience in the Association’s Accreditation process. “Our purpose in visiting Somerville High School is to assist the faculty in its pursuit of quality education for its students,” said Chair Johnson.

Principal Kersten said she looks forward to the insights and observations from the visiting committee.  She also said that collaboration is one of the key features of the New England Association and believes their visit will serve to stimulate a continuing drive for improvement in the school.

Somerville High School and the Somerville Public Schools district seek formal accreditation by the NEASC. Public schools have the option of seeking accreditation once every ten years. According to the NEASC, accreditation is an ongoing, voluntary cycle of both internal and external assessments, planning, and reporting that allows schools to meet their unique goals while maintaining alignment with research-based standards that define characteristics of high quality, effective learning communities. The full accreditation process occurs over three years, with a final decision by NEASC expected in late 2025.

The NEASC is a voluntary membership organization of more than 2,000 public schools, colleges and universities, independent schools, and vocational, technical, and career institutions. Of these, over 725 schools have been accredited through the Association’s Commission on Public Schools. The Commission works with individual public schools to improve the quality of education through a continuous process of Accreditation and evaluation.

Somerville High School lives in a newly renovated and state-of-the art facility, serving a diverse student body of over 1,400 students. Somerville High School prides itself on meeting the needs of all its students.