SHS and NEASC launched the re-accreditation process in Fall 2022; the report is the next step in the multi-year process to attain re-accreditation by the NEASC regional review board.

Somerville High School Principal Alicia Kersten announced that Somerville High School received the NEASC Collaborative Conference visit report. The report includes the findings from the high school’s self-reflection period as well as the findings from the Collaborative Conference visiting team, which included administrators and teachers from other districts in New England. SHS faculty, administrators, and other officials will use the report as a blueprint to improve the quality of programs and services for the students of the school.

The report notes several points of commendation, including an inclusive culture based on the celebration of diversity, an intense feeling of belonging and support among students, and expansive technology resources, including one-to-one devices, state-of-the-art CTE labs, the fab lab, and the library maker space. 

The report also sets priority areas of focus for development, including increasing daily attendance, continuing to build appropriate intervention strategies to support student academic, social, and emotional success, increasing the number of students with access to authentic, real-world and work-based learning, and developing a written curriculum in a consistent format for all courses in all departments across the school. Read the full NEASC Report of the Visiting Team here.

Principal Alicia Kersten says, “The visit to Somerville High School and the thoughtful observation by the Collaborative Conference team has helped to hone our vision for improvement. We were thrilled that their observations aligned with our existing focus areas, and will continue refining our systems, strategies and professional development in these areas”

Director of Accreditation and School Improvement Alyson M. Geary says to the SHS leadership “I would like to commend you for your school’s dedication to continuous improvement through the NEASC Accreditation process.”

The NEASC Collaborative Conference visiting team will return to Somerville High School in two years (spring 2025), to observe progress made in the school’s priority areas for growth for the Decennial visit. At that time, the NEASC team will determine whether Somerville High School made the recommended improvements and adjustments outlined in their report. The results of the decennial visit determine Somerville High School’s accreditation status.

The NEASC accreditation program for public schools involves a five-step process: the self-reflection conducted by stakeholders at the school; the Collaborative Conference visit, conducted by a team of peer educators and NEASC representatives; the school’s development and implementation of a growth/improvement plan; the Decennial Accreditation visit conducted by a team of peer educators and NEASC representatives; and the follow-up program carried out by the school to implement the findings of its own self-reflection, the recommendations of the visiting team, and those identified by the Committee in the follow-up process. The full Decennial cycle is conducted over ten years; because of the school building renovation and the pandemic, the process had to be delayed beyond ten years for Somerville High School.

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, founded in 1885, is the oldest accrediting agency in the country and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the sole agency to award Accreditation to PK-12 schools, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in New England. The NEASC Commission on Public Schools works with individual schools to improve the quality of education through a continuous process of evaluation and Accreditation.

Somerville High School is a comprehensive high school with over 1,300 students in a newly renovated and state-of-the art facility. More than 50 languages are spoken among the diverse student body. Somerville High School prides itself on meeting the needs of all of its students.