Grade Buying, WASC

Despite all my concerns about having yet to be observed, I do understand why this is happening. First, there have been informal observations, when someone comes in the classroom for about 3-4 minutes to just see what is happening and how things are going. However, there has not been a full class long observation.

My principal was planning on starting observations in November sometime, however that is when he was informed that the procedures the school was following to continue to be accredited, were not actually the correct procedures. My understanding is this, the committee, WASC, did not give the school the correct paperwork (or decided to change their mind on what paperwork the school needed) and then recently said that we needed this other form. This is accurate and not something the principal is just making up because the committee admitted to this and said we did not have the correct paperwork. On top of that, they are now sending all new staff to perform school accreditation checks. Something during the last few years was not going well and the staffs they were sending were not up to par.

So, with all of this happening, our winter break coming up, the principal being gone for 3 weeks in late January/early February for recruiting fairs and the WASC committee needing the paper work by late February, my principal has been a little stressed and focusing all his energy on WASC. So I understand the issues.

I have also been told that the previous Superintendent of our school, who had to be let go, had some very strong connections with WASC and some of the people who make major decisions for WASC. Now, I am not saying that WASC is coming down hard on the school simply because ASB let that individual go, but it is a little ironic that he is let go and then the school suddenly does not have the correct forms or paperwork. I have no proof of anything, just observations.

Aaron