NEASC Evaluation Team Visits NHS

By Susan Coney

This past week Newtown High School was subjected to a thorough on-site evaluation by 18 educators under the direction of the Commission on Public Secondary Schools of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

The members of the visiting committee are teachers and administrators from a variety of schools in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The NEASC, founded in 1885, is the oldest regional accrediting association whose mission is the establishment and maintenance of high standards for all levels of education, from prekindergarten through the doctoral level.

Jacob Ludes, III, executive director and CEO of NEASC, said, “The accreditation process we have developed over the years is a major vehicle that can and should be used to bring about educational improvement at all levels of schooling.”

Accreditation relies on a voluntary peer review process. It relies on a 12- to 18-month self-study process undertaken by schools and colleges in regular review cycles. The goals are school effectiveness, improvement, and public assurance. The process encompasses virtually every aspect of a school or higher education institution’s operation.

Edmund Higgins, principal of Branford High School, chaired the visiting committee. Mr Higgins has had extensive experience in the evaluation process. “Our purpose in visiting Newtown High School is not to criticize it but to assist the faculty in its pursuit of quality education for its students.”

NHS Principal Arlene Gottesman said that the purpose of the evaluation is to review and determine from an outside professional viewpoint the extent to which the school is meeting the standards for accreditation.

As part of the evaluation, the visiting committee spent four days meeting with all school constituents, reviewing the school’s self-study, visiting classes, and reviewing examples of student work.

The visiting committee arrived at the high school on Sunday, September 18, and was welcomed by Principal Gottesman and a panel of presenters representative of the NHS staff. Ms Gottesman told the committee, “I am the new principal here as of July 1. Your visit is like a laser focus for me to learn more about Newtown High School through you and your recommendations.” The panel provided the committee with significant data regarding the high school and a community profile. They stressed the school’s mission and expectations for student learning. It addressed issues and challenges facing the school, most specifically the explosion Newtown has seen in population growth.

Panel presenter Jeanetta Miller, chair of the English department, emphasized to the visiting committee the high academic achievement of Newtown high school students. She discussed their wish to become involved in the school and community as a whole, stating that the school atmosphere was one of acceptance and belonging. She informed the panel that nearly 100 percent of NHS students participate in taking the CAPT (Connecticut Academic Performance Test) and SAT tests. She also stressed the strong commitment to community service with the typical graduating class investing on average 20,000 hours of community service and more specifically, last year’s Class of 2005 contributed 28,000 hours of service.

Director of Guidance Neil Culhane talked of the school’s strengths and needs. He told the committee, “What distinguishes our school first and foremost is our caring staff. We have as a goal the success of everyone in the school. We care, nurture, and extend ourselves. We have an incredibly caring staff.”

Mr Culhane went on to relay to the committee that NHS actively encourages its students to enroll in challenging courses. He stated many of the programs and special creative learning opportunities NHS has to offer, such as the culinary, greenhouse, scientific applied research, newspaper, automotive programs, and the Career Center, to name a few.

The guidance director stressed to the committee that Newtown High School faces enormous challenges due to the population increase the town has experienced in recent years. The population of the high school has doubled over the last ten years. He stated the need for more paraprofessionals to free up teachers from mundane responsibilities, such as cafeteria duty, so that they could dedicate all their time to teaching. Additionally, he cited the need for more secretarial and custodial staff for the growing school.

Mr Culhane told the committee that more electives needed to be offered because the increase in population caused the spots for electives to fill quickly. He stressed the need for a larger cafeteria, more classrooms, and a smaller ratio of teacher to student. He emphasized that NHS strives to serve the needs of every student and that despite its incredible growth the school is a great institution. He asked that the committee offer insights and suggestions to help the school with the growth issues it is experiencing.

Following the panel presentations on Sunday the committee attended meetings with parents and school board members. At the close of the afternoon’s events Superintendent Evan Pitkoff invited the committee along with the school board, student tour guides and their parents, and faculty members to gather in the lobby of the school to enjoy appetizers provided by culinary arts teacher Brian Neumeyer and the advanced culinary students.

The committee spent the remaining portion of their four-day visit touring the school, shadowing students, speaking with support staff such as nurses, special education coordinators, counselors, its service staff, building and grounds staff, and others. They reviewed all aspects of the school including its mission statement, curriculum, instruction, assessments, leadership, school resources, and community resources.

A summary of the NEASC’s findings was presented to the principal on Wednesday and was shared with the faculty at a meeting that afternoon. Those findings will be the subject of a future report in The Bee.