Saugus High principal preps for state accreditation visit

SAUGUS – Saugus High Principal Joseph Diorio offered the School Committee a detailed look Thursday at the process involved in ensuring state accreditation for the school.Among the requirements are tweaking the schools mathematics curriculum and bringing the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Parts of the school are currently not handicapped accessible.School Superintendent Richard Langlois said the Saugus public schools must comply with the new education reforms. “We all have to commit,” he said.Diorio was before the board because the deadline is fast approaching for the school’s accreditation visit by outside educators. Saugus High will host the visits on April 3-6.Saugus mathematics teacher Michael Hashem, who along with guidance director Leanne Mottola was among those to spearhead the accreditation initiative, told School Committee members the process of self-evaluation has been completed. “We took roughly two years to do the self-study,” said Hashem, noting that a similar evaluation will be conducted by 16 educators from outside the district, who will spend only 3.5 days in Saugus.”They are going to put themselves in the building and they are going to do their own digging,” Hashem said.According to Diorio, the visiting educators expect to discuss conditions with teachers and students. “They want to hear from the students,” he said. “Teachers will be asked to bring samples of their work.”The last self-evaluation of Saugus High School in 2001 turned up 56 issues that had to be addressed, the principal said.Saugus High was initially accredited in 1955 and last reviewed in 2004 by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the nation’s oldest accreditation agency. Its Commission on Public Secondary Schools oversees the accreditation of many high schools, including Saugus.”Once we submit our plan, we can’t change anything,” Diorio said.Materials submitted for review include the school’s statement of core values, beliefs about learning, and 21st century learning expectations, according to Diorio’s presentation to the board.Additional materials for submission include a statement of the school’s critical strengths and needs, a two-year and a five-year targeted plan developed by the leadership team, and a completed checklist of required self-study items.