MIDDLEBURY — As part of its periodic school accreditation process, Middlebury Union High School will host 16 educators for an on-site evaluation on Oct. 28-31. MUHS Principal William Lawson said the evaluation visit will be conducted under the direction of the Commission on Public Secondary Schools of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
The visiting committee will be chaired by Joseph Damplo, a retired media services professional from Wellesley, Mass. He has had extensive experience in the association’s evaluation process.
Principal Lawson said,
“The purpose of this evaluation visit is to review and determine from an outside professional viewpoint the extent to which the school is meeting the standards for accreditation,” Lawson said, in a press release. “As part of the evaluation, the visiting committee will meet with all school constituents, review the school’s self-study, visit a number of classes, and examine examples of student work submitted by the school. During the comprehensive self-study, the faculty attempted to identify the school’s strengths and determined those areas in which changes would be beneficial.”
“Our purpose in visiting Middlebury Union High School is not to criticize it but to assist the faculty in its pursuit of quality education for its students,” Damplo said.
The members of the visiting committee are teachers and administrators from a variety of schools in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Lawson pointed out, “The members of the visiting committee are contributing their services to the school. This spirit of professional cooperation is one of the noted features of the New England Association. The goal of an evaluation visit is to stimulate a continuing drive for improvement in the school.”
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges 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 650 secondary schools have been accredited through the Association’s Commission on Public Secondary Schools.