Atascadero High wins six-year WASC accreditation; leaders outline instructional and behavioral interventions after state test declines

Atascadero High School earned a six-year accreditation with a three-year midcycle review from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Principal Nikki Baca told the Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees, and school leaders outlined new interventions after declines on state testing.

Baca said the visiting WASC team highlighted culture and climate and the counseling department but also recommended improved early identification for students who are falling behind and better representation of students with disabilities and English learners in AP and dual-enrollment courses. “We got a 6 year accreditation with a 3 year mid cycle, which is huge for Atascadero High School,” Baca said.

The nut graf: The school reported gains in graduation and engagement but also significant shortfalls on state assessments that administrators said they will address with added in-school interventions, instructional coaching and targeted math and English supports.

School leaders presented specific data and actions. Baca said the school’s English-language arts performance declined by 18.8 points and stands 7.8 points below standard on the state assessment for juniors. Math remains well below standard: “we are 87.2 points below standard,” she said. To address gaps, Atascadero implemented built‑in intervention time in the day, added an English lab course and hired a full‑time math interventionist, who “attends all of the department math meetings, and he also pushes into math support within the instructional setting,” Baca said.

Baca also described steps to make A–G (college admission) requirements more visible to students and staff: counselors and teachers held Google Meets, classrooms now display which A–G letter each course satisfies, and counselors proactively contact students who are falling behind. The school reported rising graduation and college-career indicators: Baca said graduation increased by 2.5 percentage points to “almost 96 percent” and the college and career indicator rose about 7 percent to “almost at 56 percent.”

Behavior and school climate were a central element of the presentation. Baca said the campus’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team achieved an 83% score on the Tiered Fidelity Inventory and qualified the school for “silver” status with the county PBIS partnership. The school’s suspension rate declined to 4.1% and the California Dashboard moved the school’s indicator to green, she said.

Baca also highlighted career and technical education and dual-enrollment efforts, and noted that student media and media-arts students produced materials that are being used to show course pathways and A–G alignments across campus. Student engagement, measured through an in-house five-star checkin system, was reported at 92%: “as of now, we have 92% of our students that have actively engaged in an event or an activity on campus,” Baca said.

Trustees commended the school presentation. Trustee Coonley said the PBIS and “Leader in Me” culture was visible on campus and praised the instructional work; other trustees and board members noted visits to classrooms and the quality of instruction observed by the WASC visiting team.

The district superintendent and trustees said they will continue to monitor assessment results and support the school’s plans for instructional coaching and targeted interventions.

The presentation finished with schedules of upcoming events — including graduation June 4 — and an invitation to community members to attend school activities.

Ending: Trustees did not take a formal vote tied to the report but thanked Principal Baca and school staff and asked administration to continue to report progress to the board.