Salem High School outlines NEASC accreditation priorities ahead of 2026 decennial visit

Salem High School administrators and staff delivered an accreditation update to the Salem School Board on Jan. 28, outlining progress since a collaboration visit and the school’s work ahead of a March 2026 decennial accreditation visit by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Principal Dennis (first name not provided in the transcript), joined by Kate Boyd (math teacher) and Candace Schmidt (school psychologist), described the NEASC cycle as an ongoing, formative process rather than a one‑time event. The steering committee assembled a self‑reflection report, hosted a collaboration visit in March 2024, received the visiting team’s feedback in June 2024, and has been using a summer‑academy and the current school year to implement a school improvement plan.

Nut graf: The visiting team identified five priority areas — a Portrait of a Learner, a school improvement plan (SIP), curriculum consistency, equity and inclusion (with attention to supports for BIPOC students and course leveling), and grading/assessment practices — and the school has incorporated those priorities into a multi‑year SIP that the district submitted to NEASC.

What the school reported - Priority areas: The visiting team named four foundational elements the school must address and one additional priority (grading practices). The school’s SIP maps actions across three years and emphasizes the Portrait of a Learner (defining graduate competencies), school improvement targets, universal design for learning and equity practices, and development of consistent rubrics and competency‑based grading across courses. - Portrait of a Learner: Salem High convened stakeholders — students, parents, teachers, CTE advisors, Chamber of Commerce and colleges — to identify desired graduate skills. The steering committee proposed five attributes: resourceful problem solver, mindful collaborator, resilient learner, effective communicator and respectful citizen. The school plans to define observable indicators and integrate the portrait into curriculum and assessments. - Equity and inclusion: NEASC asked the school to examine systems supporting Black, Indigenous and other students of color and course leveling. The steering committee began monthly advisory‑period meetings for student voice and rolled out short professional‑development “mini lessons” for staff on universal design for learning and equitable practices. - Grading and assessment: The school is piloting rubric‑based and competency approaches in select courses; NEASC recommended clearer district‑wide vision and consistent student experiences across courses, plus transparent communication of changes to families.

Requests to the board and next steps - The visiting team will meet district representatives again for the decennial accreditation visit in March 2026; the visiting team normally requests a meeting with a school board member during that visit. The steering committee submitted the SIP to NEASC this week and asked the board to consider participating in the March 2026 visit. - The presenters also offered to post the collaboration visit report and related documents online; board members asked staff to provide the visiting team report and consider adding an accreditation page to the district website.