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WASC visiting committees report strengths and growth areas at Sequoia district high schools
Summary
Three district high schools presented Western Association of Schools and Colleges visiting-committee findings; visiting teams praised student engagement and course access while flagging needs such as data systems, English learner progress, and tutorial supervision.
Principals and staff from East Palo Alto Academy, Woodside High and Menlo-Atherton summarized their recent WASC visiting-committee reviews to the Sequoia Union board, highlighting areas of strength and identifying priorities for improvement.
East Palo Alto Academy's principal said the visiting committee praised the senior seminar, career partnerships, wellness center and strong family engagement while recommending improved data-driven decision-making and more translation and resource equity at the district level.
Woodside's presentation emphasized equitable access to advanced coursework, strong staff content expertise and a robust college-and-career readiness program supported by community foundation funding. The visiting committee recommended continued work on teacher collaboration for emerging multilingual learners, supervision during tutorial periods and technology professional development.
Menlo-Atherton reported district- and site-level gains: approximately 5 percentage-point increases in CAASPP (ELA and math) meeting/exceeding standards, increased AP enrollment and higher AP scores (40% of AP exam results scored a 5), and declining suspension and referral rates. The committee identified English learner progress and college-and-career readiness as areas for continued focus; staff described actions to strengthen EL alignment and CTE pathway development.
Each principal outlined follow-up actions including progress-monitoring systems, targeted supports for diverse learners, professional development, and community communication strategies. The board thanked staff for the work and engaged in clarifying questions about next steps and parental outreach.
