Community asked to give feedback on high school

As part of the accreditation process at Carson High School, parents, business leaders and other members of the community are being asked to fill out a survey about the school.

Available by 8 this morning at carsonhigh.com, the survey will have about 30 questions and should take no more than 15 minutes to complete, said English teacher Rebecca Rodina, who serves as the accreditation coordinator.

"The surveys are really important to give us that baseline data of beliefs," she said. "We'd like to survey as many members of the community as possible to see if they feel like the school is meeting the needs of the students."

In order to be accredited through the Northwest Accreditation Commission, the school must go through the process every six years, which involves all teachers and other staff at the high school.

"The whole process is really a guide to give the school a five-year plan for continuous improvement," Rodina said.

If a school is not accredited, other high schools as well as colleges and universities are not likely to accept a student of that school's transcripts. Without accreditation, a diploma is not recognized as valid.

"It sets a standard of rigor in education," Rodina said.

Rodina is working with a steering committee to organize the process and all other staff members are serving on various other committees to collect and analyze data.

Students will be surveyed next week, and parents will be encouraged to fill surveys out during the high schools open house 6 p.m. Sept. 7. The surveys are available in English and Spanish.

"We are making every effort possible to get information," Rodina said.

The committee will review the data during a Sept. 14 professional development meeting then host an open discussion for the public to participate as well.

The entire process should be completed by May, Rodina said.

Community members have until Sept. 9 to fill out the online surveys.

Steering committee member and English teacher Cheryl Macy encouraged participation.

"The community often has a lot to say about our education system, specifically the high school," she said. "This is their chance to give us feedback we can actually use. We can look at their input and maybe make some changes."

To complete the survey for Carson High School's accreditation process, go to carsonhigh.com.