Middle States
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School has recently earned its Middle States re-accreditation, which continues a tradition that dates back to 1932. In our official notification of accreditation Dr. Henry G. Cram, President, noted: “we are pleased that you continue to be among the schools throughout the world that meet the internationally recognized standards of quality of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.”
The visiting Middle States Team expressed admiration for OLSH and told everyone how impressed they were with the students, the faculty and administration, as well as the physical property itself.
The newest improvement to OLSH that comes from our Middle States protocol is the installation of security boxes at our newly remodeled Angela Activities Center (AAC) to make it as secure as our main school building. Over the summer of 2011 a security system where students and adults must use their code to enter the building was put into place. This became a necessity because the number of students present at any time in the AAC has tripled since the renovation, with two full classrooms of students, along with physical education classes most periods of the day.
What is the Middle States Association?
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) was established in 1887 and is a nongovernmental, nonprofit, peer-administered organization. MSA provides leadership in school improvement for its member schools in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
The Middle States Association uses 12 Standards of Quality to determine if a school should be accredited. A school must also demonstrate that they have developed 3 to 5 Objectives for improving their school, and implemented the accomplishment of those Objectives. The emphasis is on student performance.
The MSA has three accrediting commissions:
- The Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) serves academic, degree-granting institutions and evaluates and accredits post-secondary institutions and programs.
- The Commission on Secondary Schools (MSCSS) evaluates and accredits institutions providing middle and/or secondary education, including vocational-technical schools that offer non-degree-granting post-secondary programs.
- The Commission on Elementary Schools (MSCES) serves institutions that provide middle, elementary, and early age education.
A joint Committee on Institution-Wide Accreditation (CIWA) acts on behalf of MSCES and MSCSS to evaluate and recommend the granting of accreditation for those institutions providing early age through grade 12 education or any combination of grade levels served by both the Commission on Elementary Schools and the Commission on Secondary Schools.
If you have any questions, or wish to offer any contributions to the Middle States process, please contact Mrs. Barbara Desman at bdesman@olsh.org.
