Next week, you might see a few unfamiliar faces on campus.
A team of five educators from peer schools around California will be visiting Hillbrook as part of the school’s accreditation process with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS). The school undergoes this process every six years, reaffirming that we meet the extremely high standards established by CAIS and deserve inclusion in a group that represents the leading independent schools in California. A successful accreditation ensures we remain a full member of CAIS. It also provides us an exciting opportunity to share what we do with a team of educators from other independent schools and receive both commendations and recommendations from them about how we can continue to best meet our mission and vision as a school.
The accreditation process actually began late last school year, when we started preparing a detailed self-study that addresses every component of our operations. The self-study has 12 chapters, covering school philosophy, governance, finance, development, community, students, faculty & staff, program, emergency procedures, and a few other topics. Librarian Kelly Scholten helped guide much of the process, with every member of the administration, faculty, and staff involved in writing sections that pertained to their key areas of responsibilities. We also sought input from Board members and members of the Hillbrook School Parent Council (HSPC). Parent feedback, gathered through instruments like our annual parent survey, is included as well. The final product is an extensive document that offers detailed insights into who we are and what we do. It has helped us to clarify what we do well and what areas we continue to need to focus on in order to ensure we are best meeting our mission.
The accrediting team will be on campus next Monday through Wednesday and will be led by Les Frost, recently retired, longtime Head of School at St. Matthews Parish School outside Los Angeles. Each member of the team received a copy of the school’s self-study in early December. Team members are expected to review the self-study prior to arriving so that they have a clear understanding of how we view ourselves and what we see as our strengths and areas in need of improvement. During their time on campus, they will visit classes, attend Flag, review procedures like carpool, and meet with members of the faculty, staff, and administration. In addition, they will spend some time with members of the Board of Trustees, as well as a few parents. Their job is, in essence, to hold a mirror up to the school and ensure that what we say about ourselves is consistent with what they see and hear during their visit.
As a school, we strive always to be reflective and thoughtful about what we do. Vision 2015, our strategic plan, serves as a living and dynamic road map that has guided decision-making these past few years. In addition, we have created processes—like the annual program audit process—that ensure we are always looking at how we can take a good school and make it ever better. Audits of English/language arts and science have had a significant and immediate impact on the program we offer. Other schools and groups have noticed what we are doing, evidenced, for example, by our recent recognition as one of only 87 Apple Distinguished Schools in the nation.
The accreditation process complements these other processes and we expect it will affirm that we are an innovative and intentional school that is providing an extraordinary educational program for our students. We look forward to the visit and to the opportunity to showcase what we do well and to also reflect with the accrediting team about how we can continue to make improvements that will ensure we continually strive to best meet our mission and vision as a school.