GHCA receives accreditation

    HOULTON, Maine — Greater Houlton Christian Academy, a private non-denominational Christian school now in its 26th year, has been notified that accreditation is being granted for a 10-year term by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), making it only the second Christian school in the state to become accredited.
NEASC is the nation’s oldest accrediting association and is the organization that accredits public and private schools in New England.
The granting of accreditation completes a process that began years earlier under former Head of School, Mark Jago. The board, staff, and parents conducted a rigorous self-study last year of every aspect of the Academy’s program. The self-study was then validated by a visit this past November of an accreditation visiting team of educators from the New England region.
“Accreditation does two things for the Academy,” said new Head of School, John Bishop. “It tells parents that trained, objective observers from outside the school have verified that the school is meeting national educational standards, and it serves as a catalyst for driving continual future improvement of the Academy’s program.”
In addition to having met all 14 standards for accreditation, the accreditation report further commended the Academy for success in areas such as the “dedicated, committed” faculty, the school’s “nurturing environment,” and its creation and use of the online SURRAnet program (a proprietary web-based reporting and attendance system). Elementary teachers were commended for use of writing portfolios and secondary teachers for the successful initiation of the one-to-one laptop initiative.
The report pointed out the need for the school to revisit its current strategic plan to help guide future growth and to enhance the academic program by more clearly identifying the kinds of skills, academic content, and higher order thinking the school wants to see in its graduates. The Academy was encouraged to analyze its tuition and compensation practices. The administration will be reporting to the NEASC in the future on its progress in addressing these and other recommendations. Various initiatives for school improvement are already being developed and will be shared with the school community at its spring association meeting.
For more information on the school, call 532-0736, or visit www.ghca.com.