Dear Parents,
I write to ask you to provide important input as Berkshire Country Day School prepares for its reaccreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). We are proud to be the only PK-9 school in Berkshire County that is fully accredited by NEASC, as this signifies that the quality of our programs and practices meet rigorous standards. NEASC is “dedicated to fostering educational excellence and institutional improvement in New England independent schools and to honoring their diversity.”
The full accreditation review process occurs every ten years and is structured around carefully thought-out standards, self-evaluation, peer-review, and follow-up. To prepare for the review and campus visit by a NEASC accreditation team, we will first reflect on our programs and identify areas to strengthen. We will then assess ourselves against an extensive series of standards to ensure that we are implementing best practices in every area. This is a wonderful opportunity for BCD to evaluate its programs and policies while setting goals for future improvement.
In the preparatory phase of this self-study process, we are gathering a range of data including surveying parents, faculty, and students to receive their feedback and thoughts about a number of areas. The results of these surveys will be compiled and given to the several self-study committees as background information to inform their discussions and reports. The link to the parent survey will be sent to you via email today. Please complete this brief survey by Friday, December 16.
I will continue to share information about the accreditation process through to its conclusion in the Spring of 2013. Thank you in advance for your invaluable participation in this process.
Sincerely,
Paul Lindenmaier, Head of School
