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6 local elementary schools granted 6-yr accreditation by ACS WASC

Class room with students and teachers
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Education Director Dr. Ruth Matagi Tofiga (standing, center) — during a recent visit to one of the public elementary schools — announced Wednesday that ASDOE has “achieved a milestone” when it was informed by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC) that six local elementary schools — Afono, Alofau, Le’atele, Leone Midkiff, Manulele and Masefau — were “granted six-year accreditation status with a mid-cycle two day visit, through June 30, 2026”.

She explained that the six schools which received full accreditation are the first batch to go through the process, including the full study; and the second group will be going through their full study later this year. “Our goal is to have all our elementary schools accredited”, just like public high schools.

“The process is lengthy and costly for the department but it’s worth it, when WASC validates the integrity of our school programs,” she said and congratulated the principals of the schools: Ana Vaiau of Afono; Rhonda Huang of Le’atele; Martha Sagapolutele of Manulele; Sima Talo of Masefau; Ulualo Tautala of Alofau; and Lemapu Suani of Leone Midkiff.

Dr. Matagi-Tofiga also congratulated and commended the ASDOE Elementary Division, teachers, students, parents, government agencies, and the business community for “supporting our schools.”

According to ASC WASC, public schools in the Pacific Islands utilize the ACS WASC Focus on Learning protocol, which guides schools into an ongoing improvement process that includes implementation, assessment, and refinement of the school-wide action plan on an annual basis.

“Appropriate reports and reviews throughout the six-year cycle of accreditation support this process,” it says. ACS WASC accreditation is an ongoing six-year cycle of quality whereby schools demonstrate the capacity, commitment, and competence to support high-quality student learning and ongoing school improvement. (Details and more information at www.acswasc.org)