Country Day, cited as 'model school,' gets seven-year reaccreditation

ST. CROIX - Country Day School has been reaccredited by theMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools for a seven-yearperiod to begin next year.

The school's current accreditation runs through May 2004.

A team of seven representatives from nearby Puerto Rico visitedthe school last week and proclaimed it a "model school," HeadmasterJames Sadler said in a prepared statement.

The team spent three days meeting with teachers, administrators,parents, students and board members; team members also visitedclasses, Sadler said.

He said in the statement that Eduardo Delgado, chairman of theteam and director of Guamani Private School in Guayama, Puerto Rico,said after the visit: "You represent a living community of trulydedicated educators, involved parents, concerned community leadersand inquisitive students."

Sadler said Sunday that there never was a question of whetherCountry Day would be reaccredited.

"The question was, 'Were we going to get a fantastic report orjust a good report?'" he said.

Country Day uses an accreditation process called "Accreditationfor Growth," which challenges the school to set goals forimprovement and gauge its success by increased student performanceon measurable standards.

Sadler said that 24 people, including students, administrators,board members, and parents, as well as four people with noaffiliation to Country Day, came together to develop the goals. Someof the goals, he said, were to improve writing skills for studentswho scored low on standardized tests, implement a schoolwidecommunity service program and increase student proficiency intechnology.

The group's solutions for improving proficiency in technologyincluded increasing course offerings, increasing the number ofteachers to teach the course and upgrading technology. Sadler saidthat the school, which had one computer room, now has four and thateach class is equipped with computers and has Internet access.

Funding for the project came from "tuition and donor support - noquestion about that," he said.

Still, getting accredited does not have to be a tough job, Sadlersaid.

The school sets its own goals, but Middle States has about 12standards that each school must meet in order to be reaccredited, hesaid.

One of the standards, for example, is financial responsibility.

"Middle States doesn't expect schools to be wealthy - just usethe money wisely and be able to account for it," he said. "If theschool is well-run, Middle States can show up on any given day ofthe year and say this is a good school."

Sadler said that Country Day has 494 students and was firstaccredited in 1978.

Meanwhile, three V.I. public schools with enrollments of nearly2,000 students each are steps away from regaining accreditation.

Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas and Central on St. Croix weregiven the go-ahead earlier this year to begin an exhaustive,yearlong self-study that will become the basis for determiningwhether the schools can regain accreditation. Educational Complex,which has not been accredited before, was also awarded candidacy.

Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas was deniedcandidacy.

Kean, Central High and CAHS lost accreditation last year afterrepeated warnings from Middle States about the schools' conditions.A team from Middle States visited all four public high schools inMay and reviewed everything, from finances to facilities, in gaugingwhether the schools are meeting the 12 standards. Those standards,which serve as benchmarks for improving the schools, cover issuessuch as the schools' curriculum, student services and schoolleadership. By awarding candidacy to CAHS, Central and Complex, theMiddle States determined the schools were progressing in all 12areas.