After a year of meetings Oasis Academy Charter School received its first accreditation report since the school first opened its doors in 2011. The evaluation consisted of weeks of processing, class visitations and interviews of teachers, staff and students.
Oasis Academy Charter School has been accredited for the first time since opening its doors in 2011.
The school underwent a year’s worth of meetings and visitations to be accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, the Northwest Accreditation Commission and the Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.
Oasis Academy recently received the report for grades K-12.
Chief Academic Officer Rochelle Tisdale said the outside evaluation consisted of weeks of processing, class visitations and interviews of teachers, staff and students. She said the evaluation team gathered an extensive amount of data for the accreditation report.
“When the report came back, it was pretty positive,” Tisdale said. “They (evaluation team) looked at our own internal and external processes.”
Tisdale said she and Chief Executive Office Melissa Mackedon felt the school was doing well and on the right track. The accreditation gave the school input on what is working well and what needs improvement.
According to Tisdale, the high points of the accreditation report were: The academy exceeded expectations during accreditation; leaders implement operational process and procedures to ensure organizational effectiveness in support of teaching and learning; the institution implements, evaluates, and monitors processes to identify and address the specialized social, emotional, developmental and academic needs of students; the institution plans and delivers professional learning to improve the learning environment, learner achievement and the institution’s effectiveness; and learners are treated in a fair, clear and consistent manner.
The academy received a certificate for its accreditation. According to Advanced Chief Accreditation Officer Annette Bohling in a letter, the three regional accreditation agencies provided Oasis with an accreditation that is recognized worldwide.
“Oasis Academy Charter School must continue to engage in the responsibilities required of all institutions to maintain accreditation status,” Bohling added. “Over 34,000 schools and systems in more than 70 countries are committed to continuous improvement through accreditation.”
Tisdale said the school learned much from the process.
“It’s a good across-the-board accreditation done every five years,” Tisdale said, adding the accreditation expires in June 2023.
Mackedon said receiving accreditation results has been a gratifying experience.
“The report will help us do better and zero in on priorities and our mission statement,” she said.
A tribute for Oasis Academy came personally from one of the evaluators who lives in Reno. Mackedon said the evaluator was very complimentary of the school and its successes in education students of all grades.
“If she lived in Fallon, she said she would want her kids to attend Oasis,” Mackedon added.
Furthermore, Mackedon said many communities would be lucky if they had a school like Oasis.
Mackedon said the entire accreditation process was a team effort, involving the academy’s stakeholders.