Photo Courtesy Battle Ground School District
CAM Academy student Emersyn Christenson is assisted by CAM teacher Alexis Scott.
CAM Academy has earned accreditation from the Washington State Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD).
To receive an accreditation, the school, whose initials stand for "Character & Academics for the Marketplace," must be evaluated by an outside entity. The examination is to “determine if standards are met and improvements are being made for continuous growth.”
"We enjoyed working with our local Educational Service District and the Association of Educational Service Districts to achieve accreditation,” stated CAM Academy Principal Ryan Cowl in a press release. “We had four very knowledgeable educators come into the school and review everything from school culture and climate, academic rigor and curriculum to the opportunities students gained during their high school experience. The ESD interviewed students, parents, administration and staff as a way to provide our school with positive feedback and recommendations for future improvements."
The AESD accreditation program was put into place over 40 years ago in an effort to ensure that Washington's high schools are properly preparing students for college. Over the years, the state Board of Education opened the accreditation process to all grade levels. There is no requirement from Washington for schools to be accredited, but roughly 400 of almost 3,000 public, private and charter schools in Washington have the designation.
CAM did the following to earn their accreditation: “Collected and analyzed student performance data such as school climate surveys and academic, attendance, and community engagement data; assessed its programs for areas of improvement; collaborated with staff, students and families to set goals; documented the school's direction, achievements and challenges; created an improvement plan; and participated in an external review.”
In the accreditation report, AESD Accreditation Panel made the following comments about CAM Academy: “A strong staff belief that in order for students to be successful there must be a strong system of communication with families. The new 'branding' of CAM Academy is an example of this communication process with all stakeholders.
“All school stakeholders, including students, are engaged in creating a culture of excellence. Additionally, student interviews indicate that the administration and teachers are always willing to help and that students want to succeed and push each other to do better.”
The report stated that Cowl, CAM's new principal, accepts change as a normal and positive process and fosters a spirit of collaboration and reflective practice through feedback.
“Professional learning is seen as a collaborative activity,” the report states. “Staff have regular scheduled time to collaborate around common professional learning opportunities.”
The report stated the CAM Academy met or exceeded every goal area for school year 2015-16, and that there is a focus on keeping students engaged through increased learning opportunities such as Advanced Placement classes.
"I am very proud of the contributions of our staff, students and parents through the accreditation process." said Cowl. "It is worthwhile, meaningful and exciting to learn things that reinforce the work we are doing and allow us to achieve positive growth academically, socially and emotionally. It is a privilege to work with such a great community and school district."
