What is Middle States?

On February 23rd, 2004, Salesianum’s faculty and staff began a process of self-study and strategic planning in preparation for its re-accreditation by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Dr. Michael Tidd, Academic Dean, and Mrs. Stacy Bartkowski, Social Studies Department Faculty, will serve as the co-Internal Coordinators of this project. The re-accreditation Validation Team visit by four outside educators will occur in the fall of 2005.

The Middle States Association, a peer-review society of schools in the Mid-Atlantic region, has accredited Salesianum since 1946. We were one of the first Catholic independent schools ever to receive Middle States accreditation. Accreditation is an indication that Salesianum meets high standards of educational excellence and program management. It is an external validation of the work we do every day, by educators from Catholic, public and independent schools.

Salesianum used the Validating the Vision accreditation method, prepared by the National Catholic Education Association for use by Catholic schools going through the Middle States process. Central to this process is the review of our Foundation Documents (Mission Statement, Philosophy, Goals and Objectives) and our entire school’s program by a Planning Committee representing all of our school’s stakeholders (students, teachers, staff, alumni, Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales, parents, and Trustees). At the same time, our faculty created a “State of the School” report through a series of committees, which gave us the factual basis for planning for the future in all aspects of school life and work.

Once the Planning Committee finished its work on our Foundation Documents, and the faculty completed the State of the School Report, we then crafted a series of Objectives and Action Plans. These goals for the future will commit us to make measurable improvements in student achievement in several areas of our school’s life over the next seven years. The Foundation Documents and the State of the School Report will guide our planning, to ensure our fidelity to our Catholic and Salesian identity as a college preparatory school of exceptional quality for young men. The Middle States Process is continual. We will work on achieving our objectives while preparing for the next visit in 2008.

Look in the Sales Talk for regular updates on our Middle States work and for the fruits of that work in our Foundation Documents, Objectives and Action Plans. For more information on the Middle States Association and its accreditation functions, go to www.css-msa.org.

If you have any questions or comments, please notify one of the Internal Coordinators:

Mrs. Stacy Walls Bartkowski at Ext 241 or sbartkow@salesianum.org

or Mr. Jude-Mark Szczerba at Ext 265 or juszczer@salesianum.org

View a Powerpoint Presentation about Strategic Planning