Accreditation is a term that originally meant "trustworthiness" in its middle French, Old Italian usage.  The original purpose of accreditation in the United States was designed to encourage the standardization of secondary school programs, primarily to ensure for the benefit of colleges and universities that graduating students has mastered a particular body of knowledge.  However, today the process developed by the WASC involves a dual purpose that continues the expectation that schools must be worthy of the trust placed in them to provide high quality learning opportunities, but with the added requirement that they clearly demonstrate that they are about the critical business of continual self-improvement.

Birch High School is delighted with the accreditation as recognition of its commitment to delivery of high quality education.