NEASC Accreditation
Saint Joseph Regional School/Our Lady of Mercy Academy are fully accredited by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
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Our school completed its Foundation Visit in March 2022 and the Program Visit in October 2022 was the culmination of an intensive Self-Study process that involved the Pastor, Principal, Advisory Board, and all members of the faculty and staff. The Self Study addressed NEASC Standards for Independent Schools as well as NEASC Indicators for Catholic Schools.
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SJRS/OLMA was brought before the NEASC Commission for Independent Schools in November 2022 when its Visiting Team Report was reviewed and its full 10-year accreditation was awarded renewable in 2032. SJRS/OLMA will provide a two-year and five-year report marking progress implementing Visiting Team recommendations during this next 10-year interval.
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What is Accreditation?
A statement by the New England Commission of Higher Education Accreditation is not a single event, but rather an ongoing, voluntary cycle of comprehensive internal and external assessments, short- and long-term strategic planning, and periodic reporting sustained by professional partnership and support. Member schools must, according to the appropriate Commission protocol, periodically demonstrate continued alignment with NEASC Standards in order to maintain their NEASC Accreditation/Membership.
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https://www.neasc.org/value-k-12-accreditation
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What is NEASC? The New England Association of Schools and Colleges
What is CIS? The Commission on Independent Schools
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Grounded in the experience and expertise of practicing educators since 1885, NEASC Accreditation is a respected, effective, and time-tested methodology for school improvement and growth. Every independent school accredited by NEASC is assessed using the same protocols and materials, thus assuring that the school is faithful to its mission, conducts its programs appropriately to meet its goals, and fulfills the Standards for Accreditation established by NEASC and its Commission on Independent Schools.
The NEASC Commission on Independent Schools (NEASC-CIS), one of three commissions within NEASC, accredits and supports a wide range of private schools in the six states of New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Schools served include traditional boarding and day preparatory schools, private elementary schools, schools serving students with special needs, and religiously affiliated schools of many faiths.
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Through the efforts of elected Commission members, professional and support staff, and thousands of educators and administrators who volunteer their time to serve as professional peer reviewers each year, hundreds of diverse independent schools from across New England are NEASC Accredited or Candidates for Accreditation. Each of these schools is accredited using the same protocols and materials in order to assure that the school is faithful to its mission, conducts its programs appropriately to meet its goals, and fulfills the Standards of Accreditation established by the Commission on Independent Schools. Through an ongoing cycle of reflection, internal assessment, and school improvement planning, NEASC-CIS assists schools to ensure that all students experience a high quality education.
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https://www.neasc.org/independent
https://www.neasc.org/neasc-commission-independent-schools
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SJRS/OLMA Visiting Committee Report
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