St. Francis High School is Fully Accredited
by the Schools Commission of the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Accrediting Commission for Schools
533 Airport Blvd., Suite 200
Burlingame, CA 94010
Phone: (650) 696-1060

Accreditation Results

Troubadour Tribune, June-July 2006

St. Francis High School has received official notification from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges that the school has been granted a six-year term of accreditation, the longest term possible. The Accrediting Commission noted the “stellar aspects of the school” and extended congratulations on the quality of instruction being offered at St. Francis.

From the Principal: Accreditation 2006

Troubadour Tribune, April 2006

My letters in the Tribune this academic year have been devoted to detailing the areas for which the principal is responsible: campus ministry and Christian service, co- and extracurricular activities, guidance, and academics. This month’s discussion of academics coincides with the recently completed WCEA/WASC accreditation of St. Francis High School.

First, an overview. WCEA stands for Western Catholic Education Association, WASC for Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Every six years all schools petition WASC for renewal of their accreditation; Catholic schools undergo a review overseen by WCEA and tailored to the mission of a Catholic school. The school seeking renewal of its accreditation conducts a two-year self-evaluation process. Representatives from all constituencies of the school community – faculty, staff, students, parents, alumnae – are brought together to gather data and answer an extensive list of questions provided by WCEA/WASC that examine the quality and scope of the school’s educational program. The resulting document, which for
St. Francis’s accreditation this year was over 100 pages long, is called “Focus on Learning,” because it details how all elements of the school assist in fulfilling the school’s educational mission. It is divided into four parts: organization for student learning, curriculum and instruction, support for student growth, resource management and development. The report is part narrative and part action plan. A team of six educators chosen by WASC from Catholic and other private schools throughout California reviews the document and then, during a four day visit to the school, verifies the conclusions of the study and makes additional recommendations about the school’s course for the next six years.

We were blessed to have a visiting team of experienced educators who saw their role as helping St. Francis High School implement its vision of offering the highest quality Catholic education that nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical development of its students. The team, comprised of the president of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, the principal of St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo, and administrators from Christian Brothers High School, Mercy High School in Red Bluff, Arrowsmith Academy in Berkeley, and Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy, commented often on the spirit and openness of students, faculty, and staff. All members of St. Francis community spoke clearly and honestly about St. Francis High School’s many strengths and the areas that need improvement.

I encourage you to read the visiting team’s final report, which was emailed to all members of the St. Francis community (and can be downloaded below). Areas of strength and areas for growth are noted throughout the document. At the end of the report the visiting team summarizes the school-wide areas of strength and the school-wide issues for follow-up.

The school-wide areas of strength are:

A.  Organization for Student Learning

1. Energized, involved, enthusiastic students, who value their experience at
St. Francis High School.

2. The commitment of the entire St. Francis High School community to its
Catholic identity.

3. The vision, leadership, and planning skills of the president and her administrative
team and their commitment to student achievement of the Expected School-wide Learning Results.

B.  Curriculum and Instruction

4. A dedicated, caring, professional and generous faculty and staff, who provide a challenging, coherent, and relevant curriculum for student achievement of the
Expected School-wide Learning Results.

5. A cohesive and challenging college preparatory curriculum that reflects the mission and principles of the school, and facilitates the achievement of the Expected School-wide Learning Results.

6. A comprehensive and high quality performing and visual arts program that is strongly supported by the school community and focused on student learning.

C. Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth

7. Parents who are committed to quality education for their daughters and are involved in a myriad of ways in the activities of the school.

8. The integration of genuine faith experiences into students’ lives, and the encouragement and enablement of students to lead their peers in worship, service, retreats, activities, and athletics.

9. A community-supported athletic program that is focused on athletic excellence, student participation, and the fostering of school spirit.

10. The rich and diverse co-curricular activities such as those promoting student leadership and service, academic teams, and student-created clubs. 

D.  Resource Management and Development

11. A commitment to develop the resources necessary to accomplish the
school’s goals.

The school-wide issues for follow-up are:

1. That the school leadership team and Development Office explore strategies to increase the percent of current and past parents and alumnae who contribute to the Annual Fund and endowment.

2. That the school leadership annually reassess and revise a comprehensive plan to strengthen guidance and counseling services in the long-range areas of counselor retention and college counseling.  In addition we recommend that the school resolve issues such as ongoing training and technological support, enhanced communication between the registrar and the Guidance Department, and the construction of appropriate private counseling spaces. 

3. That the school leadership and the School Board lead the school community in implementing a unified Action Plan derived from the Strategic Planning and WASC
Self Study processes as revised by the Leadership Team between March 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006.

4. That the school leadership develop and implement a comprehensive technology master plan that assures the integration of technology into all aspects of the school as outlined in the Action Plan.

5. That the school leadership increase efforts to emphasize processes that decrease stress and promote emotional and physical health in accordance with the ESLRs.

6. That the school leadership offer additional support for research-based professional development in the areas of instruction, curriculum development, and technology for teachers, counselors, and administrators.

7. That the school leadership provide additional time and professional development to department chairs in the areas of leadership and teacher observation and evaluation. 

8. That the school leadership explore ways to increase the interconnectedness of Campus Ministry with the core leadership processes in accordance with the Action Plan to strengthen its Catholic Identity.

St. Francis High School now begins the process of building on these strengths and devoting time and resources to the areas needing follow-up. The items listed above and others detailed in the report are all incorporated into an Action Plan that identifies the appropriate timelines, resources, and responsible personnel. Four times each year, staff and faculty will check progress on achieving the goals.

The visiting team commented often on the remarkable growth that had occurred at St. Francis High School during the last six years. They were also impressed that the goals identified through the accreditation six years ago were achieved without exception. We are committed to having the same success during the next six years. Thank you to all members of the
St. Francis High School community who have brought us to this point and will guide and support us in the future.

Andreas Agos
Principal

Focus on Learning
St. Francis Plans for the Future
Combined Efforts Result in Six-Year Plan

St. Francis High School has recently experienced the greatest period of change in its 65 year history since the present site was constructed in 1964. During the past six years, the school’s religious order of sisters withdrew due to declining vocations and aging members. The school used this time of transition as an opportunity to form a school board and subsequently adopt a president-principal model of administration. It also began a five year expansion process to accommodate its expanded programs and enrollment. This included formulation of plans to double the footprint of the school, engage in a capital campaign, and retain contractors to do the work. During this same time enrollment increased from 760 to 955 students. These changes have resulted in new facilities, new programs, and new goals as detailed in the Strategic Action Plan 2006.

The self-study was undertaken by the St. Francis Community in 2004-2005 for the Western Catholic Educational Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The school community followed the process outlined in the Focus on Learning Accreditation Manual, July 2004 edition, with one notable addition. In 2003-04, the President of St. Francis High School initiated a Strategic Planning process, guided by the consulting group Catholic School Management. This process involved fifty parent, community, alumnae, and staff representatives. Those involved worked from the WCEA/WASC Third-Year Progress Report, the philosophy, mission, and Expected Schoolwide Learning Results, the School Board ten-year financial plan, and individual reports. This study resulted in twelve Strategic Goals and a number of short-and long term objectives for each goal. Although some of the twelve goals were directly related to student learning, the Strategic Planning process emphasized the long-term financial and organizational strengths of the school. This process was continuing even as St. Francis High School was beginning its Focus on Learning self-study in the spring of 2004.

The Focus Groups for this study included all faculty and staff as well as many parents and students. These “committees of the whole” have continued the school’s inclusive tradition of giving voice to as many as possible during a self-study and at the same time, educating those present as they review survey results, reports, and statistics. As the Focus Groups updated the school profile and assessed strengths and areas for improvement, it became very clear that both the Strategic Plan and the Focus on Learning self-study were converging on many of the same goals and objectives. Both the Strategic Planning groups and the Focus Groups used the school’s Expected Schoolwide Learning Results as the basis for their findings. In order to proceed into the next several years under one document rather than two, several meetings were held in spring 2005 to combine the findings of both groups. The result is the Strategic Action Plan 2006, using the Strategic Plan Twelve-Goal Document as the foundation with a special Focus on Learning concentration. This document will guide the school board, administration, and school community in providing the highest quality Catholic education for young women in the Sacramento Area.

The following is a summary of the goals set forth by the Strategic Planning and Focus Groups.

St. Francis High School will:
1. Provide parents and students with expanded opportunities for prayer, communal worship, understanding of Catholicism, and commitment to service.
2. Expand the collaborative model for governance and administration.
3. Expand outreach to prospective students while maintaining the culture and spirit that characterize SFHS.
4. Continue to provide a rigorous academic college preparatory program, support for diverse learners, and a balanced student life.
5. Emphasize healthy life choices.
6. Assure the integration of technology standards into all curriculum areas, expand technology courses for students, and provide the necessary infrastructure and staff development.
7. Expand academic, college, and personal counseling in response to the growing needs of students in the 21st century.
8. Attract and retain highly qualified, caring employees who
embrace the mission of SFHS within a supportive environment that offers fair and competitive compensation and professional development.
9. Continue to pursue phase two and three of the facilities expansion plan.
10. Update the financial plan annually, with emphasis on good stewardship and student financial assistance while minimizing annual tuition increases.
11. Increase awareness of and support for SFHS throughout the community.
12. Expand community service learning and community outreach, celebrating our unique identity as a Catholic, college preparatory high school for young women.

The above summary of the work of the strategic planning and focus groups reinforces the school’s commitment to supporting in every way possible our Expected Schoolwide Learning Results. The goals are accompanied by objectives which further detail how the school intends to achieve these goals; by appointing responsible parties; identifying necessary resources; setting a timeline for attainment, and finally, identifying evaluation to be sure that the goal is accomplished.

Parents who participated in the Focus Groups last year have been asked to meet with the Visiting Team on February 27 or 28 to further explore the planning process and answer questions the team may have. The administration is most grateful for your ongoing support of this important endeavor.

WCEA/WASC 2005-06

Parents: do you remember completing surveys when you came for freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior parent information evenings sponsored by the Guidance Department last year? Students also completed similar surveys as did all faculty and staff and many alumnae. What you told us formed the basis of much of our analysis of how we are doing as a school in educating your daughters. For over 1 1/2 years we have been engaged in a study of every part of the school. Representatives from two agencies, the Western Catholic Education Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, will be reading our self-study and then visiting our school for four days in February of 2006.

Focus groups composed of parents, students, and staff have made excellent progress on identifying the areas of strength and areas of desired growth for the self-study report that will be written this summer. Our previous self-study was conducted in 1999-2000. St. Francis High School focused its efforts for the last five years on meeting the needs identified at that time for additional classrooms, theater, library, science laboratories, and a larger gymnasium. That effort continues to come to fruition but now the school looks beyond what was identified five years ago to meet the challenges of the future. The Leadership Team is assessing the strengths and growth areas and will develop a rough draft this summer to address those, relying on input from the Focus Groups, the surveys and the on-going Strategic Planning process. The Team will be sharing those with the SF community in the fall for final input and refinement. The full report will be then be completed and sent to the WCEA/WASC visiting team for their study before they arrive at SFHS in February. We look forward to the next few months as we complete the self-study. A sincere thank you to everyone who participated in the surveys, took part in the Focus Groups, and have informally given us guidance and support.

Kay Gaines, Director of Special Projects

WCEA/WASC Accreditation Update

As you are aware, the school is conducting an intensive self-study this year in preparation for its re-accreditation next spring. This is a year long effort in which we explore every avenue of the educational effort at SFHS.

Faculty and about 20 students met in their Focus Groups on February 24 to review the revised Mission Statement and Expected Schoolwide Learning Results. We also assessed our Action Plan 2000 to determine our progress to date. On March 21 parents and alumnae joined the Focus Groups to review school data on the success of our students, relying on standardized test scores, enrollment in classes, college acceptances, grades, participation in campus ministry activities, athletics, the arts, and student clubs, and the results of student, staff, and parent surveys. A special thank you to all the parents who attended the Guidance Department freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior parent evenings this year and stayed to complete our surveys.

Meetings will continue through the spring, culminating in the creation of an Action Plan to guide our efforts in 2006-2012.

We will be sharing our findings with you in the next parent newsletter. I’m sure you will find them interesting.

Kay Gaines
Director of Special Projects

WCEA/WASC Accreditation Process

This year St. Francis High School will begin its self-study for renewal of accreditation. In 1999-2000 we received a six-year renewal from the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Thus it is time again to take an in-depth look at St. Francis High School to be sure that we are living up to our mission and meeting our Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ELSRs) established in 2000. We will explore all aspects of the school during this coming year and finalize our report in fall of 2005. The accreditation visiting team will arrive in early 2006.

Each month I will summarize our progress on this task in the newsletter and in various parent meetings so that you are well-informed. It is also very important that you complete a parent survey that will be coming your way in the fall. In addition, we will have a variety of committees on which parents may serve.

This past year, all academic departments have re-assessed their curricula regarding state academic standards, ESLRs, and social justice. Department Handbooks are updated. This is our long-standing process of preparing for the self-study in the coming year.

I am looking forward to working with parents, alumnae, faculty and staff, and community members to assess where we are and where we want to direct our efforts for the next six years.

Kay Gaines, WCEA/WASC Coordinator