MSA Visiting Team Recommends Full Accreditation for ACS

To Members of the ACS Community:

As many of you know, last week the American College of Sofia was inspected  by a visiting team of distinguished international educators as part of the process of re-accreditation.   Accreditation is a voluntary process by which schools agree to submit to review by education experts -- an internationally respected guarantee that assures universities and employers that we are providing a safe and high-quality education for all of our students.

So I am very pleased to report that our inspectors from the US-based Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools told us on Friday that they are recommending full accreditation with no stipulations for the period of May 2015 through May 2022.

In his oral report to the full faculty, MSA President Hank Cram said that his team were impressed by the quality of not only the College's programs and facilities, but of our self-study report and goals for improvement over the next seven years. "Your three goals are bold and reflect a deep commitment to continually improving upon your excellent performance," he said.

As we've previously shared with you, our three goals for improvement are to raise students’ English language proficiency, and reduce performance gaps, between grades 8 and 12; to improve student performance – and reduce attrition and stress – through more effective assessment, feedback and support; and to improve stakeholder morale and performance through enhanced organizational communications. You will hear much more about these goals in the coming weeks and months, as we seek to carry out these important changes. Our Middle States visiting team will also be making some specific recommendations that they believe will help us to carry out these goals, and we will take their suggestions very seriously.

It is important to note that the visiting team's recommendations are preliminary in nature, and must be ratified this spring by the MSA's Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. But we were very encouraged by the positive nature of both the team's visit and its oral report, and believe that they will put us in a strong position to carry out our improvement goals in the coming years.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the ACS community -- including parents, staff, students, alumni and members of our Board of Trustees -- for their hard work and support of this accreditation process. Our work is not finished, because we must now carry out the improvement objectives to which we have pledged ourselves. But your commitment to this process marks a very important and significant first step toward making the American College of Sofia an even better school for all of its students.

Sincerely,
Dr. Paul K. Johnson, President