Schools
Marin Oaks High Receives Top Accreditation
School offers individualized education for students who need credit recovery, smaller environment
has a lot to celebrate as a new school year begins.
The continuation school, which joins NOVA and Novato’s adult education program at the site of the former , has received the highest accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
The school has been accredited for six years with no need for interim review, said Kessa Early, Marin Oaks’ administrator.
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WASC is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the United States. Evaluators can either refuse accreditation or give one-, three- or six-year terms. With the six-year term, a review is usually required after three years. It’s rare that a school receives a six-year “clear” accreditation, Early said.
That means Marin Oaks won’t be up for evaluation until 2017.
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With only 72 students this year, the small campus offers credit recovery and alternative education for students who need a different kind of school environment. It used to be located on the campus of .
“The kids are really cared about and there’s deep connection made between staff and students,” Early said. “(Staff members) care about every single student here, and failure is not an option. We push and we hold our students accountable.”
Early said Marin Oaks offers an individualized learning program with a student to teacher ratio of 1:15. Programs include mandatory after-school tutorials for students getting C-minus or below in their core subjects.
“When they come here, they have a staff that really believes in them and lets them know they can do whatever they want as long as they put their mind to it,” Early said.
With the closure of Hill Middle School in June, the site has become the Hill Education Center. That includes Marin Oaks, the NOVA independent study program and Novato's adult education program.
The new location is bigger and will allow Marin Oaks to expand in the future, Early said. Where some of the old classrooms only fit 12 students, the Hill site offers larger classrooms, a field, gym, blacktop and multipurpose room.
This isn’t Marin Oaks’ only recent honor. Earlier this year, the Educational Results Partnership, a company that charts public school performance, ranked the school as No. 1 statewide in biology, science and U.S. history among comparable institutions. The small campus also came in No. 3 in English/language arts for grade 10.
