Northbridge hailed as 'an extraordinary place of education' by WASC Visiting Committee

Northbridge hailed as 'an extraordinary place of education' by WASC Visiting Committee Following a visit and assessment by a team of four educational professionals from 10-14 March 2019 and a subsequent review by their Accrediting Commission for Schools, Northbridge International School Cambodia has been reaccredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges until 2025.

Following a visit and assessment by a team of four educational professionals from 10-14 March 2019 and a subsequent review by their Accrediting Commission for Schools, Northbridge International School Cambodia has been reaccredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges until 2025.

The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), a world-renowned accrediting association and one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States, works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools under the U.S. Department of State. ACS WASC provides assistance to schools worldwide, primarily in California, Hawaii, Guam, Asia, the Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

In a statement, WASC said: 

"The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC) announces the action taken at the Spring 2019 Commission Meeting.

"The ACS WASC Commissioners have determined Northbridge International School Cambodia (PK - 12) meets the ACS WASC criteria for accreditation.

"This accreditation status is based on all of the information provided by the school, including the self-study report, and the satisfactory completion of the on-site accreditation visit. 

"It is the decision of the Commission to grant Six-Year Accreditation Status with a Mid-cycle Visit through June 30, 2025."

SUMMARY: Schoolwide Strengths and Critical Areas for Follow-up

School-Wide Areas of Strength

There is no doubt for the Visiting Committee that NISC is an extraordinary place of education. At NISC, most students are achieving to the best of their ability, and the school is doing everything it can to support this achievement. These are the two questions that the WASC self-study process seeks to answer, and in both cases, the answer is yes. In countless observations on site, the Committee observed students that were happy and engaged in their learning. The Visiting Committee commends NISC leadership, faculty, and staff for the extraordinary progress shown since the 2013 self-study and the 2016 mid-cycle visit.

Some of the numerous school-wide areas of strength are:

1. The students at NISC are engaged, positive, friendly, and supportive in a school that is a safe and special place to learn. The faculty and staff are committed to providing a rigorous and balanced program that promotes high expectations in a culture of care.

2. The school climate is very positive and the community works to challenge students while at the same time supporting them in their social, emotional, and academic achievement. Faculty has made significant progress toward the documentation of written curriculum.

3. The school provides a balanced program that provides academic rigor and attention to student well-being. The school’s actions in recent years have resulted in significant improvements in academic outcomes that are worthy of celebration.

4. Being part of the Nord Anglia Education Group has resulted in significant benefits for the organization: refinement of policies and procedures, increased accountability, opportunities for students and staff, support for successful marketing strategies, etc.

5. The school adopted a more distributed leadership model with the development of a middle leadership structure. The school is committed to increasing faculty leadership capacity.

6. The availability of curricular and extracurricular activities is plentiful across the whole school through the IB curriculum, LEAP, Mission in Action, sports, and NAE Global campus.