Standards and Accreditations

What are Washburn School's Accreditations and Standards?

After 19 years in Ponce, Washburn School has surpassed its goals and maintained its philosophy of providing a rigorous, high-quality academic program and co-curricular activities through total English immersion.

Washburn School is fully accredited by The Department of Education of Puerto Rico (K-12), Consejo General de Puerto Rico since 2003, and registered under Puerto Rico’s state department (Departamento de Estado con el número A70-44A70-44).

Washburn maintains national and international recognized accreditation through Cognia. Washburn is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) under Cognia. Parents and interested community members can learn more about the Cognia Accreditation at cognia.org

Washburn also holds membership in the following organizations and agencies :

Puerto Rico Private Education Association
National Association of Secondary School Principals
College Board
National Honor Society (on all levels)
National Association of Student Councils
Catholic School Athletic League (LAEC)
National Association of Science Teachers
National Association of Math Teachers
Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESOL)

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE AUGUST 2022

Washburn School Earns NCA CASI Accreditation, NWAC Accreditation, and SACS CASI Accreditation Until Late 2027 After Official School Visit from Cognia Members from USA, Ecuador, Mexico, and Haiti

Ponce, Puerto Rico – August 20, 2022 – Washburn School announced today that it has earned accreditation by CogniaTM, a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers.

Cognia, formerly AdvancED, nationally recognizes districts that meet rigorous standards focused on productive learning environments, equitable resource allocation that meets the needs of learners, and effective leadership. Earning accreditation from the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission means that the school is accredited and that Washburn School is recognized across the nation as a school that meets Cognia Standards of Quality and maintains a commitment to continuous improvement.

“School accreditation as conferred by the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission provides Washburn School a nationally recognized mark of quality for our school,” shared Mr. Ronnie Lopezcepero. “It demonstrates to our community our commitment to excellence, our openness to external review and feedback, and our desire to be the best we can be on behalf of the students we serve.”

To earn Cognia accreditation, a school district also must implement a continuous process of improvement, and submit to internal and external review. Schools in good standing can maintain their accreditation for a five-year term.Dr. Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia, stated, “Cognia Accreditation is a rigorous process that focuses the entire school and its community on the primary goal of preparing lifelong learners in engaging environments where all students can flourish. Washburn School is to be commended for demonstrating that it has met high standards, is making progress on key indicators that impact student learning.”

Cognia is the parent organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). Parents and interested community members can learn more about the Cognia Accreditation at cognia.org

About Cognia

Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, professional learning, and improvement services to institutions and other education providers. The result of the merger of AdvancED and Measured Progress, Cognia was formed to bridge the gap between school evaluation and student assessment. As a global nonprofit working in over 80 countries, our 36,000 institutions serve and support nearly 25 million students and five million educators every day. Cognia serves as trusted partner in advancing learning for all. Find out more at cognia.org.

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SPANISH

Ponce, Puerto Rico – 20 de agosto de 2022 –

Washburn School anunció hoy que obtuvo la acreditación de Cognia, una organización sin fines de lucro que brinda garantía de calidad a escuelas, distritos escolares y proveedores de servicios educativos.

Cognia, anteriormente AdvancED, reconoce a nivel nacional a los distritos que cumplen con estándares rigurosos centrados en entornos de aprendizaje productivos y una asignación equitativa de recursos que satisface las necesidades de los alumnos y liderazgo efectivo. Obtener la acreditación de la Comisión de Acreditación Global de Cognia significa que la escuela está acreditada y que Washburn School es reconocida en todo la nación como una escuela que cumple con los estándares de calidad de Cognia y mantiene un compromiso con la mejora continua.

“La acreditación escolar otorgada por la Comisión de Acreditación Global de Cognia proporciona a la Escuela Washburn una marca de calidad reconocida a nivel nacional para nuestra escuela”, compartió el Sr. Ronnie Lopezcepero. “Demuestra a nuestra comunidad nuestro compromiso con la excelencia, nuestra apertura a la revisión y los comentarios externos, y nuestro deseo de ser lo mejor que podemos ser en nombre de los estudiantes a los que servimos”.

Para obtener la acreditación de Cognia, un distrito escolar también debe implementar un proceso continuo de mejoramiento y someterse a una revisión interna y externa anual. Las escuelas con buena reputación pueden mantener su acreditación por un período de cinco años.

El Dr. Mark A. Elgart, presidente y director ejecutivo de Cognia, declaró: “La acreditación de Cognia es un proceso riguroso que enfoca a toda la escuela y su comunidad en el objetivo principal de preparar aprendices de por vida en entornos atractivos donde todos los estudiantes pueden prosperar. La Escuela Washburn es digna de elogio por demostrar que ha alcanzado altos estándares y está progresando en indicadores clave que impactan el aprendizaje de los estudiantes”.

Cognia es la organización matriz de la Comisión de Acreditación y Mejoramiento Escolar de la Asociación Norte Central (NCA CASI), la Comisión de Acreditación del Noroeste (NWAC) y el Consejo de Acreditación y Mejoramiento Escolar de la Asociación Sureña de Colegios y Escuelas (SACS CASI). Los padres y los miembros de la comunidad interesados pueden obtener más información sobre la acreditación de Cognia en cognia.org

Acerca de Cognia

Cognia ofrece servicios de acreditación y certificación, evaluación, aprendizaje profesional y mejora a instituciones y otros proveedores de educación. Como resultado de la fusión de AdvancED y Measured Progress, se formó Cognia para cerrar la brecha entre la evaluación escolar y la evaluación de los estudiantes. Como organización global sin fines de lucro que trabaja en más de 80 países, nuestras 36 000 instituciones atienden y brindan apoyo a casi 25 millones de estudiantes y cinco millones de educadores todos los días. Cognia sirve como socio de confianza en el avance del aprendizaje para todos. Obtenga más información en cognia.org

Cognia es la organización matriz de la Comisión de Acreditación y Mejoramiento Escolar de la Asociación Norte Central (NCA CASI), la Comisión de Acreditación del Noroeste (NWAC) y el Consejo de Acreditación y Mejoramiento Escolar de la Asociación Sureña de Colegios y Escuelas (SACS CASI). Los padres y los miembros de la comunidad interesados pueden obtener más información sobre la acreditación de Cognia en cognia.org

Washburn School is a private, college preparatory, non-profit, value-based, multi- cultural, total English immersion school that focuses on Spanish as a dual language for Pre-K to 12th grade located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. We provide a rigorous academic program that prepares students for public and private universities and colleges worldwide, as shown by the hundreds of acceptances from our students with scholarships to universities around the nation.

All the courses are taught in English except for an extensive, rigorous academic focus on Spanish as a dual primary language, foreign language electives such as French, certain athletic programs, and the culturally based Puerto Rican history class taught in Spanish in middle school. Washburn School earned accreditation

from the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), accreditation divisions of AdvancED (currently named Cognia) in 2019 and received reaccreditation after a 2022 visit from Cognia review members.

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For more information, contact: Mr. Ronnie Lopezcepero at 1-787-813-1758.