NCA ACCREDITATION ~ 2004

The North Central Association of Colleges and SchoolsCommission of Accreditation and School Improvement Names Newly Accredited Schools.

(Ann Arbor, MI)—The North Central Association Commission of Accreditation and School Improvement announced today that
Black River Public School (Holland, MI) is among the 54 new members to receive full accreditation. Black River Public School
was admitted to membership on Tuesday, March 30 2004, during NCA’s Annual Meeting
in Chicago, Illinois.

Black River Public School has demonstrated high expectations and performance through its student achievement at various levels. Gregory J. Dykhouse, Ph.D., Director of Academics, says: “Black River Public School has made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) in its elementary, middle, and high school programs, which is gauged by the state of Michigan and the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program. The school has now earned regional accreditation through NCA. The school is now in a position to analyze over the coming years the benefits of NCA for its student body. And the school has also earned national accreditation through the American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE), an institution that has recognized the school for exceptional results of national assessments.”

Michael A. Bugenski, NCA State Director, extends congratulations to the school community. “These schools have now joined the growing league of institutions whose purpose is the continuing quest for higher levels of quality education,” notes Bugenski.

At the foundation of North Central Association accreditation is the voluntary decision by administrators and staff to meet established standards. In addition, they agree to implement a demanding school improvement process, which includes reviews and evaluations by an outside team of educators. Accreditation is renewed annually to ensure the quality of education for every student.

The North Central Association Commission of Accreditation and School Improvement, the nation’s largest regional accrediting association, is a voluntary coalition of over 9,000 schools and over 1,000 colleges and universities in the 19 state region of the central United States. In the state of Michigan, the North Central Association now accredits over 1800 schools. Please visit our website at http://www.nca.umich.edu for additional information regarding NCA.