Institutional Accreditation
Wenatchee Valley College has been continuously accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since its initial accreditation in 1948. WVC's accreditation was most recently reaffirmed in February 2011 following submission of a Year Seven Self-Evaluation Report.
WVC served as one of four pilot colleges for the new accreditation standards and process adopted in 2010 (see the links to the right for more information). This pilot process compresses the new seven-year accreditation cycle into two years. To date, WVC has submitted the "Year One", "Year Three", "Year Five", and "Year Seven" reports required under this new process. An evaluation committee conducted a "Year Three" visit in October 2009. The "Year Five" report was reviewed by the Executive Committee of the Commission. The "Year Seven" report was submitted September 1, 2010. WVC hosted an evaluation team visit October 13-15, 2010 to conclude the pilot process.
WVC was commended in three areas as a result of the Year Seven evaluation:
- For participating as a NWCCU pilot school, recognizing the general spirit of positive commitment and the willingness to be part of the planning process. Evaluators noted how positive faculty, staff, and students were in interviews, many conveying a sense of optimism about the pioneering opportunity to continue the seven-year cycle.
- For the great efforts across campuses in Wenatchee and Omak to respond to severe budget reductions by maintaining effective education, service to students and the larger communities the college serves.
- For the college's achievement in successfully completing the pilot project showing ample evidence that, though abbreviated, the septennial model and the institution's sincere efforts to attain mission fulfillment have yielded many benefits to the school, its students and community, and especially the good work of WVC as the first and authentic effort that will inform accreditation practice in the foreseeable future.
Three recommendations were made as a result of the Year Seven evaluation, to be addressed in the 2013 Year Three report:
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Recommendation 1: In the context of Core Themes, the committee recommends that the College focus on documenting, through an effective, regular, and comprehensive system of assessment of student achievement, that students who complete its educational courses, programs, and degrees, wherever offered and however delivered, achieve identified course, program, and degree learning outcomes (Standard 4.A.3).
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Recommendation 2: The committee recommends that the institution evaluates holistically the alignment, correlation, and integration of planning, resources, capacity, practices, and assessment with respect to achievement of the goals or intended outcomes of its programs or services, wherever offered and however delivered (Standard 4.A.5).
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Recommendation 3: The committee recommends that the College develop a protocol to ensure the results of core theme assessments and results of assessments of programs and services are: a) based on meaningful institutionally identified indicators of achievement; b) used for improvement by informing planning, decision making, and allocation of resources and capacity; and c) made available to appropriate constituencies in a timely manner. Moreover, evaluators recommend the College use results of student learning to inform the academic and learning-support planning and practices that lead to the enhancement of student learning achievements (Standard 4.B.1 and 4.B.2).
Washington State Quality Award
The Washington State Legislature passed a law (RCW 43.17.390) requiring all state agencies, including colleges, to undergo ongoing independent assessments of organizational quality. Through agreement with the Governor's office, Washington community and technical colleges may use the Northwest Commission on College and University (NWCCU) accreditation standards and processes as a means of satisfying Washington State Quality Award (WSQA) standards.
In addition to the accreditation information posted above, the following reports are also required as part of the WSQA process:
Annual Status Report on progress toward accreditation recommendations
2008-09
2009-10
Student Achievement Outcomes
2009-10
Page updated 2/11