MLC embarking on accreditation process

Mountain Lake Christian (MLC) is embarking on the process of being accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the North Central Association (NCA), according to the school’s administrator, Dr. Michael James. This process will involve a rigorous review of the school’s policies, procedures, finances and academics. The accreditation process can take anywhere from 3-to-10 years,, but the school is hoping to complete the process in five. Shannon Dick has agreed to serve as the coordinator for this effort.

Students and parents will not see any concrete benefits of accreditation; MLC students are not hindered in any way by the school’s current lack of accreditation. However, to successfully complete the accreditation process, it is anticipated that changes will have to made to numerous areas of the school. Those changes will make the school better and when the school is better, everyone benefits The real purpose of accreditation is to force school administration, staff and board to take a closer look at everything being done, identify areas where the full potential it not being met, and make improvements in those areas.

Successfully completing accreditation will require the involvement of many people: students, parents, staff, donors and the school board. Within the next few days, a community and climate survey will be distributed. A few weeks later, another survey will be sent asking some foundational questions about Christian education. More surveys will follow in the months and years to come. It is absolutely critical that MLC receives as much participation as possible for these surveys. The accrediting agencies will judge the school, in part, by its engagement with the community and how well students’ families support the school. Feedback and participation are vital to the success of this process. Participants are requested to complete the survey links when received via e-mail as soon as pobble. They should not take more than a couple of minutes each.