NKHS Puts On Finishing Touches For 10-Year Accreditation Visit

North Kingstown High School is getting ready for its closeup.

Once every 10 years, the high school takes part in an elaborate accreditation process culminating in a visit by a panel of educators. NKHS’s visit is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 22, through Wednesday, Sept. 25.

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges is the accrediting agency that will be making the visit. At the end of the four-day visit, the panel — made up of educators and administrators from around New England — will issue a brief statement. The full report won’t be released for a couple months.

“There’s been a lot happening behind the scenes,” said NKHS Principal Tom Kenworthy. “At this point, we’re just ready to have the visit. We’ve been doing a lot of prep work.” 

Kenworthy was a teacher at the high school during the last accreditation visit. He became principal in 2010. Looking at the 2003 report, he said there are many things that don’t quite apply now. Ten years ago, NKHS had just moved into its new building. All the aspects of transition that were front and center then are far in the past now. Additionally, he said, the 2003 report dealt with pending staffing cuts.

“In 2003, there was a principal and four full-time assistant principals. Today we have myself and two assistant principals," Kenworthy said. "In 2003 we had 10 members of our clerical staff. Today we have 7.5. In 2003, we had 2 full-time media specialists (librarians) and a clerk. Today we have 1.5 media specialists and a .5 clerk. In 2003, we had a full-time athletic director with a clerk. Today we have a part-time athletic director with no clerk."

Kenworthy also noted the vast differences in testing that have taken place over the past decade.

“There was no NECAP back then…. It is hard to even draw parallels to how we were performing then. In many ways it is almost a different school than it was 10 years ago. In 2023, at the time of our next visit, I'm sure it will probably be hard to draw comparisons there. You really have to use the NEASC process to get feedback on how you are doing now.”

And how is North Kingstown High School doing? The high school has been lauded for the number of Advanced Placement courses it offers as well as the scores students achieve on those tests. Kenworthy said the high number of the high school’s elective offerings is another “key strength.” By the time students are juniors and seniors, many are able to take advantage of a wide array of elective courses, said Kenworthy.

“Those electives help them align with their choices after high school,” he said. “I think the biggest challenges today are how we try to maintain high levels of student achievement, our robust elective offering, and co-curricular opportunities in the face of dwindling resources.“I think we are doing a good job of that. Again, it is all relative to the day and age you are in. My biggest hope is that will be recognized during this visit and in the report.

On Sunday, Sept. 22, there will be a community kick-off celebration for the visiting team members at 1 p.m. in the NKHS auditorium. All members of the North Kingstown and Jamestown communities are invited. Immediately following this presentation there will be an opportunity for NKHS parents to meet with the team members at 2:15 p.m. in the Media Center.