T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY - Marshalltown Christian School, located at 1408 S. 7th Ave., recently received its five-year reaccreditation through Christian Schools International (CSI).

As the Marshalltown Christian School has continued to grow and expand throughout its nearly 20-year existence, its leaders must now renew their accreditation through Christian Schools International (CSI) every five years. Administrator Bethany Wirin is happy to report that the process has been completed, and MCS will now be reaccredited for the next five years.

Wirin said that former Principal Joan Gerbo, one of the school’s founders, felt strongly about having the school accredited.

“(It’s important) for parents to come in and know that we have a plan and we’re constantly improving because that’s the whole idea behind a school improvement plan, which is the output of the accreditation process. That was what she wanted. She wanted people to know we have a plan, and we’re gonna be working to constantly improve as a school,” Wirin said.

When Wirin came on as the administrator during the 2017-2018 school year, she quickly assembled a committee of parents and teachers to form the School Improvement Team, which met and looked through all of the standards laid out by CSI.

Staff are required to undergo training with the regional coordinator of CSI followed by a self study and a subsequent site visit several months later.

“They focus on the things they need to. There’s a board section, so there’s a board section, a couple different teacher sections and then kind of the operations section. All of the standards in each of those categories needs to be gone through, and it’s a lot of work,” Wirin said. “So we look through all the standards and we decide where we are on the spectrum from doing nothing with that to ‘Hey, we’ve got this nailed. We’ve got it covered. We’re doing well.’ So that was the same this time around, it was just a different group of people.”

In January, Wirin and her team got word that they had successfully been reaccredited. Another benefit of the process is the ability to qualify for state tax credits for the tuition of students who qualify based on financial need, and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), often referred to as private school vouchers, are only available for students who attend accredited institutions.

While the ESA situation was not a factor during previous rounds of accreditation, Wirin feels that it gives parents reassurance and holds the school accountable. Overall, she’s excited about the direction of MCS and noted that they are currently hiring for a music teacher. With a “measured approach” to growth, family interviews are being conducted, and this year’s classes will wrap up on May 23.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

maharry@timesrepublican.com.