Accreditation
Kangi Chiao International School - Xiugang Campus is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and a registered member of the East Asian Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS).
Kang Chiao International School-Xiugang Campus began the WASC accreditation journey in October 2013 and received an interim “initial” accreditation through June 2017. A WASC team headed by Dr. Dale Mitchell conducted an on-site visit in March 2017. After the satisfactory completion of the visit, KCIS received a 6-year accreditation status, with a mid-cycle progress visit, through June 2023.
KCIS has been proactive in implementing and refining its schoolwide action plans, demonstrating its commitment to providing students with an excellent learning environment.
As a WASC-accredited school, KCIS’s primary goal is to ensure successful learning while maintaining a clear purpose focused on schoolwide learner outcomes. The accreditation process is integral to our school’s ongoing cycle of assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, reassessment, and self-reflection based on our students’ achievement.
In Spring 2024, the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC) announced that Kang Chiao International School (7-12) meets the ACS WASC criteria for accreditation. This decision is based on all the information provided by the school, including the school's report and the satisfactory completion of the accreditation visit. The Commission granted KCIS a six-year accreditation status through June 30, 2030, with a mid-cycle visit during the 2026-2027 school year.
Update: Full Visit (March 10-14, 2024)
The full visit together with the IB team was conducted last March 10-14, 2024. The WASC Visiting team was headed by Mr. Ben Hart, Associate Head of School of Hong Kong International School.
Schoolwide Areas of Strength
Areas of strength within each category, as identified during the visiting committee visit are as follows:
Category A: Organization for Student learning
KCIS has cultivated a campus culture of mutual respect among students, teachers, and administration.
The action plans from 2017 to 2023 align with student needs, SLOs, global competencies, and academic standards.
Supervision processes and systems support teacher growth through feedback and evaluation.
The school meets the Ministry of Education’s financial requirements, ensuring timely submission of reports and audits.
New policies have been developed, fostering a strong sense of ownership and commitment among the teaching staff, particularly in Child Protection and Safeguarding.
A diverse range of programs is provided.
Category B: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
KCIS employs various methods to evaluate the curriculum, such as student performance data, teacher and student feedback, curriculum mapping, and regular observations.
The curriculum aligns with research-based international programs, grounded in academic standards and global competencies.
KCIS offers diverse educational options, including the IB Diploma Programme, AP Program, and KCIS High School Program, to cater to a range of students.
Teachers have a positive attitude towards integrating current educational research, enhancing teaching effectiveness.
There is effective collection, analysis, and interpretation of student performance data, enabling informed decision-making based on student learning data.
Category C: Support for Student Social-Emotional and Academic Growth
KCIS offers a diverse range of academic programs, including MYP, Honors programs, IB DP, AP, Capstone, Regular programs, Exploration and Experiential Learning Programs, within a flexible framework that allows students to choose based on their abilities and needs.
The school actively seeks feedback from students through regular surveys to improve teaching and learning.
KCIS has a comprehensive support system to aid initiatives related to student academic and well-being support with developed systems and organizational structures.
There is a strong commitment to curricular and co-curricular programs, with significant student involvement, preparing students with essential skills for the modern world.
KCIS fosters a culture of student safety and well-being, providing multiple opportunities for students to voice their thoughts, perceptions, and experiences effectively.
Category D: School Culture, Child Protection, and Parent/Community Involvement
KCIS fosters an inclusive and supportive school atmosphere through a collaborative culture of mutual respect, equity, care, and concern for all students.
Parents and students perceive a strong sense of community and satisfaction with the educational environment.
The school maintains a safe, clean, and orderly environment, contributing to physical well-being and providing a conducive atmosphere for learning and personal development.
Teachers feel supported in their professional development and innovation endeavors, with a culture of encouragement that positively impacts the overall educational quality and adaptability of the school.
Category E: Residential Life
KCIS has developed a comprehensive dormitory handbook with clear guidance and management regulations to ensure effective implementation.
The school employs qualified, experienced dormitory staff who understand the purpose and role of the boarding facility within the context of KCIS.
Regular supervision, evaluation, and ongoing professional development for all boarding staff are well-implemented.
KCIS actively seeks to improve the boarding program through regular meetings with parents, students, and staff, along with anonymous surveys throughout the school year.
Effective measures have been taken to integrate and support a diverse student population within the dormitories.
Schoolwide Growth Areas for Continuous Improvement
The visiting committee concurs with the school’s identified areas of continued focus, outlined in the draft 2024-2028 schoolwide action plan. The recommendations for continuous growth identified by the VC have been aligned to the correlating schoolwide goals outlined in the school’s 2024-2028 action plan and summarized below:
School Goal 1: Strategic Alignment and Empowerment
This goal focuses on re-aligning the school's educational mission with global competencies and a clear, focused vision while strengthening governance policies to support this alignment. It emphasizes active engagement in leadership development, prioritizing student achievement and staff empowerment.
School Goal 2: Teaching and Learning
KCIS seeks to continually enhance its programs, including the IB Diploma Programme, Middle Years Programme, and AP program. Additionally, the school is committed to promoting experiential learning, improving reading literacy, increasing access and inclusion, and providing ongoing professional development.
School Goal 3: Wellness, Safety & Security
Under this goal, the school strives to maintain rigorous standards of safety and security, conduct regular safeguarding training, and foster a culture of inclusivity and social-emotional growth and support.
School Goal 4: Resources and Infrastructure
Efficient resource management is vital for achieving the school’s educational objectives. This goal focuses on optimizing resource allocation, accelerating resource procurement, and enhancing transparency in technology planning.
School Goal 5: Engagement and Community Relations
KCIS aims to strengthen community relations, boost green initiatives, and improve our information, communication, and technology plan to foster greater collaboration.
Why Accreditation?
Assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable education program — a trustworthy institution for student learning
Validates the integrity of the school’s program and transcripts
Facilitates transfer of credits to other English-speaking schools — critical for college/university acceptance worldwide
Fosters the continuous improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning
Provides valuable insight from fellow educators visiting the school
Why WASC?
The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC), is a world renowned international accrediting association and one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States, works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools under the U.S. Department of State. ACS WASC provides assistance to schools worldwide, primarily in California, Hawaii, Guam, Asia, the Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
ACS WASC advances and validates quality ongoing school improvement by supporting its member institutions to engage in a rigorous and relevant self-evaluation. Through their evaluation process, the accreditation assures the educational community, the general public, and other organizations and institutions that the school has clear and well-defined goals for successful student learning and has established conditions under which the goals’ achievement can be expected.
The accreditation process is all about fostering excellence in education programs and helping schools meaningfully create the highest quality learning experience they can envision for all students.
It involves a thorough self-study and external examination of established criteria (set forth by WASC's accrediting commission) through the creation and review of appropriate reports and collection of evidence. These criteria include:
Organization for Student Learning;
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment;
Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth;
and School Culture and Environment
EARCOS MEMBERSHIP
Kang Chiao International School-Xiugang Campus is a member of the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS). EARCOS is an organization of 194 member schools in East Asia.
The aims of EARCOS are:
To promote intercultural understanding and international friendship through the activities of member schools.
To broaden the dimensions of education of all schools involved in the Council in the interest of a total program of education.
To advance the professional growth and welfare of individuals belonging to the educational staff of member schools.
To facilitate communication and cooperative action between and among all associated schools.
To cooperate with other organizations and individuals pursuing the same objectives as this council.