Last fall, the Tamaqua Area Middle School began the process of acquiring accreditation through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The process known as Accreditation for Growth, or AFG, began with the formation of a planning team. The planning team was composed of parents, teachers, students, community members, Tamaqua Area School Board members and administration.The team gathered together each month and at first, reviewed the middle school's survey results. Then, they began the long process of establishing goals for the school and its students. These goals led the team to create action steps and implementation plans outlining how each goal would be met over the next seven years.On November 8, the middle school will welcome a visiting team of teachers and administrators who represent the Middle States Association.This team will evaluate the middle school's comprehensive program. They will also conduct small group interviews with teachers, students, parents and other stakeholders to assess whether or not the Tamaqua Area Middle School meets the twelve standards set by the Middle States Association.If any parent or community member is interested in participating in an interview please contact Christopher Czapla, middle school principal, at (570) 668-1210. The school's foundational documents and student performance objectives associated with Accreditation for Growth (AFG) can be accessed by visiting the Tamaqua Area Middle School webpage at

www.tamaqua.k12.pa.us.If any stakeholder wishes to make comments regarding the Tamaqua Area Middle School's ability to meet the Middle States Standards for Accreditation, they are welcome to contact the Commission. Comments must be directly related to the school's ability to meet the Standards for Accreditation. The standards can be reviewed at

http://www.css-msa.org/resources/publications.html#standards.All comments must be submitted in writing and include the stakeholder's name and affiliation with the school. Comments can be mailed to Henry G. Cram, Ed.D., Executive Director, Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2680 or sent via email at hcram@css-msa.org. Comments must be received no later than October 8.