Police/Fire

Watertown Police Department will be Assessed for Re-Accreditation

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Chief Michael Lawn is pleased to announce that a team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission is scheduled to arrive on June 26, 2018, to begin examining various aspects of the Watertown Police Department’s policies and procedures, operations and facilities. Verification by the Assessment Team that the Department meets the Commission’s standards is part of a voluntary process to gain state Accreditation — a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established for the profession, by the profession. The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory standards as well as 125 optional standards. In order to achieve accreditation status, the Department must meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 75 of the optional standards. Achieving Accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence.

Schools

Info on Watertown High School Accreditation, Search for Special Ed Director

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The Watertown Public Schools announced the accreditation visit of Watertown High School beginning Sunday, March 13, as well as the timeline for appointing a new Director of Special Education. The Watertown Public Schools sent out the following announcements:
Accreditation Visit of Watertown High School
Sixteen educators will conduct an on-site accreditation visit of Watertown High School from March 13-16. The accreditation visit will be conducted under the direction of the Committee on Public Secondary Schools of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The purpose of this accreditation visit is to review and determine from an outside professional viewpoint the extent to which the school is meeting NEASC’s Standards for Accreditation. As part of the evaluation, the visiting committee will:

Attend a welcome presentation intended to provide an overview of Watertown and Watertown High School, presented by teachers and students
Meet with school committee members
Meet with parents
Meet with teachers
Meet with students
Meet with administrators and curriculum coordinators
Shadow students during the school day
Review samples of student work
Visit classes
Review the school’s self-study

The members of the visiting committee are teachers and administrators from a variety of schools throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Accreditation

Watertown High School Preparing for NEASC Accreditation Visit

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Every 10 years, Watertown High School goes through the accreditation process, and the staff has been busy preparing for a four-day visit by a team which begins on Sunday. A team from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) will be at Watertown High School starting March 13, said Maureen Regan, Grades 6-12 English Language Arts Coordinator, who co-chaired the accreditation preparation with guidance councilor Adrienne Eaton. Preparation
The preparation began three years ago when the school staff did a self study, Regan told the School Committee Monday night. The first step was to create school-wide learning expectations, which had two main focuses: effective oral and written communication, and college, career and life skills readiness. In the fall of 2014, the Endicott College Opinion Survey was given to students, parents and faculty.

Police/Fire

Watertown Police Department Seeks Accreditation from the State

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The Watertown Police Department will host an assessment team in June as the department seeks to gain accreditation from the state. The Police Department released the following statement:
Chief Edward Deveau is pleased to announce that a team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission is scheduled to arrive on June 8th, to begin examining various aspects of the Watertown Police Department’s policies and procedures, operations and facilities. Verification by the Assessment Team that the Department meets the Commission’s standards is part of a voluntary process to gain state Accreditation, a self-initiated evaluation process by which police departments strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established for the profession, by the profession. The Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program consists of 257 mandatory standards as well as 125 optional standards. In order to achieve accreditation status, the Department must meet all applicable mandatory standards as well as 60 percent of the optional standards.