Bay City Christian School is pleased to announce that the Wisconsin Association of Christian Schools Board of Directors has approved BCCS for full accreditation for a term of five-years!  As society’s expectations have changed over the past few decades, the secular world has developed a skepticism about the education provided in small schools that are not state sponsored.  Through the accreditation process, we are doing our best to present to the outside community, and most importantly, to our parents and students, that the education we are providing at Bay City Christian is a quality education.

The process of our accreditation began several years ago.  What exactly does accreditation mean? Dr. Phillips explains, “It’s appropriate in the education world to get a mark of certification that you are an efficient, effective, quality school.”   First, all of our teachers had to be certified through the American Association of Christian Schools. Then, in November of 2015, we had an onsite consultative visit by the Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Christian Schools.  His evaluation let us know what needed to be done to prepare for a team visit.  This began the process of completing our self-study.  That involved focusing on a series of twelve different standards that we had to evaluate about ourselves.

The comprehensive standards are the following:

  • Philosophy, Mission, and Goals
  • Governance and Leadership
  • School Improvement Planning
  • Finances
  • Facilities
  • School Climate and Organization
  • Health and Safety
  • Educational Program
  • Assessment and Evidence of Student Learning
  • Student Services
  • Student Life and Activities
  • Information Resources and Technology

For our self-study, we formed several committees that included our school board members, parents, teachers, and the administration.  Each evaluated their respective standard and wrote a one to two-page summary based on specific aspects of the standards.  From that, the administration organized the suggestions and conclusions into actions upon which the school would begin working.  After we completed our self-study, Bay City Christian hosted the full accreditation team the last week of September.  This team was led by Dr. Cathy Dotson of Wilmington Christian Academy in Wilmington, North Carolina.  She was joined by experienced educators from Wisconsin and Minnesota Christian schools. Dr. Phillips believed that a diverse team provided unique perspectives that made our evaluation even more profitable for us as a school.

Here are some of the things the accreditation team did while they were onsite:

  • Reviewed our self-study
  • Examined general school procedures in action
  • Observed teachers teaching their classes
  • Inspected school files and financial reports
  • Watched the flow of traffic for student safety
  • Observed relationships between pastors and the administrator
  • Met over dinner with the school board
  • Interviewed parents, teachers, and students

The team took all the information obtained from the self-study and their observations, and then compiled a report. This report informs our school of the areas in which we are doing well and also the areas where we need to improve.  Dr. Phillips is very pleased with the results. “After nearly forty years Bay City Christian has developed a great educational program.  We have a lot of people to thank for their incredible service. However, with this process we are now able to focus on the areas where we need to grow to become an even better school.   We will take the recommendations and begin to implement them through a five-year improvement plan.  Then, in five years, we will do it all over again.  It’s a self-improvement process.”

Our whole purpose at Bay City Christian is to work together with parents to train their children to serve the Lord.  We believe that through accreditation we show parents that we respect them and love their children enough to go through a long and costly process.  Dr. Phillips wants parents to know that at Bay City we are delivering quality Christian education to families in the Green Bay area.  “We are committed to developing students that are growing toward academic excellence and spiritual maturity. Accreditation demonstrates that we’re moving forward in accomplishing these growth goals, and that you can trust Bay City Christian as your child enters our school.”