COSTA MESA : Non-Traditional School Accredited

A non-traditional high school where students meet with teachers for an hour a week has been accredited for six years by a state commission.

The Monte Vista Independent Study school is one of four in the western region to be approved by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, said Don Halverson, the school’s executive director.

He said the commission bases accreditation on a review of eight areas, including school organization, curriculum, staff, support services and financial base.

The commission, which reviews 2,300 schools in the western region, began looking at independent study schools two years ago. It began reviewing Monte Vista last year and issued the accreditation early this month.

Halverson said accreditation signals to colleges and universities that the approved school meets certain standards.

While most accreditations come with recommendations for improvements, Newport-Mesa Unified School District officials said this one had none.

“Only commendations,” said Carol Berg, the district’s deputy superintendent. “That’s why this is one of the first in the state that’s being accredited.”

The 5-year-old school houses students who, for varying reasons, don’t fit into traditional classroom settings. Examples include Olympic hopefuls who train eight hours a day and teen-age mothers with no one to take care of their children.