Bellevue Digital Discovery and Bellevue Big Picture Receive AESD Accreditation

Every six years, Bellevue School District high schools participate in an accreditation renewal process*, designed to help them develop best practices suited for each school to continuously improve. The district is proud to announce that Bellevue Digital Discovery has received its initial accreditation and Bellevue Big Picture School has renewed its accreditation. Both schools have continuously demonstrated their commitment to innovation and providing an exceptional education for all students.

Puget Sound Educational Service District staff attended the September 19 School Board Meeting to recognize the BSD schools and staff who worked to earn this accreditation. They shared that accreditation is a voluntary process for schools who want to engage in a research-based self-study process to improve. The accreditation process helps schools identify and develop their strengths to ensure effective governance and improve opportunities and outcomes for students.

Watch the full presentation by PSESD.

*Bellevue, Interlake, International, Newport and Sammamish high schools renewed their accreditation in the 2022-2023 school year and will be eligible to renew in the 2028-2029 year.

Applauded for Educational Experiences

As part of the review process, panelists shared their commendations and recommendations for each school as they work toward their improvement efforts:

Bellevue Digital Discovery

Bellevue Digital Discovery meets a need for a segment of the population that desires a different educational modality.

Bellevue Big Picture

Bellevue Big Picture School provides a meaningful and robust educational experience for students in alignment with the expectations and structures of the Bellevue School District.

About AESD Accreditation

The Washington State Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD) Accreditation process is designed to help schools develop practices best suited for them to continuously improve. It is aligned with School Improvement Planning (SIP) and is personalized and adaptable to meet the specific needs of each school.

To date, more than 300 schools throughout the state have been approved for AESD Accreditation upon confirmation by a panel of volunteer ESD Board members – middle schools, private schools, themed high schools, comprehensive high schools, and alternative high schools.

Washington state school accreditation was developed to ensure that the state’s high schools were adequately preparing students for college. It was intended to document programs of high quality for colleges and the patrons of Washington’s educational system. It is now open to all grade levels and is a voluntary, self-study process that is a research–based approach to school improvement.

The accreditation process supports a long-term vision for a performance-based educational system that aligns accreditation requirements to the continuous improvement of student learning, achievement and growth. The process provides for collaboration and deep reflection by the school community, for external review and validation of the school improvement plan, and the process that led to its development. It also provides a statement of accountability to the public.