Blackstone Valley Tech earns reaccreditation

UPTON — The Blackstone Valley Vocational School District has announced that the Committee on Technical and Career Institutions voted to award Blackstone Valley Tech continued accreditation in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) at its October meeting.

Representatives from NEASC spent several days in June touring the school and speaking with students and staff as a part of the fifth-year focused follow up. The visit is an accountability step for schools and colleges accredited by NEASC that ensures schools are complying with planned and recommended changes identified in the decennial accreditation notice.

After reviewing the evaluation report of the fifthyear focused visiting team, the committee commended Valley Tech for its commitment to developing, refining and deploying a mission and vision for the school, its improvement distributing information about the school through its website, and the evolution of the Career Enrichment Program to support all students as they transition from career exploration to career navigation.

“We are so appreciative of the time and the valuable feedback provided to us by the NEASC visiting team. The faculty and staff worked diligently to prepare for this visit,” said Rebecca Swasey, director of curriculum and instruction at BVT. “We are proud that these results have validated the hard work and commitment of our talented faculty and staff. We continue to look forward for the betterment and evolution of our academic and vocational programs.”

Blackstone Valley Tech received its original NEASC accreditation in 1968; the most recent decennial review was held in 2012 with the next decennial review scheduled to take place in 2022.

NEASC accreditation is an “ongoing, voluntary, and comprehensive” system of accountability. It is based on standards that define the characteristics of good schools and colleges. NEASC accreditation attests to “substantial compliance with established qualitative standards, integrity in statements to the public describing the institution’s program, institutional commitment to improvement, and sufficiency of institutional resources,” according to the NEASC website.

Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School serves the towns of Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Grafton, Hopedale, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Northbridge, Sutton, Upton and Uxbridge.

Located in the heart of the Blackstone Valley, Blackstone Valley Tech creates a positive learning community that prepares students for personal and professional success in an internationally competitive society through a fusion of vigorous vocational, technical, and academic skills. The school’s website is