NEWS: League School for Autism Receives Coveted NCASES Accreditation
WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, January 24, 2025 — League School for Autism recently received the coveted NCASES Accreditation (National Commission for the Accreditation of Special Education Services), recognizing their excellence in special education programs based on an expert peer review. League School CEO, Lawrence Sauer, and COO, Cheryl White, received the accreditation certificate on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 during an awards ceremony at the NAPSEC Annual Leadership Conference (National Association of Private Special Education Centers) in New Orleans, LA. Sauer remarked that “we are deeply proud to be recognized for League School’s high quality of programs and our adherence to national standards of best practice.”
League School embarked on the pursuit of NCASES accreditation in the Fall of 2023, hoping to demonstrate excellence beyond the essential licenses required by the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Early Education and Care (DEEC). Since the accreditation process was uniquely developed to address private special education programs, it would provide an effective and systematic evaluation of League School’s services developed to meet their students’ needs.
For over nine months, more than 20 dedicated League School community members, led by Stephanie Steen, Director of Clinical and Quality Assurance, engaged in a collaborative and comprehensive self-study of their program. The accreditation process was structured around 50 rigorous standards, each designed to assess school practices, processes, and policies, requiring documented, concrete evidence of compliance. The process culminated in a three-day onsite evaluation conducted by four external surveyors from around the country, all seasoned experts in the field of special education.
Highlights from the NCASES Site Review Report include:
“The League School is truly student focused. The board, administration, direct service and support staff constantly strive to provide students with the highest quality of services possible.”
“The SCERTS Model is uniformly implemented throughout the League School. Staff subtly and fluidly move around the instructional and residential spaces with clear intent but almost invisibly. Each staff is fully in tune with the needs of each student and “glides and slides” to them at just the right moment to support their needs.”
“The League School has a multi-faceted vocational department; at its heart is community involvement. Students have multiple opportunities for onsite, and offsite, work readiness and vocational skills training.”
The NCASES initiative provided League School with a valuable opportunity to reflect on and critically assess service delivery in several key areas, including educational and residential service delivery, financial management, vocational programming, communication, and curriculum development. League School identified specific areas for improvement and took proactive measures to align their practices more closely with the best practices in the field. By evaluating and refining their service delivery, League School for Autism has genuinely demonstrated their commitment to continuously enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the support they provide to their students and families.
ABOUT LEAGUE SCHOOL FOR AUTISM
Located in Walpole, Massachusetts, the League School for Autism is a leading private Day and Residential school for students with Autism, ages 3 to 22. Since 1966, we’ve been dedicated to excellence in autism education and empowering individuals with Autism to live their best lives. We employ a unique, comprehensive approach emphasizing academic, social, emotional, communication, and emotional regulation skills to maximize positive outcomes for the individuals we serve and their families.
For more information about NCASES Accreditation, contact Sabrina Manno, Director of Marketing, League School for Autism, smanno@leagueschool.com.
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