The group's findings will be a key factor in deciding whether the school maintains its accreditation.

David Flaherty, assistant principal of North Providence High School, will serve as chairman of the committee from the Commission on Public Schools of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The committee will be made up of about 15 area teachers and administrators.

Flaherty, who made an initial visit to the school last week, said the committee's purpose "is not to criticize ... but to assist the faculty in its pursuit of quality education for its students."

High school Principal William Conard said the goal "is to stimulate a continuing drive for improvement in the school."

During a meeting with the school committee in November, commission head Pamela Gray-Bennett said the school's accreditation will likely be downgraded once the review is completed this fall. She said this generally occurs at schools like Randolph that have undergone significant program cuts due to budget restrictions.

"I think your school would be placed on warning or probation," Gray-Bennett said in November, speaking generally.

The only way the school can lose its accreditation is to fail to make progress toward correcting the problems found in the visiting team's report. That could happen as quickly as six months after the school is placed on probation.

While accreditation status doesn't have any legal standing, it carries great weight. "The public sees this as a stamp of approval," Gray-Bennett said.

The school completed a three-year process of preparing for the visit by conducting a self-study, which seeks to identify its strengths and weaknesses, said Karen Brodeur, who co-chaired the committee that prepared the study.

"The weaknesses revolved around the need for an increase in funding for staffing and materials, including technology," Brodeur told the school committee last week.

Among the needs cited were restoring elective courses, more modern computer technology, updated athletic fields and increased parental involvement.

Superintendent Richard Silverman said the self-study will be used by the accreditation committee as "the foundation for its visit."

The committee will meet with school board members, faculty, administrators, parents and other community representatives. They'll follow a student through a day of classes and review assignments by students. They'll also look at the condition of the school building and grounds.

Silverman said the committee also will review school records and even count the number of books in the school library.

The school will receive a draft of the visiting committee's report in about two months and will have an opportunity to respond. The final decision is expected from the commission this fall.

Fred Hanson may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.