Principal Bell said, "The purpose of this evaluation visit was to review and determine from an outside professional viewpoint the extent to which the school is meeting the Standards for Accreditation. As part of the evaluation, the visiting committee met with all school constituents, reviewed the school's self-study, visited a number of classes, and examined examples of student work submitted by the school. During the comprehensive self-study, the faculty attempted to identify the school's strengths and determined those areas in which changes would be beneficial."

The chair of the visiting committee, Mr. Souther, said, "Our purpose in visiting Dexter Regional High School was not to criticize it but to assist the faculty in its pursuit of quality education for its students."

Principal Bell pointed out, "The members of the visiting committee contributed their services to the school. This spirit of professional cooperation is one of the noted features of the New England Association. The goal of an evaluation visit is to stimulate a continuing drive for improvement in the school." The members of the visiting committee are teachers and administrators from a variety of schools in Maine and New Hampshire.

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges is a voluntary membership organization of more than 2000 public schools, colleges and universities, independent schools, and vocational, technical, and career institutions. Of these, over 650 secondary schools have been accredited through the Association's Commission on Public Secondary Schools. The Commission works with individual public schools to improve the quality of education through a continuous process of accreditation and evaluation.