National and State Schools of Character Awards A Path to Excellence Part I

PART I: Overview & Updates 2011 Application Guidelines National and State Schools of Character Awards (NSOC) and (SSOC) 2

National Schools of Character Awards (NSOC) Provide a Path to School Improvement and Recognize Excellence 3

Identifies and honors exemplary schools and districts. Designates NSOC to serve as models and ambassadors. 4 Character Education Partnership

Recognition NSOC are Honored at CEP’s National Forum Receive banner and award Use NSOC logo and name Receive press coverage 5.

CEP Showcases NSOC Articles in NSOC publication Webpage on CEP’s website Highlights in CEP newsletter 6 Wow! This is a great help!

NSOC Outreach NSOC Present at CEP Forum Conduct trainings for other educators Contribute to CEP’s communication network 7

An Achievable Path to Excellence Expanded recognition in 2011 NSOC status achievable for ALL All schools and districts that implement the 11 Principles at an exemplary level receive the award Meeting a standard of excellence is the criteria, not competing with others 8

State Schools of Character 30 state sponsors give SSOC awards Prerequisite to the NSOC award State celebrations honor SSOC SSOC serve as state models SSOC on CEP website and in NSOC book 9

SSOC: What’s New? Designation lasts 3 years SSOC continue to apply for NSOC Goal is for all SSOC to achieve NSOC 10

Which states are SSOC states? California Colorado Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Texas Utah Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin 11

Continuous Improvement Process Application fosters self-assessment Applicants receive quantitative and qualitative feedback Self-reflection, study, and growth follows “The process of applying for the SSOC/NSOC awards program provides schools with a measuring stick to assess the effectiveness of their work.” ~Ron Tucker, former principal Bayless Junior High School 12

Eligibility K-12 schools: 3-year minimum K-12 districts: 4-year minimum 2006 NSOC and earlier are eligible to apply again *Not eligible? Consider applying for a Promising Practices award. 13

Revised scoring rubric 14 Download and Review

15 The Eleven Principles as the Scoring Rubric Principle #1: The school community promotes core ethical and performance values as the foundation of good character. Each Principle has 2 to 4 numbered Scoring Items. 1.1 Stakeholders in the school community select or assent to a set of core values Key Indicators of exemplary implementation:  A highly inclusive representative group of stakeholders (professional and other staff, parents, students, and community members) have had input into or at least assented to the school’s core ethical and performance values. If the district selected the values or if the values have been in place for some time, current stakeholders have been involved in ongoing reflection on the values.  Staff understand how and why the school selected its core values. Each Scoring Item lists: 15

The Scoring Process 16 Items are scored from 0 to 4: 0 Not evident or visible; poor 1 Some implementation 2 Good implementation 3 Very good implementation 4 Exemplary implementation. NOTE: (Change from previous years.) Items are scored from 1 to 4. Use the key indicators of exemplary practice as a guide: 1 Lacking evidence 2 Good implementation 3 Highly effective implementation 4 Exemplary implementation

Directions for Districts 17 NOTE: Districts are required to demonstrate additional evidence of character implementation that shows an explicit commitment to building character in its students, staff & community. The following list of scoring items apply to districts: 1.3; 3.1; 3.2; 4.4; 5.1; 7.1; 8.2; 8.3; 9.1; 9.2; 10.3; 11.2 The district incorporates core values in its community and public relations efforts. The district establishes core values as part of its vision, mission, goals, objectives, regulations, and policies and seeks to promote a community of adults and students based on a commitment to excellence and ethics. Principle 1.3 Example:

18 What the application will look like: COMPOSITION: Length: Up to 25 pages for school; 30 pages for district Cover Page with school information Page 1 (not scored): WHY is the school doing CE? WHAT makes it SPECIAL to deserve NSOC status? Pages 2-25 (district: 30): HOW it is implementing CE according to the 11 Principles. Artifacts included in body. Self-evaluation sheet/responses CHANGES FROM THE PAST: Narrative Length: Applicant chooses proportion (text or artifacts at least ¼ of total). Placement of Artifacts: Inserted after each Principle, if possible. Some Changes in Key Indicators: e.g., Academic integrity, using data to shape plans; more SEL Key indicators now outline exemplary implementation. Appendix/Table of Contents Only if unable to insert artifacts NOTE: Eleven Principles, not Quality Standards = the Scoring Rubric.