Andy Finch, Ph.D. Vanderbilt University Mary Jo Rattermann, Ph.D. Research & Evaluation Resources

Agenda  Background  Four Accreditation Areas: 1.Organization & Planning 2.School Community 3.Operational Procedures 4.Evaluation Procedures  Standards and Scoring Rubrics  Procedures  Discussion 2

Background 1979 – First known recovery high school opens in Maryland – ARS formed after conference in D.C. funded by SAMHSA (July); ARS publishes first membership criteria (November) – ARS Board adopts as part of its vision to “define standards, create criteria for admission to ARS that is evidenced-based and leads to certification for Institutional Membership within 10 years” – ARS Board revises vision to state the goal “ARS Principles and Accreditation are nationally recognized and accepted” (April) and proposes 15 Principles of Recovery High Schools at annual conference in Cleveland – ARS publishes the Guiding Principles for Accreditation of Recovery High Schools, which becomes the basis for accreditation standards. 3

Organization & Planning 1A Mission  1A.1 Does the school have a guiding mission aligned with effective educational practices and with principles of recovery from substance use and co-occurring disorders? 1B Business Planning and Operations  1B.1 Does the high school operate with a revised strategic business plan that provides for a reasonable level of organizational autonomy and is created for long- term survivability and viability? 1C Community Partnerships and Resource Coordination  1C.1 Does the school establish collaborative partnerships with local schools, treatment centers, and other community resources to create a coordinated system of support? 1D Communication and Public Relations  1D.1 Does the school have a plan to promote the school and its programs while respecting the privacy and safety of its students and families? 4

School Community 2A Target Population  2A.1 Does the school have a clearly defined eligibility criteria aligned with the mission to support recovery from substance use and co-occurring disorders?  2A.2 Do the school’s admission and recruitment procedures reflect intentionality around enrolling a diverse student body? 2B Leadership and Administration  2B.1 Does the school have an administrator or director with a level of autonomy and operational flexibility within the larger organizational system?  2B.2 Does the school have a recognized leader in both academic and therapeutic programs?  2B.3 Does the school have a functional and involved Board of Directors, with divergent areas of expertise that benefit the school? 2C Staffing and Professional Development  2C.1 Does the school have staff trained in evidence-based practices that facilitate active learning and healthy behaviors?  2C.2 Does the school provide ongoing personnel training in areas salient to its school community, such as substance abuse and co-occurring disorders, cultural competence, adolescent development and exceptional education?  2C.3 Does the school perform regular performance evaluations to improve overall staff quality and plans created to identify and address staff training needs? 5

Operational Procedures 3A Curriculum and Instruction  3A.1 Does the school offer credits leading to a state-recognized high school diploma and does the school offer all courses needed to graduate?  3A.2 Does the school employ curriculum and instructional methods resulting in students’ meeting or exceeding state and district standards?  3A.3 Is classroom instruction of high quality?  3A.4 Is the school curriculum and classroom instruction data-driven? 3B Special Education Services  3B.1 Does the school have educational and behavioral plans in place to address the spectrum of student exceptionality? 3C Recovery Support and Relapse Prevention  3C.1 Does the school have services available which help support the students’ plan to abstain from substance use and recover from co-occurring disorders, from intervention through recovery maintenance and relapse prevention?  3C.2 Are recovery supports and relapse prevention measures meeting the needs of students? 6

Operational Procedures 3D Climate, Culture and Developmental Sensibility  3D.1 Does the school provide a recovery-oriented school climate that promotes collegian relationships among faculty, students, and their families?  3C.2 Does the school utilize constructive rather than punitive practices that aim to generate and restore a sense of well-being among students and staff?  3C.3 Does the school establish clear expectations and processes for student and staff conduct? 3E Family Support and Engagement  3E.1 Does the school actively engage parents, guardians and families, with parents/guardians are recognized and involved as partners in the education and recovery process? Does the school provide training and support for families to promote the healthy growth and academic achievement of each student? 3F Transitional/Post Secondary Planning and Support  3F.1 Does the school have clear procedures for transitioning students from traditional school, community or treatment settings into the recovery high school setting?  3F.2 Does the school have criteria and plans in place to help students transition smoothly from the recovery high school to the student’s next educational or workforce setting, preparing the student for the broadest selection of reasonable post-secondary options? 7

Evaluation Procedures 4A Student Assessment  4A.1 Does the school utilize valid and reliable instruments to measure achievement and growth in academics, mental and emotional well-being, and behavioral functioning?  4A.2 Does the school collect data for initial screening, progress monitoring, and outcome measures to assess and improve short and long-term results for students? 4B Program Evaluation  4B.1 Does the school regularly evaluate the academic and therapeutic programs for continuous program improvement?  4B.2 Does the school identify and monitor school specific educational and recovery goals? 8

Standard 1A:Mission 9

Standard 1B: Business Planning & Operations 10

Standard 1C: Community Partnership & Resource Coordination 11

Standard 1D: Communication & Public Relations 12

Standard 2A: Target Population 13

Standard 2B: Leadership & Administration 14

Standard 2C: Staffing & Professional Development 15

Standard 2C: Staffing & Professional Development 16

Standard 2C: Staffing & Professional Development 17

Standard 3A: Curriculum & Instruction 18

Standard 3A: Curriculum & Instruction 19

Standard 3B: Special Education Services 20

Standard 3C: Recovery Support & Relapse Prevention 21

Standard 3D: Climate, Culture & Developmental Sensibility 22

Standard 3D: Climate, Culture & Developmental Sensibility 23

Standard 3D: Climate, Culture & Developmental Sensibility 24

Standard 3E: Family Support & Family Engagement 25

Standard 3F: Transitional/Post- secondary Planning and Support 26

Standard 4A: Student Assessment 27

Standard 4B: Evaluation 28

Process - Preliminary Composition of Site Visit Team  Team Leader  Recovery Expert  Education Expert Possible Schedule of Site Visit  Two months prior to site visit:  Preliminary Meeting with school leadership and evaluation team  Establishment of school liaison  Document Preparation  One month prior to site visit  Classroom Observations scheduled  Teacher and student focus groups scheduled  Board meeting attended or Board Members contacted 29

Process – Visit & Review Site Visit Activities  Classroom observations in at least half the classrooms  Observation of daily routines of the school  Interviews with school leaders—preferably individually  Focus group interviews with students, teaching staff, therapeutic staff and parents, BoD member if appropriate or external leadership group  Curriculum review  Recovery policy and procedures review  One month after the site visit  Compilation of component reports into omnibus report  Meeting with school leaders to review findings and provide context  Submission to school and ARS Roles and Responsibilities  ARS responsibilities  Recovery School responsibilities 30

Prospective Budget One day of classroom observations$500 Four individual Three focus group interviews (teachers, students, parents)$1500 Curriculum Review$1000 Recovery procedures review$1000 Report$1500 Total:$6,100 31

Questions & Comments 32