1. SACS CASI Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/ Council on Accreditation and School Improvement www.advanc-ed.org

2. “Accreditation is an activity, not a status. Schools are accredited because of the way they move, not the way they stand.” -John A. Stoops

3. Three Pillars of Accreditation Meet high standards Engage in continuous improvement Demonstrate quality assurance

4. Conditions that Contribute to Student Achievement Quality Teachers Effective Leadership Quality information Policies and procedures Resources and support systems

5. Earning and Maintaining Accreditation 1. Adhere to the AdvancEd Accreditation Standards for Quality Schools. 2. Engage in ongoing self-assessment and continuous improvement. 3. Document results of improvement efforts. 4. Complete a Standards Assessment Report between six weeks and six months prior to the Quality Assurance Review. 5. Host a Q.A.R. Team once every five years.

6. Earning and Maintaining Cont’d 6. Act on the Q.A.R. Team’s recommendations. 7.Submit a progress report two years following the Quality Assurance Review. The accreditation process is based on a five year term accreditation.

7. The Quality Assurance Review Evaluate the school’s adherence to the standards Assess the effectiveness of the school’s improvement efforts Review performance results and how those results are used to inform improvement efforts. Provide high-quality feedback with clear recommendations and actionable next steps Make an accreditation recommendation

8. The QAR Team Consists of 3-7 members (depending on school size) Length of visit: generally two days The Review: They conduct interviews Visit classrooms Collects and reviews evidence Provide an exit report (recommendations) The Report: QAR report is reviewed by a nationally trained reader. The school then receives a copy to guide improvement.

9. Standards Assessment Report An in-depth assessment of the 7 standards: 1. Vision and Purpose 2. Governance and Leadership 3. Teaching and Learning 4. Documenting and Using Results 5. Resources and Support Systems 6. Stakeholder Communications and Relationships 7. Commitment to Continuous Improvement

10. Structure of the Report Two Sections: Indicator Rubric Focus Questions Indicator Rubric- assess the degree to which practices/processes are in place. Highly fuctional/Operational/Emerging/ Not Evident Focus Questions- describe processes that are in place to support its ability to meet the indicators. (How are practices implemented?) Standard Assessment Report

11. Indicator Rubric Use the overall assessment rubric to determine how well a school is implementing practices or processes and the impact they have on student results and overall school effectiveness. Overall Assessment Rubric

12. Focus Questions and Considering the Evidence Focus Questions: this section asks, “How are the practices/processes implemented?” Evidence: used to support answers to the focus questions. They do not want a collection sent with the report, rather want us to ask, “How do we know we are doing what we say we are doing?” (Have ready for visit) Check out: Examples of EvidenceExamples of Evidence Examples of Evidence: practices and artifacts

13. Example Filled Out: Indicators rubric Focus Questions: answered in paragraph form. Overall assessment: use rubric standards to evaluate the standard as a whole in a short paragraph. Example from St. Petersburg Collegiate High