Oral Exit Report Quality Assurance Review Team

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Oral Exit ReportQuality Assurance Review Team
Grandview High School March 9-10, 2009
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About AdvancED

• The Unification of NCA CASI, SACS CASI, NSSE
  Creates the Worlds Largest Educational Community
• 23,000 public and private schools and districts
• 30 states
• Navajo Nation
• Department of Defense
• 65 countries
• Latin America
• 15 million students

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Advancing Excellence

• AdvancED is committed to advancing excellence in
  education by providing accreditation and
  continuous improvement services that

• Maximize student success
• Build school and system capacity
• Bring together research, best practices, and
  resources for student, school, and system
  improvement

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Accreditation Elements

• To earn and maintain accreditation, schools
• Meet standards for accreditation
• Engage in continuous improvement and
• Demonstrate quality assurance through internal
  and external review.

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Purpose of theQuality Assurance Review

• Assess the capacity of the school to meet the
  standards
• Assess the effectiveness and impact of the
  continuous improvement process
• Identify strengths deserving of commendation and
• Develop recommendations which are designed to
  help strengthen the school to improve student
  learning.

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Procedures Followed

• The Quality Assurance Review Team
• Reviewed documentation provided by school
• Developed points of inquiry for on-site review
• Established, in collaboration with school
  personnel, a schedule of activities and
  interactions that would provide significant
  stakeholder involvement
• Conducted interviews of a representative set of
  stakeholders
• Engaged in professional deliberations to consider
  the capacity of the school to meet the
  requirements for accreditation

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Interviews with Stakeholders

• During the on-site Quality Assurance Review, team
  members interviewed
• 57 Administrator(s)
• 141 Teachers
• 39 Support staff
• 25 Parents and business partners
• 222 Students
• 30 Others (community/School Board)
• TOTAL of 514 stakeholders

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Process for Gathering Evidence

• In considering the evidence as provided through
  data, documentation, observation, and dialogue,
  the Quality Assurance Team
• Sought a school perspective
• Pursued evidence that could be correlated through
  multiple sources
• Examined the context and capacity of the school
  in relation to its vision, mission, and beliefs
  and
• Applied the criteria for accreditation.

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Team Decisions Regarding Quality

• Commendationsrecognition of practices and/or
  conditions that are exemplarygo beyond what is
  typically seen in schools
• Recommendationsprofessional recommendations by
  the Quality Assurance Review Team that must be
  addressed within two years of our visit

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Commendations

• The Quality Assurance Review Team commends
  Grandview High School for
• Living the school vision of Unleashing our
  potential through rigor, relevance, and
  relationships.
• It is apparent through statements from
  stakeholder interviews and classroom observations
  that all school members feel strong
  relationships. This school is like a family.
• Using school data and forcing it out into the
  public has caused all stakeholders to know that
  rigor must increase for improved student
  achievement. The current use of National School
  Reform Faculty processes and the Instructional
  Practices Inventory will help faculty more toward
  a more rigorous and relevant instruction.
• The school has done an outstanding job of
  disaggregating the data. Now, it is important to
  develop programs that address the identified
  needs. One example is the math benchmarks.
  Students must master content before they move on.
  This is helping students understand the
  importance of learning material, rather than just
  knowing it to take a test. Student involvement
  and enthusiasm has increased and data has shown a
  16 improvement in tested information this
  semester.

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Commendation, Contd)

• The importance of relevance is being addressed by
  creating small learning communities where
  students will select a career-based house
  beginning next year. Administration and teachers
  believe that this will not only continue to
  develop positive relationships with students, but
  will provide the relevance needed for success in
  the content area.

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Recommendations

• The Quality Assurance Review Team recommends
  Grandview High School
• Utilize the current benchmark model used by the
  mathematics department to move into the core
  areas of communication arts, science, and social
  studies. Through interviews with teachers and
  students, it is apparent that this new model
  for learning is making a difference.
• The mathematics department has broken new ground
  in the way that it delivers instruction. This
  department has had many growing pains and
  students have learned about the importance of
  learning. This model can and will improve
  student learning as well as student achievement.
  Do not take on any more initiatives until you
  feel that the current ones are well implemented.

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Next Steps

• A written report of our findings will be
  completed and sent to the principal within 20
  business days.
• After receiving the report, the school is
  expected to
• Review and communicate the findings and
  observations contained in the report
• 2. Sustain the strengths noted in the
  commendations

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Next Steps (continued)

• 3. Initiate steps to address the recommendations
  in the report
• 4. Continue to implement and monitor the
  AdvancED accreditation process and requirements
  and
• 5. In two years, the school submits the
  Accreditation Progress Report outlining the
  schools progress in addressing the teams
  recommendations.

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Accreditation Recommendation

• The Quality Assurance Review Team recommends that
  the
• Grandview High School be awarded NCA CASI
  AdvancED Accreditation.
• Once approved by the AdvancED Board of Trustees,
  the school is granted a 5-year term accreditation.

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Final Thoughts

• On behalf of the Quality Assurance Team, I
  extend
• Our appreciation for your hospitality, support,
  and professionalism
• Our respect and acknowledgement of the quality of
  your school and dedication of staff and
• Our congratulations for successfully completing
  the Quality Assurance Review process.