Preparing for the Accreditation Visit

1
Preparing for the Accreditation Visit

• California Association of Independent Schools
  (CAIS)
• in collaboration with
• the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western
  Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

2
The California Association of Independent Schools
(CAIS) provides accreditation for independent
elementary and secondary schools in the state of
California. CAIS collaborates with the
Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), in
accrediting secondary and K-12 schools.
Elementary schools are accredited either by
CAIS, or by CAIS and WASC.
3

• The accreditation process is designed to
• Assure the involvement and collaboration of the
  entire school community in the self-study
• Clarify the schools purpose and its goals for
  students
• Assess all aspects of the schools operations,
  student program and its impact on student
  personal and academic growth
• Develop an action plan to address identified
  growth needs of the school and
• Develop and implement an accountability system to
  monitor the accomplishment of the action plan.

4
Your school actively participates in the
accreditation process by developing a self-study
that is distributed to the accreditation team
prior to their visit. This comprehensive
document assesses your schools compliance with
criteria developed by CAIS and WASC to facilitate
student learning, school improvement, and
accountability.
5
Preparing for the Self-Study
Accreditation visits must be made between January
15 and March 15. CAIS provides the following
suggested calendar to develop your self-study
document
TIP Download the suggested calendar for
preparing the self study from www.caisca.org.
6
School Year Prior to the Visit

• Appoint self-study coordinator.
• Download self-study manual and template from
  www.caisca.org.
• Attend self-study coordinator training (dates and
  location on CAIS web site.)
• Download template for writing self-study report.
• Orient the faculty, board and staff to the
  self-study.
• Appoint and train all committees.
• Compile data for introduction and statistical
  supplement.
• Clarify school philosophy, mission, and goals for
  students.
• Review progress from last self-study.

7
Year of Visit

• PRIOR TO DECEMBER 1
• Complete the Self Study (due by December 1)
• Gather and analyze data based on CAIS/WASC
  standards and criteria.
• Determine areas of improvement.
• Synthesize all information/evidence.
• Establish follow-up process.
• Compile and edit final copy.
• Mail hard copy of self-study to each visiting
  committee member by December 1.
• Submit self-study on CD to CAIS and WASC offices
  by December 1.
• Arrange visit schedule, housing, etc., in
  cooperation with visiting committee chair.

8

• JANUARY 15 MARCH 15
• During the visit, the steering committee chair
  should oversee details of the visit in
  conjunction with the visiting committee chair.

9

• APRIL - JUNE
• Receive visiting committee report from CAIS and
  submit any clarifications to CAIS prior to
  meetings of the Boards of Standards.
• Revise action plan to incorporate recommendations
  from visiting committee and submit revised action
  plan to CAIS and WASC by June 30.
• Implement action plan coordinated by a follow-up
  committee. The committees work over the next few
  years will be the basis for the Progress
  Reports.
• CAIS Boards of Standards and the WASC Commission
  meet to review report and assign term.
• Notification to school of term of accreditation.

10
Steering Committee
The entire staff and representatives of the
school community are involved in the preparation
of the self-study, which is accomplished over a
period of months. The steering committee works
to gather and compile the data used for the
self-study.
11
Steering Committee Structure

• There is flexibility in the steering committee
  structure. The number and size are dependent on
  the size and structure of the school.
• Sample structures include
• A committee for each chapter of the self-study.
• A committee for each subject area or grade level.

12
Self-Study Coordinator

• Your school should appoint a self-study
  coordinator. This individual serves as chair of
  the steering committee. S/he works closely with
  the head of school to facilitate completion of
  each step in the accreditation process.
• Responsibilities
• Oversees preparation of self-study.
• Performs the final edits to the self-study
  report.
• Serves as the main point of contact with the
  visiting committee chair.
• TIP Download the checklist of self-study
  coordinator from www.caisca.org.

13
Self-Study Coordinator GuidelinesPrior to the
Visit

• Task 1
• Prepare to facilitate the self-study and
  accreditation process.
• Course of Action
• Review the report of the previous visiting
  committee. Make certain that a response will
  be given for major recommendations.
• Establish a calendar for receipt of draft and
  final committee reports.
• Budget for the accreditation visit.

14

• Task 2
• Orient the school staff to the self-study and
  the accreditation process.
• Course of Action
• Establish the school committees and train
  committee chairs.
• Establish calendar for receipt of drafts and
  final reports.
• Arrange for the duplication of the necessary
  forms.

15

• Task 3
• Consult with visiting committee chair.
• Course of Action
• Discuss the basic format of the study.
• Establish a time schedule for the visit
  including meetings with school
  constituencies, (i.e., board, parent
  association, et cetera.)

16

• Task 4
• Make arrangements for the visiting committee.
• Course of Action
• Make housing and transportation arrangements
  for the visiting committee.
• Prepare a list of nearby restaurants and offer
  to make reservations.
• Arrange work area and administrative support
  for visiting committee, including technical
  support, (i.e., laptop hook- ups, printers,
  et cetera.)

17

• Task 5
• Distribute self-study report prior to visit.
• Course of Action
• Send a hard copy of the report to each member
  of the visiting committee by December 1.
• Send CAIS and WASC a CD of your self-study by
  December 1.
• Note Only supplementary materials should be
  submitted in hard copy. DO NOT send on-site
  exhibit material. Submit in hard copy only those
  materials designated append in the manual that
  are not available electronically.

18
During the Visit

• Task 6
• Assist visiting committee.
• Course of Action
• Facilitate schedule for visiting committee,
  making certain meetings with groups are held
  as planned.
• Provide exhibit materials in the committees
  working area.
• Make additional provisions for meetings with
  various committees and groups if the working
  area is limited in size.
• Assist visiting committee with technical
  support, if needed.

19
After the Visit

• Task 7
• Provide immediate follow-up to accreditation
  visit.
• Course of Action
• Complete evaluation documents on the work of
  the chair and the visiting committee and
  return to CAIS and WASC.
• Establish a follow-up committee that will
  facilitate the review and implementation of
  the schools action plan and the visiting
  committees recommendations.
• Send one hard copy of the modified action plan
  to the CAIS and one hard copy to the WASC
  offices.

20
Writing the Self-Study Document
CAIS provides a downloadable self-Study report
template on our Web site. This document includes
detailed instructions for completing each section
of the report. The self-study report should
accurately reflect the schools assets and
strengths, its weaknesses and needs, and its
priorities for improvement. While the report
generally reflects consensus, no attempt should
be made to eliminate dissenting opinion that is
not resolved in the self-study process.
21
Formatting the Self-Study Document

• The self-study should be easy to use and
  understand.
• The size of the report should be kept to a
  minimum more is not better.
• Pages should be numbered, and tabs and/or colored
  inserts used to facilitate the work of the
  visiting committee.
• On-site exhibits should not be included unless
  requested however, they should be available to
  the committee at the time of the visit.

TIP Download the self-study report template
from www.caisca.org.
22
Ten Steps Toward a Successful Study
The following are suggested steps to follow in
conducting and writing a good self-study 1.
Develop an introduction Write an introduction
that will give the visiting committee an overview
of the school. 2. Develop, refine or clarify
school philosophy, mission, and goals for
students.? This is best done 18 months in
advance of the visit.? Your goals should be
derived from your mission and reflect the
leadership of the professional staff and a
discussion involving wider constituencies in the
school.
23
3. Summarize progress on major recommendations
from the previous full self-study. Copy each
recommendation and provide a short, narrative
description of action taken. 4. Discuss the
CAIS/WASC standards and criteria to be applied
for each chapter to decide what evidence will be
needed. 5. Gather and analyze evidence about the
quality of the school program and operations
relating it to the CAIS/WASC standards and
criteria to be applied for each chapter.
Evidence included in the self-study. Evidence
available on-site.
24
6. Determine areas that need improvement in order
to meet the CAIS/WASC standards and criteria more
fully.Add any other areas that the school wants
to address in the coming years. 7. Summarize
findings in each of the chapter areas, using the
CAIS/WASC standards/criteria and school
philosophy, mission, and goals for students as
the backdrop for your discussion. 8. Develop an
action plan that will address the areas of need
identified by your self-study.The plan should
be concrete and realistic, given school resources.
25
9. Develop school-wide consensus on the action
plan. The goal is to develop a broad commitment
to addressing the needs identified in the
self-study. 10. Establish your process for
ongoing monitoring and accomplishment of the
action plan.
26
Terms of Accreditation
Self Study Chapters
Commendations and Recommendations
Major Commendations and Recommendations
Visiting Committee Rating
Recommended Term of Accreditation
27
Possible Terms of Accreditation

• CAIS/WASC terms of accreditation are granted to
  schools based on the schools success at
  implementing the recommendations of past visiting
  committee and their probability of success at
  fulfilling their current action plan.
• There are four possible terms of accreditation
• A term of 6 years
• A term of 6 years with a review
• A term of 3 years
• A term of 1 or 2 years

28
6 Years
Term Explanation
6 Years A term of six years with a written progress report on the major recommendations and action plan contained in the visiting committee report. The report is to be reviewed and accepted by the schools board of trustees.
Interpretation The school has demonstrated the
ability to be self-monitoring and requires
little, if any, additional support in the
implementation and accomplishment of the
recommendations and action plan.
29
6 Years with a Review
Term Explanation
6 Years with a review A term of six years with a written progress report on the major recommendations and action plan, and a one-day on-site review completed no later than the third year of the six-year term. The report is to be reviewed and accepted by the schools board of trustees.
Interpretation The school requires additional
support and feedback in meeting the
recommendations and fulfilling the action
plan. Note Following the one-day visit, the
review committee may recommend no additional
action, an additional progress report or a change
to the length of term.
30
3 Years
Term Explanation
3 Years A term of three years with either (1) a written progress report on the major recommendations and action plan, or (2) a written progress report on the major recommendations and action plan plus re-submission of specific chapters of the self-study, or (3) resubmission of the entire self-study. Options 1 and 2 will require a one-day visit and option 3 will require a full accreditation visit.
Interpretation The school requires strong
additional support, feedback and encouragement in
the implementation and accomplishment of the
major recommendations and action plan.
31
1 or 2 Years
Term Explanation
1 or 2 Years A term of one or two years with a progress report on the major recommendations and action plan, and a one-day visit. This term serves as a warning that, unless prompt and sustained attention is given, accreditation may be denied.
Interpretation The school requires extremely
strong additional support, feedback and
encouragement in fulfilling the major
recommendations and action plan. Note
Following the revisit, the committee may
recommend an additional one or two years to bring
the term up to three years. At that time, the
school will prepare another progress report or
self-study and another visit will be made. The
committee may also recommend denial of
accreditation.
32
Denial
In rare instances, it may be necessary for CAIS
and WASC to deny accreditation. This action is
taken when the visiting committee deems the
school unable to fulfill the major
recommendations and implement the action plan.