Preparing for Peer Review Visit

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Preparing for Peer Review Visit
Illinois North Central Association University of
Illinois 616 East Green St., Suite 201 Champaign,
IL 61820 217-333-1120
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Greetings From

• Susie Morrison, State Director
• Illinois NCA CASI State Office
• University of Illinois
• Smorriso_at_uillinois.edu
• Dick Spohr, NCA Ambassador
• 21712 Oak Road
• Atwater, IL 62572
• dspohr_at_motion.net
• Mark Elgart, CEO
• AdvancED
• Decatur, Georgia
• 
  

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Housekeeping Matters

• Adult Learning Experience
• Open Participation By All
• Creature Comforts
• Relax And Enjoy

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Todays Conversation

• What is Regional Accreditation?
• Where does NCA fit into this?
• How are NCA member schools different?
• How do member schools retain accreditation?
• Standards?
• School improvement planning?
• External peer review?
• So, what is next for us?
• Other??????

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NCA CASI - SACS CASI - NSSE

• Regional to Global

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Unification SACS CASI and NCA CASI
ND
North Central
MN
SD
WI
WY
MI
DoDEA
NE
IA
IND.
IL
OH
IN
CO
NN
WV
KS
MO
OK
AR
AZ
NM
AZ
KY
VA
TN
NC
Southern
SC
GA
AL
MS
LA
TX
FL
Latin America

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Advancing Excellence in Education

• Unification of NCA CASI, SACS CASI, NSSE
• Together We
• Represent 23,000 public and non-public schools
• 30 States
• Navajo Nation
• Latin America
• Department of Defense
• 65 Countries
• Serve 15 million students
• Create the Worlds Largest Educational Community

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Advancing Excellence in Education

• Together we share a commitment to help schools
  and districts improve on behalf of their students
• Accreditation and school improvement services
  will
• Maximize student success
• Build school and system capacity
• Bring together research, best practices and
  resources
• Together we can and will serve as a leader for
  educational quality
• Powerful advocate with a national voice and
  international presence

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Benefits NCA CASI Membership Through AdvancED

• Mark of Quality
• High Quality Standards
• Proven Improvement Processes
• Means to Meet Requirements (Local, State,
  Federal)
• Professional Services
• Technical Assistance
• Peer Review and Support
• Research-Based Products and Services
• Publications, Resources, Tools, Websites
• Reciprocity and Access
• Resources and Best Practices Network

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Advancing Excellence in Education

• Core Services
• Accreditation (NCA, SACS)
• Pillars of Accreditation (High Standards,
  Continuous Improvement, Quality Assurance)
• Accreditation Process
• Professional Services (NCA, SACS, NSSE)
• Professional Development, Technical Assistance,
  Conferences, Consulting
• Research (NSSE)
• Publications, Resources, Tools, Education
  Research, Evaluation

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Think and Interpret

• Accreditation is an activity, not a status.
  Schools are accredited because of the way they
  move, not the way they stand.
• John A. Stoops
• Former Middle States Executive Director
• Elementary Schools
• First Executive Director, CITA

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Accreditation Process

• Beginning in 2007-2008 schools will be
  accredited on a
• Five Year Term
• On a continuous basis schools will
• Meet / exceed high quality standards
• Engage in continuous improvement
• Conduct periodic self - assessment
• Monitor standards, document results
• Receive and benefit from support and services
• Annual contact, expert assistance, resources,
  research, best practices, professional
  development
• Learn, share and network with colleagues
• Effective 2006-2007
• There is no annual on-line report

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Accreditation Process

• Every Five Years
• School prepares for and hosts a Quality Assurance
  Review Team
• AdvancED schedules the visit and assigns a
  qualified chair
• School completes and submits a Standards
  Assessment Report (within 6 weeks to 6 months of
  the visit)
• Two Years Following the Visit
• School submits an on-line Progress Report on the
  Quality Assurance Review Teams recommendations
• Five Years After the Visit
• School prepares for and hosts a Quality Assurance
  Review Team

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Accreditation Process
Submit Progress Report Two Years After the Visit

• Assess
• Learn
• Improve

Submit Standards Assessment Report 6 Weeks 6
Months Prior to the Visit
Every Five Years, Host a Quality Assurance
Review Team
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Three Pillars of Accreditation

• Accredited Schools Must
• Meet high standards
• Engage in continuous improvement
• Demonstrate quality assurance

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AdvancED Standards for Quality Schools

• Comprehensive statements
• of quality practices and conditions
• that research and best practice indicate
• are necessary for schools to achieve
• quality student performance and
• organizational effectiveness
• Standards are based on research and systemically
  connected

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AdvancED Accreditation Standards for Quality
Schools

• Beginning in 2007-2008
• Vision and Purpose
• Governance and Leadership
• Teaching and Learning
• Documenting and Using Results
• Resources and Support Systems
• Stakeholder Communications and Relationships
• Commitment to Continuous Improvement

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Continuous Improvement

• An accredited school
• makes the commitment and demonstrates the
  capacity to engage in ongoing improvement
• Educators possess a can do attitude and
• have the competence and confidence to succeed
• are motivated by professional challenge and
  achievement
• have high expectations for themselves and
  students
• are willing to create, experiment, innovate, and
  try new things
• Educators build their capacity to improve
• develop knowledge, understanding and skills
• create a supportive organizational culture and
  conditions

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Continuous Improvement

• An accredited school
• Has the responsibility and flexibility to
  identify and implement an improvement process
• The process should.
• meet the standards
• focus on improvement of student learning and
  school effectiveness
• satisfy local, state, federal improvement
  requirements
• allow the school to engage in one improvement
  initiative
• be implemented in a systematic and systemic
  manner
• be implemented in a culture of learning and
  collaboration
• be comprehensive
• address the four elements of continuous
  improvement

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Continuous Improvement Process Elements
What future are you pursuing ?
What have you accomplished?

What is your current reality ?
Monitor and Adjust
PLAN
What actions will you take to improve ?

• I

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Continuous Improvement

• Process Flexibility
• NSSE Breakthrough School Improvement
• NCA Performance Accreditation (8 phase)
• NSSE Focus On Student Performance
• NCA Transitions
• High Schools That Work
• Baldrige Integrated Management System
• Strategic Planning Models
• State Initiated Frameworks
• Etc.

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Quality Assurance

• External Peer Review Visit At end of an
  improvement cycle. Documentation of
  successes.
• Assurance Review (QAR) Once every 5
  years. Anytime during continuous improvement.

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QUALITY ASSURANCE Purpose for all NCA CASI
Visits

• Purpose 1
• Assist the school in improving the performance
  and success of its students!

• Purpose 2
• Assist NCA CASI in ensuring the publics trust by
  verifying that
• Standards are met
• A quality improvement process is in place
• Students are receiving a quality education

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Why Should I Host A Visit Now?
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End-of-Cycle Activities

• Document School Improvement Success
• Peer Review Visit
• Reporting Next Steps

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Document School Improvement Success

• Documentation Report Tell Your Story
• What worked?
• What didnt.
• What did the data tell you?

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Elephant in the RoomDATA

• In God We Trust.All others must bring data.

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School Visit Responsibilities

• Select team chair/members.
• Schedule visit advise NCA office of visit date.
• Prepare documentation report.
• Host the visit.
• Send documentation report to Illinois NCA.

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Next Steps

• Transition to next School Improvement cycle.

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Reactions? Concerns? Questions?
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APPENDIX
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• School Improvement Plan(SIP)

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SIP Components

• Assessments that will be used to document program
  improvement.
• Interventions that will be used to improve
  student performance.
• Professional Development needed to implement the
  interventions.
• Logistical/Action Plan that will support the
  implementation of the assessments, interventions
  and professional development.

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• Illinois NCA CASI
• Thanks you for participating!
• We are here to help you with your school
  improvement process.