Florida-Georgia District and National Lutheran School Accreditation

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Florida-Georgia District and National Lutheran
School Accreditation

• Initial Visit for the
• Ongoing Improvement Process
• Blank Lutheran School
• City, State
• Date

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Why NLSA Ongoing Improvement?

• Schools Identify Needs
• Clear Direction/Vision
• Continuity
• Students Grow
• Most of allGod is Glorified and His People are
  Blessed!

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Key Participants

• Administrator
• Teachers and Support Staff
• Lay Leaders
• Pastor
• School Parents
• Students
• NLSA Consultant Team Captain

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Who is Responsible for Managing the Process?

• The OI Steering Committee
• Names Subcommittee Members
• Establishes the Schedule
• Secures Materials and Supplies for Subcommittees
• Edits Subcommittee Reports
• Makes Final Decisions

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How Long Can the Process Take?

• The Team Visit must take place no fewer than nine
  months and no more than three years after
  application.

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What are the Key Components?

• General Information/School Profile Exhibits
• Standards Checklist
• School Improvement Plan
• Needs Assessment
• Goals, Objectives Strategies

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The Standards Checklist

• 18 Required Indicators of Success
• 167 General Indicators of Success
• Questions to Answer

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Sample Indicator (Standard) Statement

• 211 An effective public relations program
  communicates about the school to its constituents
  and to all segments of the community in which it
  is located.

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Examples of Indicators of Success that Must be
Met w/Out Exception

• 221 A developmentally appropriate teaching
  environment is evident.
• 303 The governing authority provides for
  grievance and due-process resolution procedures.
• 502 The written curriculum is evaluated
  regularly and appropriate changes are made to
  ensure student growth.

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The Standards Checklist Subcommittee

• Review, Adapt and Rate
• Met in Full
• Mostly Met
• Rarely Met
• Not Presently Met
• Write Explanatory Comments for Standards not Met
  in Full
• Write School Profile Summary
• Complete Work Before Other Subcommittees

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School Improvement Plan Subcommittee

• Oversees Needs Assessment Process
• Determines 3-7 Goals
• Oversees Committee Work on Each Goal
• Submits Developed Goals to Faculty first, and
  then to the Steering Committee

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Needs Assessment

• Identifying needs which, when fulfilled, will
  benefit students in your school.

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Conducting the Needs Assessment

• Review School Mission Statement
• Standardized Test Scores (and other testing
  measurements)
• Surveys (see samples)
• Teacher Interviews
• The Standards Checklist
• Others?

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The Ongoing Improvement Process

• Goals
• Objectives
• Strategies

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The Heart and Soul of Ongoing Improvement

• If Goals, Objectives and Strategies arent
  properly developed, the entire OI process is in
  jeopardy.

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GOAL

• A statement of a desired future condition that is
  consistent with the mission of your Church and
  School and NLSA standards, and is based upon the
  identified needs of the students.

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Remember

• Goals tell What the desired future is (Present
  Tense).
• Goals dont tell How to get there.
• Goals are not time-limited.

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GOALS

• Short Range Accomplished in less than three
  years.
• Long Range Accomplished in more than three years.

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What Do You Think?

• Students utilize and apply technology skills
  proficiently.
• Students benefit from parental and community
  involvement in the learning process.
• Students will score at or above the 70th
  percentile in mathematics on the SAT.

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• By January 15, 2010 a new procedure for morning
  drop-off will be instituted.
• Students and staff model a Christ-like attitude
  of servanthood.
• The school is consistently affirmed as a vital
  and vibrant mission of the congregation.
• Reading scores improve each year through Hooked
  on Phonics.

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ObjectivesAre Necessary Achievements or
Prerequisites for Accomplishing a Goal.

• Are Measurable.
• Are Time-Limited.
• They tell What must be done, but not How it is
  to be done.

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Goal The school is consistently affirmed as a
vital and vibrant mission of the congregation.

• O1 Develop Mission Statement for the
• Congregation by June 1, 2010.
• O2 Develop a Strategic Plan for Communicating
  Regularly to the Congregation by Sept. 1, 2010.
• O3 Clarify the Role of the School Ministry in
  the Mission of the Congregation by November,
  2010.
• O4 Develop and implement a plan to provide
  Mission Training to all existing and future
  staff members and lay church leaders by January
  1, 2011.

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Strategies are ideas, plans and action
steps that lead to reaching a stated goal.

• Strategies are all about How the Objectives will
  be met.
• Strategies are about Action!
• Strategies will eventually say Who is to do What
  by When.

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Goal The school is consistently affirmedas a
vital and vibrant mission of the congregation.

• O1 Develop Mission Statement for the
  Congregation by June 1, 2010

• S1 Principal Schmidt and School Board Director
  meet with Pastor and Cong. Pres. 1/10
• S2 Present to Parish Planning Council. 2/10
• S3 Establish Mission Discovery Task Force.
  3/10

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Other

• NLSA/FG District Accreditation is for 5 years
• There is NO Mid-Cyle Visit
• You are Required to Make a Presentation to the
  District Accreditation Commission at the
  Educators Conference in the year prior to your
  Accreditation Visit
• You May Wish to Seek Simultaneous SACS/CITA
  Accreditation

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More

• On-Going includes
• Annual Reports
• New Goals as Others are Accomplished
• Regular Progress Reporting to the School Board
• Levels of Accreditation
• Exemplary
• Accredited
• Provisional

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Important Contacts

• Consultants Name Here
• Consultants Email Address
• Consultants Phone Number
• Florida-Georgia District
• Mark Brink, Ex.Dir.School Ministries
• 877-457-5556 x3
• mbrink_at_flga-lcms.org
• Lynda Voss, Admin. Asst.
• lvoss_at_flga-lcms.org