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MIDDLE STATES ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLSCOMMISSIONS ON ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN

A Report of the Visiting Team for Accreditationby the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

ABC HIGH SCHOOL EAGLETON, INDIANA

FEB 9TH – 12TH, 2016

LESLIE KNOPE HEAD OF SCHOOL

RON SWANSONMSA VISITING TEAM CHAIR

3624 Market Street | 2 West | Philadelphia, PA 19104Telephone: (267) 284-5000 | FAX: (215) 662-0957

www.msa-cess.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 1

Organization for Growth and Improvement 3

Internal Coordinators 4

The Planning Team 5

Role of the School's Leadership and Governance 6

The Plan for Institutionalizing a Planning Ethic 7

The Plan for Communication and Awareness 9

The Plan for Periodic Reviews 10

Profile of the School 12

Profile of Student Performance 14

The School's Foundation Documents 16

Mission 16

Beliefs 17

Profile of Graduates 18

Profile of Organizational Capacity 22

Mission Standard 23

Governance and Leadership Standard 26

School Improvement Planning Standard 30

Finances Standard 33

Facilities Standard 36

School Organization and Staff Standard 39

Health and Safety Standard 42

Educational Program Standard 46

Assessment and Evidence of Student Learning Standard 49

Student Services Standard 52

Student Life and Student Activities Standard 56

Information Resources Standard 59

Plan for Growth and Improvement 62

Student Performance & Organizational Capacity Objectives and Action Plans 63

Accreditation Recommendation 76

Next Steps 77

Summary and Closure 78

Visiting Team Roster 83

INTRODUCTION

The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a non-governmental, nonprofit, peer-administered organization of diverse educational institutions committed to ensuring that students in accredited schools are receiving the highest quality education. Additionally, the Association seeks to ensure that accredited schools are engaged in continuous growth and improvement efforts through effective leadership, a comprehensive program of self-study, evaluation by peer educators external to the school, meeting the requirements for accreditation, exemplary programs, and supportive services. For more than 125 years, the Association has provided leadership in educational quality and school improvement for its member schools in the United States and around the world.

The school that is the subject of this report selected the Excellence by Design (ExBD) self-study and accreditation protocol. ExBD is an accreditation protocol that uses strategic planning as a vehicle for growth and improvement in student performance and in the school’s capacity to effect that growth. The protocol, developed by the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), links various planning and school growth and improvement efforts. Excellence by Design leads the school to establish objectives for improving student performance and organizational capacity based on its vision of a preferred future for its students. Therefore, Excellence by Design is a future-oriented and visionary process. In addition, the protocol provides for a continuous review of programs and services and of the results of student performance. It also allows diverse constituent groups to participate in charting the future of the institution. The purpose of Excellence by Design is to provide a framework and process to guide the school’s efforts to achieve excellence in student performance and to achieve accreditation by the Middle States Association. Excellence by Design also provides the framework for formally aligning all the work of the school to ensure that all of its efforts are coordinated and focused on achieving the school’s mission. It is expected that this framework will accomplish the following purposes:

● Development of a sense of community and common purpose among the school’s students and staff, and its community of stakeholders.

● A Plan for Growth and Improvement in student performance and the school’s capacity to produce the levels of student performance expected by the school and its community of stakeholders.

● Greater cooperation between all of the school’s stakeholders in identifying and implementing practices that have been demonstrated to lead to excellence in student performance and the organization’s capacity to produce the desired levels of student performance.

Most importantly, this framework intends to develop in the school’s community of stakeholders an understanding that the school is part of a larger community of learners and that this community has agreed upon, supports, and accepts responsibility for assisting the school in achieving its Mission, Profile of Graduates, and Plan for Growth and Improvement in student performance and organizational capacity. This learning community understands that, by working together to articulate and align its efforts, it can achieve higher levels of excellence in student performance.

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To be accredited through the Excellence by Design protocol, the school first must meet the 12 Middle States Association Standards for Accreditation. Second, the school, through a planning team of representatives from the school’s community stakeholders, must identify areas of student performance that are the highest priorities for growth and improvement, measurable performance objectives, and a plan for achieving the objectives. The plan must also include the school’s mission and the beliefs or core values that guide its decision making. The Middle States Visiting Team is a group of professional educators appointed by the Middle States Association to visit the school. The purpose of the Team’s visit is threefold. First, the Team determines whether the school meets the 12 Standards for Accreditation. Second, the Team determines if the school meets the requirements for a planning ethic and planning processes of the Excellence by Design protocol. Third, the Team reviews the content of the school’s Plan for Growth and Improvement in student performance to determine the validity and clarity of the Plan together with the level of commitment to implementing the Plan and achieving its objectives expressed by the school’s community of stakeholders.

NOTE TO THE READERS OF THIS REPORT Readers of this report must be aware that the report is written, in part, as the Team's response to the school's self-study. Therefore, if readers need to see the specific information and data to which this Report responds, they should read the applicable section(s) of the Self-Study Document.

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ORGANIZATION FOR GROWTH AND IMPROVEMENT

Introduction A sound planning ethic and planning process are every bit as critical to achieving a school's goals for growth in student performance and the school's capacity to effect that growth as is a plan rich in content. An effective planning ethic and process address the essential question: “Does the school have the capacity, the will, and the systematic structures required to implement its plan and achieve its goals?” A fine plan full of great activities is only as strong as the ability and willingness of the school and its stakeholders to implement it. While successful planning is reflective of an organization’s context and culture, it should be visionary in describing what an organization wants to become and pragmatic in specifying the steps to reach that goal. Successful planning for growth and change has been described as a delicate balance between brave steps forward and reassuring steps to the side; between the recognition of the need for growth and a celebration of what already exists that is good, steady, and/or certain; between the bold, frequently scary, visions of future possibilities and the comfort with past and present successes. When an institution seeks accreditation using the Excellence by Design protocol, it must commit to working toward establishing and maintaining a planning ethic within the school. A planning ethic means that planning for growth and improvement becomes part of what the school and its stakeholders do as much as providing programs, teaching, resources, services, and activities. A planning ethic requires continuous clarification of the school's unique mission, beliefs, profile of graduates, and student performance objectives. It requires that all of its processes are vision-driven. And it requires that the school is action-oriented by developing long-term strategic action plans that integrate programs, services, facilities, and support to address the school's growth needs. In the Excellence by Design protocol, the school also makes a commitment to continuous growth and improvement. The school and its stakeholders should demonstrate that they are never satisfied with the status quo in terms of student performance, but are striving constantly to improve that performance. The setting and striving to achieve challenging growth goals should become a dynamic process in which the school develops the flexibility to revise and modify its plans to achieve its goals based on the results received from implementing those plans. As part of the accreditation process, the school should review the results of its efforts at least annually and willingly open its processes and results to review by its peers in the Middle States Association. It is also essential for the school to commit to involving its stakeholders in meaningful ways in the setting of goals, developing plans to achieve and measure those goals, and the implementation of those plans. In a planning culture, the school strives to develop broad ownership of the planning process and the plan for growth and improvement by the entire community by ensuring broad based knowledge and understanding of and support for the goals and the plans to achieve them. In this section of its report, the Visiting Team provides observations and recommendations regarding the school’s Organization for Growth and Improvement based on what was seen and heard during the Team’s visit to the school.

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Leadership for Growth and Improvement The primary role of the leadership and governing body of the school—those in positions of authority and influence within the school—in the school improvement process is to serve as the “champions” for developing a planning ethic and the growth and improvement process. Strategic planning experts have long held that champions are extremely important to the success of planning for growth and improvement in any organization. Because the a major goal of the self-study and accreditation process is to ensure that the school has a vision and a plan to achieve the vision that is accepted and supported by all, leaders must communicate publicly, clearly, and often that:

● The planning process is important for the future of the school and its students, and● They will provide the leadership, resources, and support needed to make the process

and the plan successful. This critical role for leaders also applies to the heads and governing bodies of larger organizations of which the school may be a part. It is very difficult for an individual school within a larger system to plan strategically for improving student performance without the clear support and assistance of its parent organization. They, too, must “champion the cause.” It is also important for the head of the school and at least one representative of the governing body to serve, when appropriate, on the Planning Team. However, in this role, the leaders should serve as “equals among equals” by serving on the Team as members with the same authority and influence as all other members of the Team. This is often a difficult role to take, because education organizations are typically organized as hierarchies, and the leaders are often expected to make the decisions in a “top down” manner. However, if the goal is to identify a mission and plan to achieve it that is “owned” by all the stakeholders of the school, the mission and plan must be developed through a grass roots level—bottom up, rather than top down.

A. Internal Coordinators A required component of the protocol is the appointment of a team of Internal Coordinators. The primary functions of the Internal Coordinators are to:

● Coordinate the school’s planning process and development of a plan for growth in student performance.

● Oversee planning and preparation for the Visiting Team.● Prepare for the Mid-Term report● Provide the energy, enthusiasm, and expertise to move the process forward.

The Visiting Team observed: Excellent cohesion of a team of Internal Coordinators (IC) IC team was mutually supportive and very communicative, helping to power the MSA

process

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The IC team was dedicated and committed to the process of the MSA self-study process – their desire for success was very evident

The Board and Administration appears very supportive of and interconnected with the IC team, providing the assistance needed to carry out the monumental task of the MSA self-study process

The IC team did an excellent job of completing the self-study with ample time ahead of the MSA visit so that the Visiting Team would have an abundance of time to review the entire document

Communications ahead of the visit with the Visiting Team regarding the schedule, the hotel accommodations, the menus, etc. were prompt, clear, concise and helpful

It did appear to the Visiting Team that the current Head of School is extremely involved with the IC team as part of the MSA self-study, perhaps due to the recent changes in the Internal Coordinators team, as well as the HOS changes

During the visit, the IC team was attentive and committed, however without input from the HOS when she fell ill, the IC team communication was less confident

The Visiting Team recommends: The IC team should re-evaluate their roles in moving forward towards the long term

planning and carrying out of the action plans so that the all members can work confidently and effectively without continued direct HOS instruction

B. The Planning Team A major commitment the school makes when seeking accreditation is to include a varied spectrum of the school's stakeholders in the process of continually defining a preferred vision, in developing the means to get closer to that vision, and in implementing the action plans developed by these stakeholders. In summary, it is expected that the Planning Team will be given the authority, resources, and support to:

● Develop the vision for the school by creating or reaffirming a statement of mission● Develop a set of beliefs to serve as the ethical code for the institution● Develop a profile of the knowledge, skills, and qualities the institution expects of its

graduates.● Identify the areas of student performance that are the priorities for growth and

improvement● Oversee development of the action plans to achieve the performance objectives● Monitor implementation of the action plans● Conduct a periodic review of the progress being made to achieving the objectives

The protocol requires that the Planning Team includes a varied spectrum of the school's community of stakeholders. Because Middle States’ member institutions are so varied in type and situation, Middle States does not prescribe what groups constitute a school's stakeholders. This is a local decision. However, the school's leadership and the Planning Team will be expected to provide a rationale for the composition of the Planning Team.

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Because the school is committing itself to developing a planning ethic and a culture of continuous improvement, the Planning Team should be institutionalized. The institution must find ways to integrate the work of the Planning Team into the culture of the school and the work of the school. In most cases, this will require a concerted effort and the opening to examination of how the institution thinks about institutional growth and improvement and who is responsible to lead it. The Visiting Team observed: The Planning Team (PT) was comprised of a combination of ABC teachers,

administration, parents, and board members The PT was extremely familiar with the culture of the school and the school’s mission The Visiting Team observed that the PT was consistent in their efforts and dedicated to

carrying out the process of self-investigation The Visiting Team saw that the PT represented the dynamic culture of the school and

brought together many different stakeholders The self-study listed the last PT meeting in Feb 2015 – initially this seemed inconsistent

with the communications of the leadership team and PT regarding regular meetings – however, this was explained as being due to the larger planning team being broken down into smaller core groups as of Feb 2015 and the smaller groups carried on until the MSA visit

It was also observed that the PT was a bit administratively heavy and included less teacher and student opportunity for input

The Visiting Team recommends: The Planning Team should work closely with the IC team to monitor the implementation

of action plans over the next few years to be sure to be prepared for the Mid-Term Report The PT should consider re-grouping when moving forward to include more student and

teacher involvement C. Role of the School’s Leadership and Governance It is a school's formal leaders—those in positions of authority and influence within the school—who should serve as the primary “champions” for the planning process and the Plan for Growth and Improvement. Strategic planning experts have long held that champions are extremely important to the success of planning. Because a goal of the self-study and accreditation process is to develop a vision and a plan to achieve it that is accepted and supported by the entire community of the school, the school's leaders and governing body must communicate clearly and often that this process is important for the future of the school and its students, and that they will provide the leadership, resources, and support needed to make the process and the plan successful. The Visiting Team observed:

The Head of School, the Secondary School & Elementary principals, as well as the Dean

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of Students exhibited extreme dedication to the MSA self-study process This admin team exhibited a clear desire that the school would learn and grow from this

MSA process The Chair of the Board of Trustees demonstrated extreme passion towards the continued

improvement of ABC and its academics The Leadership & Governance worked very closely with the IC and PT to make the MSA

self-study a living and dynamic process of growth The Leadership & Governance of the school has committed the financial means

necessary to carry the school towards its goals As mentioned before, the Visiting Team observes that the IC team and PT appear to be

administratively heavy The Visiting Team recommends: It is suggested that the Leadership & Governance teams empower more teachers and

students to become more actively involved in the Plan for Growth & Improvement as the action plans move forward towards the 7 year goals

D. The Plan for Institutionalizing a Planning Ethic A sound planning ethic is critical to achieving the school’s mission, its objectives for growth and improvement in student performance and organizational capacity, and to its capacity to effect the intended growth. An effective planning ethic addresses the essential question: “Does the school and its community of stakeholders have the capacity, the will, and the systematic structures and processes required to develop and implement its plan and achieve its objectives?” A fine plan full of great activities is only as strong as the ability and willingness of the school and its stakeholders to implement it. While successful planning is reflective of the school’s context and culture, it should be visionary in describing what the school and its stakeholder community want for their students and pragmatic in specifying the steps to reach that goal. Successful planning for growth and improvement has been described as a delicate balance between brave steps forward and reassuring steps to the side; between the recognition of the need for growth and a celebration of what already exists that is good, steady, and/or certain; between the bold, frequently scary, visions of future possibilities and the comfort with past and present successes. When a school seeks accreditation using the Excellence by Design protocol, it must commit to working toward establishing and sustaining a planning ethic within the school. A planning ethic means that planning for growth and improvement becomes part of what the school and its community of stakeholders do as much as teaching, and providing programs, resources, services, and activities. A planning ethic requires continuous clarification of the community’s unique mission, beliefs, profile of graduates, and student and organizational performance goals. It requires that all of its processes are vision-driven. And it requires that the community is action-oriented by developing and implementing long-term, strategic action plans that integrate programs, services, facilities, and support to address the school’s growth objectives.

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In the Excellence by Design protocol, the school also makes a commitment to continuous growth and improvement. The school and its stakeholders should demonstrate that they are never satisfied with the status quo in terms of how their students perform but are striving constantly to improve the levels of performance. The setting of and striving to achieve challenging growth objectives should become a dynamic process in which the school develops the flexibility to revise and modify its plans to achieve its objectives based on the results received from implementing those plans. As part of the accreditation process, the school must review the results of its efforts periodically and open its processes and results willingly to review by its peers in the Middle States Association. A planning ethic also requires the school to commit to involving its stakeholders in meaningful ways in the setting of objectives, developing plans to achieve and measure those objectives, and the implementation of those plans. In a planning culture, the school strives to develop broad ownership of both the planning process and the Plan for Growth and Improvement by the entire community by ensuring broad based knowledge and understanding of and support for the objectives and the plans to achieve them. A planning ethic that provides significant roles for the stakeholders of the school also has the effect of sharing among the stakeholders responsibility for the success of any planning for growth and improvement. Excellence by Design builds such roles and responsibilities into the self-study and planning processes. Therefore, if implemented faithfully, Excellence by Design can provide the school with the vehicle it needs to build sustainability into its planning for growth and improvement, because ownership of and responsibility for the success of the planning process and the plan for growth and improvement no longer rest with one person (the head of the school) but with all of the school’s stakeholders. The Visiting Team observed: The school has set semi-annual & annual goals for each Student Performance Objective

and Organizational Capacity Goal as a means of staying on top of the implementation and carrying out of their school improvement plans

Each action plan has a dedicated committee to help carry out the annual goals The external and internal assessments of measurement are clearly laid out and

designated for collecting the baseline data and future data The school has a “Centralized Data Collection” person to help with data record keeping

and analyzing, as reported by the HOS The IC team and PT state there is a specific calendar planning tool for scheduling all

meetings to come regarding action plans

The Visiting Team recommends: The calendar development of dates for the meetings for MSA goals should be specially

assigned as a job duty within a leadership role, so as to be carried out regardless of the individual holding the chosen position

The Visiting Team recommends developing action plan checkpoints for all goals that go beyond 2018, since the 7 year term will take them to 2023

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E. The Plan for Communication and Awareness An important factor in increasing the likelihood that a school will achieve the goals it has set in its Plan for Growth and Improvement is to ensure broad ownership of the planning process and the Plan for Growth and Improvement across the entire school and its stakeholder community. This is accomplished by ensuring broad based knowledge and understanding of and support for the school’s performance objectives and the plans to achieve them. Therefore, an important element of the planning process is communicating with the school’s staff, students, governing board, and other stakeholders to ensure they are aware of the requirements of the Excellence by Design protocol, the school’s planning process, Mission, objectives, action plans and, eventually, its accomplishments as it implements its plan. The communication process should include means for obtaining from the members of the school’s stakeholder community input and feedback regarding the products of the planning process (i.e., mission, objectives, action plans). Stakeholders cannot support and take ownership in what the school is doing unless they first know about it and are invited to join in the process. The primary purpose of communication is to develop a critical mass within the school’s community of stakeholders with knowledge about, understanding of, and support for the planning process and the Plan for Growth and Improvement in student learning and the organization’s capacity to produce learning at the level expected. The Visiting Team observed: The entire ABC community appeared to be very aware of the MSA visit and

corresponding self-study Students, parents, staff and board members were all very knowledgeable about MSA –

who & what the MSA process was all about The school website, newsletters and TV monitors displayed information regarding MSA It was unclear to the Visiting Team which survey results were considered for the self-

study (2013 vs. 2015), and how/when these surveys were administered – this was due to a change in the HOS and IC team during the preparation for the MSA visit – this was eventually cleared up

The raw survey data (in the form of comments) was not immediately available to the Visiting Team, until asked for, but was then provided in entirety

The IC team chose only certain comments to be included in the self-study document It was concerning to the Visiting Team why the raw survey data seemed to be incomplete

until requested several times

The Visiting Team recommends: It is recommended that when moving forward with other MSA documentation that all the

narrative comments be included in the self-study and simply allow the Visiting Team to sort through both the positive and constructive comments - including all data and comments will better allow the Visiting Team to provide constructive feedback and to support the school in embracing any obstacles they may be facing as opportunities for growth

In their self-stated “culture of accountability”, the school could consider sharing all raw

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survey data with the entire staff and leadership team as a means of professional development and growth

F. The Plan for Periodic Reviews of the Plan for Growth and

Improvement In order to institutionalize a planning ethic, continuous growth and improvement in student and organizational performance must become a way of life within the school. It must be an ongoing, dynamic, and “evergreen” process. It is expected and required that the Plan for Growth and Improvement that is developed and presented for accreditation will be implemented faithfully over the length of the accreditation term. Consequently, it should be anticipated, and it should be expected that implementing the activities of the action plans and gathering the results of the assessments used to measure the student and organizational performance objectives will indicate there is a need to revise the action plans regularly based on what is working and what is not. Therefore, the Excellence by Design protocol includes the requirement that the school conducts formal reviews of the action plans and the progress being made toward achieving the performance objectives and that reviews are conducted periodically but, as a minimum, at least once annually. The Visiting Team observed: The stakeholders responsible for conducting periodic reviews of the action plans are

made up primarily of administrators, principals, department heads, elementary leaders and curriculum coordinators

The action plans will be reviewed annually, with data being collected and analyzed at the start of every school year

ABC states that they will use the recommendations of the Visiting Team in Feb 2016 to re-evaluate their action plans; and then also review the plans annually up until the time of the mid-term review to re-evaluate any changes that need to be implemented into the goals

The department heads and elementary leaders will develop and distribute internal benchmark tests to be given annually to students to help collect data for the goals stated in the plan for growth and improvement

The external assessments will be administered annually, and results analyzed to further support their progress towards their stated goals

The Visiting Team recommends: None THE VISITING TEAM’S RECOMMENDED MONITORING ISSUES

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Recommended Monitoring Issues: In this section, the Team lists any aspects of the school's organization and processes for implementing its Plan for Growth and Improvement that require ongoing monitoring. Monitoring Issues refer to requirements that are not completely absent but that are met only partially and are either in need of completion or improvement. Monitoring issues must be addressed satisfactorily by the mid-term of the school’s accreditation.

Requirement of the Protocol Recommended Action

NONE

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THE PROFILE OF THE SCHOOL

The Profile of the School describes the school and the context in which the school exists and does its work. It presents a portrait of the school’s community(ies) and the “distinctive personality” and the unique characteristics of the school. The Profile presents contextual information that establishes a “developmental snapshot” of where the school is in its efforts to achieve its Mission and to ensure the highest levels of student performance. The Profile of the School includes information and data that describe the school and the context in which the school exists. The Profile also helps the school and its community of stakeholders understand the school’s Mission, and describes the opportunities for and challenges to the school as it seeks to achieve its Mission. The Profile includes descriptions of the:

● Community, its schools, and its traditions;● History of the school;● Social and economic characteristics of the community, its constituencies, and its

schools;● Climate for teaching and learning in the school;● Number and qualifications of the professional and support staffs; and,● Number and characteristics of the student population.

The data and information contained in the Profile of the School are not evaluated by the Visiting Team. Instead, the Profile serves two purposes:

● To ensure that the members of the Planning Team have a common knowledge base about the history and current status of the school in those areas on which the accreditation of the school will focus; and

● To “introduce” members of the Visiting Team to the school, and as such, the Profile provides one of the lenses through which Team members will view and evaluate the school. Thus, the Profile section should provide sufficient information about the school and its students’ performance to build and enhance Team members’ awareness and understanding of the total milieu in which the school exists and operates.

Readers of this report are advised to read it in conjunction with the Self-Study Document prepared by the school. The Self-Study Document provides the information and data the Visiting Team uses as the starting point for its evaluation of the school. Therefore, not all of the details included in the Self-Study Document are repeated in the Team's report. THE VISITING TEAM'S OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS – PROFILE OF THE SCHOOL Observations In this section, the Visiting Teams shares any general observations and/or areas of strength regarding the school’s Profile of the School and how the Profile defines the school and its priorities for improving student performance.

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As of Feb 2016, the enrollment as ABC is historically higher than it has ever been – at 804 students – this is reportedly due to a fluctuation of new families to the island due to new tax laws, in addition to students coming to ABC from other local schools due a newly enriched reputation and word of mouth of current ABC parents

According to the Admissions Director, ABC has set an enrollment cap of 850, which allows for a maximum of 17 in any classroom at a given time

Although the enrollment is predicted to balance out, the current applicant pool for the 2016-2017 school year appears to be very healthy

ABC has a diverse staff who is highly educated – the majority of staff members have Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degrees in their area of expertise

ABC does not keep demographic records for their staff There appeared to be high staff turnover for instructional staff 3 years ago (66%

changeover), however that statistic is half of that now (33% changeover) – this is contributed to a change in the leadership of the school and a large push for improved staff communication and professional development

Recommendations In this section, the Visiting Team lists any recommendations how the school can capitalize on or respond to the Profile of the School to improve its efforts to achieve its Mission and to achieve its Plan for Growth and Improvement. Recommendations are suggestions and ideas of the Visiting Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them.

If student enrollment continues to rise and grows closer to the cap, the school should seriously reconsider how to address admissions procedures to carefully select from a healthy applicant pool for the selection of mission-appropriate students

The Leadership & Governance team should be careful to budget accordingly, in advance, for additional staff and space allotments for larger student numbers

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PROFILE OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE The Profile of Student Performance includes the following information and data that describe the levels of student performance on assessments that are most respected by the members of the school’s community of stakeholders, valued by the school’s professional staff, and/or required by the state or federal governments. The Profile includes:

● Data for standardized academic assessments.● Data for school-based academic assessments.● Data for achievement indicators such as graduation rate, college rigorous courses,

college acceptance, etc.● Data for citizenship measures such as attendance, promptness, discipline, etc.● Data for state academic assessments, if applicable.

Collecting and tracking data that describe how well the school’s students are performing in the areas that are normally used by the school’s community of stakeholders to determine if the school is accomplishing its mission is important for the following reasons:

● The school needs these data to determine if it is making progress toward achieving its mission;

● The school needs these data to determine if its graduates are meeting the expectations expressed in the school’s Profile of Graduates;

● The school needs these data to help it determine in which areas of student performance there are the largest gaps between what is expected and how student are performing and, therefore, what the focus of the school’s Plan for Growth and Improvement should be.

THE VISITING TEAM'S OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS – PROFILE OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Observations In this section, the Visiting Team shares any general observations and/or areas of strength regarding the school’s Profile of Student Performance and how the profile defines the school and its priorities for improving student performance.

The median percentile results for standardized tests at ABC are exceptionally high and impressive across the board – all results are on the average above the 50th percentile

ABC AP scores are impressively high, with 87% of students scoring 3’s or higher Results of all internal benchmark tests are deemed as being “Satisfactory” across the

board For students in grades 9-12, the average GPA is 3.5 or above An exceptionally high amount of juniors and seniors enroll in and pass Honors Courses –

up to 97% 100% of all ABC graduates are reported to be attending 4 year universities The list of colleges that ABC graduates are attending is extensive The number of suspensions are very low – expulsions are zero – students agree there

are little to no discipline problems at ABC

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Students, parents staff express continued appreciation for the school and its efforts in academics and character building

The school is very academically focused and supplies the students with an excellent foundation for college

As stated in the Profile of a Graduate, ABC students do appear to be “critical thinkers and life-long learners” – the students themselves stated, unsolicited, many times, how much they appreciate the opportunities that ABC has provided for them, in and out of the classroom

Additionally stated in the Profile of a Graduate, the ABC students are “excellent communicators” in a bilingual capacity and very engaged in many activities and clubs that connect them to their local community and the world beyond

Recommendations In this section, the Visiting Team lists any recommendations how the school can capitalize on or respond to the Profile of Student Performance to improve its efforts to achieve its Mission and to achieve its Plan for Growth and Improvement. Recommendations are suggestions and ideas of the Visiting Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them.

None

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THE SCHOOL’S FOUNDATION DOCUMENTS:MISSION, BELIEFS, AND PROFILE OF GRADUATES

The foundation for an effective plan for improving student performance and the organization's capacity to achieve the levels of performance desired and expected is established by the school's Mission, Beliefs, and Profile of Graduates. These foundational documents answer the following questions:

● What is our vision for a better future for the children of our school?● What beliefs or core values will guide our journey?● What will our students have to know, be able to do, and to demonstrate for us to

achieve our mission?

A. MISSION A school’s Mission should reflect the deepest desires of the school’s community of stakeholders for what they want the school to become—its future in terms of what it will do for its students. The mission expresses what the adults in the school community commit themselves to doing for the benefit of the students. A mission statement should describe in broad and visionary terms what the school is striving to become. A mission should be outcome-based, providing clarity regarding the school’s audience (whom it serves), its action (what it commits to doing for its audience), its aim (the purposes for which it exists), and its means (how, in broad terms, it will achieve its purposes). It is not appropriate for a Visiting Team to determine whether the school’s Mission is the right or wrong mission for the school or a good or bad mission. Nor is it appropriate for the Team to require changes to the Mission. A Visiting Team will, however, offer an objective perspective regarding whether any elements of the Mission are unclear or seem inconsistent or incomplete. The Team will also try to ascertain whether the school's community of stakeholders support the Mission and are “walking the talk.” It is then for the school to decide if the Team’s comments are legitimate and relevant. It is in this spirit that the following observations on the school’s mission. The school's Mission is: “ABC High School’s dynamic learning environment fosters the discovery of individual talents and develops students with integrity and compassion who will shape a changing world.” What is the aim or purpose of the school as stated in the Mission?

The aim of ABC to help develop well-rounded, dynamic, caring, global citizens who are critical thinkers and use their intelligence to better themselves and the world around them What is the means the school will use to accomplish it Mission?

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A rigorous academic environment with well-developed vertical and horizontal curriculum mapping

A caring supportive school atmosphere Talented and well-educated staff members An active embrace of all stakeholders and an appreciation for their differences A passionate and dedicated leadership team who supplies continual support To what extent do the school’s stakeholders know, understand, and support the school’s Mission?

100% in all aspects The founding documents are posted in a very professional manner in almost every room

on the campus B. BELIEFS Statements of belief serve as the foundation of a strong strategic plan. They are the formal expression of a school’s fundamental values and serve as its ethical code. Beliefs describe the moral character of a school. In a planning process involving diverse stakeholder groups, they represent the composite of the personal values held by individual planning team members. Because beliefs are a matter of faith, not a matter of fact, they express the school’s overriding convictions, its inviolate commitments. They outline what members of the school’s community of stakeholders are willing to “go to the mat” defending. Because beliefs identify the “line in the sand,” they can be used as a lens through which to examine the worthiness of the school’s potential decisions or future actions. Only members of the school community can identify their deeply held beliefs. A Visiting Team can, however, offer an objective perspective on what is unclear or seems inconsistent or incomplete in the school’s Beliefs. Ultimately, however, it is the school that has to decide if the Team’s comments are legitimate and relevant. It is in this spirit that the following observations on the school’s Beliefs are made. The school's Beliefs are:

Core Values Strive for excellence in all we do. Discover, nurture and advance individual abilities and talents. Embrace the importance of cultural diversity. Cultivate leadership. Foster intellectual curiosity and a passion for lifelong learning. Promote creativity and innovative teaching. Inspire our students to take risks and overcome challenges. Encourage resourcefulness, resilience and tenacity as critical skills for success. Hold ourselves accountable for making a positive impact on the world.

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To what degree do the school’s Beliefs meet the criteria of the Excellence by Design protocol? If they do not meet the criteria, explain why. The Core Values of ABC are extremely appropriate for their community and exceed the expectations of the criteria set by MSA. How well do the school’s Beliefs represent what the Team heard from the school’s stakeholders? The Visiting Team saw and heard a 100% representation of these core values while visiting ABC. Numerous staff, students and parents communicated examples of how these values are inherently involved in the school’s atmosphere. To what extent do the school’s stakeholders know, understand, and support the school’s Beliefs of core values?

100% in all aspects The founding documents are posted in a very professional manner in almost every room

on the campus C. PROFILE OF GRADUATES The Profile of Graduates provides the answer to the following question: When our students have completed our entire educational program and have had the benefit of the services and activities provided by the institution and its community:

● What do we expect them to know?● What do we expect them to be able to do with what they know?● What qualities or characteristics do we want them to demonstrate?

A Profile of Graduates:

● Describes the students at the point of exit from the institution.● States the values, achievement, and readiness that each student will manifest upon

graduation.● Should be considered both as a Bill of Rights and set of corresponding responsibilities

for students, faculty, staff, administration, and the institution’s community.● Defines the outcomes each and every student will attain if the mission is operative and

appropriately translated into programs and services. A Profile of Graduates serves to:

● Translate the identity, vision, and values expressed in the beliefs and mission into statements that describe student outcomes.

● Translate and transform concepts from the ideal and global to specific expression in the development of a student in the institution.

● Give expression to what the mission means in the operational life of the institution.

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● Define an outline or shape each student is expected to grow into regardless of specific courses taken or post-graduation plans.

● Provide a concrete reference point for faculty, staff, and the institution’s community when designing curriculum, instructional experiences, service programs, auxiliary resources, and student and family services.

The school's Profile of Graduates is:

Profile of the Graduate

A graduate of ABC High School pursues excellence in all endeavors. He/she is:

A life-long learner and critical thinkero Actively pursues personal growth and develops individual talents and abilities.o Exhibits curiosity and creativity.o Displays resourcefulness and resiliency.o Uses sources appropriately to find information and gain knowledge.o Demonstrates mathematical, scientific and technological expertise.o Analyzes, evaluates and synthesizes information.o Solves problems effectively and adapts to changing circumstances.

An excellent communicator and productive collaboratoro Masters listening, speaking, reading and writing in both English and Spanish.o Respects the opinions, values and beliefs of others and practices self-reflection.o Ably engages in debate as a tool for helping a group move forward.

An engaged global citizen and agent of changeo Makes ethical choices.o Exercises leadership.o Consistently participates in meaningful service to others.o Advocates social justice.o Protects and conserves the environment.

A culturally appreciative persono Embraces diverse works of literature, visual and performing arts, and music as

expressions of creativity, social reflection and the human condition.o Comprehends global cultures and explores the accomplishments of societies

throughout history.o Understands and respects different cultural contexts and perspectives.

A healthy and balanced individualo Nurtures both mind and body.o Lives a balanced life.

To what degree does the Profile of Graduates express:

● What the school expects its graduates to know?● What the school expects its graduates to do with what they know?● What qualities or characteristics the school expects its graduates to

demonstrate?

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The ABC Profile of a Graduate is an extremely well-articulated passage that clearly represents the type of learner, thinker and doer they wish their students to become. In discussions with the students, the Visiting Team observed that students of many ages are exactly what the profile aims for: students who are critical thinkers, excellent communicators, engaged citizens, culturally respectful and healthy, balanced individuals. The ABC Profile of a Graduate expresses an exquisite representation of what they are working to create in their young people. To what extent do the school’s stakeholders know, understand, and support the school’s Profile of Graduates?

The ABC Profile of a Graduate is brand new to ABC. The staff of the secondary school as well as the leadership team and governing board, are extremely familiar with and supportive of the profile. However, due to its new unveiling, the staff in the elementary school seemed a little less familiar and connected to the new profile. The HOS is requiring staff to attend workshops with their department heads on how they can embrace the profile and how every level of the school engages in activities every day that embody the Profile of a Graduate.

When speaking with the students, they were quite unfamiliar with it. This is not surprising since it was just introduced to the community at the start of this school year. Regardless, the Profile of a Graduate is very prominently posted in almost every single room on campus and students are continuously exposed to it. The secondary school staff states that they went over all founding documents with the students at the start of the school year in August. One of the 12th grade students stated, “Students at ABC live this profile every day – the students know it, even if they are not sure of the words.” A true testament to its validity. THE VISITING TEAM’S RECOMMENDATIONS—FOUNDATION DOCUMENTS: MISSION, BELIEFS, AND PROFILE OF GRADUATES

THE VISITING TEAM’S RECOMMENDATIONS:

In this section, the Team lists any recommendations to the school regarding how it can improve its Mission, Beliefs, and/or Profile of Graduates. Recommendations are suggestions and ideas of the Visiting Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them.

As a possible way of creating a connection with the Profile of the Graduate for all students, the school could consider dedicating a wall or other area that could be a place for a “Profile of the Graduate Map”. This map could show photos or examples of how the profile is carried out through activities at every single level of the school, PPK – 12.

Advanced art projects are also a great venue for Graduate Profile work – creative film, paintings, improv, theater, music, etc. – how does ABC embody the Profile of a Graduate? Display these projects at an assembly! Just a suggestion.

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THE VISITING TEAM’S RECOMMENDED MONITORING ISSUES: In this section, the Team lists any requirements for the Mission, Beliefs, and/or Profile of Graduates that require monitoring. Monitoring issues refer to elements of Mission, Beliefs, and Profile of Graduates required by the protocol that are not completely absent but are met only partially and are either in need of completion or improvement. Monitoring issues must be corrected by mid-term in the school’s accreditation.

Requirement of the Protocol Action Recommended

NONE

THE VISITING TEAM'S RECOMMENDED STIPULATIONS: In this section, the Team lists requirements for the foundational documents (Mission, Beliefs, and Profile of Graduates) that are entirely absent and, therefore, the school does not meet. Such requirements must be added as a stipulation to the school’s accreditation.


NONE

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THE PROFILE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY The Profile of Organizational Capacity provides information and data that portray the school’s capacity to produce the levels of student performance the school and its community of stakeholders desire and expect. The Profile consists of the results of a self-assessment of the school’s adherence to the Middle States Standards for Accreditation. The twelve Standards for Accreditation reflect research-based best practices for quality in schools. The Standards also represent the organizational “building blocks” that need to be in place to produce high levels of student performance. The self-assessment leads to identifying the school’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. The Profile also provides those responsible for developing the school’s Plan for Growth and Improvement with a good understanding of the current status of the school. Standards for Accreditation for Schools

● Standard 1: Mission● Standard 2: Governance and Leadership● Standard 3: School Improvement Planning● Standard 4: Finances● Standard 5: Facilities● Standard 6: School Organization and Staff● Standard 7: Health and Safety● Standard 8: Educational Program● Standard 9: Assessment and Evidence of Student Learning● Standard 10: Student Services● Standard 11: Student Life and Student Activities● Standard 12: Information Resources

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MISSION STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION

The Standard: The school has a clearly written and actively implemented statement of mission that conveys the general and specific purposes of its educational program, expresses expectations for quality, and serves as the basis for daily operational and instructional decision making as well as long-range planning. Stakeholders give input into the development of the school’s mission and understand and accept it. This document is aligned with the community served and is reviewed periodically by stakeholder representatives. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S

ADHERENCE TO THIS STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION

X It is the Visiting Team's assessment is that the school MEETS this Standard for Accreditation.

It is the Visiting Team's assessment is that the school DOES NOT MEET this Standard for Accreditation. The evidence that supports this assessment is shown in the Recommended Stipulations shown in Section C, below.

B. EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE TEAM'S ASSESSMENT

Evidence Visiting Team

Data from Observations and Interviews x

The school’s mission x

Samples of publications that communicate the mission to the school’s community of stakeholders

x

Marketing, recruitment, and admissions materials x

Address of the school’s website x

Policies related to the mission x C. THE VISITING TEAM’S OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Observations In this section, the Team lists 1) any general observations regarding the degree to which the school meets this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality and 2) any areas in which the school exceeds the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality.

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The Visiting Team observed that:

ABC’s mission and core values are displayed everywhere in the school, in the school’s website, and in the admission package.

The stakeholders acknowledge and support the school mission. “The School embraces cultural diversity and help students discover their talents.” (parent)

The mission’s review was done by the school’s governance and leadership. Revision was completed in January 2015.

The elementary school faculty teaches the school mission using a variety of fun and creative activities.

The chair of the mission standard and other board members did not attend the meeting to discuss the school’s mission.

The students of ABC High School are required to complete community service work which supports the school mission tenet of developing students’ integrity and compassion.

The Visiting Team determined that the school exceeds the expectations of this Standard in the following ways:

ABC High School has carefully and thoughtfully developed a mission statement in accordance with the growing needs of its school community.

The faculty strongly supports and implements the mission into the school planning/activities/educational program. “The School is a pro-student community that helps empower students for them to achieve their goals.” (faculty)

The students and the parents fully comprehend the school mission. The school promotes a healthy and pleasant environment among their faculty, staff and

students. As students stated: “I feel safe”, “Teachers really care.” Recommendations In this section, the Team lists any recommendations to the school regarding how it can improve the degree to which it meets the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality. Recommendations are suggestions by the Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them. The Visiting Team recommends:

ABC High School could study the possibility of including faculty members, staff, students, and parents in the periodic revision of the school’s mission.

Recommended Monitoring Issues: In this section, the Team lists any requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality that require ongoing monitoring. Monitoring Issues refer to requirements that are not completely absent but that are met only partially and are either in need of completion or improvement. Monitoring issues must be addressed satisfactorily by the mid-term of the school’s term of accreditation.

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No. Requirement of the Standard or

IndicatorRecommended Action

NONE Recommended Stipulations: In this section, the Team lists any requirement(s) of this Standard and/or it Indicators of Quality the school does not meet and, therefore, must be added as a stipulation to the school’s accreditation.

No. Requirement of the Standard or Indicator

Recommended Action

NONE

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GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION

The Standard: The school is chartered, licensed, or authorized by a state, nation, or authority that operates in the public interest. The governance and leadership ensure the integrity, effectiveness, and reputation of the school through the establishment of policy, provision of resources, and assurance of a quality educational program. The governance and leadership act ethically and consistently to assure an atmosphere of mutual respect and purposeful effort on behalf of students and their learning. School leaders foster a productive environment for teaching and learning, timely and open communication with stakeholders, and the vision necessary for day-to-day operations and long-term planning. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S






Data from Observations and Interviews X

Job descriptions for the head of the institution and other key administrative personnel X

Appraisal tool and/or description of the process used to appraise the performance of the head of the institution X

Chart of lines of authority/responsibilities X

Policies related to governance and leadership X

For independent, non-public, and proprietary institutions only

Names, addresses, and organizational position of the institution’s owners

Names, address, affiliation of the members of the board of governance X

C. THE VISITING TEAM’S OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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Observations In this section, the Team lists 1) any general observations regarding the degree to which the school meets this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality and 2) any areas in which the school exceeds the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality. The Visiting Team observed that:

The school is provided with leaders that possess the appropriate qualifications, experience and competencies for their positions.

The school leadership and faculty describe Ms. Knope as “approachable and accessible” and say that “she acts as a liaison between the staff and the Board, and morale has improved since she became the Head of School.” “Since Ms. Knope took over, it’s been night and day. There is much more transparency between the faculty and administration.” “Ms. Knope has been absolutely amazing for the school.”

Faculty members and students describe Mr. Dwyer as “approachable” and highlighted that he eats lunch with students every day.

The governing body uses clearly defined performance evaluations for the head of school and other school leadership positions.

The school leadership explained that the Board and Head of School set yearly goals. Then, based on the Head of School Goals, the Principals and Department Chairs set their goals. The leadership uses evaluations to determine how well the goals are accomplished and the Head of School receives a bonus based on how well the goals are achieved.

The Board has and implements written by-laws and procedural guidelines. The Board conducted self-evaluations using the NAIS evaluation survey in 2013-2014 “to

identify areas of growth and improvement.” The Board also evaluates individual Board members when their term is up for renewal.

The Board provides opportunities for education of its members, including a training in 2013.

The governing body conducts a regular schedule of meetings. Stakeholders expressed that the school leadership is very involved in the school and that

the leadership and stakeholders “work towards a common goal.” Board Members said that they “don’t like to get directly involved in the day-to-day running

of the school.” They expressed that they communicate concerns to the Head of School, who then filters the information to the appropriate parties.

Multiple stakeholders expressed that the school has a “culture of accountability” and uses metrics to establish “clear measured of progress” towards the school’s goals.

Many Board Members were present at the reception and were available to the Visiting Team.

School leadership and committees include members from all constituencies served by the school.

Board Members said that they “try to have one voice, through the Board Chair.” The Department Chairs said that the school goals are authentic and set by leadership,

with input from the faculty. The Department Chairs expressed that in the past year, transparency has increased

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between the faculty and the administration. Multiple faculty members said that their needs are heard and addressed by the school

leadership. The Visiting Team determined that the school exceeds the expectations of this Standard in the following ways:

Multiple faculty and staff members said that communication among the faculty, staff and administration has improved greatly since Ms. Lago became the Head of School.

Ms. Lago seems to be involved with and aware of all aspects of the school, and is well-respected by the stakeholders of the school.

Many stakeholders expressed that Ms. Lago has encouraged a culture of accountability and transparency and that staff morale has greatly increased since she became the Head of School.

Recommendations In this section, the Team lists any recommendations to the school regarding how it can improve the degree to which it meets the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality. Recommendations are suggestions by the Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them. The Visiting Team recommends:

The leadership team could consider writing and implementing a Grievance Policy so as to have a prescribed protocol to effectively channel complaints from staff and parents.



Recommended Action


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Recommended Action

NONE

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SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANNING STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION

The Standard: The school uses a collaborative process to develop and implement a written strategic or long-range plan to improve its educational program and services. Plans are aligned with the school’s mission and its operational plans, and are focused on continuous improvement of student performance, staff professional and organizational growth. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Strategic and/or long-range plan X

Development/institutional advancement plan In progress

Enrollment plan In progress

Policies related to school improvement planning In progress



The school has developed a detailed strategic plan that has been approved by the Board

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and is supported by the school’s stakeholders. The Planning Team and Steering Committee said that they felt supported by the Board

throughout the process. The stakeholders expressed that the strategic plan is based on “clear measures of

progress” and benchmarks. The Planning Team and Steering Committee expressed that the self-study process has

helped unify the school, and has allowed stakeholders take a step back and reflect on the school’s progress and process.

The school leadership sent out an open invite to parents for the committees and the self-study.

The committees met “every 6 weeks” to work on the plans, and those meetings were scheduled and communicated to the stakeholders in advanced.

The faculty and staff expressed that their input in the planning process was valued by the school leadership.

The students said “the school gives us a lot of freedom to change the things we don’t like.”

The distribution, dates and delivery of the stakeholder surveys were not clear to the Visiting Team.

The ratings recorded in the self-study were not consistent with the raw data from the surveys.

The school leadership monitors the implementation of the strategic plan through action plans for each of the pillars as well as “milestones and benchmarks embedded into those action plans” in order to “keep the school on point.”

The Planning Team and Steering Committee said that the committees will “continue to be a part of the accountability structures.”

The Planning Team and Steering Committee said that “the work isn’t just written on a piece of paper; we’re putting it into action.” They also expressed that “at least 60 people touched the strategic plan.”

Multiple stakeholders expressed their desire to improve communication at the school. The stakeholders said they agree with the goals set in the strategic plan and the self-

study.


None at this time Recommendations In this section, the Team lists any recommendations to the school regarding how it can improve the degree to which it meets the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality. Recommendations are suggestions by the Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them. The Visiting Team recommends:

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None at this time Recommended Monitoring Issues: In this section, the Team lists any requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality that require ongoing monitoring. Monitoring Issues refer to requirements that are not completely absent but that are met only partially and are either in need of completion or improvement. Monitoring issues must be addressed satisfactorily by the mid-term of the school’s term of accreditation.


Recommended Action



Recommended Action

NONE

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FINANCES STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION The Standard: Financial resources are sufficient to provide the educational opportunities defined in the school’s philosophy/mission. The business practices of the school are ethical. These practices promote confidence in the school’s ability to manage fiscal and material resources in a responsible manner and follow prescribed budgeting and accounting principles. The majority of resources raised for school purposes are dedicated to the school’s operations. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Current operating budget (for main campus and each branch campus) X

Certified external audit letter conducted within the last two years (for main campus and each branch) X

Student tuition and fee schedule (if applicable) X

Long-range financial plan X

Schedule of student tuition and fees (for non-public and proprietary institutions) X

Evidence that the institution has no contingent liabilities or on-going litigations that potentially could affect the institution’s ability to continue operation

X

List of grants and other funding sources obtained in the last calendar year X

Publications provided to students outlining students’ financial obligations X

Summary of the institution’s insurance coverage (for main campus and each branch) X

Policies related to finances, financial aid, and refunds X

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The levels of income and expenditures are in appropriate balance. The school never finishes at the end of each year with a negative balance.

ABC develops a yearly budget, in which short and long term financial plans are established, taking into consideration the educational plans and services the school wishes to offer.

An annual audit is performed by an external Certified Public Accountant. Financial and development plans for the school are discussed and approved among the

Board of Directors, they are solely responsible for all the financial decisions. None of the decisions have negatively affected the school.

Finance personnel and members of the Board of Directors possess education and experience that qualifies them for overseeing the financial operations of ABC.

Financial operations are controlled by the use of well-developed budgets. Budgets as well as monthly financial results are monitored regularly by an external accountant.

All financial data, as well as the audited financial statements, evidence a strong stability in the school finances.

ABC implements written financial policies and procedures that are in accordance with accepted business practices.

ABC provides parents with a document detailing their financial obligations. For new students, information is provided in the Open House and during the enrollment process.

ABC carries adequate insurance coverage that is adequate for protecting the interests and operations of the school and are renewed annually.

Included in the benefits that ABC offers to its employees are half of the medical plan, Term Life Insurance Plan and Pension Plan.

The projected expenditures aim to maintain high quality education which will allow for an increase student enrollment.


Operating budget has increased over the years. The Institutional Advancement Office (Development) works many activities with other

offices toward increasing financial aid funds, clubs funds, classes’ funds and other development projects for the school.

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To continue the close review of funding resources to guard against any unanticipated future shortfalls in the current uncertain economic climate.

To keep a close watch on the economy fluctuations and political trends that could impact smooth fiscal management procedures.



Recommended Action



Recommended Action

NONE

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FACILITIES STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION The Standard: School facilities are safe, clean, and well maintained. The physical environment supports delivery of the educational program/services as well as optimal student development and achievement. Facilities are appropriate and adequate to implement the philosophy/mission of the school. They are regularly inspected for effective operation and meet all applicable laws including health and safety code requirements. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Floor plan of facilities X

Long-range facilities plan X

Maintenance/repair schedules X

Plans for any facilities improvements X

Policies related to facilities X C. THE VISITING TEAM’S OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


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ABC offers a variety of spaces for providing quality programs and services for all segments of the school’s population.

The school's facilities are adequate to support students' learning needs. The facilities allow for all types of academic as well as extracurricular activities and

functions for the entire ABC community. School offices are well situated and accessible in the school buildings. ABC has well-maintained, attractive buildings and grounds. There is constant improvement of facilities and grounds. The maintenance plan provides clear evidence of the school's proficiency in this area and

has a strict cleaning and maintenance schedule The school hired independent companies to complete other maintenance and repair

tasks that the school's maintenance staff is unable to complete. The school has a proper workshop for construction and repair. There is general satisfaction with the remodeling and improvement projects, especially

with the recent completion of the high school library. Both the elementary and secondary buildings have a media and technology centers. Both centers are well equipped to provide the necessary resources.

The school has ensured the safety and well-being of its students, faculty and staff by closely and attentively regulating safety measures.

ABC has a lot of cameras around their campuses and a big monitor in the main entrance of the high school building that is constantly check by the security officer.

ABC has adequate and appropriate lighting throughout the school facilities. The school provides an effective learning environment on the early childhood education

program shown in the child-produced items and the size furniture design for them. ABC gives the students the opportunity to work on Project Base Learning (PBL), the

school will adopt some of the ideas. The Visiting Team determined that the school exceeds the expectations of this Standard in the following ways:

The visiting team commends ABC for spacious, well-maintained and aesthetic facilities that adequately support programs to fulfill mission, philosophy and goals.

The visiting team commends ABC for the best use of all the common areas. Recommendations In this section, the Team lists any recommendations to the school regarding how it can improve the degree to which it meets the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality. Recommendations are suggestions by the Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them. The Visiting Team recommends:

That ABC continues to intensify efforts to develop the action plan to deal with situations related to and deriving from the traffic congestion in the entrance and exit.

That ABC continues with the HVAC project. That ABC targets priorities for the remodeling of the cafeteria.

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To take the necessary steps to relocate the infirmary station to a more spacious and private place.



Recommended Action



Recommended Action

NONE

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SCHOOL ORGANIZATION AND STAFF STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION

The Standard: The school’s organizational structure and climate facilitate achievement of its core values as expressed in the philosophy/mission. The school culture supports successful implementation of age- and developmentally appropriate educational programs and services. Roles, responsibilities, expectations, and reporting relationships are clearly defined. Administrative, instructional, and support staff are qualified, competent, and sufficient in number to effectively provide quality educational experiences. The school regularly conducts staff performance appraisals and offers professional development opportunities informed by its philosophy/mission. Relationships among the staff and leadership are collegial and collaborative. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Organizational chart for the school and school system X

List of members of the professional and support staffs X

Salary schedules and descriptions of benefits packages for teachers, specialists, and support staff X

Contracts (e.g. union, collective bargaining agreements) X

Results of any climate survey X

Instruments used for evaluating the performance of the staff X

Professional development plan X

Policies related to school climate and organization X

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ABC High School has a comprehensive PPK – 12th grade education structure highly regarded by faculty and students.

The school’s dedicated faculty is respected and endeared by students. Students are proud of their school and praised the different learning opportunities offered

by their beloved school. ABC High School stimulates professional development for its faculty members. Faculty evaluation is done in a cooperative and positive reinforcement approach following

various visits to classrooms throughout the academic year. New faculty members’ benefit from a mentoring program designed to ease their way into

ABC High School. The school is characterized by professional satisfaction and a good morale. ABC High School School takes pride in the fact that no “defined” bullying incident has

been reported in the last three years. Any possible bullying is addressed immediately. The Visiting Team determined that the school exceeds the expectations of this Standard in the following ways:

Faculty and students are passionate about their school demonstrating an enthusiasm for teaching and learning.


The team concurs with the school’s self-study identified areas in need of improvement, though it recognizes improvement is already in progress.

When speaking with the Dean, it was suggested to reinstate the Morale Committee to further strengthen good morale.

The faculty suggested a permanent list of possible substitute teachers.

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Recommended Action



Recommended Action

NONE

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HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION The Standard: A safe, orderly, and healthy environment for teaching and learning is provided. The school adheres to local, state, and federal government health and safety requirements. Health, safety, preventive/emergency procedures, and crisis management policies are clearly written, well documented, implemented, and updated regularly. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Emergency and crisis plans X

Records of most recent health and safety inspections X

Record of emergency drills X

Emergency Procedures section of Faculty Handbook X



ABC maintains updates of their written policies and procedural guidelines governing the school’s provisions for the health and safety of its students, staff, and visitors.

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ABC adheres to the protocol for emergency evacuation in case of fire, earthquake and tsunami. Indication of the evacuation exits are displayed throughout the buildings.

The school has a strict, effective, and safe plan for handling crisis situations. Some ABC personnel have a First Aid, CPR certificate and have a training in the use of

the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). All students and faculty members have an insurance policy, which includes coverage

whenever there is a school activity either at or outside the school premises. There are hand-sanitizers all around the campus, which all students and staff are

required to use. There is a registered nurse that intervenes immediately and professionally whenever a

student or a member of the faculty or staff is sick. Student and personnel health concerns are addressed with a part-time certified nurse. The infirmary room is equipped to provide adequate health care. The medicine cabinet in the infirmary is safely locked. The school nurse maintains comprehensive, current health records for all students that

include annual health certificate and inoculation. There is a list of parents who as physicians have volunteered to assist the school nurse

whenever there's a school activity. The school keeps record of signed permits authorizing late arrival or early dismissal. The school has a rigorous system in order to account for every student's whereabouts at

all times. The school facilities and personnel, such as the gymnasium, fitness center, nurse,

psychologists, guidance counselors, and motivational classes, provide the students and staff a positive and healthy environment, where they can grow and improve physically and emotionally.

The school's system to control access to visitors and non-school personnel is effective, thus, ensuring the safety and tranquility of the school's community.

The entire school community is fully aware of the school's safety measures and acknowledges them effectively.

The school has an effective alarm system. The head of the maintenance staff gives yearly follow-up to the Fire Department's

inspection of every fire extinguisher. The curricula and syllabi of the health courses focus mainly on the students' wellbeing

and health. Safe drinking water is available for the staff and students. ABC is preparing students to deal with issues and problems they will face in the future. The Science Department has a yearly update of its explosive licenses. Science laboratories follow specific guidelines and safety rules. There is a laboratory inventory list that indicates all the equipment and materials that are

in the rooms. Warning signs are posted in the storage rooms and cabinets where flammable and

hazardous equipment / supplies are kept. Staff and students are able to use the fitness center before 7:00 a.m. under the

supervision of a physical education teacher and after 3:00 p.m. under the supervision of a personal trainer.

In order to keep a clean and healthy environment, the maintenance personnel are always available.

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The Visiting Committee commends the effort of all staff members to ensure the health and safety of the children in this busy environment.

The Visiting Committee commends the yellow tape mark downs on the floor to put all the back-packs in order to keep the hall clean.


That ABC expands efforts to secure a full-time nurse for the school. That the school provides First Aid Kits in all classrooms. To install yellow tape on the borders of the floor of the exits with steps or install signs of

“Watch your step”. Recommended Monitoring Issues: In this section, the Team lists any requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality that require ongoing monitoring. Monitoring Issues refer to requirements that are not completely absent but that are met only partially and are either in need of completion or improvement. Monitoring issues must be addressed satisfactorily by the mid-term of the school’s term of accreditation.


Recommended Action



Recommended Action

NONE

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EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION The Standard: An effective educational program for a school consists of both carefully planned and well executed curriculum programs and solid instructional pedagogy. Also fundamental to a successful educational program are the means to assess student performance and growth as well as programmatic evaluation. Thus, curriculum, instruction, and assessment are often considered to be the “heart” of any school since these three components have such an impact on the total school experience of students. The curriculum outlines what students should know and be able to do. Instruction identifies effective ways for teachers to ensure student learning takes place. Assessment indicates at what level students are able to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and attitudes. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Program of studies or other overview of the components of the educational program X

Scope and sequence charts

Written curriculum guides for each component of the educational program X

Master schedule X

Policies related to educational program


Observations In this section, the Team lists 1) any general observations regarding the degree to which the school meets this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality and 2) any areas in

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which the school exceeds the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality. The Visiting Team observed that:

Students’ work reflects grade level and allows students to be creative when demonstrating knowledge.

Elementary school students are immersed in hands-on approach to learning. Instruction is differentiated to ensure that each student benefits the most from the

learning process. Students profit from a flexible educational program which allows them to pursue

academic interests without hindering college preparatory education. Students take advantage of a well-rounded fine arts educational program. Students are well articulated and put forth clearly their views and concerns. A variety of clubs which include journalism, chess, and robotics, among others, allow

students to excel in other areas besides college preparatory courses. Students are engaged in learning. Project Based Learning, as explained by students, has helped developed in students a

stronger sense of community, and an understanding that they can develop projects to help their school.

Newly adopted AP Capstone program refines research and teamwork skills in students. The Visiting Team determined that the school exceeds the expectations of this Standard in the following ways:

ABC High School strives to provide students with an enriched curriculum as exemplified by AP Capstone college level research skills’ course.


The team concurs with the school’s self-study identified areas in need of improvement, though it recognizes improvement is already in progress.


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No. Requirement of the Standard or

IndicatorRecommended Action



Recommended Action

NONE

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ASSESSMENT AND EVIDENCE OF STUDENT LEARNING STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION

The Standard: The school systematically collects and rigorously analyzes quantifiable and observable evidence of individual learning and growth from multiple valid and reliable sources. Evidence of student learning is used to evaluate and improve curriculum effectiveness, instructional practices, professional development, and support services. Progress in student learning and performance is expected and is accurately, clearly, and systematically reported to the school community. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Example of student transcript X

Example student report card X

Reports of the results of assessments administered to students X

Policies related to assessment of student learning X C. THE VISITING TEAM’S OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


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Students are assessed in various forms that reflect grade levels and allow students to be creative when demonstrating knowledge.

The school makes arrangements for grade-level standardized tests to measure students’ performance in academic subjects.

Project Based Learning (PBL) allows students to work as a team and research data to find solutions to problems, and PBL has taken place of mid-teem exams in some instances.

AP capstone program offers students the unique opportunity to refine research skills enabling students with college level performance research and teamwork skills.

Parent/Teacher Conference form is one way used to communicate students’ academic performance.

There is a communication policy to keep parents and students informed about students’ assessment results and school performance.


ABC High School strives to provide students with a variety of assessments to ensure students the means to demonstrate knowledge.


The team concurs with the school’s self-study identified areas in need of improvement, though the team recognizes improvement is already in progress.



Recommended Action

NONE Recommended Stipulations:

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In this section, the Team lists any requirement(s) of this Standard and/or it Indicators of Quality the school does not meet and, therefore, must be added as a stipulation to the school’s accreditation.


Recommended Action

NONE

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STUDENT SERVICES STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION The Standard: The school implements written policies and procedures, in partnership with families and the community, that provide all students with, or refer them to, services that are age- and developmentally appropriate to optimize opportunities for life-long success. Student services are systematic and integral to the educational program. They are provided by qualified personnel, sufficiently financed, periodically evaluated, and philosophy/mission appropriate. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Guidance and counseling plan X

Examples of student schedules X

Results of follow-up studies of graduates

Policies related to student services, including guidance and counseling, admissions, transportation, food services, and special education X

Admissions criteria (if applicable)

Student-Parent Handbooks X


Observations In this section, the Team lists 1) any general observations regarding the degree to which the school meets this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality and 2) any areas in which the school exceeds the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality.

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The Visiting Team observed that:

ABC High School has a Guidance Department comprised of a licensed psychologist and a qualified college counselor. It also has a part-time guidance counselor for the elementary level.

The college counselor Mr. Bee is very popular among the students. He provides career awareness and counseling to students of 9th to 12th grade.

The college counselor organizes career days and college conferences for secondary level students.

The school has a Child Study Team comprised of the division principal, teachers, literacy specialist, school’s psychologist, and any outside professional. This team closely works with students on a one to one basis.

There are written guidelines and policies in the Student-Parent Handbooks that delineate the roles of the school psychologist, college counselor, and guidance counselor.

ABC High School does not offer a special education program, nonetheless, reasonable accommodation is available if it is adequately documented, reasonable, and consistent with the disability.

Guidelines for reasonable accommodation are made available in the Student-Parent Handbooks.

ABC High School provides the services of a Literacy Specialist who works with elementary students who may be experiencing reading difficulties in English.

The food service is provided by Alive. The cafeteria opens at 7:00 a.m. and serves healthy breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

Alive (food service personnel) complies with all the permits and health requirements of Indiana civil authorities.

The food service personnel are trained every six months in areas such as food handling and preparation, temperature, and hands cleansing.

Parents for students in PPK to 4th grade can pre-order their lunches a week prior to receiving.

Students from grades 7th to 12th go to lunch at the same time slowing the process of purchasing food.

Students in the 11th and 12th grades may have their lunch off-campus provided they submit parental permission in writing, have no grades below a “B-“ and receive the principal’s authorization.

The admission process is structured and well organized. “I looked to different schools, but my decision was made based on the admission process; I love it!” (a parent).

ABC High School, in an effort to welcome the new students and parents, holds orientation meetings and a “Back to School Night” where the school presents its mission, educational program, school policies, tuition and fees, and services available.

The school is now holding an extra orientation meeting for new students and parents on January to accommodate the increasing numbers of students enrolling in mid-year. This increase is due to Act 22.

ABC High School offers academic scholarships to students enrolling in grades 7 th to 10th

grades. The school offers transportation services through Sonnell. These services include

bringing students from Pawnee to the school, and taking students to sports activities, competitions, and field trips.

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The school has written guidelines and policies to ensure the safety of the students being transported.

ABC offers an after school care program, Power Hours. The Visiting Team determined that the school exceeds the expectations of this Standard in the following ways:

Parents of students in PPK to 4th grade can select and order their children’s menus by accessing the food service company web site.

In an effort to promote wellness, the cafeteria has eliminated fried foods and sodas from the menus.

The food service company (Alive) prepares, upon request and pre-order of the parents, special meals for students with existing medical conditions or allergies.


ABC High School can make provisions for reducing the line in the cafeteria during the 7 th

to 12th grades lunch period. ABC High School should carefully evaluate hiring a full-time guidance counselor for the

Elementary School. ABC High School should pursue the idea of hiring a Literacy specialist for the secondary

level. Reading assistance in Spanish could be needed to accommodate the needs of native English speaking students.

ABC High School should study the possibilities of creating another separate area for students with reasonable accommodation to receive therapies or take their exams.



Recommended Action

NONE

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Recommended Stipulations: In this section, the Team lists any requirement(s) of this Standard and/or it Indicators of Quality the school does not meet and, therefore, must be added as a stipulation to the school’s accreditation.


Recommended Action

NONE

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STUDENT LIFE AND STUDENT ACTIVITIES STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION

The Standard: A healthy atmosphere exists for all students. At all levels, non-discriminatory, appropriate student activities that supplement classroom experiences or community life are provided. An appropriate student activities program fosters a positive intellectual, cultural, and social climate, promotes growth in student leadership and social interaction skills, and encourages students’ special interests. A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S







Samples of student publications—e.g., yearbook, student newspaper, literary magazine X

Budget for all athletic activities X

Budget for all non-athletic activities X

Policies on academic eligibility X

Policies related to student life and student activities X

For boarding schools

Description of● Programs to develop healthy relationships with adults● Plan for continuous and responsible supervision by responsible

adults

Descriptions of Provisions for student privacy Recreational programs1. Provisions for religious practice

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ABC High School offers a variety of clubs, organizations, and sports that help students discover their individual talents and abilities.

The students are eager and enthusiastic about their club/organization and sports participation.

The students have input in regards to the type of club they would like to participate in, for example “The Spectrum Club”.

ABC High School’s clubs and organizations allow and embrace cultural diversity. The school clubs and organizations information (purposes, meeting times and advisors)

is posted in a bulletin board for students to see and choose. The school encourages activities in which students can demonstrate their talents and

abilities such as music, drama, sports tournaments, plays, concerts, forensics, math and science bowls, robotics, and “bohemia’s” among others.

The secondary level Student Council Board raises money for the school scholarship fund, while the elementary school Student Council Board recycles and designs activities for students PK to 6th grade.


Students are offered opportunities to build their skills in handling responsibility, initiative, leadership, competencies, cooperation, and self-direction through club/organization and sports’ participation, as stated by a student “They really build who you are.”

ABC High School recognizes and celebrates student accomplishments, contributions, and achievements through different means: school web page, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, publications, television monitors, and posters.

The change in school hours has given students the flexibility to participate in more school clubs, organizations, and sports; in the words of a student: “You put limits on yourself, but there is no limit to the amount of clubs you can join.”

The elementary school students’ after school enrichment program offers courses such as dance, yoga, chess, arts, and robotics among others. This program actively validates the school mission of helping students discover their special talents and abilities.

Recommendations

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In this section, the Team lists any recommendations to the school regarding how it can improve the degree to which it meets the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality. Recommendations are suggestions by the Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them. The Visiting Team recommends:

None Recommended Monitoring Issues: In this section, the Team lists any requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality that require ongoing monitoring. Monitoring Issues refer to requirements that are not completely absent but that are met only partially and are either in need of completion or improvement. Monitoring issues must be addressed satisfactorily by the mid-term of the school’s term of accreditation.


Recommended Action



Recommended Action

NONE

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INFORMATION RESOURCES STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION The Standard: Information resources, materials, and technology are accessible and of adequate scope, quantity, and quality to facilitate the school’s pursuit of its total educational program. These resources encourage all students and staff to broaden and extend their knowledge and skills. Access to appropriate information resources and technology is provided for students and staff. Appropriate instruction is offered to develop student and staff inquiry, research, and information literacy skills. Information technology equipment is functional and well maintained.

A. THE VISITING TEAM'S ASSESSMENT OF THE SCHOOL'S ADHERENCE TO THIS STANDARD FOR ACCREDITATION






The information resources and technology plan(s) X

Budget for information resources and technology X

Information skills curriculum

Inventory of information resources X

Inventory of information technology equipment X

Policies related to information resources and technology X


Observations In this section, the Team lists 1) any general observations regarding the degree to which the school meets this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality and 2) any areas in

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which the school exceeds the requirements of this Standard and/or its Indicators of Quality. The Visiting Team observed that:

The school has written policies for the use of information resources. The faculty and staff are provided with opportunities to offer input into the types, quality

and format of the information resources provided. The school has many information resources that are age and developmentally

appropriate. The Librarians and Technology Staff said they would like to improve the “back-end” of the

information resources, as well as storage of parts. The faculty and staff said that “the Technology Department is amazing” and that they do

great work with the resources they have. The faculty and staff support the implementation of the new IT support through tickets,

and said that any issues they confront are addressed quickly and efficiently. The faculty appreciates the professional development and resources regarding the

integration of technology in the classroom. The Librarians and Technology Staff said that there is a need for a technology person

assigned exclusively to the elementary school to help teachers and coordinate the use of computers and iPads.

Multiple stakeholders said they would like to streamline the multiple sites parents, students and teachers use to access school information, which include eChalk, Office 365, Edline and Blackbaud.

Parents said that they would like “more consistent progress reports” and clearer communication.

Parents said that the communication from teachers is sometimes inconsistent, and what is posted on e-chalk is different than what the teacher communicates to the children.

The Librarians and Technology Staff said that they need to identify support personnel roles more clearly.

The Librarians and Technology Staff said that an information skills curriculum needs to be developed and aligned with the computer teachers. The secondary school doesn’t have an information skills curriculum.


The Librarians and Technology Department is clearly staffed by extremely qualified members of the staff who do a wonderful job with the resources they have. Their constituents feel well-served and repeatedly expressed how amazing the department and its members are.

Recommendations In this section, the Team lists any recommendations to the school regarding how it can improve the degree to which it meets the requirements of this Standard and/or its

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Indicators of Quality. Recommendations are suggestions by the Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them. The Visiting Team recommends:

The creation of an Information Skills curriculum school-wide could help to align and articulate the learning outcomes.

The school could minimize the amount of sites used for communication so as to streamline communication and achieve the communications goal as described in the self-study.

The school could create specific job descriptions for all technology staff in order to clarify roles and streamline processes.

The school could create an academic Technology Department to support the Information Skills curriculum and ensure vertical and horizontal articulation.



Recommended Action



Recommended Action

NONE

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THE PLAN FOR GROWTH AND IMPROVEMENTIntroduction The purpose of the self-study and accreditation process is first and foremost to establish whether the school meets the Standards for Accreditation, the fundamental requirement to be accredited. However, establishing that the school has in place the building blocks for a quality school is largely an exercise of looking backward to see what has been accomplished. The Excellence by Design protocol is based in the principles and concepts of strategic planning. Therefore, the protocol requires the school to be forward thinking, not focusing so much on the past and past accomplishments but, instead, focusing on the future—what does the school have to do differently or do better to further its mission and to ensure that all of its students are able to achieve the knowledge, skills, and characteristics the school has defined in its Profile of Graduates. Therefore, the culminating activity of the self-study and accreditation process is the developing of a Plan for Growth and Improvement in Student Performance. Developing a Plan for Growth and Improvement involves:

● Establishing a vision for the school by creating or reaffirming a statement of mission.● Identifying a set of beliefs that will serve as the school’s ethical code.● Developing a profile of the knowledge, skills, and qualities the school expects of its

graduates.● Identifying the areas of student performance that are the priorities for growth and

improvement.● Developing action plans to achieve the performance objectives.● Monitoring implementation of the action plans.● Conducting periodic reviews of the progress being made toward achievement of its

objectives.

Following are the required components of the Plan for Growth and Improvement:● A Mission● Beliefs● A Profile of Graduates● Three, four, or five objectives measurable student performance/organizational capacity

objectives; at least two must be focused on growing and improving student performance● One or more assessments for each objective● Baseline data for at least one assessment for each objective● Technical approval of the objectives● Comprehensive action plans to achieve the objectives● A plan for regular monitoring and review of the Plan (at least once annually)

A. STUDENT PERFORMANCE/ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY

OBJECTIVES AND ACTION PLANS

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The centerpiece of the school's Plan for Growth and Improvement is formed by the three, four, or five areas of measurable objectives the school has identified as being the highest priorities for growth and improvement if the school is to move closer to achieving its Mission. At least two of the objectives must focus on areas of student performance that have been determined to be priorities for growth and improvement. The remaining one, two, or three objectives may be either student performance objectives and/or objectives focused on growing and improving the school's organizational capacity to produce the levels of student performance desired and expected by the school's community of stakeholders. Space is provided below to evaluate the maximum number of objectives. This limited number of objectives is suggested so the school can focus on the most critical aspects of student performance without diverting its energies in too many directions. To identify these priority areas, the Planning Team asked itself:

● What are the gaps between what we say in our Profile of Graduates regarding what we want our graduates to know, be able to do, and/or what qualities we want them to demonstrate and our students’ actual performance in those areas?

● Which of these gaps constitute the highest priorities for narrowing if we are to move closer over the next seven years to achieving our mission?

● Are there areas of our organization's capacity the must be improved in order to improve our students' performance to the levels we desire and expect

Specifying clear and measurable student performance objectives identifies the school's commitment to achieve specific end results and thus, is tied directly to accountability. The objectives must be written in such a way that they outline growth in student performance for the next seven years and represent a major focus for growth and improvement in student performance in the school. The objectives should be consistent with the mission and should extend and define the aim portion of the mission in more specific detail. Objectives explicate in measurable terms the key end results that the school seeks to realize from its mission, as expressed in its Profile of Graduates. Not only should the objectives be related to the school's mission, but where there is also a district or system plan, the objectives should be linked to one or more of the district’s or system’s objectives. The term “student performance” is intended to be defined in the broadest possible terms. The objectives submitted for accreditation may be focused on any of the outcomes expected of students as stated in the Profile of Graduates. Action plans describe the methods the school will use to accomplish its mission and its performance/capacity objectives. Action plans provide detailed descriptions of the specific actions required to achieve desired results outlined in the student performance improvement and organizational capacity objectives. This is the “doing” part of the plan. Action plans can and should include multiple activities that will engage the school in improvement activities for the next seven years. Action plans should be specific and tell in detail how the school will accomplish its objectives. Action plans should relate directly to the objectives, but they also should be related to the mission. The Visiting Team examined the action plan(s) for the performance/capacity objectives in the school’s Plan for Growth and Improvement according to the criteria for effective action plans.

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A.1. Objective #1

X This is a student performance objective

This is an organizational capacity objective Language Arts

By the end of academic year 2022-2023, ABC High School will maintain a dynamic academic Language Arts program that focuses on improving student performance by closely monitoring curriculum and instruction and by supporting our educator’s continued professional development. (see self-study for indicators & baseline data)

YES NO

Is the objective:

Closely associated with the exit outcomes for students as expressed in the Profile of Graduates, graduation requirements, and/or performance expectations for the school’s students?

X

Reflective of the school’s mission, and supportive of the strategic plan of the larger organization? X

Does the objective:

Include baseline data, and are they logically organized and presented in an easily understood format? X

Enjoy the support of the school’s stakeholders as one of the highest priorities for growth and improvement in student performance? X

Does the school:

Have sufficient energy and resources to support the implementation of the action plans and the achievement of the objectives? X

Have an effective and efficient way to gather data to assess the progress of the objective? X

Is the objective reasonable and achievable? X What recommendations can the Team offer to the school for any areas evaluated No and/or to improve the clarity and focus of this objective?

None

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A.2. Action Plan for Objective #1: In the table below, evaluate the degree to which this action plan meets the criteria for an effective action plan. Does this action plan: YES NO

Include strategies/action steps that are comprehensive in scope? X

Include a logical sequence of strategies and/or action steps? X

Outline clearly and in detail the action steps to be taken in the first two to three years of the plan? X

Include enough activities to ensure that the objective will be achieved? X

Address as many aspects of the institution’s programs, activities, and services as appropriate? X

Address aspects of the Middle States Standards for Accreditation identified as weak in the institution’s self-assessment of how well it meets the Standards?

X

Identify the resources required to implement the action steps? X

Identify the persons/groups responsible for implementing each action step? X

Vary the groups/individuals responsible so that the burden for implementation does not fall on just one or two individuals? X

Include clear indicators of success for each action step so the institution knows what action steps have been implemented and with what result? X

Establish reasonable timelines for implementing the action steps? X

Demonstrate discipline and reasonableness by spreading action steps throughout the entire life of the plan so as not to overwhelm the time, energy, and resources available for implementing a plan?

X

What recommendations can the Team offer to the school for any areas evaluated “No” to improve the clarity and focus of this action plan?

N/A

A.3. Objective #2:

X This is a student performance objective

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This is an organizational capacity objective

Mathematics

By the end of academic year 2022-2023, ABC High School will maintain a dynamic academic math program that focuses on improving student performance by closely monitoring curriculum and instruction and by supporting our educator’s continued professional development. (see self-study for indicators & baseline data)

YES NO

Is the objective:


X


Does the objective:



Does the school:




None

A.4. Action Plan for Objective #2: In the table below, evaluate the degree to which this action plan meets the criteria for an effective action plan.

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Does this action plan: YES NO







X







X


N/A

A.5. Objective #3:

This is a student performance objective

X This is an organizational capacity objective

Music Education Program

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By the year 2023, ABC High School will fully incorporate Music Education into the secondary curriculum as an integral part of the educational experience. (see self-study for indicators & baseline data)

YES NO

Is the objective:


X


Does the objective:



Does the school:




None A.6. Action Plan for Objective #3: In the table below, evaluate the degree to which this action plan meets the criteria for an effective action plan. Does this action plan: YES NO


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X







X


N/A A.7. Objective #4:



Leadership Program

A leadership program encompassing both elementary and secondary students will be designed and implemented. (see self-study for indicators & baseline data)

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YES NO

Is the objective:


X


Does the objective:



Does the school:



Is the objective reasonable and achievable? X What recommendations can the Team offer to the school for any areas evaluated “No” and/or to improve the clarity and focus of this objective?






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X







X


N/A A.9. Objective #5:



Communication Plan

ABC High School will develop and deploy a consistent and effective communication program which will build an informed, enthusiastic, supportive and involved community. (see self-study for indicators & baseline data)

YES NO

Is the objective:

Closely associated with the exit outcomes for students as expressed in X

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the Profile of Graduates, graduation requirements, and/or performance expectations for the school’s students?


Does the objective:



Does the school:










Address aspects of the Middle States Standards for Accreditation identified as weak in the institution’s self-assessment of how well it

X

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meets the Standards?







X


N/A B. THE VISITING TEAM’S OBSERVATIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS In this section, the Team reports its observation and recommendations regarding the degree to which the school's Plan for Growth and Improvement meets the requirements of the protocol. The Requirements of the Protocol for the Plan for Growth and Improvement In this section, the Visiting Team reports whether the school's Plan for Growth and Improvement meets the requirements of the protocol.

Requirement of the Protocol Met Not Met

Three, four, or five objectives measuring student performance/organizational capacity objectives; at least two must be focused on growing and improving student performance.

X

One or more assessments for each objective X

Baseline data for at least one assessment for each objective X

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Technical approval of the objectives X

Comprehensive action plans for each objective X

Plan for regular monitoring and review of the Plan (at least once annually) X

Observations In this section, the Team lists 1) any general observations regarding the degree to which the school meets the requirements of the protocol for the Plan for Growth and Improvement (objectives and action plans) and 2) any areas in which the school exceeds the requirements of the requirements of the protocol.

The Visiting Team observed clear curricular records documenting regular re-evaluations of the curriculum, especially in the disciplines of Language Arts and Math

The SPO’s are appropriate and well-directed Subject leaders give annual assessments to students to evaluate if the students are

achieving the learning objectives at each grade level The baseline data for the SPO’s is clear and provides a solid foundation on which to

move forward with the actions plans for each objective The OCG’s are admirable and creative, and will lead to making ABC an even more

enriching environment The Plan for Communication is clearly needed, as there are currently several portals for

communication at this time, making information gathering confusing for parents

Recommendations In this section, the Team lists any recommendations to the school regarding how it can improve the degree to which it meets the requirements of the protocol for the Plan for Growth and Improvement. Recommendations are suggestions by the Team, but the school is not required to accept or act on them.

The Visiting Team recommends:

None Recommended Monitoring Issues: In this section, the Team lists any requirements of the protocol for the Plan for Growth and Improvement—Student Performance Objectives and Action Plans—that require monitoring. Monitoring issues refer to elements of Student Performance Objectives and Action Plans required by the protocol that are not completely absent but are met only partially and are either in need of completion or improvement. Monitoring issues must be corrected by mid-term in the school’s accreditation.

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NONE Recommended Stipulations: In this section, the Team lists any requirements for the Plan for Growth and Improvement—Student Performance Objectives and Action Plans—that are absent and, therefore, must be added as a stipulation to the school’s accreditation.


NONE

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ACCREDITATION RECOMMENDATION After its visit to the school, and after considering the evidence seen and heard during the visit, the Middle States Visiting Team is charged with making a recommendation to the Middle States Commission(s) regarding the accreditation action the Commission(s) should take. Based on the evidence presented by the school in its Self-Study Document and supporting documentation, and based on the evidence seen and heard by members of the Team from the school’s community of stakeholders, the Team recommends to the Middle States Commission(s) that it take the following accreditation action:

ACCREDITATION

An “Accredited” institution is an educational organization that meets all MSA Standards for Accreditation, adheres to applicable MSA policies, and meets the requirements of the self-study protocol used. The institution agrees to adhere to the requirements for maintenance of accreditation, and there are no outstanding issues related to the Standards or requirements of the protocol that would require monitoring or onsite visits beyond the normal expected events required by the protocol utilized.

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NEXT STEPS As ABC High School proceeds with the implementation of its Plan for Growth and Improvement, there are a number of “next steps” the school will be expected to take in order to maintain accredited status. These include the following: ● Maintain Adherence to the Middle States Standards for Accreditation.

The twelve Standards for Accreditation reflect research-based best practices for quality in schools. The Standards also represent the organizational “building blocks” that need to be in place to produce high levels of student performance. An accredited school is required to maintain its adherence to the Standards for Accreditation throughout its term of accreditation.

● Implement the Plan for Growth and Improvement.When the Middle States Association grants accreditation to a school using the Excellence by Design protocol, it does so with the understanding that the school will make a good faith effort to implement the Plan for Growth and Improvement that served as one of the bases for accreditation.

● Submit an Annual Profile and Nominations to Serve on Visiting Team.As a requirement to maintain its accreditation, the school is required to submit an Annual Profile in which it either confirms or revises basic data about the school. A second requirement is that the school nominates members of its staff to serve on Visiting Teams to other schools.

● Conduct Periodic Reviews of the Plan for Growth and ImprovementWhile Middle States does not “collect” evidence of the school’s annual review, the school is expected to conduct periodic reviews of its Plan. The purpose of the periodic reviews is to ensure that progress is being made in implementing the Plan, to update and revise the Plan as needed, and to pause to celebrate successes. The school should keep records of what transpired during each review such as meeting agendas, minutes, documented changes to the Plan, and summaries of results of the assessments being used to measure progress toward achieving the objectives. Documentation will be required for the Mid-Term Report and by the next Visiting Team.

● Complete a Mid-Term Report

At the beginning of the third year in the accreditation term, the school will be required to submit a Mid-Term Report in which it will provide evidence of its implementing its Plan for Growth and Improvement and of progress being made toward achieving its objectives. The Report will be reviewed by the Middle States staff, which may determine that an on-site visit should be conducted to examine any areas of concern.

● Prepare for Reaccreditation

At the beginning of the sixth year of the school’s accreditation term, begin a new self-study in preparation for the visit of the next Visiting Team. It should be noted, however, that if the school has implemented a planning ethic and the Excellence by Design school improvement process has been ongoing as expected, and preparing for the next team visit should be an extension of work already underway.

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SUMMARY AND CLOSURE

ORAL REPORTFEB 12TH, 2016

ABC HIGH SCHOOLEAGLETON, INDIANA

Good afternoon. I am Ron Swanson, chair of the Middle States Visiting Team to ABC High School in beautiful Eagleton, Indiana. I come to you from Pawnee High School in Pawnee, Indiana. I share with you an affinity for our home and the importance of teaching our children an appreciation for all the cultural differences that exist within our diverse communities. The other members of the Team and I are pleased to see so many members of the school community present to hear our report. We will leave ABC High School at the end of this report feeling that we have had a full and rich experience at your school. We appreciate the warm reception we have received and the genuine candor with which you have shared yourselves, your school and greatest wishes for your young people.

Please let me state the purpose behind Middle States Association. MSA is a non-profit organization and simply provides a framework for which schools can undergo an inward, self-reflection journey of improvement and growth. It is ultimately for the betterment of our educational goals and not a money making system. All of our team members are volunteers and are here simply to assist you with this process and to learn ourselves. We all have posts at our own schools, who have allowed us this absence, and families of our own that we are away from. This is truly…educators helping educators. We all have the same goals of true success for our students and enriching careers for ourselves. You invited us and we are here for YOU. I want to recognize and thank publicly the other members of our Team for their service to you and to the Middle States Association—April Ludgate, Ben Wyatt, Ann Perkins, Tom Haverford and Chris Traeger. This is an outstanding team of educators. The team members were strangers to each other before they came together here on Tuesday morning. They have worked hard day and night to conduct as thorough of an evaluation of your school as is possible. It is a tribute to their professionalism and expertise that they were able to mesh as a team so quickly and to produce such fine work in service to your school. I am sure you will join me in thanking them for their service.

This oral report is a brief summary of the major points that will likely be included in the written report, which will follow in approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

First, we were charged with ensuring that ABC High School meets the Middle States Standards for Accreditation. Our team was meticulous about investigating all of the indicators for the standards, interviewing staff members, walking the grounds of campus and doing a thorough overlook of all aspects of your school. The 12 MSA Standards represent the organizational “building blocks” that need to be in place to produce high levels of student performance – they are research based and are the core of the framework that MSA provides thorough its protocols. A school is required to maintain consistent adherence to these standards.

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In addition to meeting the standards, the protocol you chose—Excellence by Design—requires that you have a system of continuous planning for school improvement. It also requires that you develop goals for improving areas of student performance and that you create plans to achieve those goals. In addition, your school was asked to develop one or more organizational capacity objectives. The expectation is that, after the team leaves, you will faithfully implement your improvement plan over the next seven years and make a good faith effort to achieve the goals you set.

The visiting team sees that ABC has taken the MSA process very seriously. If a school uses the process as it is meant to be used – a journey of improvement and reflection – it works. As shared by a staff member when asked about the MSA process, she stated, “There was a decisive initiative in the elementary program to help shrink any gaps that could exist within our curriculum and create an even stronger transition from elementary to secondary school.” Another staff member said, “ABC constantly wants to improve. We say, ‘We did this right, but we want to do it better.’ This is the culture of our school.”

It is also very admirable that ABC High School has chosen to apply for the prestigious Program of Distinction for Early Childhood Education. This is a brave venture for ABC to attempt to show the Eagleton community how strong your early childhood program really is. This credential could ultimately set your school apart.

We came here as your “critical friends.” What I mean by this is that we came to look and listen with discerning eyes and ears as professional friends and colleagues. What we have to say to you is offered in the spirit of our desire to leave you in a better position to achieve your goals than before we arrived.

We asked nearly all of the groups with whom we met to identify what they see as the primary strengths of your school. The list of responses was extensive and impressive. Students, staff and parents continually describe ABC High School as being a school with an atmosphere of family and excellence. It is rare that I have visited a school with such pride for the excellence that is produced within their community and the mutual support that is exhibited between all stakeholders. The community is diverse, yet accepting of all different members and their contributions. In meeting with students, a grade 12 student said something quite descriptive of the connection that this community has. “Most schools have an atmosphere where ‘tight knit’ is when you are part of the knit. ABC does a great job of making sure that everyone if part of the knit.”

In an extensive career as an educator, I have very few times come across student groups who as articulate, polite, focused and proud as the students at ABC. They freely chose to communicate to the Visiting Team what they liked best about ABC. A very enthusiastic grade 7 student proudly announced, “Everyone at ABC is friends. When it became time to move from the elementary to the big guy side, my transition was smooth and comfortable.” Another extremely proud ABC junior stated, “One of the things that I like most about ABC is it gives you the opportunity to be yourself.” The impressive list of activities and clubs that the students have a choice to be a part of, not only embraces the differences between all of your kids, but also celebrates these differences and promotes acceptance and love. Anthony Douglas Williams once said, “Imagine what 7 billion humans could accomplish if we all loved and respected each other.”

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From the moment we entered the school, it is obvious that ABC is a school filled with pride, attention to detail & collaborative support. Mediocrity is clearly rejected, as it has no place at ABC. A small school on a quest for excellence, this school is impressively vibrant with activity and participation. We are in awe of the level of student, staff, and community participation in the life of this school. It is highly unusual in this day and age to see academically serious students also actively involved in sports, extracurricular clubs, arts programs and fundraising events.

We heard from your students time and time again that a strength of your school is the level of care and concern that the administrators and teachers have for their students. Your students told us that they have strong relationships with their teachers, which one student characterized as a “continual listening ear.” They told us that their teachers are always willing to go the extra mile for them, and that the administrators are always willing to listen. The students expressed that they feel their teachers advocate for them at all times.

This same strength was confirmed and mutually expressed by your teachers, who mentioned that the administration has an “open door policy” and is supportive beyond belief. It has been made evident to the Visiting Team that the new Head of School transition has been immensely successful. Staff members have cited that communication has increased, staff morale is up and they have a wonderful hope for ABC from new the HOS. With all of this positive talk about the things going on ABC, it would be easy for Ms. Knope and the leadership team to sit on their laurels and be satisfied with the status quo, however that is clearly not the case. We have witnessed dedicated, passionate educators who will not settle for anything less that the very best for their kids. The leaders of this school “would much rather choke on greatness, than nibble on mediocrity.”

This is clearly displayed by the new initiative to infuse Project-Based Learning into the elementary and secondary school. Although there could have been strong pushback from stakeholders with this new initiative (no midterm exams – what??!), the leadership team saw the potential that this type of learning could hold for their students. PBL combats memorization. Today we have instant facts at our fingertips, we need to produce kids that know how to think, not just regurgitate facts. An excellent example of this is “Hurricane Park”. This project will leave a legacy at ABC. What a wonderful opportunity you have provided for them to practice leadership around a topic that they care very much about.

ABC High School chose Student Performance Goals and Organizational Capacity Goals that will are realistic to what your students need. The academic goals of improved Language Arts and Math skills are admirable and necessary. But it is also impressive that ABC chose 3 organizational goals (Music, Leadership & Communication) to better who they are as a community. We want to congratulate you for the degree to which your school has grown so that you may set your sights on goals that are both academic as well as outside the realm of core disciplines and into the topics of fine arts, improved communication and character building. An elementary leader stated, “I am so proud of the fact that we have reached a point at ABC where our goals can address more than just academics – we can now thrive within the arts, leadership and music.”

When we came to your school, we assumed that you not only wanted to hear from us about the strengths of your school, but also about the areas in need of improvement. Therefore, we also asked most of the groups with which we met to identify any obstacles that the school

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could see as opportunities in achieving its mission. Most of these areas and challenges will not come as surprises to you.

We suggest that ABC seriously consider paying attention to the following areas of concern: Enrollment preparation – ABC is currently experiencing its highest enrollment in history.

They will need to carefully plan for the following:o Budget for space/staffo New students coming from abroad will bring a need for more Spanish as a Second

Language classes (SSL) – perhaps consider hiring a literacy specialist to help ensure all language needs are met

o Increased enrollment will bring the need for more services for kids with special needs to have reasonable accommodations – need more space

Additional office space and private entrance for nurse Staggered lunch & dismissal times – to combat crowding & long lines in cafeteria Cafeteria space will need to be-designed to handle the lunch crowd and higher numbers

Now, let me move to the accreditation recommendation we will make to the Commission on Secondary Schools.

Part of the decision regarding whether to recommend re-accreditation of ABC High School is based on whether you meet the 12 standards for accreditation. We concluded that ABC High School meets all 12 of the standards. In fact, in most cases, it is obvious that ABC exceeds the expectations of the standard and goes above and beyond to ensure that these requirements are more than met for the benefit of your kids and staff.

The second factor we must consider in making our accreditation recommendation is whether ABC High School meets the requirements of the Excellence by Design protocol. These requirements are summarized in the following commitments you must make to be accredited:

You must commit to plan strategically with a specific emphasis on improving student performance

You must commit yourselves to establishing a culture of being accountable for your students’ performance.

You must be committed to involving a broad spectrum of your school’s stakeholders in defining a vision for your school

With regard to these requirements, we found that ABC High School has a school improvement plan focused on improving student performance, and action plans to achieve the objectives.

Ladies and gentleman, these are some of the major themes and findings that will be included in our written report. We offer them in the spirit of being your “critical friends” and with the desire that they will help you as you work toward achieving your mission. We are empathetic, caring educators who recognize that ABC provides a positive learning environment that celebrates your community and offers a sturdy foundation on which to create the future leaders of our world.

Now, we get to the part you all have been waiting for:This Visiting Team will recommend to the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools that ABC High School be re-accredited for seven years.

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Many thanks especially go to Ms. Leslie Knope, Head of School, and the Internal Coordinators, Dr. Jerry Gergich, Mr. Andy Dwyer, Mr. Jean Ralphio and Mrs. Donna Meagle for their diligence and leadership in the MSA process. Also to be noted for her direct help and kindness in our comfort and accommodations is Mrs. Joan Callamezzo. The entire ABC faculty & staff, from the principals to the department heads to the elementary leaders to the teachers to the technology crew to the supporting staff to the Alive staff – thank you.

Thank you to the Board of Trustees members that came out and the parents who showed so much pride in the school they have chosen for their most precious gift – their children. And most of all – thank you to the STUDENTS – who were nothing short of awesome.

As we take our leave, the members of the Visiting Team wish to thank all of you for opening your school to us, for sharing with us your hopes, your dreams, and your concerns, and for your wonderful hospitality. Our experience here has been a rich and rewarding one.

We wish you the success in all your endeavors. Thank you and goodbye.

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VISITING TEAM ROSTER

Role Name School/Organization

Chair of the Team Ron Swanson Pawnee High School, Pawnee Indiana

Team Member Ben Wyatt Pawnee Academy, Pawnee, Indiana

Team Member April Ludgate The Pawnee School, Pawnee, Indiana

Team Member Ann Perkins Eagleton Regional Catholic School, Eagleton, Indiana

Team Member Tom Haverford Eagleton Friends School, Eagleton, Indiana

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