What is District Wide Accreditation?

Ensure Desired Results

Improve Teaching & Learning

Foster a Culture of Improvement

A powerful systems approach to improving student performance.

District is accredited rather than individual schools.

Schools and District work together in harmony. Entire school system focuses on improving student learning.

System is designed for continuous self-evaluation and improvement.

Leon County Schools District Wide Accreditation

AdvancEd

What It Means For Schools: Schools are no longer individually accredited with SACS

Schools participate in a self study with the school district

Schools evaluate themselves based on seven (7) Standards and their accompanying Indicators.

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What this Means to the District: The District also evaluates itself based on the seven (7) standards

The District is responsible for insuring accreditation for our system and its schools.

As a District, we must demonstrate that we work together, as a system, with a clear focus on student performance and continuous improvement, regardless of our position.

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Local Funding- Dependent on Property Tax- Large segment of property is non-taxable- Share resources with local government- State Restrictions millage and use of funds- Constitutional Amendment limits increases in millage rates- Stagnated and depressed property values- Nearly peaked on use of taxing authority

State Funding- State revenue shortfall results in major cuts to education- Decrease in funding but increase in mandates- Job losses and funding cuts to our major local employer

cuts in state program support to schoolscuts in local program support to schools

- Further cuts anticipated

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3) Population Shift Migration from south to north

Under populated schools in south of countyOver utilized schools in north of county

Efforts to Attract StudentsMillions invested to provide program and facility equitySchools rezoned to balance student demographics Magnet programs institutedPublic awareness campaigns implemented

Studies indicate busing students far from their neighborhoods might reduce family involvement and student learning, yet cost of maintaining underutilized schools is becoming increasingly difficult to fund in face of diminishing resources.

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Strengths:

The ongoing professional and collegial working relationships

The quality of teaching staff

On-going communications

Strong stakeholder support

Pride, ambition, and focus of employeesS

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Needs:

A steady and sufficient revenue source to continue the work of the district

Providing instructional support by expanding the progress monitoring tools

Continuing to increase student performance for identified subgroupsS

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AdvancEdOur Self-Evaluation

To determine if we meet the high AdvancEd standards:

1. The entire district collected evidence for each indicator of a standard.

2. Based on the evidence we found, each school and the district administration determined the extent to which we meet each indicator.

There are 7 Standards for measurement

1. Vision and Purpose

2. Governance and Leadership

3. Teaching and Learning

4. Documenting and Using Results

5. Resources and Support Systems

6. Stakeholder Communications and Relationships

7. Commitment to Continuous Improvement

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Identifies . . .

Communicates . . .. Establishes . . .

Vision and Purpose

Each Standard has a set of indicators:STANDARD 1: Vision and Purpose

The district (school) establishes and communicates a shared purpose and direction for improving the performance of students and the effectiveness of the district (school).

District Indicators1.1 Establishes a vision for the system in collaborationwith its stakeholders.1.2 Communicates the system’s vision and purpose to build stakeholder understanding and support1.3 Identifies system-wide goals to advance the vision.

1.4 Develops and continuously maintains a profileof the system, its students, and the community.

1.5 Ensures that the system’s vision and purpose guide the teaching and learning process and the strategic direction of schools, departments and services.1.6 Reviews its vision and purpose systematically and revises them when appropriate.

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School Indicators1.1 Establishes a vision and purpose for the school in collaboration with its stakeholders.1.2 Communicates the vision and purpose to build stakeholder understanding and support.1.3 Identifies goals to advance the vision.

1.4 Develops and continuously maintains a profileof the school, its students, and the community.

1.5 Ensures that the school’s vision and purpose guide the teaching and learning process and the strategic direction of the school.

Identifies . . .

Communicates . . .. Establishes . . .

Vision and Purpose

Each Standard has a set of indicators:STANDARD 1: Vision and Purpose

The district (school) establishes and communicates a shared purpose and direction for improving the performance of students and the effectiveness of the system (school).

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• Not Evident• Emerging• Operational• Highly Functional

Meeting the Standards

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Rubric

1. Vision and Purpose operational

2. Governance and Leadership operational

3. Teaching and Learning operational

4. Documenting and Using Results operational

5. Resources and Support Systems operational

6. Stakeholder Communications and Relationships operational

7. Commitment to Continuous Improvement operational

1. Vision and Purpose

2. Governance and Leadership

3. Teaching and Learning

4. Documenting and Using Results

5. Resources and Support Systems

6. Stakeholder Communications and Relationships

7. Commitment to Continuous Improvement

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√ School Improvement Plans developed with stakeholders

√ School Leadership Teams implement plans, analyze data to track student performance, and adjust plans as needed.

√ School Improvement Central Council oversees all School Improvement Plans, ensures realistic goals and a focus on improvement. * Mid-Year Progress Reports & End-of-Year Review * District Intervention & Assistance Plan and Team

√ Staff Development is integrated and coordinated to support school improvement needs.

√ Department of Testing, Research, and Evaluation provides meaningful feedback to schools allowing them to assess their progress with students.

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√ Schools and District Departments work together to collect evidence and undergo an annual self-assessment to evaluate how well they are meeting the seven research-based standards of a quality school district.

√ A new system of monitoring AdvancED Standards for Quality Schools was developed in addition to ongoing monitoring of school directors and other district administrators in school visits and walkthroughs.

√ At the district level, district and school staff members meet under the leadership of the deputy superintendent to review evidence and determine to what extent the district is meeting standards. Information is used to amend plans and allocate resources.

√ Information and feedback is provided to the Board at their annual retreat as they develop goals for the following year.

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Peer-to-Peer ReviewBest Practice

Submitted on-line.

Our Submission:

Early Intervention

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● Leon County Schools enjoys a strong, positive and professional working relationship between and among an elected superintendent, board members, employees, and the community.

● The district emphasizes the importance of focusing on classrooms and student performance.

● There is a district-wide focus on research-based strategies to enhance student performance.

● The district supports high quality teaching by well credentialed teachers, a strong teacher induction and mentoring program, and a well designed staff development program.

● Community stakeholder input, support, and resources are an important part of district operations.

● Continuing efforts of school improvement have become a routine way of work for schools in our district.

Conclusion:AdvancEd

Our Greatest Challenges:

Maintaining quality programs in the face of declining revenues.

Finding resources to expand progress monitoring tools in core curriculum areas.

Continuing to increase student performance for identified subgroups, particularly African-American, economically disadvantaged, English language learners, and students with disabilities

Finding innovative, researched-based, cost effective solutions to long and short term challenges.

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Next Steps

• Submit our Standards Assessment Report

• Standards Assessment Team Chair appointed.

• Chair arrives to plan team visit.

• Schools and district offices are selected for in-depth visit.

• Team arrives Sunday, January 25th, and begins its work.

• Team reports recommendations to Board and Superintendent at open Board meeting on Wednesday, January 28th.

We are on our way to District-wide Accreditation and continuous improvement!

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