improving student learning 2012 visiting committee training © 2013 wcea

Improving Student

Learning 2012

VisitingCommittee

training

© 2013 WCEA

Introduction

The premise/purpose for the Visiting Committee is to provide validation, analysis and professional feedback to a school based on the Visiting Committee’s review of the Self Study, evidence, observation, discussion, review of student work, and an analysis of data in relation to the twelve WCEA Accreditation Factors.

Our focus is on:CONTINUOUS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

ISL 2012 Visiting Committee Training

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Visiting Committee Mission:

Verify the reality of the school in relation to the school’s Self Study.

Affirm school’s significant accomplishments and goals to improve student learning.

Support and give input in relation to the school’s plan to address their critical goals.

Recommend an Accreditation Status that will assist the school in its growth process.


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Visiting Committee Responsibilities Are:

Attend the Visiting Committee training.Sign a Confidentiality Statement.Attend the pre-visit.Read the entire Self Study.Pre-write the Report of Findings

according to directions from your Chair.Get all pre-writing to the Chair

according to the Chair’s timeline.


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Visiting Committee Responsibilities Are:

Visit the school – full 3-day visit.Participate in all VC meetings.Visit all classrooms (and classes).Participate in the VC Discussions.Collaboratively assist in writing a Report

of Findings, Justification Statement, and Recommendation for Accreditation Status.

Complete the Evaluation of the Chair.ISL 2012 Visiting Committee Training

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Overview

To what extent has the school completed a Self Study that accomplishes these six Key Outcomes?

1. The assessment of the school’s Catholic Identity.2. The involvement and collaboration of all shareholders in

affirming evident strengths and promoting ongoing school improvement.

3. The clarification of the school’s mission, philosophy, and Schoolwide Learning Expectations for all students.

4. The use of high quality criteria to assess the actual school program and its impact on student learning and spiritual development.

5. The development of an Action Plan that addresses identified goals to improve student learning.

6. The development and implementation of an accountability system for monitoring progress in meeting or redefining goals and strategies found in the Action Plan.


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Visiting Committee

Pre-Visit approximately 4-5 weeks before the actual school accreditation visit: Meet the Chair of the Visiting Committee. Learn of the Chair’s expectations. Receive writing assignments from the Chair. Receive a copy of the school’s Self Study Complete necessary forms for confidentiality

statement, emergency contact info, meal likes/dislikes/allergies, etc.

Meet the faculty and staff. Tour the school.


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Visiting Committee

3-Day School Accreditation Visit First day is spent visiting classes and observing

evidence to support the statements made in the Self Study.

Meetings with staff and parents as scheduled. Second day is spent visiting classes, observing

evidence, and working on the Report of Findings. Third day is spent completing the Report of

Findings and sharing this with the Leadership Team, completing the Justification Statement and Recommendation for Accreditation Status.

The visit ends with the presentation of the Report of Findings to the school.


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Report of Findings template can be found in the ISL 2012 Visiting

Committee Manual pages 19-29.

BREAK

Report of Findings

General notes about writing: KISS – keep it short and significant (relevant). Most sections can be written with 1-3 paragraphs. DO NOT write a paragraph responding to each

bullet point – instead write an integrated narrative. For the sections that respond to Accreditation

Factors, take care to use language that will support your rating. If you say that a school is highly effective, be sure to give some evidence that supports that highly effective rating.

Chairs may or may not choose to use “rating” language in the narrative. See samples in the Manual.


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Report of Findings

Preface Completed by Chair Insert name of partnering accrediting agency Insert names, schools, addresses of all Visiting

Committee members Insert school’s name in preface Modifications are encouraged to personalize this

section


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Report of Findings

Chapter 1: Introduction

A. How the Self Study was Conducted Short, general narratives describing how the

school used ISL protocol for their Self Study What process has the school used to complete the

Self Study (schedule of meetings, timeline, involvement of shareholders, etc.)?

What obstacles, if any did the school experience in completing their Self Study?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 1: IntroductionB. Involvement and Collaboration of

Shareholders in Completing the Self Study

Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively…

Has the school involved all shareholders in data review and analysis, dialog about student progress, school accomplishments and needs, etc.? (Note the references in the template to specific sections in the Self Study that address shareholder involvement.)

Does the school plan to keep shareholders involved in ongoing systematic analysis of the school’s effectiveness? (see the Action Plan)


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Report of Findings

Chapter 2: Context of the School

A. School Profile Short, general narratives describing how

the school compiled and analyzed data To what extent has the school compiled and

analyzed annually updated data (cultural, demographic, financial, survey, interview) that identified major changes or trends since the last Self Study?

What do parent/student/staff surveys tell about satisfaction with the school?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 2: Context of the SchoolB. Use of Prior Accreditation Findings to Support

High Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self

Study, through observation, and in the school’s Annual Reports of Progress – How effectively...

Has the school incorporated prior VC findings (full visit and mid-term visit) into their Action Plan, and completed these goals? Have they added any goals?

Did their goals support high achievement? Did the school monitor their progress and report

this progress to their shareholders? Has the school implemented the concept of

continuous school improvement in non-accreditation years?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 3: Quality of the School ProgramA. Assessment of the School’s Catholic Identity


Has the school assessed their Catholic Identity and improved the spiritual formation of students, staff, and parents, etc. (8 standards)?

How effectively has the school discovered areas of Catholic Identity that need to be improved?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 3: Quality of the School ProgramB. Defining the School’s Purpose


Does the school’s mission and philosophy reflect the Catholic nature of the school?

Does the school use their SLE and standards to define the school’s purpose?

Has the school communicated their mission and purpose, including any governing authority expectations, to their shareholders?

Has the school discovered what improvements need to be made in defining the School’s Purpose?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 3: Quality of the School ProgramC. Organization for Student Learning to Support

High Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self

Study and through observation – How effectively…

Do organizational structures of the school support and promote the school’s Catholic Identity,

Do organizational structures of the school focus on high achievement of all students,

Do organizational structures of the school communicate student progress to the shareholders,

Has the school analyzed how the organizational structure could be improved to support student learning.


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Report of Findings

Chapter 3: Quality of the School ProgramD. Data Analysis and Action to Support High Achievement

of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study

and through observation – How effectively… Does the school use data about faith formation to

strengthen Catholic Identity? Does the school use educationally sound assessment

processes to collect, disaggregate and analyze student performance data?

Does the school disaggregate data into meaningful groups? Does the school use data analysis, trends, etc. as a basis

for improving student learning? Does analysis of data drive curricular change? Include

at least one example in the narrative.


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Report of Findings

Chapter 3: Quality of the School ProgramE. SLEs and Standards-Based Curriculum to Support

High Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study

and through observation – How effectively… Has the school incorporated Catholic values into the curriculum? Has the school developed ensured that standards are

challenging, comprehensive and relevant for all students? Has the school measured student achievement of the SLEs and

standards? Has the school ensured that each student is making acceptable

progress? Has the school integrated technology into the learning process? Has the school identified students who are not making

acceptable progress? Does the school assess their programs used to support students?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 3: Quality of the School ProgramF. Instructional Methodology to Support High

Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study

and through observation – How effectively… Does the staff model Catholic values? Has the school implemented research-based instructional

techniques to enhance student learning? Has the school used assessment to modify instruction? How effectively has the school integrated technology into the

teaching/learning process? Has the school identified what improvement in instructional

methodology are need to support high achievement of all students?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 3: Quality of the School ProgramG. Support for Student Spiritual, Personal, and

Academic Growth Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study

and through observation – How effectively… Are the support programs rooted in Catholic values? Does the school provide services to help all students achieve at

high levels? Does the school plan for emergencies? Does the school use parents and community resources, including

Federal Program funding, to assist students? Does the school provide resources and services to help students

with special needs? Has the school identified support services that they need to provide

to students to support high achievement at all levels?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 3: Quality of the School ProgramH. Resource Management and Development to Support

High Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study

and through observation – How effectively… Does the school use its financial resources to support Catholic

Identity? Does the school use its financial management system? Does the school report its finances to its shareholders? Are the school’s plans to ensure that its resources are adequate to

sustain its programs? Is the school at planning for its long-term viability? Are the school’s plans for implementing technology? Has the school analyzed its financial position to determine the

most effective way to exercise financial stewardship and ensure the financial viability of the school?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 4: The Action Plan

A. Design and Alignment of the Action Plan

List of Significant Accomplishments (the VC may combine significant accomplishments listed in the Self Study and/or add to the list developed by the school – limit of 8)

List of Critical Goals (only the 5 critical goals identified by the school – the VC does not list their version of the critical goals, nor do they add to the list)


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Report of Findings

Chapter 4: The Action Plan

A. Design and Alignment of the Action Plan Narratives based on critical goals focused on

improving student learning – How effectively… Did the school identify critical goals that are focused on

improving student learning? Does the Action Plan align with and address the school’s

critical goals in order to support high achievement of all students?

Does the Action Plan identify specific strategies and activities?

Does the Action Plan identify implementation strategies? Does the Action Plan include specific assessments to

monitor growth in student learning?


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Report of Findings

Chapter 4: The Action Plan (Manual page 28)

A. Design and Alignment of the Action Plan

OPTION A: the Visiting Committee may ask the school to modify a critical goal in their Action Plan. This is ordinarily done to make the critical goal more focused, or to be more inclusive.

The Visiting Committee is not required to ask the school to modify a critical goal in their Action Plan. If they do, this may have an impact on the Accreditation Status recommended by the Visiting Committee.


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Report of Findings

Chapter 4: The Action Plan (Manual pages 28)

A. Design and Alignment of the Action Plan OPTION B: the Visiting Committee may ask the

school to replace a critical goal in the school’s Action Plan (or in a future Action Plan) with one created by the Visiting Committee. This is ordinarily done because the school overlooked something that the Visiting Committee feels is critical to the future of the school.

The Visiting Committee is not required to ask the school to replace a critical goal in their Action Plan. If they do, this will have an impact on the Accreditation Status recommended by the Visiting Committee.


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Report of Findings

Chapter 4: The Action PlanB. Capacity to Implement and Monitor the

Action Plan Narratives based on evidence found in Self

Study, through observation and in the school’s Annual Reports of Progress – How effectively…

Does the school’s implementation of the previous Action Plan impact their ability to implement this Action Plan?

Do the monitoring processes involve shareholders? Does the school plan to evaluate the Action Plan goals

on the basis of improving student learning? Has the school identified needed resources? Has the school identified impediments to the

successful completion of the goals in the Action Plan?


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Justification Statement

Review each of the 12 Accreditation Factors. Based on the rubrics, is the school Highly Effective, Effective,

Somewhat Effective, or Ineffective for each Factor? Rubrics are directional not definitive. Schools may fall somewhere

between two rubrics – meeting some criteria in one and some in another. The Visiting Committee is to use its best judgment to determine which rating to use.

What evidence from the Report of Findings supports the rating given by the Visiting Committee?

Evidence and, where possible, direct quotes from the Report of Findings should be included in the succinct and informative narrative.

The rating should be consistent with the tone/statements found in the Report of Findings.

The ISL 2012 Visiting Committee Manual has narrative examples.


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Justification Statement

IMPORTANT: if the Visiting Committee chooses to use rating terminology such as “Highly Effective” in the Report of Findings, that same terminology should be used in the Justification Statement, and the rating should match the terminology used.

NEVER use different rating terminology in the Report of Findings and Justification Statement narratives.

Ensure that what you say in the Report of Findings is repeated in the narratives for the Justification Statement.

The Justification Statement will be shared with the school.


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Accreditation Status

The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist and support the school in its growth process. A “FULL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION” means that

the school is focused on high achievement for all students, that all structures and processes support this focus, curriculum and assessment support this focus, and that the school is well positioned to continue this focus without any serious threats to its continued growth.

There are no findings identified by the Visiting Committee in the Report of Findings that have a significant negative impact on student learning.

The school is required to send in an Annual Report of Progress to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner.


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The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist and support the school in its growth process. An “PROVISIONAL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION” usually means

that the school is not completely focused on high achievement for all students, that some, but not all structures and processes support this focus, that curriculum and assessment don’t always support this focus, and that there may be serious threats to the future of the school.

There is a finding identified by the Visiting Committee in the Report of Findings that has a significant negative impact on student learning.

This status usually indicates a serious threat to the school requiring intervention by the central school office.


A 2-member Visiting Committee will revisit the school in 3 years to look for evidence of how the school has responded to the Report of Findings.

The WCEA Elementary Commissioner may schedule additional visits to monitor how the school has responded to the Report of Findings.


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The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist and support the school in its growth process. A “CONDITIONAL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION” means that

the school is not focused on high achievement for all students, that structures and processes do not support this focus, that curriculum and assessment don’t support this focus, and that there are significant threats to the future of the school.

There are significant findings (critical goals) identified by the Visiting Committee in the Report of Findings.

This status always indicates a serious threat to the school requiring intervention by the central school office.


The school is given 1 year to begin addressing the issues identified by the Visiting Committee. The school reports its progress to the Elementary Commissioner who may visit the school or send in a re-visit team.

If the school appears to be successfully addressing the issues raised by the Visiting Committee, the Elementary Commissioner may request WCEA to change the schools status to Accredited with Provisions.


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The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist and support the school in its growth process. Schools receiving mainly “Highly Effective” and “Effective”

ratings are generally regarded as being focused on student learning and given Full Accreditation status.

Schools receiving several “Somewhat Effective” ratings and/or the use of Option B in the Report of Findings are considered to have some challenges to student learning that need to be addressed. The Accredited with Provisions status gives schools time to address these issues and brings back a team to review the school’s progress.

Schools receiving “Ineffective” ratings and the Visiting Committee uses Option B to redirect the school’s focus on improving student learning are given a Conditional Accreditation with a review of the school’s progress in one year.


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The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist the school in its growth process.

The Visiting Committee’s recommendation is reviewed by a Reading Team of WCEA Elementary Commissioners.

The Reading Team will look for a correlation between the narrative and the rating in the Justification Statement, the ratings given, and the recommended Accreditation Status and will review the rationale for the Accreditation Status to see if it explains the reason for the recommended status.


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If the WCEA Reading Team feels that the recommended Accreditation Status is not justified based on 1) the ratings, 2) the narratives in the Justification Statement, and/or 3) the rationale found in the Accreditation Status, the WCEA Reading Team will propose a different Accreditation Status in consultation with the Chair of the Visiting Committee.

The WCEA Reading Team recommends an Accreditation Status (the same as or different from the Visiting Committee) to the entire WCEA Elementary Commission.


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The WCEA Elementary Commission votes on the Accreditation Status recommended by the Reading Team.

A majority vote determines the WCEA Accreditation Status.

The WCEA Accreditation Status is shared with any partnering agency (e.g., ACS WASC, NAAS, NCA CASI) who then issues their own Accreditation Status.

WCEA issues a certificate of accreditation, and sends it to the school, usually in late Summer.


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FOR TABLE DISCUSSION:

1.What would cause a school to get a FULL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION with annual reports?

2.What would cause a school to get a PROVISIONAL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION with a 1-day revisit in 3 years?

3.What would cause a school to get a CONDITIONAL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION with a revisit in 1 year?

QUESTIONS?


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FINIS: 1 of 2

The school receives a copy of the Report of Findings (pdf and hard copy) before the Visiting Committee leaves the school.

A copy of the Report of Findings is sent to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner (hard copy and Word document).

The Justification Statement and signed Recommendation for Accreditation Status is given/sent to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner (hard copy and Word documents).

NOTE: These documents are finalized at the end of the Visit.

NO DOCUMENTS ARE SENT TO ACS WASC BY CHAIRS. DOCUMENTS ARE SENT TO WCEA ONLY!


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FINIS: 2 of 2

The school modifies its Action Plan based on the findings of the Visiting Committee and sends a copy of the revised Action Plan to the WCEA Commissioner.

Schools are notified of their Accreditation Status during the summer after the school visit.

The school implements the Action Plan and provides annual reports to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner.

In about 4½ years the process begins again.

CONTINUOUS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTISL 2012 Visiting Committee Training

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improving student learning 2012 visiting committee training © 2013 wcea

Documents

visiting committees

student learning

day visit

actual school program

schools mission

ongoing school improvement

schools plan

accreditation status