Overview of Accreditation and Accountability

Q. How are schools accredited?

A. The District accredits its schools based on the accreditation contract with the Colorado State Board of Education. Evidence of reasonable progress over time is required. Progress, for accreditation purposes, is based on growth in student achievement from year to year, and in terms of the District's goals. In addition, the District must show a good faith effort in the compliance areas as required in the Colorado Accreditation Indicators.

Q. What are the revised Colorado Accreditation Indicators?

A.  Revised accreditation rules were adopted by the state in June 2001 and published in August of 2001, in compliance with S.B. 00-186. These rules can be found on the CDE web site at www.cde.state.co.us. With the new rules, the District is now required to show progress and/or compliance in each of ten areas listed in the accreditation rules. The District's End-of-Year (EOY) report was revised in February 2002 to align with the new Colorado Accreditation Indicators.

Q. How do we demonstrate progress on CSAP goals?

A.  Progress is measured in terms of a year's growth in a year's time. While year-to-year comparisons in writing and mathematics are not currently feasible, we will be able to report CSAP progress with greater meaning and usability when the State's performance levels are aligned across grade levels.

Q. How do we communicate longitudinal growth with CSAP?

A. The District is preparing a longitudinal model of value-added growth by comparing scores of enrolled students over a two-year period. Results of these analyses will be disaggregated by student subgroups. This information will be included in each school's EOY template, available August 2002.

Q. How will we know when the achievement gap is closed?

 A. The gap is not considered closed until subgroups of students achieve proportional representation, i.e. until the subgroups reach the district mean. The target is proportionality.

Q. What if we are unable to demonstrate progress on CSAP?

A. School Improvement Teams (SITs) will want to examine changes in enrollment trends from year to year. If a school experiences significant changes in enrollment trends, the school may able to document progress as long as it maintains current levels of achievement. Such documentation will be useful for Title I Schoolwide Plans as well as for State Accreditation.

Q. What numbers count? What is important?

A. The state accreditation rules require that we show evidence of progress and compliance with all of the State Accreditation Indicators as referenced in the End-of-Year Report. These indicators cover all the major parts of the accreditation process as required by the state accreditation rules.

Q. With the new accreditation process, do we still need to prepare an end-of-year report for parents to go home with report cards?

A. No, not unless you typically do a brief report for parents at the end of the year. The timeline is changed to allow for revisions to the School Improvement Plan (SIP) based on state assessment results. The State Accountability Report (SAR) and the accompanying school accountability report created by the District go out together in the fall of each year to all parents in conjunction with the open enrollment period.

Q. What can I let go of to do all this work?

A. Duplication of reporting systems is eliminated in the revised EOY report and SIP process. The revised reports and schools plans serve to reduce duplication of several different reports, including NCA accreditation, reports for the District Equity Department and Title I Schoolwide Plans.

BVSD's Accreditation Plan

Q. What is the purpose of the revised EOY and SIP?

A. To verify meeting State and District accreditation requirements and to enhance accountability. To document plans/results to improve educational achievement, maximize graduation rates, and increase the ratings for the school's accreditation category.

Q. What is essential in the SIP?

A. Essential components include targets, rationale, goals, baseline data, strategies, assessments, professional development, evaluation and documentation of previous year's progress. Each of these areas is noted in the SIP.

Q. What is a "target" on the SIP?

A. Targets establish expectations for improvement. Targets are set annually in collaboration with school staff and school improvement teams, using data to establish the target. Principals review targets and address achievement gaps during conferences with their respective Assistant Superintendents. To ensure accountability, principals put in place periodic checks to monitor progress on targets in collaboration with staff and school improvement teams.

Q. What do periodic checks involve?

A. Periodic checks are designed to compare the results obtained to the target. Questions asked in a periodic check may include: What was done well? What could be improved? What could be done differently? Is our work making a difference? Are the things we agreed as a school-community happening? The purpose is to validate progress on incremental targets and to determine if progress is achieved. If desired progress is not being realized, the plan is revisited.

Q. What is a "goal" statement? What is a SMART goal?

A.  Goals are stated as performance objectives which detail the desired state, with a specific measurement and a specific assessment. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

Q. How do I access the EOY reporting requirements and the SIP planning worksheet on a PC? On a MAC?

A. On a MAC, go to MAC chooser, appleshare, Edc, edc, common folder, school improvement. On a PC, go to network neighborhood, Edc, edc, common folder, school improvement.

Q. Are charter schools expected to participate in the annual and five-year review process?

A. Yes. While there are certain areas in which the State does not hold charters accountable, nothing in their contract precludes a general district accreditation review. Charter schools are expected to submit EOY reports and SIP plans and to participate in the process.

Role of DAC and Schools in Annual and Five-Year Reviews

Q. What is the purpose of the annual review?

A. Reviews are conducted annually for the purpose of evaluating the school's progress in relation to the District's achievement and diversity indicators, i.e. the goal of one year's growth over a year's time and more than a year's growth over a year's time for student groups below grade level in reading, writing and math [per Colorado Accreditation Rules, 4.01 (1) (b), (c) and (d)].

Q. What is DAC's role in the annual and five-year review cycle?

A.  DAC members participate as a partner with District administration in validating annual yearly progress on school achievement and diversity goals, through review of annual reports and school improvement plans. DAC members are expected to participate in annual training in order to develop competencies that will enable them to focus dialogue on continuous improvement through facts and data. DAC members serve as members of review teams, celebrating successes and identifying challenges for school improvement, through review of the school improvement design, implementation, and results. In this way, DAC members serve as an important resource in improving school and program effectiveness and in increasing achievement and performance of all students. The Divisions of Elementary and Secondary Education will provide assurances of active representation on DAC from each building.

Q. What is the school's role in the annual and five-year review cycle?

A. Prepare for annual school reviews of progress made in student achievement. Prepare for on-site reviews on a five-year review cycle. Participate in training associated with the review process. Receive technical assistance as needed to make necessary revisions in EOY and SIP.

Q. Will schools see DAC's report before it goes to the Board?

A. YES. All schools will receive a written report. DAC and District administration will provide to the Principal a DRAFT copy of the District Annual Accreditation Report for the school's review and comment. DAC and District Administration will write a final report on the status of accreditation for each school. The report will include information about compliance, strengths and achievements, and questions to promote continued improvement. In accordance with the intent of Colorado law and State Board of Education Rules, a summary report will be issued to the Superintendent and the District Board of Education. As a public document it will be available to the school accountability committee and others who may be interested.

Q. What is meant by accepted and/or conditional acceptance?

A. If accepted, school returns to the Annual Review process. If DAC and District administration find that the report and plan are not complete or in compliance, then conditional acceptance is given. Schools on conditional acceptance will submit any requested information and revisions. All schools requested to revise their EOY and/or SIP will be expected to attend a three-hour Technical Assistance Workshop offered in November. The school may appeal the decision.

Five-Year Review Cycle

Q. What is the school's role in preparing for the five-year review?

A. Schools on review cycle schedule a visit, attend training with the review team, assist in recruitment of team members, and host the two-day site visit.

Q. What is the schedule for site visits?

A. Schools on review cycle in 2003-04 include: Douglass, Emerald, Eisenhower, Lousiville, Kohl, Broomfield Heights, Monarch, Southern Hills, Platt, High Peaks, Lousiville MS, and Mesa. Fairview HS has requested a waiver. Charter Schools are also expected to participate in the annual and five-year reviews.

Q. What is the Review Team's role?

A. Review team members are expected to attend training and become familiar with the contents of the revised policy/procedures manual/workbook to be released in August.

Q. What is the role of the Team Chair?

A. The Team Chair works collaboratively with the host principal, conducts the visit, gains agreement about the evaluation questions to be raised during the visit, protects confidentiality of the entire process, presents the findings, implications and recommendations as appropriate and as requested by the host principal.

Q. What if our school opts to maintain voluntary NCA member status?

A. Site reviews may be waived for those schools participating in NCA Accreditation or in a non-NCA school improvement process, such as the Blue Ribbon Schools Awards. Schools that opt to maintain voluntary NCA member status are expected to meet both the District and NCA standards and to attend District training and arrange for separate NCA training. NCA member schools may request waivers from NCA concerning use of NCA's profiling software and data management system. All NCA member schools request a waiver of the NCA student performance goals rubric. This is required because the NCA software does not reflect the requirements of the state and District regarding performance goals stated with a specific measurement on a specific assessment.

Q. Who is on the review team?

A. Schools on the five-year review cycle will receive an on-site review by a five-person team composed of professional educators and DAC members from outside the school. The team includes, at a minimum, one administrator, two certificated staff members, and one DAC appointee; adjusted for size of school. Schools will be encouraged to continue inviting professional educators from outside the District to serve on review teams. Principals whose schools have been visited and those who will be visited in the near future are encouraged to serve on a review team.

Q. What do we need to have in place for the review team for schools on five-year cycle?

A. The review team will need copies of the current EOY Report and SIP, a schedule for the two-day site review, staff roster, school map, and daily schedule. Include any additional information that you would like the team to have such as the School Accountability Reports prepared by the state and district, newsletter samples, communications to staff, and so forth.

Q. What kinds of questions will be asked by the Review Teams?

A. Teams will start by asking general questions about the current and desired future of the school. They will look at specific sections of the EOY and SIP to find evidence of data-driven, measurable goals related to District strategic initiatives on maximizing student achievement and valuing diversity and promoting understanding.

Schedule for School and Review Team Training

Q. When do DAC members receive training for participation on Annual Reviews?

A.  EOY/SIP Training is scheduled for September 3, 2002, at the regular DAC Meeting from 6:00-9:00 p.m. The expectation is to send at least one DAC representative from each school. Confirmation is required. SIT Chairs are invited.

Q. When do new administrators receive training to prepare for annual and five-year review?

A. A new adminstrator's accreditation primer is scheduled for Aug. 4, 8:00 - 10:00.

Q. When do DAC and administrators receive training to prepare for participation on Review Teams?

A. Two training sessions are scheduled. Participants may attend on Sept. 17, 1:00-4:00 p.m., OR Sept. 24, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Attendance at Review Team Training is expected for all DAC and Administrators who are scheduled for on-site review of schools on a 5-year review cycle. This includes the host principal, chair of review team, DAC review team members. Training is optional for SIT chairs.

School Improvement Planning Cycle

Q. What is essential in an effective school planning process?

A. An effective school planning process is ongoing. It ranges from regular reviews of individual student progress during teacher evaluation planning conferences, to reviews of class/grade level progress during staff development days, to a continuous review of measurable goals to address achievement. Multi-year plans are generally implemented for a three-year time period. The 4th year is a revision or re-planning year. Year five (5) becomes the year one (1) implementation of the revised plan.

Q. What is expected as we transition to the new District accreditation procedures?

A. It is expected that the 2002-03 EOY and SIP will build on previous year's reports/plans and that the 2002-03 year will be a transition year in moving forward with the new State Accreditation Indicators.

Q. Is the school improvement process all that different under the new rules?

A. Although this is similar to what we have been doing in many ways, it will likely take some time to gear up in order to meet the requirements of the new school improvement and accreditation/accountability rules. The cycle of improvement is schoolwide, collaborative, and results-oriented.

Q. How does all this align all with the supervision and evaluation process?

A. Both processes contribute to continuous improvement. Following are the expectations for the supervision/evaluation process: (a) begin administrator evaluation cycle in August, (b) begin teacher evaluation cycle in September, (c) participate in an administrative review of individual school plans in January, (e) complete teacher evaluation cycle and finalize principal evaluations in May/June.

Achievement and Improvement Through Data

Q. What is data-driven decision making?

A. Data-driven decision making is using data that are gathered on a regular basis (and additional information, as needed) to inform planning, decision making, and reporting activities. Data-driven decision making activities fall into four categories (NSSE 1998)...

1. Mining the data: Collecting and managing pertinent data and information;
2. Analyzing the data: Analyzing and synthesizing the data to create knowledge;
3. Communicating the data: Reporting data, information, and knowledge to support organizational learning;
4. Using the data: Maximizing the role of data in school improvement planning.

Q. Why do some schools engage in data-driven decision making?

A. Schools that engage in data-driven decision making reap a number of benefits. Overall, they have the information they need to...

1. assess the current and future needs of students, parents, staff, and the community;
2. decide what to change and how to institutionalize changes;
3. determine if goals are being met;
4. engage in continuous school improvement;
5. ensure that students "don't fall through the cracks;"
6. evaluate how well current programs and activities meet clients' needs;
7. guide curriculum development and revision;
8. identify the root causes of problems;
9. improve instruction;
10. judge the effectiveness of their reform efforts;
11. know which programs are producing the results the school wants;
12. meet state and federal requirements;
13. measure program;
14. monitor students' progress in meeting standards;
15. promote accountability;
16. select education programs and expertise that will solve problems and position the school for the future;
17. understand ways in which the school and community is changing.

Q. Why don't all schools engage in data-driven decision making?

A.  As one observer notes, "data have the capacity to reveal strength and weakness, failure and success" (Shmoker 1996, p. 33). They can challenge current practice and upset established routines, and they almost always point to some kind of action that should be taken. Some of the reasons many schools do not use data regularly in their planning and decision making include the following (Bernhardt 1998).

1. The school's culture does not focus on data collection, analysis, or use.
2. Few people at the school are trained to gather and analyze data.
3. The staff do not think analyzing data is part of their jobs.
4. Helping schools gather, analyze, communicate, and use data is not a priority of district personnel.
5. Computer systems are outdated or inadequate, and/or appropriate user-friendly software is not available.
6. Teachers are trained to be subject oriented, not data oriented.
7. School personnel have had negative experiences with data or with how data have been used.
8. There is a perception that data are collected for someone else's purposes.
9. From the state level to the local level, data are not used systematically or well.
10. There are few good examples of schools benefiting from data-driven decision making.

Q. What can we do to encourage/support data-driven decision making in schools?

A.  At a minimum, building school personnel's capacity to use data in decision making involves the following (NSSE 1998; Bernhardt 1998; Keeney 1998)...

1. helping schools see the benefit of basing decisions on objective data rather than on hunches, anecdotal evidence, fads, or tradition;
2. sharing examples of schools that have used data-driven decision making to drive improvement and meet requirements;
3. providing information on user-friendly, computer-based tools that can use to manage, analyze, and report data;
4. assisting schools in taking "first steps;"
5. encouraging schools to ask "getting started questions;"
6. helping schools create a "data portfolio"--a comprehensive set of data and information that enables them to determine the school's strengths, limitations, and emerging areas of interest;
7. counseling schools to look beyond test data and examine other information related to student performance; school characteristics, programs, activities, and services; student and community characteristics and needs; and students', teachers', administrators', parents' and the community's perspectives on education;
8. encouraging schools to focus on questions that are essential to the staff and the school's clients when analyzing and communicating data;
9. helping schools "mine" data they routinely collect and collect additional data only when it is needed to answer a key question or measure whether a key goal is being achieved;
10. sharing information with schools on how they can take "next steps" to use data as a tool for organizational learning;
11. providing training on the purposeful (versus random) collection of useful and meaningful data that are aligned with the school's mission and goals;
12. helping schools conduct mindful analyses of data in light of the school's purposes so that "raw data" are transformed into information that can be used to improve professional practices, services to students, and student achievement;
13. supporting schools so they complete the cycle; that is, they make decisions or take action to improve student learning based on their data collection and analysis;
14. helping schools begin the cycle anew; that is, analyze the effects of decisions and actions to guide continuous improvement; encouraging schools to consider feedback from the users of the data in refining the process of collecting, analyzing, and communicating the data.

"Erase the Gap: Achieving Excellence," American Productivity and Quality Center
     http://www.apqc.org/ksne

Specific Questions from Area School Improvement Teams

 Q. Will the District continue to pay the NCA member dues if a school opts to maintain NCA member status?

A.  No. The school will cover the costs, at approximately $650 per building. High schools may appeal for matching funds from the Secondary Education Division.

Q. What will be the public perception in the absence of an external review?

A. The District accredits its school according to the State's high standards of achievement/compliance. External reviewers will continue to be invited to serve on review teams.

Q. Will students still be able to get accepted in international schools without NCA accreditation?

A.  High school counselors speak directly with admissions officers to help them understand how our schools are accredited. Schools that are concerned about international college acceptance based on state and district accreditation may wish to maintain voluntary NCA member status.

Q. Will the new accreditation process allow us to document evidence of progress beyond the Colorado State Assessment Program (CSAP)?

A. Yes. Sections of the End-of-Year Report (EOY) ask schools to document results in qualitative terms, not just quantitative terms. In addition, a descriptive report on the school's progress will be prepared in cooperation with the District Public Information Office for distribution to the school community prior to the Open Enrollment period. Accreditation review teams are encouraged to multiple data sources to make judgments about the school's progress.

Q. What if a school does not meet the requirements of accreditation?

A. Schools on "conditional approval" will receive technical assistance and will be expected to submit requested information for approval by January 31st of each year. Schools on "approved" status will return to the annual evaluation cycle.

Q. What gives DAC the qualifications to participate in the accreditation reviews?

A.  DAC members receive continuous training. District administrators will partner with DAC in preparing final reviews. Schools will receive a draft report of the review before it is sent along to the Board.

Q. How will DAC sustain the energy to be actively involved in the accreditation process?

A.  Schools will be expected to send at least one SIT member to all DAC meetings. DAC members will receive training in the annual and five-year review process. Recruitment and training of members will happen on an annual basis. The time invested will be rewarded in the end result of continuous improvement.

Q. Do schools have the support of the District to make the gains expected?

A. Schools are supported in multiple ways in their path to continuous improvement. Support includes professional development on best practices, training in the school improvement process, and other needs as identified by focus groups of administrators and school improvement team leaders.

Q. Will the accreditation process help align the goals of schools in the feeder systems?

A. Schools in a feeder area may choose to join together in developing common goals and implementing joint action.

Q. How will we include Spanish-speaking parents in the accreditation review process?

A. Interpreters and translators are provided by the District upon request. Documents currently available in a Spanish version include: Parents' Role/El Papel de los Padres; and What to Expect/Qué esperar del nuevo proceso de acreditación.

Q. In what other ways will the EOY reports and SIP plans be used?

A. Schools may find that the documents form the core for budget hearings, grant proposals, and so forth.