Why Accreditation?

“There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about. Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters. Our goal is to ask: ‘What’s possible?’ not ‘What’s wrong?’”.

-Margaret Wheatley

New England Association of

Schools and Colleges

Commission on Public

Elementary and Middle Schools

The Accreditation Process

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

NEASC

CPEMS

CPSS

CIHE

CIS

CTCI

CAISA

K-12 Private/Independent

Public Secondary

Career and Technical

Overseas Schools Higher Ed

Public Elementary and Middle

Established1885

1900+ schools

Accreditation Process Goals School Improvement through Self Assessment

Is your school a good school?

How do you know?

How do you measure yourselves? Against what?

Do you have any documented proof?

So, how do you really know?

AccreditationA Three Phase Process

• Self Study

• Peer Review

• Follow-Up

The Process: Measuring Yourself Against the Standards

• Do you meet the standard?

• How well do you meet the standard?

• Identify your strengths and needs in this area.

• What do you need to do to meet the standard better?

• Develop an action plan to meet the needs

T e a c h ing a nd L e a r ning S t a nd a r d s

M iss ion & E x pe c t a t ions

C ur r ic ulum

I nst r uc t ion A sse ssme nt

L e a d e r sh ip & O r ga niz a t ion

S c h ool R e sour c e s f or L e a r ning

C ommunit y R e sour c e s f or L e a r ning

S uppor t S t a nd a r d s

The Self StudyA Snapshot of Who You Are

The Self Study

• Is school specific• Is faculty driven• Requires parental and

community input• Requires reflection,

discussion, consensus and back-up

• Tells the story of how and how well the school meets NEASC standards for good schooling

What Committees Will We Need?

Mission

Curriculum

Instruction

Assessment

Leadership

School Resources

Community Resources

MeetingToday

Learnin

g Are

as

What Committees Will We Need?

Self Study

Instruction

Assessment

Curriculum

Community Resources

Leadership

Mission and Expectations

School Resources

• Reads the self study• Spends three and

one half days watching the school in action

• Meets and discusses the self study with members of the school’s community

The Peer Review TeamThe Peer Review Team• Provides objective

assessment of the conclusions of the self study

• Determines the degree to which the school meets the standards

• Develops the final report which includes perceptions, commendations and recommendations

• Makes a recommendation about accreditation to CPEMS

The Follow UpThe Follow UpPrioritize the recommendations

found in the Visiting Committee Report

Identify the responsible people and develop action plan

Establish a timelineDevelop strategies, adopt

and adapt them, and assess the results

Prepare appropriate reportsTwo Year ReportSpecial Progress

ReportsFive Year Report

Celebrate the accomplishments

Accreditation Cycle

Self Study12-18 months

On-sitePeer Review Visit

Two Year Update

Special Progress Reports

Five Year Summary

Establish Mission and Expectations

10 Year10 Year

CycleCycle

Visiting Committee Report

So, What Do We Get Out of This?

• Self Awareness• Self Evaluation• Planning Opportunities• Upholding Standards• Quality Control• Public Accountability• School Approval• School Improvement

What’s Your Job?

• Volunteer for committees• Provide honest and

appropriate input• Take a good snapshot and evaluate

it from all angles• Work toward finding solutions• Be involved with all phases of the process

Any Questions???

What Do You Do If You’re Stuck?

Call CPEMS at

781-541-5424

Fax us at

781-271-0950or

e-mail at

dflynn@neasc.org