The 21st century learner has taken personal ownership in their classroom experiences by using technology to develop effective learning strategies that support their needs, preferences and learning styles. As the world’s leading school improvement and accreditation organization, AdvancED is committed to providing education institutions the systems, processes and tools to successfully meet the challenges of today’s learning environment.

The AdvancED Georgia Fall Conference 2013 will prompt and facilitate discussions on how performance-based accreditation and school improvement efforts empower education providers to leverage their knowledge, expertise and resources in innovative ways to achieve higher levels of student performance and organizational effectiveness. Join us for a high quality professional learning experience designed to explore the AdvancED Standards for Quality, the AdvancED Accreditation Protocol, the Adaptive System of School Improvement Support Tools (ASSIST™) and much more.

Be at the forefront of innovation and leadership in education by joining fellow educators, thought leaders, practitioners and policymakers from all over as we respond to the demands of the learner-centered 21st century. Don’t wait; click below to register for your seat at the conference today!    

The AdvancED Georgia office is recruiting volunteers to serve on External Review Teams for nearly 60 school level reviews and 35 school systems (district) reviews during the 2013-2014 school year.  We recognize and appreciate the service of those who have served during the past years and cordially invite them and others to contact us about volunteering to serve on teams this year. 

After completion of serving on as team, volunteers can request one PLU (Professional Learning Unit) by completing a PLU form and sending the form to our office. Serving on either a school or school system External Review Team provides a volunteer an opportunity to network and collaborate with fellow educators and provides and opportunity to share best practices.  Here are some quotes from volunteers: 

“Thanks for the opportunity to serve! I was honored to be accepted and I would love to serve again.”

“I learned so much during the visit and I came back to school with new ideas.” 

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Karen Jordan or Jay Wansley in the AdvancED Georgia office.  

The 13-14 Excellence in Education award winner is Dr. Peggy Steelmon, who will be given the award posthumously. Dr. Steelmon faithfully served AdvancED for many years.

Dr. Steelmon was a Georgia educator who began her service in 1952. She served in many roles, including classroom teacher, principal and Professor of Middle Grades Education and Reading at West Georgia College (now West Georgia University). During her tenure at West Georgia, Peggy was called upon to serve as acting chair of the Middle Grades Education and Reading Department and the Early Childhood Department. Additionally, Peggy served as Co-chair for four NCATE studies for the School of education.

Dr. Steelmon began her involvement with AdvancED (formerly SACS CASI) in Decatur, Georgia in the 1950’s School Improvement Program. In 1960, the Decatur City Schools became one of the first state systems to achieve accreditation. At the regional level, her contributions included serving for 12 years on the Elementary Commission and serving on both the Central Review Committee and Committee on Appeals. At the state level, Dr. Steelmon began serving as a volunteer at AdvancED beginning in 1970. She served as the executive Director of the Elementary Commission from 1981 until her retirement in 2004.
                                

AdvancED was so excited when the first component of ASSIST™ (AdvancED Adaptive System of School Improvement Support Tools) was launched nearly two years ago.  The excitement is still there as our accredited institutions are reaping the benefits of using ASSIST.  

Institutions are successfully managing their continuous improvement efforts along with accreditation requirements, because ASSIST successfully merges process, content and technology into a dynamic web-based platform.  It supports end-to-end management of both the school improvement and accreditation processes involving all levels of the education system.  Since the initial launch, more and more functionality that meets the needs of our accredited institutions has been added.  

ASSIST now provides the tools to guide your next internal and external review for accreditation, including Surveys, Student Performance Diagnostic and Stakeholder Feedback Diagnostic tools.  In fact, more than two million students, parents and teachers across the United States and around the world have completed AdvancED surveys about the quality of their educational institutions using ASSIST.  Institutions also can submit a Self Assessment, Executive Summary and school improvement plan in ASSIST.  ASSIST is the future of school improvement, and we invite you to be a champion for educational excellence and log in to ASSIST today!