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Various versions of this cartoon have recently been making their way around the blogosphere. Notice how these cave men are “too busy” to look at the one thing that could actually make their whole job easier. That “one thing” for the cave men is the wheel; the “one thing” for education systems is continuous improvement!
It can be discouraging to witness the extra work that is piled on people unnecessarily during the years when an External Review is hosted. Doing so treats accreditation and continuous improvement as one-time “events” as opposed to a day-to-day means of doing the business of educating.
The AdvancED Accreditation Protocol is comprised of meeting rigorous quality standards, complying with assurances and engaging in a continuous improvement process. AdvancED has developed many resources and tools that should be used each year by all school systems and schools that “engage in a continuous improvement process.”
All of the following tools are located on the school system and school ASSIST Workspaces. If you need your system's or school’s Access Code to login to ASSIST, please contact
Geri Fitzgerald at 307.399.9819.
Consider the ASSIST Workspace as a tool box and the following are the necessary tools. These tools must be used annually for schools to achieve the type of quality and rigor that is currently required of education.
- Self Assessment —Any “system”—whether a school board, a district, a school or a classroom—should reflect upon its efficacy on a regular basis. Quality instruction asks students to self-reflect. Why not school boards, school system administrators, school principals and teachers? The Self Assessment is a tool that should be completed annually by all stakeholders. Doing so should result in critical conversations from which modifications and improvements stem.
- Improvement Plan —Just as we expect teachers to maintain and adjust lesson plans, school systems and schools need to maintain and adjust their improvement plans. If strategies or interventions are not working, modify or toss them and implement something better. This is simple data-driven decision making.
- Executive Summary —This document tells your school or system’s story. This is a time to pat yourself on the back for accomplishments, but it should also serve as a “to do list” when looking at areas in which the “system” has yet to improve.
- Assurances —All school systems and schools must complete assurances from the Wyoming Department of Education each fall in ASSIST. When those assurances are reviewed, why not review the AdvancED Assurances as well?
- Student Performance Diagnostic —Analyzing data and the assessments used should be reviewed regularly. This is done on an ongoing basis in all quality classrooms. Good teachers regularly review and revise lesson plans and unit assessments. Shouldn't school systems and schools do this as well?
- Stakeholder Feedback Diagnostic —Have you seen all the online polls? They are ubiquitous. Why? Because entities who intend to improve want to hear from those they serve and those who work within the system. It is not enough to ask for feedback. It is what is done with that feedback that matters most. AdvancED has made administering surveys as easy as placing an order online for a pizza. Why not ask for input more frequently and act upon the information collected?
AdvancED WYO Prep Academy is not just for those schools and school systems preparing for an External Review. It is for all schools and all systems, every year in the state of Wyoming.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
— Aristotle, ca. 300 B.C.
Let’s get in the habit of excellence!
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Serve on an External Review Team
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Want to learn more about the AdvancED Accreditation Process? One of the very best ways to do so is to serve on an External Review Team. If you are interested in doing so, email Geri Fitzgerald or call her at 307.399.9819. All visits will occur in October/November and will last Sunday through Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the school system size. This is great professional development. Preferential placement will be given to individuals working in school systems in Washakie, Big Horn, Fremont and Park counties. Volunteer today!
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Session and Exhibitor Proposal Forms Due
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If you are interested in either presenting a session or participating as an exhibitor at our Fall Continuous Improvement Conference, please access the proposal forms at the AdvancED Wyoming webpage. Proposals are
due June 1st.
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An interesting infographic showed up on Twitter feeds recently. As AdvancED seeks to stay on the cutting edge and help all of its accredited schools and school systems stay with us on this journey, we thought this infographic was worth sharing. How can schools in Wyoming begin rethinking education to accomplish this:
“Show What You Know”Beats“Batch Processing”
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AdvancED, the home of NCA CASI, NWAC and SACS CASI, is dedicated to
advancing excellence in education worldwide.
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