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| AdvancED Iowa Accredited Schools |
As we approach spring and summer, it is a good time to review our accreditation activities in Iowa for the 2010-2011 school year:
Three schools, Clarion-Goldfield High School, Saint Albert Catholic Schools in Council Bluffs, and the Iowa School for the Deaf, also in Council Bluffs hosted Quality Assurance Review (QAR) visits.
We accredited our seventh district, Ankeny Community Schools, using our system accreditation protocols. Ankeny joins the Bettendorf, Iowa Falls, Muscatine, Sheldon, Southeast Polk, and West Des Moines Districts in successfully completing a District Accreditation visit and receiving continuing accreditation for another five years.
Accreditation activities continue and improvements are being made to our process relating to new AdvancED Standards and the ASSIST program. I look forward to our continuing collaborative efforts to improve student performance of the students in Iowa. |
New Generation of Standards on the Way |
For the past two years, consistent with AdvancED’s policy that Standards be reviewed every five years, AdvancED Accreditation Standards have been under review and subsequent development. The current Standards have been in place since 2007. So, just as schools and districts are subject to a rigorous process of review and continuous improvement, our AdvancED Standards have undergone a similar process. The review of these Standards allowed AdvancED to look at current education quality and research, as well as the knowledge gained from everyday application by schools and districts, and make appropriate updates. In February, the AdvancED Accreditation Commission approved the new Standards for schools and for school systems, effective for the 2012-2013 school year. Members of the AdvancED staff are hard at work updating support materials including new Self-Assessment tools for schools and school systems. We also are developing training for our schools and schools systems on the new Standards, which will be rolled out in fall 2011. We will provide accredited institutions with the tools and resources needed to smoothly transition to the new Standards. More information will be available as the process continues. If you have questions, please feel free to contact our office. |
AdvancED ASSIST to Re-shape Education |
AdvancED is preparing to launch a new innovation that will re-shape the continuous improvement process. AdvancED Adaptive System of School Improvement Support Tools (ASSIST) is the future of school improvement. ASSIST joins a world-class array of knowledge resources, practical implementation tools with interactive screens to create a fully integrated web-based system. This new technology can help schools ensure no compliance detail or improvement activity is missed during the improvement process. Districts, state agencies, and partner organizations also will benefit from ASSIST by harnessing the ability to aggregate and review, for the first time, how the practical work of school improvement is conducted at the local level. ASSIST allows schools and districts to gain a better understanding of past successes and opportunities and confidently build and implement a solid, research-based plan for the future. Read more. |
AdvancED Iowa Fall Conference - October 28 |
The AdvancED Iowa office will hold the first annual AdvancED Iowa Fall Conference on October 28, 2011, in Des Moines. The purpose of the conference is to roll-out the new AdvancED Standards and demonstrate the AdvancED Adaptive System of School Improvement Support Tools (ASSIST). All Iowa schools accredited by AdvancED will need to be familiar with the new standards and ASSIST as they will be implemented beginning in the 2012-13 school year. Schools and districts that will be hosting QAR visits during the 2012-13 school and later will be using the new standards and the school improvement support tools available in ASSIST. MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OCTOBER 28, 2011. More information will be available later this spring and summer. |
Excellence in Education Award to Becky Furlong |
AdvancED Iowa has named Becky Furlong as the AdvancED Iowa Excellence in Education Award honoree for her unparalleled leadership in promoting and advancing excellence in education. Mrs. Furlong is currently the Assistant Superintendent for the Iowa City Community School District. From 2003 through 2010, she served the Muscatine Community School District as Director of various programs and Assistant Superintendent. She has served as home economics and special education teacher, elementary and middle school principal, curriculum and Migrant/ESL coordinator, director special programs, director of educational services and assistant superintendent in Iowa over the past 36 years.
Throughout her career she has worked diligently to improve student learning in the schools and districts in which she has worked and has consistently worked to help teachers improve their skills in the classroom. She always has worked to create a common vision and mission for higher expectations among all constituents with whom she has been involved and has been a leader in several districts in Iowa working to improve educational opportunities which have provided for a lasting positive impact on student learning. She has accepted a variety of leadership roles in four different districts and has provided great leadership in each of those roles. Mrs. Furlong has also served on the AdvancED Iowa State Council for many years and has contributed extensively to the success of AdvancED and NCA CASI in Iowa. |
AdvancED Opens New Headquarters |
AdvancED has opened a new global headquarters to better serve schools, districts, and all of our accredited education providers. The new headquarters, located in Alpharetta, Georgia, is fully staffed and available to meet all of your accreditation and school improvement needs. From Accreditation to Professional Development, dedicated staff members are available to provide one-on-one support and assistance as well as product information. Local support will continue to be available through our office but along with our office, the new headquarters provides a more comprehensive network of support and customer service. You also can continue to locate information about AdvancED online at www.advanc-ed.org. Please be sure to keep the new contact information for the AdvancED Headquarters handy. You can reach the office at:
AdvancED
9115 Westside Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30009
local 678.392.2285
toll free 888.41ED NOW
fax 770.346.9260 |
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AdvancED, the home of NCA CASI and SACS CASI, is dedicated to
advancing excellence in education worldwide. |
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