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As you probably have already heard, there are a lot of great changes on the horizon as to how we will conduct accreditation in Montana moving forward. The Board of Trustees and Commission of the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) approved bylaws that establish NWAC as an accreditation division of AdvancED, expanding our capacity and resources to deliver accreditation and school improvement services to you.With our shared mission to improve the quality of education around the world, by joining with the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) under the parent organization AdvancED, we not only build on this tradition, but also our support for schools and school systems that are committed to continuous improvement.
Additionally, all schools in the AdvancED network, including NWAC schools, will have access to the Adaptive System of School Improvement Support Tools (ASSIST), a state-of-the-art, web-enabled platform for accreditation and school improvement. We will continue to accredit under the NWAC name so that your school maintains the brand recognition in our region, while gaining access to a broader network of schools and greater resources. NWAC schools scheduled for an External Review in 2012-13 will work with their state office to determine their readiness to use the new AdvancED Standards or if the school should prepare for the visit based on the old NWAC Standards. Beginning in 2013-14 all NWAC schools (except for Third Party Agreements) will be using the new Standards as part of the AdvancED Accreditation Process. Schools that are accredited through a Third Party agreement with NWAC will continue to honor the agreement. More details regarding the AdvancED Accreditation Process will be available in the coming months. We are excited about the opportunity that joining AdvancED offers to benefit school systems, schools, and ultimately students through our shared commitment to education quality. I look forward to sharing more with you over the course of the coming school year, and as we learn together, I want to assure you that our state council and I are here to help. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at 888.413.3669, ext. 5776 or at dsybrant@advanc-ed.org. I also encourage you to visit the AdvancED website to learn more the organization. Please forward this update to your administrative team and school board. Have a great spring.
Sincerely,
Dr. Daniel Sybrant
AdvancED Montana, Director | | AdvancED Montana State Council |
Our Montana State Council met last month in Helena. As a result of this meeting, there are updates AdvancED Montana would like to share with you. Please note that the Montana State Commission is now called the Montana State Council. This change aligns with our transition to AdvancED as an accrediting division. Other changes in terminology include that Self-evaluations now called Internal Reviews and onsite visits are now called External Reviews. You will see these terms used in all future communication.
We also would like to thank our State Council Members for their ongoing efforts towards enhancing accreditation in Montana:
- Al Buerkle (Chair) - Superintendent Sweet Grass Co. High School
- Karen Underwood – High School Principal Laurel
- Ron Kautzman – Owner Sylvan Butte and Sylvan Helena
- Anne Dodge – Acadia Montana
- Bob Moore – High School Principal Manhattan
- Paul Furthmyre – High School Principal Anaconda
- Dr. Dan Zorn – Assistant Superintendent Kalispell
- Dr. Joanne Erickson – Professor Montana State University
- Ivan Small – Director St Labre Schools
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As a kick off to learning about the New Accreditation Protocols, the Montana State Council has tentatively scheduled a School Improvement Conference in Bozeman for the afternoon of September 24 and all day on September 25, 2012. The tentative schedule is for the conference to begin at 1:00 p.m. on September 24. On the September 25, trainers from AdvancED will spend the day training our accredited schools and other interested schools in the process of AdvancED Protocols as well as learning how to use the ASSIST software tool. All Montana public schools, supplemental, and special purpose schools will be invited to attend this conference as well. School systems will be encouraged to bring their school improvement teams.
There will be limited cost for this conference outside of your travel and accommodations for your team members. More details will be forthcoming. For public schools, you can use Title 1 school improvement funds for this conference since AdvancED Protocols are designed for school improvement. This training is very important for all of our accredited schools but particularly for those schools that are slated for an External Review in 2012-13 and 2013-14. |
Upcoming External Reviews |
We have slated schools for an External Review for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school year. Click here to see the complete list details. For schools slated for an External Review for the 2012-13 school year, you will have the choice of using current NWAC standards or piloting the new AdvancED Standards. We will be contacting each school up for an External Review next year to talk about piloting the new AdvancED Protocols. If you are slated for an External Review in the next two years, you are highly encouraged to attend the training in September. Note that all of our accredited schools will use the new AdvancED Protocols beginning in the 2013-14 school year. |
Upcoming Meeting and Training |
The Montana State Council has tentatively scheduled their summer meeting in Bozeman on July 31 and August 1. As part of this meeting, training will be held for Lead Evaluators of External Review teams. If you have been an External Review Chair (formerly Quality Assurance Review Chair) in the past, you will be invited to attend this training. Also, AA Principals that have been involved in leading the peer review process with AA schools will be invited to attend this training. If you are interested in serving as a team member on an External Review team for Montana schools, please send an e-mail to me at dsybrant@advanc-ed.org. We are always looking for people committed to advancing excellence in education to serve on External Review teams. |
AdvancED System Accreditation |
An area that growing rapidly within AdvancED is the process of School System Accreditation. With AdvancED School System Accreditation, all schools in the school system are accredited and all work towards the same standards. I saw this in action with my recent onsite visit in Georgia. System Accreditation has some powerful benefits for school improvement. If your school system is interested in moving to School System Accreditation, please let me know. I would be happy to do a presentation at your administrative offices or to a group of schools in your region. I am doing a presentation to the Western MASS superintendents in May in Missoula. I would be happy to come to your region as well. If you're interested in seeing the presentation or would like additional information on AdvancED School System Accreditation, contact Daniel Sybrant at dsybrant@advanc-ed.org. |
To aid in ongoing learning, AdvancED uses webinars, and GoToMeeting web conferencing for training. In the state of Montana we have developed a working relationship with VisionNet, so we can provide training through that venue as well. It is our intent to offer training at minimal cost to you. For future training opportunities, please visit our Professional Development Calendar on the AdvancED Montana web page. |
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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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