Accrediting Commission for Schools
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
ACS WASC Visiting Committee Member
Training
EARCOS 2015
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Workshop Goals: Visiting Committee Member
• ACS WASC Accreditation Cycle of Quality
• Roles/responsibilities: Pre-Visit, During Visit
• FOL process and its relationship to accountability
and ongoing school improvement
• FOL international criteria/indicators
• Importance of data/school’s evidence
• Accreditation Status
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Basics
Pre-visit
Visit
Basics of Accreditation
Accreditation: A Value-Added Evaluation
Schools add value by…
• Increasing what students know
• Increasing what students can
do
• Improving how students feel
 about themselves
 about others
 about learning
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Focus on Learning
School Change
ACS WASC Accreditation Principles
1. Accomplishment of vision, mission, schoolwide learner outcomes
2. High achievement based on schoolwide learner outcomes/
academic standards
3. Use of multiple ways to analyze data about student achievement
4. Program evaluation in relation to critical learner needs,
schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, ACS WASC
criteria/indicators
5. Alignment of self-study findings with schoolwide action plan
6. Evaluation of ongoing improvement and impact on student
learning
7. Involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders
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Focus on Learning
School Change
ACS WASC Accreditation Cycle of Quality
Built on
ACS WASC Seven Accreditation Principles
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ACS WASC Seven Accreditation Principles
1.
Accomplishment of school purpose (core beliefs, vision,
mission) and schoolwide learner outcomes…
What all students should know, understand
and be able to do in order to be globally competent,
i.e., a global citizen.
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Schoolwide Learner Outcomes
Characteristics:
• Include current learning needs and global
competencies/21st century skills
• For all students
• Interdisciplinary (within all subjects)
• Assessable
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EAGLES: Schoolwide Learner Outcomes
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EAGLES: Schoolwide Learner Outcomes (excerpts)
SAS students will be:
Global-minded Citizens who…
 Engage responsibly in the world’s problems
 Respect and support family and community
 Protect and advocate for local and global environments
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EAGLES: Schoolwide Learner Outcomes (excerpts)
SAS students will be:
Literate Individuals who…
 Are multi-lingual
 Articulate communicators in reading, writing, speaking,
listening, and through artistic expression
 Are literate in information and communication technologies
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ACS WASC Seven Accreditation Principles (cont.)
2.
High achievement of all students based on schoolwide
learner outcomes/curricular standards
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ACS WASC Seven Accreditation Principles (cont.)
3.
Use of multiple ways to analyze data about student
achievement
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ACS WASC Seven Accreditation Principles (cont.)
4.
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Program evaluation in relation to schoolwide learner
outcomes, standards and research-based ACS WASC
criteria and indicators
ACS WASC Criteria Categories
ORGANIZATION for
STUDENT
LEARNING
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT and
ALLOCATION
SUPPORT for
STUDENT PERSONAL
and ACADEMIC
GROWTH
WHAT STUDENTS
LEARN
FOCUS
ON
STUDENT
LEARNING
HOW STUDENTS
LEARN
HOW
ASSESSMENT IS
USED
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ACS WASC Seven Accreditation Principles (cont.)
5. Alignment of findings to a schoolwide action plan
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•
Strategic Plan
•
Technology Plan
•
Professional Development Plan
ACS WASC Seven Accreditation Principles (cont.)
6.
7.
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Evaluation of ongoing improvement and impact on student
learning
Total involvement/collaboration of all leaders, board
members, teachers, staff, students, parents, and others.
ACS WASC Accreditation Cycle
Focus on
Learning
Basics
Pre-visit
Visiting Committee Members: Preparing for the Visit
•
Understand school’s parameters for analysis that guided the
self-study process.
(Reference Card 1, Stage 1, A)
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Summary: Focus on Learning (FOL) Self-Study Process
What?
What is the ideal based upon…?
• Vision, Mission, Schoolwide Learner Outcomes
• ACS WASC international criteria and indicators
• Curricular standards
So What?
What currently exists?
How effective is it?
Now What?
What and how will we modify?
What should be in the schoolwide action plan?
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Self-Study Committees
Leadership
Team
Plans & guides
Focus Groups
Criteria & student
work
Stakeholder
Groups
Student work &
criteria
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Self-Study Process and Product
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Self-Study: Schoolwide Action Plan
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ACS WASC Self-Study
Road to the Action Plan
The Visit by Fellow Educators: Purpose
Based on ACS WASC criteria, school’s purpose and schoolwide
learner outcomes and self-study, the Visiting Committee (VC)*:
 Provides insight about student learning and school program
 Validates school program
 Celebrates school strengths
 Provides recommendations on growth areas
 Prepares a written report for school and Commission
 Recommends an accreditation status
 Commission takes action on accreditation status
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ACS WASC VC Report
Visiting Committee Member Checklist
Visiting Committee Analysis of Criteria
As a Visiting Committee member,
 What are the major concepts of the criteria?
 What critical data/information should be reviewed?
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Criterion:
Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment
B1. What Students Learn Criterion
The school provides a challenging, coherent and relevant international
curriculum for each student that fulfills the school’s purpose and results
in student achievement of the schoolwide learner outcomes through
successful completion of any course of study offered.
Indicators with Prompts
Current Educational Research and Thinking
Indicator: The school provides a comprehensive and sequential documented curriculum
that is articulated within and across grade levels for the improvement of programs,
learning, and teaching. The curriculum is modified as needed to address current
educational research and thinking, other relevant community, national, and international
issues; and the needs of all students.
Prompt: Comment on the effective use of current educational research related to the
curricular areas in order to maintain a viable, meaningful instructional program for
students. Examine the effectiveness of how the school staff stay current and relevant and
revise the curriculum appropriately within the curricular review cycle.
Self-Study
Pre-write
Visit
VC Report
Read the entire report
Mark it up
Look for alignment
Persuasive essay
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Pre-Reading
Read
Think
Write
Mission & Learner Goals
Data
Critical Learner Needs
What’s occurring
What’s next
Cover to
cover
• Not linear
• Take information from where it is
• Mark it up!
Reread
as
necessary
•
•
•
•
Review criteria
Consistency
Matches and gaps
Conclusions
What
questions
are
raised?
• How important are they?
• How will you find out?
Review: Reading the self-study
Pre-visit Working Notes for Entire Self-Study
and Draft Summaries of Assigned Areas
• Criteria and indicators
• Comments for ALL criteria
• Comments for ALL chapters
• Draft summaries of assigned areas
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Curriculum
Organization
Instruction
Culture &
Support
Data and School Background
Assessment &
Chapter I: Accountability
Profile-School Purpose/Data
Chapter II: Progress since prior visit
Chapter III: Summary of Data and Progress
Demographic
Outcome
Process/Perception
What does the
data tell us?
What the
student learning
needs?
What are the
school’s
mission and
schoolwide
learning
results?
Comments
&
Questions?
Write to Assigned Criteria
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Do the findings respond to what is being asked by
the criteria guide question(s)?
How does the evidence support …
the findings?
the strengths:
the prioritized growth needs?
Has the school gained insight about the
degree to which learning is being
supported?
Big questions
Visiting Committee Analytical Findings
Narrative
Questions
Evidence
Strengths
Growth areas
Pre-writing
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Analytical Comments/Observations
• Write what currently exists in response to the
accreditation standards
• Indicate the impact on student learning
• Highlight areas of strength
• Highlight key issues to be addressed to
ensure quality education for all students
• Indicate evidence to support your comments
• Use appropriate vocabulary and avoid being
prescriptive
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B2: How Students Learn
Professional Development
At [school] we have created a four to six week professional development
cycle that includes: learning a schoolwide strategy, practicing with teachers,
practicing in class, being observed by a peer and analyzing the student
work. This cycle has benefitted our teachers, who are mainly new to the
profession. They have developed in their instructional skill exponentially,
rather than gradually over time.
Peer observation has provided our teachers the opportunity to not only
observe their peers using the school-wide strategies, but also to observe
their own students in different academic classes and settings. This has
proven to be invaluable to our grade level discussions and department
meetings particularly as we look to improve writing. Teachers can see what
other teachers do to engage students and to challenge them, which fosters
tremendous collaboration among our professionals. Cycles have included:
Rituals and Routines, Cornell Notes, 7 Habits, Accountable Talk,
Frontloading Vocabulary and a cycle of writing instruction is forthcoming.
Example
From the self-study
Important enough?
What must I think about?
How will I find out?
Possible questions?
What do I look for?
What documents would be helpful?
Example
B2: How Students Learn
Professional Development
During professional development sessions led by teachers,
staff has studied a variety of strategies to engage and
challenge students. These have been supported by peer and
administrative observations and the report states that teachers
improvement “has been exponential.” This same model will be
used as they move forward to improve writing.
Example
Pre-write
B2: How Students Learn
Professional Development
Possible Strength:
Leadership and staff ― professional development
program itself ― staff and data driven, researchbased ― build internal expertise to further student
growth
Possible Growth Area:
Leadership and staff ― Continue and expand
professional development program ― writing
Example
Pre-write
•
•
B2: How Students Learn
Professional Development
•
•
Professional Development Cycles, including Peer Observation:
Over the past three years, teachers have participated in professional
development sessions led by teachers. They have learned and practiced a
variety of strategies to engage and challenge students. Using both peer and
administrative observations as checks, a majority of staff regularly
use two to five different strategies during each class period to
more actively engage students. Writing, speaking, questioning,
and responding strategies are all incorporated. Teachers openly
speak with one another about their own growth and continuing areas
of weakness. Students are clear in expressing that “things are
different all the time” and yet “all the teachers do sort of the
same things. That makes it easier for me.” This model will be used
as staff moves more directly to improve writing.
Example
From the VC report
Analyzing Self-Study Excerpts to a Criterion
1. Review criterion, indicators and suggested
evidence.
2. Read sample excerpts of focus group summary.
3. Compare self-study findings to concepts of the
criterion connected to learning results, critical
learning needs and academic standards.
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Analyzing Self-Study Excerpts to a Criterion
4. Was evidence analyzed representative of all students
and connected to learning results and critical learner
needs?
5. Is there alignment with the plan?
6. Write notes/questions (use previsit worksheet)
7. Practice writing a short paragraph summarizing
findings for the sample summary, strengths, and key
issues. (Note evidence that supports your comments or what
you need to learn about during visit.)
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To the chair on time!
Previsit
0
ACS WASC
Principles
Visit
Sunday to Thursday
Focus
Team work
Consensus
Transparency
Visit
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Schedule/Activities
• Daily feedback meetings between Visiting Committee
members and school leaders
• Classroom/campus observations
• Informal interviews
• Meetings with Focus Groups and others
• Daily meeting of VC Chair and principal
• VC report editing/reviewing
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Initial VC
Meeting
Focusing on Student Learning
Initial VC Meeting
• What have we learned from our pre-visit
preparation about this school’s self-study and
student learning?
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Focusing VC Work on Student Learning
How can the visiting committee focus its
review and analysis of evidence through:
• Examining student work and other
information
• Observing students and other aspects of the
program
• Interviewing students and others
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Your assigned areas of study
Key issues
Plan
Informal interviews
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Observations
Who
When
Where
How
Who
How
Know what you need to find out!
Where
When
Observations
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Observations
Student work
Who
Student engagement, learning,
How
understanding
Climate, tone, and atmosphere
Where
Effective teacher actions
Observations
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When
Documents
For example…
• Student work
• Handbooks
• Curriculum documents
• Recruiting brochures
Documents
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School Meetings and Dialogue:
Questions and Techniques
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Quality Questions
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Meetings: Developing Quality Questions
• Daily Leadership Meetings
• Daily Chair meetings with Head
• 1 ½ - 2 hour meetings with Focus Groups
• Meetings with many other groups
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Strategies
Be prepared
Techniques
• Open ended
• Presume they’re
doing it
• Follow-up questions
• Wait time
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Sample Areas
Powerful questions about
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Action plan
All students
Critical academic needs
Criteria
Learner outcomes
Academic standards
Evidence analyzed
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Sample Areas (cont.)
Powerful questions about
• Understanding and use of
data
• Modifying learning and
teaching
• Feedback to students
• Coaching of colleagues in
new strategies
• Intended impact
on student learning
• Follow-up process
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Sample Discussion Starters
• Help us understand…
• Would you clarify…?
• We recognize that…
• We understand from the self-study that…. What led
to this conclusion?
• Is this characteristic of ….?
• What factors contributed to these results?
• What elements of the student/ community profile are
related to….?
See Reference Card 2
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Sample Questions:
• What have you learned?
• What insights have you had since you prepared the
summary?
• Talk about evidence that led to the conclusions made.
• What have you learned about student learning and
success?
• What can you as a school do to improve learning for
each and every student?
See Reference Card 2
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Preparation
Room Arrangement
Timekeeper
Ensure clear agenda
VC Team Consensus on
basic questions
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Initial Leadership Team Meeting
How can we increase our understanding
of the school’s self-study findings and
student learning through the initial
dialogue with school leaders?
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One Schoolwide Action Plan
• Organized around growth targets?
• Address learning needs of all students?
• Other initiatives included?
• Resources identified?
• VC suggestions integrated?
• Sound follow-up process?
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Important School Question about Plan
Through implementing the Plan, what will be
different for students as global citizens?
― One year from now?
― Two years from now?
― Three years from now?
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Thursday
VC and Leadership Team
Meeting
Departments/PLCs
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Thursday
VC and Leadership Team
and
Whole School Presentation
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Team
Consensus
What’s the evidence?
Rewriting and Revising
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Visiting Committee Analytical Findings
• Writing to the..
– ACS WASC Criteria and Supporting
Indicators
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Visiting Committee Synthesis Meetings
• How does the VC report accurately reflect
school findings and the unified Visiting
Committee perspective?
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Critical Area for Follow-up
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Sample Critical Area for Follow-up
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Critical Areas
for Follow-Up
Who
What (diagnostic not prescriptive)
Why
Sample Critical Areas for Follow-up: Critique
• The development of a systematic review process to
assess the impact of educational programs and
materials on student learning.
• The school needs to explore professional
development that meets the instructional needs of
the school.
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Rewrite: What is MISSING?
• Use data from common formative and summative
assessments to reteach and differentiate instruction
to increase student learning outcomes.
• Develop effective assessment tools and rubrics for
the schoolwide student goals.
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Alignment: Status Rationale based on Findings
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Important learning needs of the students
Correlation of major areas for follow-up to key issues
Rationale for recommended status
Doc/Justratings,
comments, &
VC report findings
Alignment, Alignment, Alignment
What’s the right status for this
school?
Is there adequate evidence?
Does our writing support our
recommendation?
Have our conversations supported
our recommendations?
Accreditation Status Factors:
VC Recommendation and Commission Action
Highly effective
Effective
Somewhat effective
Ineffective
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Accreditation Status Factors:
VC Recommendation and Commission Action

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
To what extent is the school demonstrating quality student
achievement/improvement?
Meeting the ACS WASC international criteria and indicators
Clear globally minded purpose and schoolwide learner
outcomes
Quality processes to analyze student achievement
Action plan aligned to areas of greatest need
Capacity to implement/monitor action plan
Use of prior accreditation findings
Involvement and collaboration of all
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Accreditation Status for International Schools
 Six-Year Accreditation Status
- Progress Report and two-day visit at mid-cycle that
includes annual progress reports (special conditions
can be added, e.g., special visit or report)
 One- or Two-Year Probationary Status with an in-depth
progress report and a two-day visit
 Accreditation Status Withheld
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Accreditation Status Timeline
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Documentation & Justification
Short-short-form of the
analytical summary of selfstudy looking at “to what
extent” the school meets
the criteria
plus
rationale for status
The Follow-Up: After Visit
The school:
• Revises the Schoolwide Action Plan
– Includes recommendations from the Visiting Committee
– Submits the Action Plan to ACS WASC
• Annually reviews progress on Action Plan based on
Schoolwide Learner Outcomes ― Global Competencies
• Revises Action Plan as needed
• Submits annual progress report to ACS WASC
• Has periodic visits from ACS WASC
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Year 6
Year 1
Year 5
FOCUS
ON
STUDENT
LEARNING
Year 2
Year 4
Year 3
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• WASC/CDE
Do
• Be a team player
A.
Organization
• Validate
and extend, not
evaluate
B. Curriculum
• Support, not judge
C.
Instruction
• Celebrate
successes
•D.
Prepare
and plan
Assessment
• Listen
E. Culture/Support
• Focus on important issues
• Work for consensus
• Work toward the action plan
• Confidentiality
On the visit
Don’t
• Try to solve their problems;
diagnostic not prescriptive
• Argue over words; ensure ideas
are captured and clear
• Focus on small things
• Talk about your school
• Overeat or oversleep
How can I best prepare?
• What are my priorities?
• What are the critical elements
for a successful visit?
W
A
S
C
We
Are
Student
Centered