Leon County School District Oral Exit Report Quality Assurance Review Team District Accreditation

1. Leon County School District Oral Exit ReportQuality Assurance Review TeamDistrict Accreditation

2. A Picture of AdvancED World’s Largest Educational Community • 23,000 public and private schools • 30 states and Navajo Nation • Department of Defense Education Activity • 65 countries • 15 million students • 18,000 volunteers • 3 million plus teachers 2

3. District Accreditation (Systems Approach) District Accreditation applies a systems approach to improvement. It examines how all elements of the school system work in concert for the benefit of student learning.It looks for examples of systemic, systematic, and sustainable improvement. Systemic improvement – using and aligning the interdependent functions within and across the district to produce improvement Systematic improvement – fostering improvement efforts that are regular and predictable at all levels of the district Sustainable improvement – maintaining improvements over time 3

4. Pillars of Accreditation Meet the AdvancED Quality Standards Engage in Continuous Improvement Demonstrate Quality Assurance through Internal and External Review To earn and maintain District Accreditation, districts must: 4

5. Expectations District Meets the AdvancED Standards for Quality Systems Identifies and guides the implementation of a systemic continuous improvement process Monitors its schools through a quality assurance process Prepares and hosts a QAR visit every five years Schools Meet the AdvancED Standards for Quality Schools Implement the district’s continuous improvement process Participate in the district’s quality assurance process 5

6. Purpose & Role of the Quality Assurance Review Team Determine the extent to which the district meets the AdvancED standards. Assess the efficacy of the district’s improvement efforts. Evaluate the effectiveness of the district’s methods for quality assurance. Provide high-quality feedback with clear recommendations and actionable next steps. Make an accreditation recommendation. 6

7. Activities of the Quality Assurance Review Team • Artifacts/documents review • Interviews • School visits • Observations • Professional deliberations 7

8. Interviews with Stakeholders • During the on-site Quality Assurance Review, team members interviewed: • The Superintendent • 84 Administrators • 140 Teachers • 64 Support Staff • 103 Parents, community, and business partners • 88 Students • 5 Board members TOTAL of 485 stakeholders 8

9. Criteria Used to Arrive at the Team’s Findings • When reviewing evidence to arrive at its findings, the team: • Sought a district perspective; • Pursued evidence that could be corroborated through multiple sources; • Examined the context and capacity of the district in relation to its vision, mission, and beliefs; and • Applied the criteria for accreditation. 9

10. Structure of Team’s Findings Strengths • Strong and effective practices, processes, or systems which benefit the school district Commendations • Significant accomplishments in meeting and/or exceeding accreditation standards and requirements Challenges • Limitations and/or barriers that may be impacting (or have the potential to impact) the district’s performance and effectiveness Recommendations • Actions that will enhance district effectiveness and improve student learning 10

11. Strengths • Consistently high student performance in academics (“A” School District); • Highly qualified teachers (91.5%); • Safe and orderly environment; • Communication to stakeholders; • District is data-driven; 11

12. Strengthscont. • Accessibility and openness of the superintendent; • Relationships of board/administration/community; • Committed and dedicated teachers and staff; • The large number of volunteers and business partners who support and assist the schools and school district;

13. Strengths cont. • Sense of pride embedded throughout the district and community; • Quality professional development; and • Collaborative working relationships with post-secondary institutions.

14. Commendations The Quality Assurance Review Team commends Leon County School District for: • The provision of a safe and orderly environment throughout the district which helps ensure a climate conducive to learning; • A superintendent who is highly visible throughout the schools and community and who provides numerous opportunities to dialogue with stakeholders; 14

15. Commendations cont. • The provision of high quality systemic professional development at the district and school level; • Utilization of a wide variety of methods to communicate information about student performance, the school, and school system;

16. Commendations cont. • A comprehensive system for data collection and analysis which includes the sharing of results with administrators and individual school faculties; • School and system decisions are based on what is best for children;

17. Commendations cont. • Encouragement of open communication among stakeholders through varied venues; and • Recognition of the need to operate a non-traditional high school (SAIL) for students who need this approach to be successful.

18. Challenges • Funding • Maintaining, upgrading, and expanding technology • Maintaining the high quality of educational programs • Maintaining the seven period schedule (high school) • Employment of retirees • Time to get everything done due to staff wearing many “hats” 18

19. Challenges cont. • Identifying clear and compelling evidence of what works and what does not work; • Responding to the perceptions of differences between the north and south regions; • Closing the achievement gap among subgroups;

20. Challenges cont. • Achieving diversity that is representative of the school community; and • Moving from shared, common beliefs to shared, common behavior.

21. Recommendations • The Quality Assurance Review Team recommends that Leon County School District : • Identify, implement, and monitor additional strategies to close the achievement gap while maintaining high expectations for all students; • Develop a comprehensive District Strategic Plan which includes all annual performance goals to be utilized as the foundation for school improvement plans. The Strategic Plan should be reviewed and revised on an annual basis; 21

22. Recommendations cont. • Formalize system-wide curriculum maps, pacing guides, and formative assessments in core subject areas; and • Review the organizational structure of the district in order to effectively manage the many requirements and processes of the system.

23. Next Steps • Written report of findings submitted within 30 days • After receipt of the report, the district is expected to: • Review and communicate the findings. • Address the recommendations. • Monitor accreditation standards on ongoing basis. • Monitor strategies for improvement. • Submit the Accreditation Progress Report. 23

24. Accreditation Recommendation • The Quality Assurance Review Team recommends to the AdvancED Accreditation Commission that the Leon County School District be awarded District Accreditation as a quality school system. • Once reviewed and approved by the AdvancED Accreditation Commission, the district and all its schools are granted a 5-year term accreditation. 24

25. Final Thoughts • On behalf of the Quality Assurance Team, I extend: • Our appreciation for your hospitality, support, and professionalism; • Our respect and acknowledgement of the quality of the school district; and • Our congratulations for your progress toward achieving District Accreditation as a quality system. 25

26. AdvancED District Accreditation for Quality Systems www.advanc-ed.org …helping schools and school systems improve student learning