ESA 2008-09

1. Hillsdale County Intermediate School District Oral Exit ReportQuality Assurance Review TeamEducation Service Agency Accreditation ESA 2008-09

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. A Picture of AdvancED Dedicated to Advancing Excellence in Education through: • Accreditation • Standards, continuous improvement, quality assurance • NCA CASI and SACS CASI are the accreditation divisions of AdvancED • Professional Services • Professional development, technical assistance, conferences, consulting • Research and Innovation • Publications, resources, tools, evaluation 3

4. ESA Accreditation A national protocol for education service agencies committed to systemic, systematic, and sustainable improvement Builds the capacity of the ESA and its partners to increase organizational effectiveness and sustain student learning Stimulates and supports improvement and effectiveness throughout the agency 4

5. ESA Accreditation Ensures all people, processes, departments and operations of the agency work in concert Strengthens efforts to meet accountability requirements Encourages growth beyond compliance to achieve excellence Promotes continuous not episodic improvement 5

6. Systems Approach ESA Accreditation applies a systems approach to improvement. It examines how all elements of the agency work in concert for the benefit of improving learner performance.It looks for examples of systemic, systematic, and sustainable improvement. Systemic improvement – using and aligning the interdependent functions within and across the agency to produce improvement Systematic improvement – fostering improvement efforts that are regular and predictable at all levels of the agency Sustainable improvement – maintaining improvements over time 6

7. Pillars of Accreditation Meet the AdvancED Quality Standards Engage in Continuous Improvement Demonstrate Quality Assurance through Internal and External Review To earn and maintain ESA Accreditation, agencies must: 7

8. Expectations Agency Meets the AdvancED Standards for Quality Education Service Agencies Identifies and guides the implementation of a systemic continuous improvement process Monitors all schools it operates through a quality assurance process Prepares and hosts a QAR visit every five years Schools It Operates Meet the AdvancED Standards for Quality Schools Implement the agency’s continuous improvement process Participate in the agency’s quality assurance process 8

9. Purpose & Role of the Quality Assurance Review Team Determine the extent to which the agency meets the AdvancED standards. Assess the efficacy of the agency’s improvement efforts. Evaluate the effectiveness of the agency’s methods for quality assurance. Provide high-quality feedback with clear recommendations and actionable next steps. Make an accreditation recommendation. 9

10. Activities of the Quality Assurance Review Team • Artifacts/documents review • Interviews • Visits to agency-operated schools and a sample of school districts it serves • Observations • Professional deliberations

11. Interviews with Constituents and Other Stakeholders • During the on-site Quality Assurance Review, team members interviewed: • The Superintendent • 3 members of the Governing Board • 26 members of agency staff • 9 district-based administrators • 9 school-based administrators • 25 teachers and staff • 15 parents, community members, and business partners • 38 students TOTAL of 126 constituents and other stakeholders • 45 classroom visits

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

13. Structure of Team’s Findings NarrativesStrengths • Strong and effective practices, processes, or systems which benefit the agency Opportunities for Improvement • Suggestions related to individual standards that can help the agency move forward with improvement efforts Commendations • Significant accomplishments in meeting and/or exceeding accreditation standards and requirements Recommendations • Actions that will enhance agency effectiveness and improve student learning and district partner performance

14. Strengths • Collaboration – The ISD provides support and leadership across the county to innumerable groups and has developed quality, on-going relationships that help resolve issues throughout the county for the benefit of students, families, and communities. • Partnerships – Established with local districts, local service agencies, colleges, other ISDs, MDE, Michigan Works!, legal system, Hillsdale county and other entities. These trusted partnerships allow for meaningful, high quality collaboration.

15. Strengths • Responsiveness to constituent needs. There exists a pervasive attitude of deliberately acting to solve problems and find solutions. • Provide a variety of services focused on identified needs. Some are typical, some are unique, all are in support of the people of Hillsdale County. • Alignment of mission statements across departments and focused on continuous improvement efforts.

16. Commendations The Quality Assurance Review Team commends HCISD for: • Collaboration, partnerships, and county wide service to schools and students. There exists a pervasive culture of collaboration and continuous improvement and the efforts to move from “school improvement” to “continuous improvement” are commendable. The ISD effectively aligns resources, human and financial, to support the work of the ISD and its partners. • The consistent commitment, passion, and investment to support the achievement of all students throughout Hillsdale County.

17. Commendations • Innovative approaches to addressing student needs despite challenging economic constraints. • Commitment to development and support of professional learning based on alignment of goals to local districts’ and ISD’s mission.

18. Challenges • Increasing need for services for students and families in Hillsdale County. • Providing leadership and innovation across the county while responding to unique local perspectives and challenges. • Developing capacity to effectively organize, analyze, and use data to inform decision making that positively impacts effective teaching and learning in local schools and the ISD. • Building and maintaining capacity for sustaining these continuous improvement efforts as changes occur and people change.

19. Recommendations • The Quality Assurance Review Team recommends that HCISD : • Develop and implement a comprehensive system of organizational evaluation based on clearly defined performance measures through which it will effectively organize, analyze, and use data to inform decision making that positively impacts effective teaching and learning in local schools and the ISD.

20. Recommendations • Build institutional capacity to sustain improvement efforts and services that are independent of individuals. • Strategically strengthen communication methods to better inform constituents of the services available through the ISD. Celebrate successes and share data that reflects progress toward goal accomplishment.

21. Next Steps • Written report of findings submitted within 20 days • After receipt of the report, the agency is expected to: • Review and communicate the findings. • Address the recommendations. • Monitor accreditation standards on an ongoing basis. • Monitor strategies for improvement. • Submit the Accreditation Progress Report.

22. Accreditation Recommendation • The Quality Assurance Review Team recommends to the AdvancED Accreditation Commission that the Hillsdale County Intermediate School District be awarded Education Service Agency Accreditation as a Quality ESA. • Once reviewed and approved by the AdvancED Accreditation Commission, the agency and all of the schools it operatesare granted a 5-year term accreditation.

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

24. AdvancED Accreditation for Quality Education Service Agencies www.advanc-ed.org …helping schools, school systems and education service agencies improve student learning