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By Grace Johnson
news | press
The final school improvement visit for the five-year accreditation cycle for Nebraska City Public Schools took place April 3 and 4.
Accreditation is an ongoing process of meeting standards, continuous improvement, and quality assurance demonstrated through an internal and external review. This review requires the school to identify and provide results of student performance, data to support goals, and documented evidence that validates that each school is meeting each required accreditation standard.
“This process is about reviewing what we currently do to provide educational opportunities and what we can do to strengthen our own efforts,” said Director of Assessment Teresa Frields.
“It's an outstanding process. It provides a check and balance of what we are currently doing, validates our process and guides us as we proceed. Our intention is always to seek avenues that will allow us to grow and improve. This process gives us the guidelines to do so,” she said.
The seven assessment standards are vision and purpose, governance and leadership, teaching and learning, documenting and using results, resources and support systems, stakeholder communication and relationships and commitment to continuous improvement.
Data and evidence of meeting the seven standards was found in each building and at the district level as well. Reviews of assessment data have included Norm Referenced Tests, Criterion Referenced Tests, State Standards (STARS) Classroom Assessments, the State Writing Test, the ACT, DIBELS Assessments, parent/staff/community surveys, and documentation of staff/parent opportunities to participate in a variety of committees and activities which promote the attainment of the standards needed for accreditation. Each building provides evidence through artifacts, staff knowledge and their individual steering committees. District level support is given to all buildings.
Nebraska City Public Schools has been fortunate to participate in an Integrated School Improvement Pilot Program, in conjunction with the Nebraska Department of Education during this school year. As part of this process, the District hosted three visits that demonstrated programs and resources that support the concept of Continuous School Improvement, in an integrated format.
The initial visit included the State-led Peer review of the District’s Standards and Assessment Process, where the school attained an exemplary rating. In conjunction, the Title 1 program was also reviewed and it also received commendations. The second visit encompassed all NCLB programs, reviewed the use of STAR Grant funds, the Positive Behavior Supports efforts, the High Ability Program and the Career Education Program, and also examined how all programs tie into the School Improvement Process.
The third and final visit specifically reviewed the overall requirements needed to fulfill school improvement expectations for accreditation. This visit included evidence of district and individual school efforts to meet requirements for accreditation. It provided opportunities for staff, students, parents and representatives from the board of education to answer specific questions about individual school, as well as district efforts to demonstrate a process for improving student learning. Also included was an overview of the previous two integrated visits. The external team, with members from various school districts, as well as the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, served as reviewers. Representatives from the State Department of Education also took part in the review process. Lending support to the district were the staff developers from Educational Service Unit #4 in Auburn.
The results of the team’s findings were provided in an informal conversation following the visit. A formal report will be submitted within a few weeks and at that time will be available for public review.
During the informal conversation, the external team, led by Dr. Jim Walter, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, indicated that the district should be commended for all of their work towards Continuous School Improvement efforts. Specific commendations were categorized as:
1) Quality of the teaching force, district leadership at various levels, excellent support staff and an obvious caring nature of teachers.
2) The Assessment Process and the use of Data for decision-making. The team indicated that several layers of using results to improve instruction were evident. The district was commended in giving staff time to work on their current curriculum and assessment process.
3) Community Support has fostered a positive district reputation. Many projects, including the passing of the recent bond issue validates the important connection between community members and the school district.
4) A commitment for Continuous School Improvement by staff, board members, teachers, parents and the operational use of the district’s mission were observed as a specific strength.
Recommendations included:
1) Continuation of district emphasis on discipline related issues.
2) Pursuing District level status for Accreditation based on the Centralized integration of a process that obviously works collectively K-12.
Director of Assessment Teresa Frields said she was pleased with the visit itself, as well as the district’s performance. “This process is about reviewing what we currently do to provide educational opportunities and what we can do to strengthen our own efforts,” she said.
“We are fortunate in Nebraska City Public Schools to have dedicated individuals working toward common goals,” she said. Collective efforts on the part of all stakeholders ensure that each school provides the best education possible for our youth. We take pride in our accomplishments, which serves to make us work more diligently to demonstrate improvement is an ongoing and continuous process.”
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