Visiting Committee Chair Training - ACS WASC

ACS WASC Visiting Committee Chair Training

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Focus on Learning

On Target for 21st Century Schools

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for Sharing Your Professional Expertise!

Visiting Committee Chair Keeper of the Vision, Coach, Organizer

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Agenda

Update

Pre-visit Preparation

The Visit

ACS WASC Update: Topics

• ACS WASC organization—new personnel, facilities

• ACS WASC Accreditation Expectations

• Child Protection Expectations approved

• Revised and refined protocols (SDA, GDOE, HIDOE, CDE, ACSI)

• Substantive Change (see website)

• iNACOL Standards – now embedded in documents

• Supplementary Programs—revised and refined

• Pilot District Accreditation

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ACS WASC Study on Focus on Learning for CA Public Schools: Preliminary Findings

• ACS WASC: widely respected, motivator, improvement focus

• Strong accreditation model

• Accreditation fosters school conditions for improvement

• Principals: important influence on accreditation process

• Opportunities:

District offices working with schools to support accreditation

Increased ACS WASC support to schools

Aligning ACS WASC, SPSA, LCAP

Uneven parent and community engagement

ACS WASC Update: LCFF Big Ideas

• In conjunction with the new funding formula, CA adopted a new system of support and technical assistance for districts and counties—Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)

• Founded on annual plans, updates, and use of LCFF evaluation rubrics

• Districts develop, adopt and implement 3-year plans to improve student performance

• Assumes a continuous improvement model of accountability

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Local Control and Accountability Plans: Guiding Principles

• Performance-focused – relationship among plans, funding use, outcomes for students

• Simplicity and transparency

• Student-focused – local identification of needs, provide equitable opportunities

• State priorities – define metrics, but rely on local determination of measurement

• Stakeholder engagement – parents, students educators, broader community

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Accountability and Continuous Improvement Goals

• Strengthen teaching and learning

• Increase the individual capacity of teachers and school leaders

• Increase the institutional capacity of schools, districts, and state agencies to continuously improve

• Carefully phase in policy changes as state and local capacity grows

• Consider federal accountability requirements relative to the new state system once established.

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Accountability Model Foundation

Based on progress toward the LCFF state priorities. Priority 1 (Appropriately Assigned Teachers, Access to

Curriculum-Aligned Instructional Materials, and Safe, Clean and Functional School Facilities)

Priority 2 (Implementation of State Academic Standards) Priority 3 (Parent Engagement) Priority 4 (Achievement) Priority 5 (Pupil Engagement) Priority 6 (School Climate) Priority 7 (Access to a Broad Course of Study) Priority 8 (Outcomes in a Broad Course of Study) Priorities 9 and 10 (Coordination of Services for Expelled and

Foster Youth)

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State and Local Performance Indicators

Priority 1 – Local Williams Reporting Priority 2 – Local Surveys Priority 3 – Local Survey and/or Measures Priority 4 – Smarter Balanced Assessment Data Priority 5 – Suspensions Priority 6 – Healthy Kids Survey and/or Local Measures Priority 7 – College and Career Indicator Priority 8 – College and Career Indicator Priorities 9 and 10 – Surveys

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Implications for Accreditation

• School plans are more closely aligned to district LCAP goals and priorities

• Use of the Evaluation Rubrics’ data need to be included in the Self-Study—dashboard (exception: alternative education)

• Schools will need to describe their actions and services to better meet student needs in their action plans

• Goals of LCFF related to increased student success mirror Focus on Learning processes and goals

During the Full Visit: VC Chair Reminders

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• Reimbursement Policy

• ACS WASC Anti-Discrimination Policies and Procedures

• Check report includes ALL sections

• Ensure grade levels on ballot are accurate

• Ensure signatures on ACS WASC ballot (do this early in the visit)

• Draft visiting committee report left with school

• Complete evaluations of each team member

Other Visits: VC Chair Reminders

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• Chair submits ballot, doc/just statement, and visiting committee report to ACS WASC within two weeks after the visit using the Document Upload link on the ACS WASC Website: www.acswasc.org/document-upload/

• Chair makes sure that the school receives a copy of the final visiting committee report

• Chair understands that school already invoiced for any type of revisit or mid-cycle visit

• School and chair are notified 2-3 weeks following Commission action

After the Visit: Report Submissions Commission Meeting Deadlines

• December 15, 2017, for Winter Commission meeting

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What’s the Question?

• Six weeks

• 10 working days

• 1 ½-2 hours

• Daily meetings with Leadership Team

• Daily meeting with Principal

• Consensus on Status

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Remember to check

• Document used by School— Note: ACS WASC/CDE 2017 Tasks reordered and re-aligned Visiting Committee Report Format

• Alignment of Single Plan for Student Achievement (schoolwide action plant ) to district Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)

- Child Protection Issues, e.g., staff screening, policies

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Remember to check

• Certification and adherence to rules for UC a-g subject requirements and authorization (e.g., 2 years lab science with 20% hands-on activities)

• AP Authorization (e.g., wet lab experience)

• Safety issues: Examples: science labs, earthquake supplies, emergency procedures, first aid supplies, fire, evacuation, earthquake procedures

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Reminder: Updated ACS WASC Website

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ACS WASC Website Features

• Some of the features include:

• Document Upload link where you can easily upload all reports and documents directly to ACS WASC

• Calendar of Events where you can view all upcoming events

• Visiting Committee Chair and Member pages have been combined into one page

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Document Upload Link

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Combined VC Chair and Member Pages

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Questions

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Agenda

Update

Pre-visit Preparation

The Visit

Checklists

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Condensed

Chair Expectations

Checklist (in manual)

Previsit, Visit, Post-visit

Preparing for the Visit

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Planning

Students

Staff

Technology Evidence

Schedule

Staff

Accommodations

Schedule

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Schedule/Activities

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Daily feedback meetings between Visiting Committee members and school leadership committee

Classroom/campus observations

Informal interviews

Meetings with Focus Groups and others

Daily meeting of VC Chair and principal

VC report editing/reviewing

School: Previsit Discussion Areas • The Visit Schedule — developed collaboratively

• 2 people at all schoolwide focus groups ( 1 ½‒2 hours) • Daily leadership team meeting with entire visiting team • Daily chair-principal meeting • Visit all teachers(keep record) and talk to all • Examples of other meetings based on school

• Parents • Students • Support Staff

• Administrators • Subject Areas/Departments/ Programs/PLCs • Counseling Dept., Special Ed, AVID, Title I

• District • Other individual or groups

Previsit Work: Visiting Committee Members

• Regular Communication

• Areas of Expertise

• Attending Training

• Receipt of Self-Study and Evidence via drop box or hyperlink

• Previsit Worksheet

• Draft Visiting Committee narratives

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Suggested FOL Committees

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Comparison of School Report and VC Report:

School Report : Student/Community Profile VC Report: Brief Analytical Summary plus key excerpts of Student/Achievement Data

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School Profile

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School Information/Programs Data and Findings

Perception or Survey Results Schoolwide Learner Outcomes

Appendices

Schoolwide Learner Outcomes

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Global Interdisciplinary

All students Assessable

College, Career, and Life Skill Oriented who:

- Take initiative and work independently

- Follow through with plans and goals

- Handle praise, feedback, and criticism well

- Are organized

- Are productive and accountable

- Are self-directed and don’t give up

Sample Schoolwide Learner Outcomes

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Sample Schoolwide Learner Outcome

Students will be: INNOVATIVE THINKERS

• Build on the ideas, explanations, and reasons of others

• Summarize, analyze, interpret, and evaluate information

• Define problem and use problem-solving strategies appropriate to the context

• Create original work

• Use technology to create products of high quality

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School Report: Summary of Progress since last WASC Visit VC Report: Brief Analytical Summary of School’s Progress

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School Report: Action Plan Progress Report

• Significant developments

• Schoolwide critical areas for follow-up

• Procedures to monitor/adjust plan

• Progress on school plan segments showing integration of schoolwide critical areas for follow-up from visiting committees Focus area Growth targets Major activities

• Comment on any schoolwide critical areas for follow-up not in the current plan

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School Report: Summary of Data and Progress VC Report: School’s Self-Study Process based on self-study outcomes (in preface for ACS WASC/CDE FOL 2017 Edition)

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School Report Summary of Data and Progress

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Implications of the profile and progress data

Questions for focus group work

Critical Learner Needs correlated to Schoolwide Learner Outcomes

Critical Learner Needs

Approximately 40% of our 9th grade students are unprepared for

Algebra.

Students’ academic writing generally is weak.

EL students have limited academic vocabulary in English.

Students seem uninterested in current activities and clubs.

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VC Report: Outcomes of Self-Study

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School Report-Summary of Findings for Each Criteria VC Report: Analysis, Strengths, Critical Areas for Follow-up

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Process

Leadership

Team

Home Groups

Focus Groups

Professional knowledge Data Observations Surveys/interviews Student work Documents

Analytical response to criteria

Evidence

Strengths

Key areas for follow-up

Product

A. Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership and Staff, and Resources

B. Standards-based Student Learning: Curriculum

C. Standards-based Student Learning: Instruction

D. Standards-based Student Learning: Assessment and Accountability

E. School Culture and Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth

ACS WASC/CDE Criteria Categories

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A. Organization for Student Learning

B. Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

C. Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth

D. Resource Management and Development

ACS WASC Criteria Categories

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Self-Study Process: The “So What” Question? What currently exists? How effective?

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FOL B3 : How Assessment Is Used-Sample Indicator

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Modification/Decisions based on Assessment Data

Indicator:

Assessment data is collected, analyzed, and used to make changes and decisions about curriculum, instruction, professional development activities, and resource allocation. Teachers modify and revise the curriculum and instruction as a result of student assessment, both collectively and individually.

Prompt:

Evaluate the effectiveness of how assessment data is collected, analyzed and used to make changes about curriculum, instruction, professional development activities and resource allocation.

Findings Supporting Evidence

Big Questions

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Do the findings respond to what is being asked in the criteria, indicators, and prompts?

Does the evidence support Findings? Strengths? Prioritized growth areas?

What insight has the school gained about student learning, the critical learner needs, the standards and the schoolwide learner outcomes?

Criteria Summary, Strengths, and Growth Needs

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Visiting Committee Analytical Findings:

Writing to Criteria and Indicators/Prompts

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VC Analytical Comments/Observations

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What currently exists?

Indicate the impact on student learning

Highlight areas of strength

Highlight key issues to be addressed

Indicate evidence that supports comments

Use appropriate vocabulary; avoid being prescriptive

Previsit Work with VC Members

Staying Organized

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If paired, work together in previsit work; share, collapse/combine before coming to you! Then you must complete draft.

YOU start writing Chapters I, II, and III; use their comments

Remind regularly of deadline for member input to you

Continue communicating!

Sample

VC Analytical Comments by Indicator

• D2 or B3 Criterion on Use of Assessment Results

Indicator: Modification Based on Assessment Results (one of indicators)

Although the report was silent on how the school was using results of assessment data through the visit it was discovered that staff members are beginning to make use of reports generated in PowerSchool and make determinations on areas that need to be modified based on assessment results.

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Sample

VC Analytical Comments by Indicator

• A5. Leadership and Staff Criterion To what extent are leadership and staff involved in ongoing

research or data-based correlated professional development that focuses on identified student learning needs?

Measurable Effect of Professional Development (one of indicators)

The school’s survey found that teachers believe that their quality teaching strategies are addressing the needs of all learners. However, at this time, analysis of student performance data is inconclusive about the degree to which these strategies have improved achievement.

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Example From the VC report

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.

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VC Schoolwide Critical Areas for Follow-Up

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Support those areas already identified by the school in the Action Plan sections

Strengthen those identified areas in the Action Plan sections

Address additional areas identified by the Visiting Committee

Why

VC Report: Critical Areas for Follow-up CLARITY Prepare a matrix of key issues from all the criteria categories. This will assist the VC Committee in forming the concrete and specific critical area for follow-up.

Reminder: Include the “Who”, “What” and “Why”

When do you start discussing the major strengths and critical areas for follow-up during the visit?

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The leadership, instructional staff, and other stakeholders increase the use of the results from analyzing student achievement data in modifying instruction, particularly in the areas of reading, writing, math and critical thinking skills.

Who

What

Sample critical area for follow-up

Evaluate:

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The VC concurs with the school’s following identified areas:

• The school leadership and the teachers develop systems and procedures for analyzing student work that is consistent with standards-based assessment and research-based practices so student growth and improvement can be monitored effectively.

In addition, the VC has identified areas that need to be strengthened:

• The school leadership and the teachers deepen their understanding of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and how they affect instruction and assessment practices.

VC Report

Analysis based on criteria and indicators

Schoolwide strengths

Schoolwide critical areas for follow-up Support identified areas

Strengthen identified areas

Address additional areas

Conclusions --- Schoolwide Action Plan

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Visit’s Purpose

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Provide insight about student learning and school program

Validate school program

Celebrate school strengths

Provide recommendations on growth areas

Note: team size is based on

school enrollment.

Personal Preparation

Greatest Difficulty/Benefit

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How will we focus our work with staff on the continuing

efforts of the school over time to

improve student learning?

Meetings: Committees

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Leadership Team

Schoolwide Focus Groups

Department/Subject Area/Program Groups, Small Learning Communities (PLCs), Career Academies, Pathways, etc.

Visiting Committee Questions: Sample Areas

• Understanding and use of data

• Modifying learning and teaching

• Preparing student to be college and career ready — implementing the Common Core

• Understanding the variety of programs/courses provided for students and their impact on learning

• Feedback to students

• Coaching of colleagues in new strategies

• Focus of action plan ― impact

• Intended impact on student learning

• Follow-up process

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Sample Discussion Starters

• Help us understand… • Could 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

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

How do you ensure the VC report reflects accurately school findings and the unified

Visiting Committee perspective?

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Accreditation Status

• Six-Year Accreditation Status

Progress report at mid-cycle

Progress Report and one-day visit at mid-cycle

Progress Report and two-day visit at mid-cycle

• One-or-Two-Year Probationary Status with an in-depth progress report and a two-day visit

• Accreditation Status Withheld

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Alignment Status Rationale based on Findings

In the Visiting Committee Report…

Profile Data-Critical Student Needs (subset of Schoolwide

Learner Outcomes)

Progress Report

Criteria/Indicators ― Analytical Comments

Schoolwide Strengths

Critical Areas For Follow-up (Concur with School’s and other VC Areas)

Accreditation Status Worksheet

Documentation/Justification Statement

VC Tools for Status Recommendation

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Accreditation Status Factors: VC Recommendation & Commission Action

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Highly effective

Effective

Somewhat effective

Ineffective

To what extent is the school demonstrating quality student achievement/improvement?

1. Meeting the ACS WASC international criteria and indicators

2. Clear globally minded purpose and schoolwide learner outcomes

3. Quality processes to analyze student achievement

4. Action plan aligned to areas of greatest need

5. Capacity to implement/monitor action plan

6. Use of prior accreditation findings

7. Involvement and collaboration of all

Accreditation Status Factors: VC Recommendation and Commission Action

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Accreditation Status Factors: Unpacking the Criteria and Indicators

What are the criteria concepts?

What is the ideal? What evidence supports

meeting the criteria/indicators?

VC Reviewing and Analyzing Data/Information

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DOC/JUST ― Supporting Narrative

• Status options seriously considered

• Cite the reasons for the status recommended

• Provide compelling evidence that supports the VC recommendation

• VC discussions and process

• Degree to which students are learning

• Strengths and growth needs of school

• Capacity of school to implement and monitor action plan

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Coherence Making ACS WASC Focus on Learning

Focusing Direction

•Purpose Driven

•Goals that Impact

•Change Leadership

•Clarity of Strategy

Cultivating Collaborative Cultures

•Culture of Growth

•Learning Leadership

•Capacity Building

•Collaborative Work

Securing Accountability

•Internal Accountability

•External Accountability

Deepening Learning – well-being of the whole student and other stakeholders

•Communication

•Critical Thinking

•Collaboration

•Creativity

•Character

•Citizenship

Fullan and Quinn, 2016

Visiting Committee Chair Training - ACS WASC

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