The District One School Board received an exit report from the AdvancED Quality Assurance Team on March 28. The chairman of the team, Dr. Michael Lodico, addressed the board, district administrators and District One Schools staff and announced that his visiting team would recommend to AdvancED that District One continue to be accredited.
Lodico said, “Our committee knew you were a good school district, but after visiting here, we now know that you are a great school district.”
District One Schools is accredited by AdvancED and must go through a rigorous review and self-assessment every five years in order to keep accreditation with the agency current. Lodico and the team of educators from three states spent four days in the district. During that time they interviewed more than 270 stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers, staff, administrators, board members and community members.
The committee examined documentation provided by schools and the district to demonstrate that all schools and the district office meet or exceed the standards for quality school systems. The team will submit a full report to the AdvancED Board and to District One in about 30 days.
Some of the findings of the committee were that District One Schools provide:
• Visible, responsive leadership that fosters trust and autonomy
• Effective instruction resulting in high student achievement
• Use of the response-to-intervention process throughout the district to promote the mission of providing “quality, student-centered education.”
The committee recommended that District One analyze national and international instructional models to enhance rigor. It also recommended that District One work to provide students with opportunities for cultural awareness so that they will be prepared for a global workforce.
Travis Sloan, chairman of the District One board, said, “It’s a proud moment as a school board member to sit in front of a group of professional educators from across our nation and hear that District One’s challenges need not be solely focused statewide but that we should expand our vision into a national and global arena. Dr. Lodico expressed it best when he stated that we not only ‘talked the talk but we walked the walk.’ I honestly believe that the only limits for District One are the ones that we put upon ourselves.”
Dr. Ron Garner, District One Schools superintendent, added, “We are so proud and appreciative of our entire District One Schools community and staff for this honor. We are excited about the coming years as we work to meet the challenges ahead and continue to work with our students and teachers to ‘become the best.’”
– article submitted
by Paula Brooks