Monroe County School District Recommended for District Accredation Award

 
 

mc-school-logoThe Monroe County School District has received a recommendation that it be awarded District Accreditation as a quality school system. This recommendation was made by the AdvancED External Review Team at a Special School Board meeting held May 7 in Key West. School district accreditation affords parents a variety of advantages such as transferring credits from one school to another, accessing federal loans, scholarships, and post-secondary and military programs that require students attend an accredited institution and reaping the benefits from the school district’s commitment to raising student performance and accountability which must be demonstrated for accreditation.

District accreditation is the highest level of accreditation that a school system can receive from AdvancED, the recognized accrediting agency for K-12 schools internationally.

The External Review Team’s report commended the district for its powerful practices which included focusing on the strategic plan and responsible and effective leadership by the School Board; being committed to a culture that is consistent with the district’s mission and vision, engaging stakeholders with the system’s purpose and direction; instituting a process to recruit, employ and retain highly effective professional and support staff; guiding resource allocations based on the strategic plan; having a strong commitment to continuously collect, apply and analyze data sources to support learning; and monitoring and communicating information about student learning, school performance and the achievement of system and school improvement goals to stakeholders.

“The observances of the External Review Team, under the leadership of Mrs. Maureen Ryff, are a wonderful affirmation of the hard work and dedication that is shown throughout our district,” said Superintendent Mark Porter. “I am extremely grateful to the School Board members, principals, district staff, teachers, parents and community members who participated in this process. Their work in supporting this accomplishment is a true testament to our culture of working together to achieve success whether in the classroom or in the community.”

In the area of recommendations for improvement, the team made the following suggestions:

  • Continue to promote collaborative practices throughout the district to maximize efficiency.
  • Develop and implement a district wide technology plan with input from all stakeholders
  • Implement a comprehensive plan for professional development for both instructional and non-instructional staff.

A written report of the team’s findings and observations will be sent to the Superintendent within 30 days. The district is then expected to communicate the information contained in the report, initiate steps to address the recommendations, and continue its efforts toward continuous improvement.

The school district has spent the last year preparing for accreditation. In June 2013, a District Training was established to introduce the requirements for conducting the guided self-study required for accreditation. School Principals and teachers, district curriculum leaders, department directors and the Executive Leadership Team were involved in the self-study. The district’s efforts were led by Christina McPherson, Director of Accountability and Assessment and Principal of Poinciana Elementary School.

Employees collected data and relayed information on the five areas being evaluated: Purpose and Direction, Governance and Leadership, Teaching and Assessing for Learning, Resources and Support Systems, and Using Results for Continuous Improvement.

In order to be eligible to apply for district accreditation, every school in the district has to be individually accredited and the district has to have in place a quality strategic planning process focusing on improving student learning. In addition, districts must meet accreditation standards, pursue a process of systematic continuous improvement and implement methods for quality assurance.

Further information can be found on the district’s website, www.keysschools.com.