Accreditation Strand #2School Effectiveness & Improvement
Promoting, maintaining, and communicating school effectiveness and improvement
The school maintains a system promoting continuous school effectiveness and school improvement that focuses on student spiritual growth and academic performance, and it aligns all functions of the school with the adopted expectations for student spiritual growth and academic performance. Improvement efforts and activities are prompted and informed by the information obtained through earlier data gathering and by reflecting on and assessing the various components of the school effectiveness and school improvement process.
The school encourages and maintains communication and collaboration with Board-determined stakeholders/ministry partners to garner their support, understanding, and awareness and to secure their prayer, financial, and other supporting activities for the purpose of advancing student spiritual growth and academic learning for the glory of God.
Standards
- School Maintains a Systematic Plan
The school intentionally maintains a systematic plan for effectiveness and improvement that (a) centrally focuses on the mission and purpose established for the school; (b) maintains an accurate current description of its students, including their spiritual growth and academic performance; (c) measures school effectiveness; (d) establishes and pursues measurable goals focused on student growth and performance; (e) documents and uses objective and verifiable information that the processes yield, highlights major foci for school improvement; and, (f) documents and uses the information to determine what the foci should be for school improvement.
ArtifactSchool’s Strategic Master Plan - School Identifies 3–5 Focus Areas
The school identifies 3-5 Focus Areas for special emphasis in the systematic plan that are realistic, obtainable, observable, and measurable.
ArtifactSchool Improvement Plan - School Employs Benchmarked Improvement Plan
The school employs in the improvement plan a specific and realistic timeline with benchmarks and projected target dates for the completion of identified goals (Action Steps within each Focus Area), which include not only academic, financial, or physical plant goals, but also distinctively Christian objectives — or those features of the school’s intended purpose which distinguish it from the secular schools in the community.
ArtifactSchool Improvement Plan - School Engages Stakeholders in Improvement plan
The school engages board-defined ministry partners/stakeholders in the process of continuous improvement.
ArtifactsBoard Committees Community Resources Parent Aides and Helpers PTF Committees and Volunteers Stakeholder Survey - School Aligns the Improvement Plan with Mission and Vision
The school aligns the plans for continuous effectiveness and improvement with the mission and purpose of the school and the expectations for student growth and performance. To this end, Focus Areas should address at least one spiritual and one teaching/learning area.
ArtifactSchool Improvement Plan - School Provides Training for Staff in Use of Delivery Systems and Interventions
The school provides training/professional development for school staff to help them to understand and use delivery systems and interventions to achieve growth and performance goals.
ArtifactsAnonymized staff inservice record sample Hard Copies of Annual Inservicing of Staff School’s Inservice Activities - School Maintains and Communicates Data for Accountability
The school maintains the data gathered and communicates the results to board-determined stakeholders in order to maintain accountability.
ArtifactResults of stakeholder survey report to School Board & community - School Gathers, Evaluates, and Documents Effectiveness
The school gathers, evaluates, and documents the effectiveness of its continuous process of improvement.
ArtifactSchool Improvement Plan - School Provides Student Progress Information for Stakeholder Involvement
The school provides ongoing information about students’ expectations, their performance, and school effectiveness that encourages the prayer, financial, and activity support of the ministry partners/stakeholders.
ArtifactsEvidence of specific fundraising efforts or support School Head Reports to Board School News School Newsletters - School Creates and Uses Formal Communication Channels
The school creates and uses formal channels to listen to and communicate with ministry partners/stakeholders, including required Parent/Student Handbook.
ArtifactsEvidence of formal communication channels Evidence of parent/teacher conferences Parent/Student Handbook Parent/Teacher Association Meeting Minutes and Reports School Board Meeting Agendas, Minutes & Reports - School Solicits Stakeholder Resources
The school solicits the knowledge, skills, and resources of ministry partners/ stakeholders to enhance the work of the school. The school involves all ministry partners/stakeholders in the process of maintaining and evaluating continuous school improvement.
ArtifactsEvidence of Board Committee Work Evidence of Community Involvement Evidence of PTF, Parent Work - School Employs Reflective Process
The school employs a process to reflect on its performance collectively and individually in light of the school’s mission and commitment to school improvement and student performance.
ArtifactEvidence of Reflection on School Survey Results in Board/PTF Minutes
- School Maintains a Systematic Plan