How to Host a Successful Accreditation Review – Part I: Prior Year Preparation

My district recently finished up its (re)accreditation visit.  It was a success! Everyone’s hard work paid off, and I think I was able to celebrate and take care of my normal responsibilities for a day and half before an unexpected project landed on my desk.  

Several years ago, our district chose to seek accreditation as a district, rather than each individual school being accredited on its own.  This year was our second time accrediting as a district.

Many districts opt these days to forgo having their individual schools seek accreditation.  Instead, these school systems seek accreditation at the district level.  District accreditation efforts require leadership and facilitation at the central office level.

I must admit I thought I was going to lose my mind a few times during this year.  No matter how closely your own district or school improvement process aligns to the accreditation process, the process requires a great deal of additional work.

So what do you do if you are the lucky CO administrator with this new project?  And if you are an associate or assistant superintendent, you will be the obvious choice.  If you are a member of the curriculum department or have responsibilities with strategic planning, you might also play a central role or become the facilitator.  If this describes you, well, just buckle up, buttercup!

I have created this three-part accreditation series to help out central office administrators who find themselves in charge of this process for their district.  I tried to capture what I learned about how to run the process and share ideas about how it could be better next time, while the thoughts are still fresh in my mind.

If navigating the accreditation process is your baby, then it is best to know this as early as possible.  Read everything you can find on the accrediting organization’s website regarding its process, standards, and rubrics.  Download handbooks and process guides, if they are available.

I also like to review information from our previous accreditation review.  This might be especially helpful is this is your first accreditation rodeo.  However, I offer a CAVEAT about doing this.  

Most likely, in the five years since your previous review, something about the process and standards have changed.  

So while it is good to see what you did last time, where you were, make sure you understand the current process and requirements.

In my case, the last time the district had a review, most of the work took place at the central office.  Schools were not so involved then.  This time, however, the schools ran the same process and completed the same reports that the central office did.  The number of standards had also changed.  

After our last review, the process changed the next year.  The same thing is happening now with a new process being implemented next year.

I offer three pre-accreditation review year items to help you better situation your district for a success review.  Implementing these three items should also save you headaches and hair-pulling during the review year, too.

1. Attend an accreditation conference.

Many of these organizations (e.g., AdvancED) sponsor state and regional conferences each year.  You and as many teachers and administrators as possible should attend a conference.  It is impossible to make every session, but with a team attending, you can divide and conquer.  This exposes several people to different parts of the process and builds capacity among your school folks.  This is important!  You can NOT do this alone, so build expertise at both the school and district level.

2. Serve on an accreditation review team.

No better way exists to learn the accreditation process, to internalize the standards and best practices, than to serve as a member of team reviewing another school or district.  Be forewarned – this is hard, hard work, and the hours are loooong.  However, it is a rich opportunity, and you will return home with a better understanding of how to facilitate the process in your district.  You will also return with new ideas and projects (fun).  Encourage teachers and principals to also serve on these teams, too.

3.  Form teams.

You will need two types of teams.  The first type of team is composed of the lead facilitators from each school.  Ask principals to identify the lead facilitator for their schools.  Sometimes a principal will facilitate his or her school team, but most often it is an assistant principal or instructional coach.  Sometimes schools will have co-facilitators.   These facilitators will then form their school teams.  These teachers and school administrators will lead the effort in their respective schools.  However, these teams need support from the central office – from you.  But these lead facilitators will be your lifeline to the schools and the work they are doing.  This is a symbiotic relationship.  Nurture it.

The second type of team is your central-office level team.  These are the directors and coordinators of all the departments within your district.  For smaller districts or for those with lean central offices, you may need to dip into the school level to round out your team.  If this becomes necessary, the best choices are those staff members whose roles serve multiple grade spans or schools.  For example, a coach who works with middle and high school teachers and students.  People in these roles often have the broader perspective that is needed to complete the accreditation tasks.

If you do these three things prior to the year of your accreditation review, you will be better prepared to lead a successful review.  I love to hear from those of you who have been involved in the accreditation process.  What are your suggestions for preparation for a review?

Stay tuned for my next post.  I will be sharing strategies to implement during your accreditation year.