1. Improving Student Learning 2012 CHAIR TRAINING

2. Introduction 2 The premise/purpose for the Visiting Committee is to provide validation, analysis and professional feedback to a school based on the Visiting Committee’s review of the Self Study, evidence, observation, discussion, review of student work, and an analysis of data in relation to the twelve WCEA Accreditation Factors. Our focus is on: CONTINUOUS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ISL 2012 Chair Training

3. Visiting Committee Mission: 3 Verify the reality of the school in relation to the school’s Self Study. Affirm school’s significant accomplishments and goals to improve student learning. Support and give input in relation to the school’s plan to address their critical goals. Recommend an Accreditation Status that will assist the school in its growth process.

4. Chair Responsibilities Are: (page 8) 4 Schedule a pre-pre-visit with the principal (optional) In consultation with the WCEA Elementary Commissioner and school principal, schedule a pre-visit. Assign writing sections to your Visiting Committee members for pre-writing. Some Chairs assign parts, some assign everything. This is an individual Chair’s choice. Assign a process for collecting the pre-writing. Some Chairs us a Writeboard, http://123.writeboard.com/new, others Google Docs, others e-mail Word docs, etc. This is up to the Chair.http://123.writeboard.com/new

5. Chair Responsibilities Are: (page 8) 5 Assemble a draft of the Report of Findings prior to the school accreditation visit. Finish the Report of Findings during the visit. Complete a Justification Statement. Complete a Recommendation for Accreditation Status signed by all Committee members. Ensure that the WCEA Elementary Commissioner receives both print and electronic copies (Word format) of the Report of Findings, Justification Statement, and signed Accreditation Status at the end of the visit.

6. Special Note: 6 This applies only to schools in California, Hawai’i, and Guam: WASC assigns an ACS WASC Commission Member to serve on a WCEA Visiting Committee. Any ACS WASC team member is a full team member and must attend the pre-visit and all three days of the visit for as long as the visit lasts each day. Any concerns about an ACS WASC team member should be addressed to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner of the Arch/diocese in which the school being visited is located.

7. Overview 7 To what extent has the school completed a Self Study that accomplishes these six Key Outcomes? 1. The assessment of the school’s Catholic Identity. 2. The involvement and collaboration of all shareholders in affirming evident strengths and promoting ongoing school improvement. 3. The clarification of the school’s mission, philosophy, and Schoolwide Learning Expectations for all students. 4. The use of high quality criteria to assess the actual school program and its impact on student learning and spiritual development. 5. The development of an Action Plan that addresses identified goals to improve student learning. 6. The development and implementation of an accountability system for monitoring progress in meeting or redefining goals and strategies found in the Action Plan.

8. Accreditation Visit 8 Three full days for the visit. The Visiting Committee visits classrooms, observes evidence of student learning, talks with staff, students, parents, school board, pastor, etc. Chair of Visiting Committee may have limited time for classroom visits depending on the Self Study and findings of the Committee. Any use of Option A or Option B must be discussed with the School Leadership Team before sharing the draft Report of Findings.

9. The Visit 9 Sample Schedule (pages 3-4) Day One – All Day  Meet together as a Committee to plan the day.  Meet with Leadership Team to answer any unresolved questions.  Observe the start of the school day.  Visit classrooms, observe student work (evidence of learning), talk to students, etc.  Visit with staff after school to discuss the process, their discoveries, and answer any questions.  Meet with parents to discuss the process, their discoveries, and answer any questions.

10. The Visit 10 Sample Schedule (pages 3-4) Day One – All Day  Meet with pastor.  Meet with Student Council.  Meet with school board and parent association leadership.  Chair, in collaboration with principal, to schedule meeting times and places.  Chair is responsible to ensure that all classes, including ‘specials’ are visited.

11. The Visit 11 Sample Schedule (pages 3-4) Day Two – Until noon.  Meet together as a Committee to plan the day.  Meet with Leadership Team to answer any unresolved questions.  Observe the start of the school day.  Visit classrooms, observe student work (evidence of learning), talk to students, etc. Be sure to cover any classes missed the previous day.  Meet with any individuals/groups missed the previous day.

12. The Visit 12 Sample Schedule (pages 3-4) Day Two – After Lunch.  Meet together as a Committee to work on the Report of Findings.  May need breaks to visit any classes missed in earlier classroom visitations, or to find additional evidence.

13. The Visit 13 Sample Schedule (pages 3-4) Day Three– Morning.  Meet together as a Committee to finish the Report of Findings.  Meet with the Leadership Team and WCEA Elementary Commissioner to discuss draft Report of Findings. Share a copy with the Leadership Team for their review away from the Visiting Committee.  Begin work on the Justification Statement.  Meet with the Leadership Team to discuss their suggestions for revision and change of the Report of Findings.

14. The Visit 14 Sample Schedule (pages 3-4) Day Three– Morning.  Finalize any changes to the Report of Findings.  Finish work on the Justification Statement and the Accreditation Status. Print and sign all copies.  Meet with the school faculty to share the final Report of Findings.  Give a hard and electronic copy of the final Report of Findings to the school.  Give the original, signed copies to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner along with electronic copies of all three documents in Word format.

15. The Visit 15 Chair Schedule Notes: Many chairs choose an evening meeting on the first day to meet with the school board and with parents. Chairs should develop a set of interview questions for parents, board members, etc. Sample questions can be found in the ISL 2012 Visiting Committee Manual, pp 13- 16. All Visiting Committee members should participate in the interview and ask questions of the adults present. Meeting with the student council can take place during the lunch hour (a working lunch with students is a possibility) Meetings with teachers are best scheduled after school.

16. The Visit 16 Chair Notes:  Your school visit is scheduled for three full days. Even if the school gets out at noon on the third day, you are not required to provide your report to the faculty until the end of the day.  Original, signed documents are given to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner, if present. Otherwise it is the responsibility of the Chair to immediately mail these documents to the Commissioner at the conclusion of the visit.  Electronic copies of all documents are given/sent to the Commissioner. E-copy of the Report is given to the school.

17. REPORT OF FINDINGS TEMPLATE CAN BE FOUND IN THE ISL 2012 VISITING COMMITTEE MANUAL PAGES 18-27. 17 BREAK

18. Report of Findings 18 Gives written evaluative feedback to the school Documents the school’s current status Assists the school in its future direction for growth. Public articulation of the Justification Statement. Language, tone, and direction must express the same voice and direction for the school.

19. Report of Findings 19 May (or may not) give additional direction to the school through finding(s) of the Visiting Committee. Only the most critical finding (singular) by the Visiting Committee may replace a critical goal of the school’s Action Plan. Any finding(s) should be included only after consultation with the WCEA Elementary Commissioner.

20. Report of Findings 20 Chairs and Visiting Committee Members are familiar with the ISL protocol. Some terms may be adjusted to reflect local conditions (e.g., ‘school board’ may be replaced with ‘School Advisory Committee’ or the local equivalent.) The sequence of Accreditation Factors is identical in the ISL protocol, Self Study, Report of Findings, and Justification Statement.

21. Report of Findings 21 The Report of Findings is available as a Word template. Chairs need to highlight red sections, change font color and begin entering text. After the narrative is written, the blue sections should be deleted as well. Until then, they serve as a checklist for writing the report. Page breaks are a the discretion of the Chair. (Word Doc., Times New Roman, 12 pt., Justified, 1” margins; same for Mac or Windows)

22. Report of Findings 22 IMPORTANT NOTE: The narrative for every section except 1-A and 2-A, translates into a “Highly Effective”, “Effective”, “Somewhat Effective”, or “Ineffective” rating in the Justification Statement. Chairs should pay attention to the language, tone, and terminology that goes into a narrative in the Report of Findings. This will make the determination of a rating by the Committee easier. Some ratings have a factor in determining an Accreditation Status.

23. Report of Findings 23 General notes about writing:  KISS – keep it short and significant (relevant).  Most sections can be written with 1-3 paragraphs.  DO NOT write a paragraph responding to each bullet point – instead write an integrated narrative.  For the sections that respond to Accreditation Factors, take care to use language that will support your rating. If you say that a school is highly effective, be sure to give some evidence that supports that highly effective rating.  Chairs may or may not choose to use “rating” language in the narrative. See samples in the Manual.

24. Report of Findings 24 Preface  Completed by Chair  Insert name of partnering accrediting agency  Insert names, schools, addresses of all Visiting Committee members  Insert school’s name in preface  Modifications are encouraged to personalize this section

25. Report of Findings 25 Chapter 1: Introduction A. How the Self Study was Conducted  Short, general narratives describing how the school used ISL protocol for their Self Study What process has the school used to complete the Self Study (schedule of meetings, timeline, involvement of shareholders, etc.)? What obstacles, if any did the school experience in completing their Self Study?

26. Report of Findings 26 Chapter 1: Introduction B. Involvement and Collaboration of Shareholders in Completing the Self Study Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively… Has the school involved all shareholders in data review and analysis, dialog about student progress, school accomplishments and needs, etc.? (Note the references in the template to specific sections in the Self Study that address shareholder involvement.) Does the school plan to keep shareholders involved in ongoing systematic analysis of the school’s effectiveness? (see the Action Plan)

27. Report of Findings 27 Chapter 2: Context of the School A. School Profile  Short, general narratives describing how the school compiled and analyzed data To what extent has the school compiled and analyzed annually updated data (cultural, demographic, financial, survey, interview) that identified major changes or trends since the last Self Study? What do parent/student/staff surveys tell about satisfaction with the school?

28. Report of Findings 28 Chapter 2: Context of the School B. Use of Prior Accreditation Findings to Support High Achievement of All Students  Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study, through observation, and in the school’s Annual Reports of Progress – How effectively... Has the school incorporated prior VC findings (full visit and mid-term visit) into their Action Plan, and completed these goals? Have they added any goals? Did their goals support high achievement? Did the school monitor their progress and report this progress to their shareholders? Has the school implemented the concept of continuous school improvement in non-accreditation years?

29. Report of Findings 29 Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program A. Assessment of the School’s Catholic Identity Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively… Has the school assessed their Catholic Identity and improved the spiritual formation of students, staff, and parents, etc. (8 standards)? How effectively has the school discovered areas of Catholic Identity that need to be improved?

30. Report of Findings 30 Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program B. Defining the School’s Purpose Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively… Does the school’s mission and philosophy reflect the Catholic nature of the school? Does the school use their SLE and standards to define the school’s purpose? Has the school communicated their mission and purpose, including any governing authority expectations, to their shareholders? Has the school discovered what improvements need to be made in defining the School’s Purpose?

31. Report of Findings 31 Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program C. Organization for Student Learning to Support High Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively… Do organizational structures of the school support and promote the school’s Catholic Identity? Do organizational structures of the school focus on high achievement of all students? Do organizational structures of the school communicate student progress to the shareholders? Has the school analyzed how the organizational structure could be improved to support student learning?

32. Report of Findings 32 Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program D. Data Analysis and Action to Support High Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively… Does the school use data about faith formation to strengthen Catholic Identity? Does the school use educationally sound assessment processes to collect, disaggregate and analyze student performance data? Does the school disaggregate data into meaningful groups? Does the school use data analysis, trends, etc. as a basis for improving student learning? Does analysis of data drive curricular change? Include at least one example in the narrative.

33. Report of Findings 33 Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program E. SLEs and Standards-Based Curriculum to Support High Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively… Has the school incorporated Catholic values into the curriculum? Has the school developed ensured that standards are challenging, comprehensive and relevant for all students? Has the school measured student achievement of the SLEs and standards? Has the school ensured that each student is making acceptable progress? Has the school integrated technology into the learning process? Has the school identified students who are not making acceptable progress? Does the school assess their programs used to support students?

34. Report of Findings 34 Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program F. Instructional Methodology to Support High Achievement of All Students  Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively… Does the staff model Catholic values? Has the school implemented research-based instructional techniques to enhance student learning? Has the school used assessment to modify instruction? How effectively has the school integrated technology into the instruction? Has the school identified what improvement in instructional methodology are need to support high achievement of all students?

35. Report of Findings 35 Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program G. Support for Student Spiritual, Personal, and Academic Growth  Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively… Are the support programs rooted in Catholic values? Does the school provide services to help all students achieve at high levels? Does the school plan for emergencies? Does the school use parents and community resources, including Federal Program funding, to assist students? Does the school provide resources and services to help students with special needs? Has the school identified support services that they need to provide to students to support high achievement at all levels?

36. Report of Findings 36 Chapter 3: Quality of the School Program H. Resource Management and Development to Support High Achievement of All Students Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study and through observation – How effectively … Does the school use its financial resources to support Catholic Identity? Does the school use its financial management system? Does the school report its finances to its shareholders? Are the school’s plans to ensure that its resources are adequate to sustain its programs? Is the school at planning for its long-term viability? Are the school’s plans for implementing technology? Has the school analyzed its financial position to determine the most effective way to exercise financial stewardship and ensure the financial viability of the school?

37. Report of Findings 37 Chapter 4: The Action Plan A. Design and Alignment of the Action Plan List of Significant Accomplishments (the VC may combine significant accomplishments listed in the Self Study and/or add to the list developed by the school – limit of 8) List of Critical Goals (only the 5 critical goals identified by the school - the VC does not list their version of the critical goals, nor do they add to the list)

38. Report of Findings 38 Chapter 4: The Action Plan A. Design and Alignment of the Action Plan Narratives based on critical goals focused on improving student learning – How effectively… Did the school identify critical goals that are focused on improving student learning? Does the Action Plan align with and address the school’s critical goals in order to support high achievement of all students? Does the Action Plan identify specific strategies and activities? Does the Action Plan identify implementation strategies? Does the Action Plan include specific assessments to monitor growth in student learning?

39. Report of Findings 39 Chapter 4: The Action Plan (Manual page 26) A. Design and Alignment of the Action Plan OPTION A: the Visiting Committee may ask the school to modify a critical goal in their Action Plan. This is ordinarily done to make the critical goal more focused, or to be more inclusive. The Visiting Committee is not required to ask the school to modify a critical goal in their Action Plan. If they do, this may have an impact on the Accreditation Status recommended by the Visiting Committee.

40. Report of Findings 40 Chapter 4: The Action Plan (Manual pages 26-27) A. Design and Alignment of the Action Plan OPTION B: the Visiting Committee may ask the school to replace a critical goal in the school’s Action Plan (or in a future Action Plan) with one created by the Visiting Committee. This is ordinarily done because the school overlooked something that the Visiting Committee feels is critical to the future of the school. The Visiting Committee is not required to ask the school to replace a critical goal in their Action Plan. If they do, this will have an impact on the Accreditation Status recommended by the Visiting Committee.

41. Report of Findings 41 Chapter 4: The Action Plan B. Capacity to Implement and Monitor the Action Plan Narratives based on evidence found in Self Study, through observation and in the school’s Annual Reports of Progress – How effectively… Does the school’s implementation of the previous Action Plan impact their ability to implement this Action Plan? Do the monitoring processes involve shareholders? Does the school plan to evaluate the Action Plan goals on the basis of improving student learning? Has the school identified needed resources? Has the school identified impediments to the successful completion of the goals in the Action Plan?

42. Report of Findings 42 IMPORTANT: The chairperson must include contact information in case the WCEA Reading Team needs to contact him/her. The Team ordinarily meets on the first Monday in May* and the Chair must be available at that time. The WCEA Elementary Commissioner will remind chairs of the Reading Team meeting date. Some reading teams may be reviewing the Report prior to the meeting and may contact chairs earlier.

43. Justification Statement 43 Writing Template: the Justification Statement is designed as an electronic writing template. The directions are in red in a box on the second page. (Manual, pages 37-41) Double-click to highlight the line after “Visiting Committee Rating” and type in your rating. Your rating is based on how effectively the school meets the Accreditation Factor as described in their Self Study and verified by your observation of evidence.

44. Justification Statement 44 Review each of the 12 Accreditation Factors. Based on the rubrics, is the school Highly Effective, Effective, Somewhat Effective, or Ineffective for each Factor? Rubrics are directional not definitive. Schools may fall somewhere between two rubrics – meeting some criteria in one and some in another. The Visiting Committee is to use its best judgment to determine which rating to use. What evidence from the Report of Findings supports the rating given by the Visiting Committee? Evidence and, where possible, direct quotes from the Report of Findings should be included in the succinct and informative narrative. The rating should be consistent with the tone/statements found in the Report of Findings. The ISL 2012 Visiting Committee Manual has narrative examples.

45. Justification Statement 45 IMPORTANT: if the Visiting Committee chooses to use rating terminology such as “Highly Effective” in the Report of Findings, that same terminology should be used in the Justification Statement, and the rating should match the terminology used. NEVER use different rating terminology in the Report of Findings and Justification Statement narratives. Ensure that what you say in the Report of Findings is repeated in the narratives for the Justification Statement. The Justification Statement may be shared with the school.

46. Accreditation Status 46 The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist and support the school in its growth process. (Manual, pages 42-44)  A “FULL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION” means that the school is focused on high achievement for all students, that all structures and processes support this focus, curriculum and assessment support this focus, and that the school is well positioned to continue this focus without any serious threats to its continued growth.  There are no findings identified by the Visiting Committee in the Report of Findings that have a significant negative impact on student learning.  The school is required to send in an Annual Report of Progress to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner.

47. Accreditation Status 47 The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist and support the school in its growth process. An “PROVISIONAL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION” usually means that the school is not completely focused on high achievement for all students, that some, but not all structures and processes support this focus, that curriculum and assessment don’t always support this focus, and that there may be serious threats to the future of the school. There is a finding identified by the Visiting Committee in the Report of Findings that has a significant negative impact on student learning. This status usually indicates a serious threat to the school requiring intervention by the central school office. The school is required to send in an Annual Report of Progress to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner. A 2-member Visiting Committee will revisit the school in 3 years to look for evidence of how the school has responded to the Report of Findings. The WCEA Elementary Commissioner may schedule additional visits to monitor how the school has responded to the Report of Findings.

48. Accreditation Status 48 The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist and support the school in its growth process. A “CONDITIONAL SIX-YEAR ACCREDITATION” means that the school is not focused on high achievement for all students, that structures and processes do not support this focus, that curriculum and assessment don’t support this focus, and that there are significant threats to the future of the school. There are significant findings (critical goals) identified by the Visiting Committee in the Report of Findings. This status always indicates a serious threat to the school requiring intervention by the central school office. The school is required to send in an Annual Report of Progress to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner. The school is given 1 year to begin addressing the issues identified by the Visiting Committee. The school reports its progress to the Elementary Commissioner who may visit the school or send in a re-visit team. If the school appears to be successfully addressing the issues raised by the Visiting Committee, the Elementary Commissioner may request WCEA to change the schools status to Accredited with Provisions.

49. Accreditation Status 49 The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist and support the school in its growth process. Schools receiving mainly “Highly Effective” and “Effective” ratings are generally regarded as being focused on student learning and given Full Accreditation status. Schools receiving several “Somewhat Effective” ratings and/or the use of Option B in the Report of Findings are considered to have some challenges to student learning that need to be addressed. The Accredited with Provisions status gives schools time to address these issues and brings back a team to review the school’s progress. Schools receiving “Ineffective” ratings and the Visiting Committee uses Option B to redirect the school’s focus on improving student learning are given a Conditional Accreditation with a review of the school’s progress in one year.

50. Accreditation Status 50 The Visiting Committee recommends an accreditation status that will assist the school in its growth process. The Visiting Committee’s recommendation is reviewed by a Reading Team of WCEA Elementary Commissioners. The Reading Team will look for a correlation between the narrative and the rating in the Justification Statement, the ratings given, and the recommended Accreditation Status and will review the rationale for the Accreditation Status to see if it explains the reason for the recommended status.

51. Accreditation Status 51 CRITICALLY IMPORTANT NOTE: It is the responsibility of the chair to help the team craft a written narrative in the Accreditation Status form that explains why the VC chose the status that they did. Saying “because we all voted for it” is not an acceptable rationale. The VC should explain what this status will accomplish for the school’s growth that a different status won’t.

52. Accreditation Status 52 If the WCEA Reading Team feels that the recommended Accreditation Status is not justified based on 1) the ratings, 2) the narratives in the Justification Statement, and/or 3) the rationale found in the Accreditation Status, the WCEA Reading Team will propose a different Accreditation Status in consultation with the Chair of the Visiting Committee. The WCEA Reading Team recommends an Accreditation Status (the same as or different from the Visiting Committee) to the entire WCEA Elementary Commission.

53. Accreditation Status 53 The WCEA Elementary Commission votes on the Accreditation Status recommended by the Reading Team. A majority vote determines the WCEA Accreditation Status. The WCEA Accreditation Status is shared with any partnering agency (e.g., ACS WASC, NAAS, NCA CASI) who then issues their own Accreditation Status. WCEA issues a certificate of accreditation, and sends it to the school, usually in late Summer.

54. Accreditation Status 54 The most challenging narrative for the Visiting Committee may be the discussion of what terms were considered and why the specific recommendation was made. Chairs are asked to be descriptive in this narrative rationale. The school visit may not end until this document is complete, printed and signed by all Visiting Committee members.

55. FOR TABLE DISCUSSION: 1. WHAT WOULD CAUSE A SCHOOL TO GET A 6 WITH ANNUAL REPORTS? 1. WHAT WOULD CAUSE A SCHOOL TO GET A 6 WITH A 1-DAY REVISIT IN 3 YEARS? 1. WHAT WOULD CAUSE A SCHOOL TO GET A 6 WITH A REVISIT IN 1 YEAR? QUESTIONS? 55

56. FINIS: 1 of 2 56 The school receives a copy of the Report of Findings (pdf and hard copy) before the Visiting Committee leaves the school. A copy of the Report of Findings is sent to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner (hard copy and Word document). The Justification Statement and signed Recommendation for Accreditation Status is given/sent to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner (hard copy and Word documents). NOTE: These documents are finalized at the end of the Visit. NO DOCUMENTS ARE SENT TO ACS WASC BY CHAIRS. DOCUMENTS ARE SENT TO WCEA ONLY!

57. FINIS: 2 of 2 57 The school modifies its Action Plan based on the findings of the Visiting Committee and sends a copy of the revised Action Plan to the WCEA Commissioner. Schools are notified of their Accreditation Status during the summer after the school visit. The school implements the Action Plan and provides annual reports to the WCEA Elementary Commissioner. In about 4½ years the process begins again. CONTINUOUS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT