1. AdvancED District Accreditation Summary Report for Dare County Schools

2. AdvancED Accreditation Visit
December 1-4, 2013
AdvancED is the umbrella organization for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
All 50 states; 75 countries

3. AdvancED Accreditation, cont.
All schools and the district accredited simultaneously
District completed a strategic plan and self-assessment
External Review Team visited Dec. 1-4, 2013
- 3 members from North Carolina
- 1 each from FL, AL, NE
- Studied more than 250 documents
- Interviewed 153 staff, students, parents,
BOE members, community partners
- Observed 36 classrooms

4. Classroom Observations
Highest of 7 ratings was in area of
“well managed learning environment”
Very high marks in areas of
- Equitable learning environment
- High expectations
- Supportive learning environment
- Active learning environment
- Progressive monitoring and feedback

5. Classroom Observations
Lowest rated area was in student use of technology
Devices are not available at all times (plus, only 20 minutes of observation)
Observer must see students using computers or other digital devices for:
Research
Problem-Solving
Collaboration
Any other use does not qualify as best practice

6. Opportunities for Improvement
The AdvancED team suggested 2 opportunities for improvement which the district had noted in its self-assessment:
1. Differentiate instruction for all students.
2. Train all staff in use of data.

7. Required Actions
The AdvancED team must identify at least 2 required actions:
1. Develop common grading practices at all schools. (Grading practices were identified in the district’s self-assessment.)
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of individual programs.

8. Index of Educational Quality (IEQ)
4 Scores: Teaching and Learning Impact
- Leadership Capacity
- Resource Utilization
- Total
Only school or system to score in the top quartile on all 4 scores
Highest overall IEQ score to date for any school or system

9. Powerful Practices Remarks from the AdvancED Team Chair:
Participated in hundreds of visits
Reviewed reports of countless others
Had never seen a district receive recognition for as many as 8 “Powerful Practices”
“Powerful Practice” is something so good she would “put people on planes” to come see what we are doing.

10. 8 Powerful Practices Cited by the AdvancED Team
Culture of high expectations
Efforts to involve families
Effective and efficient fiscal planning and procedures
All schools are pursuing district goals

11. 8 Powerful Practices Cited by the AdvancED Team, cont.
Seeking and obtaining grants
Business and Community Partnerships
Valuing employees (recognitions, internal promotions)
Affordable Housing
(In the final written report by AdvancED, the four
practices above were combined into two practices.)

12. Accreditation Achieved
The Dare County School System
and its 11 schools were approved
for accreditation by the AdvancED
Accreditation Commission on
January 23, 2014, for a five-year term.

13. School Improvement Teams, Professional Learning Communities,
Thanks to
School Improvement Teams,
Professional Learning Communities,
Leadership Teams,
Parent and Community Groups,
All Dare County Schools Staff!