Accreditation Process Training for School Boards

Training for School Boards Regarding Accreditation Process

As the world’s largest accrediting agency and improvement organization, it is Cognia’s belief that every institution, even those that have experienced great success, can determine strategic next steps to improve in an effective manner. We at Cognia hold ourselves to the same ideal. Like the institutions and members that we serve, we continually work to innovate and improve. It is our commitment to school quality and continuous improvement that compels us to examine and update our accreditation standards and protocol to acknowledge changes and set expectations for quality education institutions in a new era (King, 2022).

Cognia’s new accreditation process supports school boards in demonstrating their commitment to learners…collaborate with leaders to uphold their institution’s priorities and to drive continuous improvement throughout their district.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, students everywhere have returned to school with significant learning gaps. Students have suffered an estimated 30 to 40 percent learning loss due to the disruption in face-to-face learning. In addition, the 40 percent learning loss gap often seen in vulnerable student populations coupled with the challenges of returning to a normal school year could continue to widen the achievement gap (Kuhfeld et al., 2022).  Math and reading scores for students across the country are down following years of disrupted learning during the pandemic. the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, released a full report for the first time since 2019; the results show a slight dip in reading scores and a drop in math. In 2022, the average fourth-grade math score decreased by 5 points to its lowest level since 2005. The average eighth-grade math score decreased by 8 points to its lowest level since 2003. (Carillo 2022) Because of the continued negative impact of the pandemic on student achievement, it is critical for school leaders and board members to ensure that they have an improvement framework to support the overall success of their students.

Cognia’s new performance standards and accreditation process, grounded in the research on creating quality institutions through an ongoing continuous improvement process, is being introduced  at an opportune time to support institutions in meeting the needs of all students. This new process can serve as a continuous improvement model for schools. In addition, it can help school leaders and board members evaluate their current practices, identify areas for improvement, and plan and implement strategies that lead to growth for learners.

The role of school board members is to support schools to help them become better on behalf of their students.

The role of school board members is to support schools to help them become better on behalf of their students. Board members must know what is happening in the schools they serve in order to make quality, informed decisions and identify changes needed to improve organizational processes and practices. Cognia’s new accreditation process supports school boards in demonstrating their commitment to learners by having them collaborate with leaders to uphold their institution’s priorities and to drive continuous improvement throughout their district.

Cognia’s new accreditation process supports school boards in demonstrating their commitment to learners by having them collaborate with leaders to uphold their institution’s priorities and to drive continuous improvement throughout their district.

Cognia has developed a key new feature to support school boards in understanding their role in Cognia’s continuous improvement process for accreditation. Cognia has been providing training for institutions during their Accreditation Engagement Review Process for a number of years, and we are now offering this training for school boards. The training aims to help board members gain an in-depth knowledge regarding Cognia’s processes and procedures to promote, support, and sustain their continuous improvement efforts within their schools and school systems. Currently, this training is being offered to institutions that are hosting their upcoming Accreditation Engagement Review (AER) to ensure governing boards understand their roles and responsibilities during the AER process.

For more information regarding this new training opportunity, please contact your Cognia Regional State Representative.

References

Carillo, Sequoia,  (October 24, 2022). NPR, Student math scores are down from pre-COVID levels, the National Report Card finds.

King, H.  (2022).  Expectations for quality education. The Source.  Cognia. Accessed via https://source.cognia.org/issue-article/expectations-for-quality-education/

Kuhfeld et al. (2022).  The pandemic has had devastating impacts on learning. What will it take to help students catch up? Brown Center Chalkboard. accessed via https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2022/03/03/the-pandemic-has-had-devastating-impacts-on-learning-what-will-it-take-to-help-students-catch-up/

André L. Harrison, Ed.D., currently serves as Vice President of Accreditation Services for Cognia. Dr. Harrison has supported institutions throughout the United States and other countries across the world during their continuous improvement journeys. He has over three decades of experience in the field of education, including more than 25 years of experience as an adjunct university instructor. He is currently serving as an adjunct assistant professor of Educational Leadership for the University of Alabama and teaches school finance in leadership courses at universities in Alabama. Dr. Harrison has written extensively about school leadership and board governance, curriculum and instruction, and school finance. He recently co-authored The Alabama School Finance Handbook, which will be used in training sessions for aspiring and new superintendents.