BCPS Recommended for Full Accreditation by SACS CASI Team
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) will again be recommended for the high distinction of full-accreditation, when the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Accreditation Commission meets in January. Making the recommendation will be the SACS Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI) AdvancED organization. BCPS is currently the largest fully accredited school district in the nation, but to maintain district accreditation, it must meet the standards for accreditation every five years.
The announcement that BCPS would again be recommended for full-accreditation came yesterday afternoon (October 26, 2011) during a School Board workshop, when the results of an extensive review by a 42-member team of educational professionals were revealed. A full, written report will follow in a few weeks. Members of the SACS and CASI Quality Assurance Review (QAR) Team came from 13 states and converged in Broward on Sunday evening.
During the three-day review process, the team visited 40 schools and conducted interviews with 1,662 individuals including the Superintendent of Schools, School Board members, teachers, students, administrators, support staff members, parents, community members and business partners.
The team's evaluation was based on seven standards to ensure that the District's efforts are aligned with its mission, vision and SACS CASI requirements. BCPS was found to be operational on six of the standards and received one highly functional rating on the standard of resources and support systems.
The District received three commendations in the areas of systemic culture, leadership practices and staff dedication to student achievement. The team noted that, even in light of funding cuts, staff is dedicated to maintaining high expectations for students and that best practices and innovation are encouraged for the development of the whole child.
Leadership practices were noted by the team to be both honored and demonstrated, with support and assistance given to schools through an effective systems approach. Also commended was staffs' passion and dedication to learning and student achievement. A supporting, positive and collaborative learning environment was evident across the District. The team found a "relentless focus on student achievement that permeates all levels of the system."
Required actions, or recommendations made by the team include proactively bridging the gap between public perception and reality, by training individual schools how to market their successes; developing comprehensive communication to all schools to ensure they are aware of standards for accreditation and providing assistance in establishing procedures to aid in collecting and assessing data; and maximizing the impact, actions and results of site based leadership to ensure there is no inequality in the distribution of resources within and among schools.
The District is required to submit a report in two years that addresses progress in the recommended areas.
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