Wayne schools accredited
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 9, 2014 1:46 PM
Wayne County Public Schools received renewal of its districtwide accreditation status as a "Quality School System," officials announced this week.
A review team made up of current educators in districts across the state and nation came to the district in the spring to conduct a quality assurance review. During the four-day visit, the team visited schools and interviewed 242 stakeholders, including staff, students, parents, administrators, Board of Education members and business partners. A report was then submitted to AdvanceEd Accreditation Commission to confer accreditation upon the district.
School board member Rick Pridgen, in announcing the recognition at Monday's board meeting, called it a "complicated process."
"The (local) team actually starts two or three years in advance of the accreditation," he said. "District accreditation is a rigorous process that demonstrates that a school system as a whole is focused on raising student achievement," he said. "During the review, the team analyzed documents, student performance data and other relevant artifacts to determine how well we as a district meet student need as well as what areas we improved upon.
"Specifically, the team examined the district's systems and processes in relation to the five AdvanceED standards -- stable governance, management leadership; a coherent course of study; a reliable system by which to assess students' progress; instructors who have a clear understanding of what they aim to teach, how and why; and access to the resources they need."
The school system received high marks in several areas, included its mentoring, coaching and induction process of beginning teachers as well as tangible support for them through such tools as a teacher resource room. The school system also provides professional development for teachers, a plan to increase the involvement of parents and guardians in the child's education, and utilizes data to meet the individual needs of students, he said.
Schools superintendent, Dr. Steven Taylor, said it was a tremendous achievement for a district this size, noting that a "unanimous vote" was received from the quality assurance team.
The reaccreditation status is good for five years.
The latest findings will be reviewed by the district and an action plans developed to address any recommendations made by the team.
A summary report will soon be posted on the district website, www.waynecountyschools.org.