NORTHWEST ACCREDITATION COMMISSION
Newsletter
January 2012
www.NorthwestAccreditation.org
Toll Free 1 (855) 493-5077
NWAC BECOMES A DIVISION OF ADVANCED
The Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) is pleased to announce that the NWAC Commission and Board of Trustees voted at the Annual Meeting in December to approve new bylaws for NWAC to officially become a division of AdvancED. The transition will begin immediately.
We will continue to accredit under the NWAC name so that we maintain our brand recognition in our region, while gaining access to a broader network of schools and greater resources. NWAC, by joining with AdvancED, becomes part of a world-wide network serving nearly 30,000 public and private schools and districts in over 70 countries.
By joining together, AdvancED and the NWAC expand their capacity and resources to deliver accreditation and school improvement services throughout the network and provide added support to schools committed to continuous improvement. The flagship program now available to NWAC member schools is AdvancED ASSIST, a web-based program that merges process, content, and technology into a dynamic platform that supports end-to-end management of the accreditation and school improvement processes.
Northwest schools will not see noticeable changes as they will continue to be accredited by NWAC. Current state accreditation directors will remain the contact persons for accreditation activities within each state committee. Numerous meetings have been held with state committees, third party school representatives, and the NWAC commissioners to provide information about AdvancED and the support services available for our schools and state committees. In preparation for the transition, here a few key points our accredited schools should know:
· NWAC schools scheduled for an External Review in 2012-13 will work with their state office to determine their readiness to use the new AdvancED Standards or if the school should prepare for the visit based on the old NWAC Standards.
· Beginning in 2013-14 all NWAC schools (except for Third Party Agreements) will be using the new Standards for Quality as part of the AdvancED Accreditation Process. The new standards are being introduced to more than 30,000 other schools around the world under the AdvancED umbrella. You can locate information on the AdvancED Standards at www.advanc-ed.org.
- State Councils (formally State Committees) will review the reports resulting from self-study and site visits to determine accreditation status and report their findings to the AdvancED Commission beginning January 2013. The Commission will award accreditation on behalf of NWAC.
- Fees (formally dues) will remain the same for now. Over time, we will be working to establish a unified fee structure as AdvancED uses a slightly different model for determining fees for schools. Any changes to the fee structure will be preceded with ample notice for schools.
- For our third party agencies, present agreements with NWAC will remain in place.
- Partnerships for the Northwest third party schools will be managed through the AdvancED Northwest Regional Office in Las Vegas. The term “Northwest Partners” will be used to describe the Northwest partnerships. AdvancED currently has three partnership categories in place and the unique Northwest Partnership becomes the fourth.
The Northwest Accreditation Commission, one of the six regional accrediting bodies in the United States, joins the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) as an accreditation division of AdvancED.
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NWAC STATE CHAIRS BECOME THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE AdvancED COMMISSION
Scott Brittain-Washington, Alvin Buerkle-Montana, Daniel Walker-Alaska, Dr. Bob Donaldson-Idaho, Richard Tranter-Utah, Keith Savage-Nevada, Tryna Luton- Oregon and Dr. Gary Smith-ITC are the newest members of the AdvancED Commission representing the seven Northwest states and the NWAC International and Trans-regional Council. Jerry Peacock, Principal of Baker City High School - Oregon, will become a member of the AdvancED Board of Trustees represetning NWAC.
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STAN BAKER COMPLETES TWO YEARS AS NWAC PRESIDENT
At the Annual Commission meeting, Stan Baker was honored for serving two years as President of the Northwest Accreditation Commission. It was pointed out that during his tenure, the significant discussions and action took place making NWAC a division of AdvancED. Stan has served as the independent school representative on the Commission and in other leadership positions including: Chair of the Third Party and Research Committee and Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Congratulations to Stan Baker and thank you for your leadership. Stan Baker received a plaque representing his service from Jerry Peacock the newest member of the AdvancED Board of Trustees representing NWAC
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AdvancED INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT 2012 REGISTRATION OPENS
Registration for the AdvancED International Summit 2012 is open now. The Summit will take place on June 24-26, 2012 in Washington, D.C. With the Summit theme of Creating the Future: Accelerating Excellence, the event will engage state and national education leaders and policymakers in an exploration of strategies for designing effective learning systems for the future. Attendees will:
Hear innovative ideas and practices in education.
Interact with colleagues and session leaders to share what's working, what's not and how to move forward.
Build strategic partnerships that will expand their professional network.
Be at the forefront of innovation and leadership in education.
At the Summit, atendees will help develop a roadmap designed to advance thinking at the national and state levels; let your perspective inform the future through policy and practice. Click here to view Summit details and register today.
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RELEASE OF ASSIST IN PROGRESS
AdvancED’s Adaptive System of School Improvement Support Tools – ASSIST – is focused on building organizational capacity to accelerate student performance by giving schools and school systems the tools and support they need to truly achieve continuous improvement and accreditation.
Currently, all schools and school systems in the AdvancED Accreditation Network have access to the ASSIST Improvement Planning component, which enables them to build goals (including measurable objectives, strategies, and activities) and create improvement plans. There is a lot of excitement in the field about ASSIST and schools are encouraged to begin using the planning tools.
Additional ASSIST components and enhancements are coming soon. Institutions that have a QAR visit scheduled during the 2012-13 school year will have access to the new accreditation protocol, including the Self-Assessment of the new AdvancED Standards for Quality Schools and Systems, AdvancED Assurances, the new Executive Summary, and Stakeholder Surveys beginning in February. Also beginning in February, schools and school systems that are not scheduled for a 2012-13 QAR visit can request the ability to administer Stakeholder Surveys by sending an e-mail to contactus@advanc-ed.org.
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DISTRICT ACCREDITATION INSTITUTE APPROACHING
AdvancED’s next District Accreditation Institute is fast approaching. The institute is designed to help systems realize the benefits of the District Accreditation Process and maximize its impact on student learning and organizational effectiveness. The institute will be held on January 11-12, 2012 at the AdvancED Global Headquarters in Alpharetta, GA. The training also offers districts a great opportunity to deepen their understanding of the requirements, benefits, and expectations of District Accreditation in a comfortable and interactive setting. Visit the AdvancED Web site to learn more about the institutes and to register today.
Instructional Note: Please hyperlink the following Web address: http://www.advanc-ed.org/featured-events/advanced-district-accreditation-institute to the reference to AdvancED Web site in the last sentence.
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INFORMATION FROM MEMBER SCHOOLS
Leadership and Entrepreneurship Public Charter School in the News
The Leadership and Entrepreneurship Public Charter School has recently been featured in three major publications for its unique approach to educating Portland's inter-city youth. The school is a fairly new non-profit charter school founded in 2006. The program teaches students how to create a career path for them by looking at what makes them happy and creating a business model based on their own ideas. For example, students have created clothing lines, music studios, and many other professional businesses.
Students report being excited about going to classes where they are encouraged to join in conversations and get involved in their own learning. This is the direct result of sharing and developing their own business planning idea.
The school has been featured in the Northwest Portland News, KATU.com News, and the Alaska Airlines/Horizon monthly publication December edition. Congratulations to the Leadership and Entrepreneurship Public Charter School in Portland, OR for making a difference in the lives of its students.
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The AdvancED Northwest Regional Office welcomes articles from member schools pertaining to accreditation, school improvement, and increasing student achievement. Please submit articles at any time to lpaul@advanc-ed.org.
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MEETINGS
A listing of all NWAC meetings, including Accreditation Committee meetings, is posted on our web site www.NorthwestAccreditation.org at Meetings under Accreditation Resources on the top menu.
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NWAC NEEDS YOUR UPDATED INFORMATION
NWAC reminds all member schools to update demographic information about your schools on the NWAC web site. If you do not have an access code please contact NWAC at info@northwestaccreditaiton.org and obtain a code to access your school’s data and update information as necessary. You may also call NWAC on the toll free number at 1 (855) 493-5077