Quality Assurance Review Team Orientation insert date

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Quality Assurance Review Team Orientationltinsert
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Welcome QAR Team

• Introductions / Team Ice Breaker
• The AdvancED Accreditation Process
• Standards Assessment Report
• Purpose of the QAR visit
• QAR Team Roles and Expectations
• Building consensus
• Interviews, Observations, Artifacts
• An overview of the school
• Visit schedule and assignments
• Q A

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ICEBREAKER!

• Who am I?
• Who are you?

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Three Pillars of Accreditation

• Accredited Schools Must
• Meet high standards
• Engage in continuous improvement
• Demonstrate quality assurance

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AdvancED Accreditation Process

• Every Five Years
• School prepares for and hosts a Quality Assurance
  Review Team
• Completes and submits the Standards Assessment
  Report
• Commendations and recommendations are received
• Accreditation status is recommended
• Two Years Following the Visit
• School submits an on-line Progress Report on the
  Quality Assurance Review Teams recommendations
• Five Years After the Visit
• School prepares for and hosts a Quality Assurance
  Review Team

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Standards Assessment Report

• Demonstrates and illustrates the schools
  capacity to meet the AdvancED standards
• Helps the school identify information, evidence
  and results that validate it is meeting each of
  the standards
• Serves as a tool to help schools prepare for the
  QAR
• Serves as the primary resource for the visiting
  QAR team

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Purpose of the Quality Assurance Review Visit

• The QAR team
• Evaluates the schools adherence to the standards
• Provides high quality feedback
• meaningful commendations and recommendations
• Makes an accreditation status recommendation
• Communicates findings in oral and written formats

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QAR Team Roles and Expectations

• AdvancED Code of Interest Statement
• AdvancED Code of Ethics

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Qualifications, Responsibilities, and Skillsof
QAR Team Members

• Understands and supports the accreditation
  process
• Prepares for the visit by reading all necessary
  documents
• Uses effective communication skills to gather
  evidence
• Participates in deliberations with other team
  members
• Writes standards narratives for the written
  report
• Represents AdvancED

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Quality Assurance Review

• Consensus
• A collective decision that everyone can support
  after openly and extensively considering the
  diverse facets of the issues.
• Every team member can answer yes to
• I can live with this decision
• I will support this decision

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Sources of Evidence

• Interviews
• Administrators, Teachers, Support Staff,
  Students, Parents, Community
• Observations
• Validate espoused claims are true
• Corroborate information obtained from interviews
  and artifacts
• Artifacts
• Standards Assessment Report
• Reports from assessments
• Products developed during improvement process
  (profile, improvement plans, agendas etc.)

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Preparing for the Interviews

• Tips and Techniques for Successful Interviewing
• Interview Guide
• Interview Checklist

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Observations

• The purposes of observation
• To validate that espoused claims are true
• To discover evidence that might not be made
  available through other sources
• To corroborate information obtained from
  interviews and artifacts
• Tips for observation
• Remain unobtrusive
• Be attentive, deliberate, and focused at all
  times
• Record what you see and hear (take notes)

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Artifacts Overview

• School Information
• Standards Assessment Report
• Overall Assessment Rubric
• School Improvement Plan
• Website
• Etc. (curriculum guides, assessment data,
  resource allocation plans)
• Team Forms
• Report of the QAR Team
• Recommendation Form for Accreditation

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Essential Artifacts

• Artifacts the QAR team should review
• The Standards Assessment Report
• Prepared by the school prior to the visit
• Documents cited in the SAR
• The School Improvement Plan
• The Schools Vision and Mission
• Student Achievement Data
• Short-cycle (formative) data used to guide
  changes in processes (teaching, operations, etc.)
• Long-term (trend) data that demonstrates growth
  and improvement

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TEAM LOGISTICS

• Schedule
• Assignments

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Essentials for A Successful Visit

• Be prepared
• Communicate
• Stay focused
• Work as a team

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Q A