District Accreditation

We now have six districts that have received AdvancED District Accreditation in Iowa in the past two years with one more planned for the 2010-11 school year. Those who are currently district accredited are:

• Bettendorf Community School District
• Iowa Falls Community School District
• Muscatine Community School District
• Sheldon Community School District
• Southeast Polk Community School District
• West Des Moines Community School District

The Ankeny Community School District will host its Quality Assurance Review on February 23-25, 2011.

If you are interested in learning more about AdvancED’s District Accreditation Process, please contact Steve Fey, Director, at sfey@advanc-ed.org or 515.729.0744.

Serve on a Quality Assurance Review Team

Quality Assurance Review (QAR) visits are being held in Iowa this school year on the dates listed here:

The very best way to learn about the AdvancED accreditation process first is to serve as a QAR team member on a visit. It also is a great way to learn about best practices from other schools while serving the educational community.

If you or one of your staff members is interested in serving on one of these teams, please contact our office.  All expenses are paid by the hosting school.

AdvancED Study Shows Impact of Accreditation

Does accreditation make a difference? Does it have an impact on schools and help them change? Does it contribute to a school’s efforts to improve itself? The answer is yes! AdvancED commissioned a team of outside researchers to study the value of accreditation. The results are contained in a report entitled re: Learning From Accreditation. Data from more than 2,100 schools were examined. Schools self-rated themselves against seven key areas recognized for their impact on school improvement. Results from the research study showed that accreditation makes a difference in helping schools improve. If you would like to learn more about the study results, visit AdvancED’s Online Store to purchase a copy of the report today.

AdvancED Iowa Learning Opportunity

AdvancED Iowa will be sponsoring a learning opportunity for all school staff members who are interested in learning more about formative assessments and the important role they play in improving instruction. This one day event will be held in Des Moines during the summer of 2011 and will include information presented by national experts and local practitioners. You will receive specific information in the winter edition of the AdvancED Iowa newsletter to be published in February, 2011.

We Need to Hear from You

It is once again that time of year to login to the AdvancED Web site and update the demographic information for your school or district.  To update your demographics, please go to www.advanc-ed.org.   Login with your email address and password.  After logging in, place your mouse over the Accreditation tab, and click on Demographics Update.  If you have not logged into the Web site before or if you need assistance or the school’s access code, please contact our office at jheine@advanc-ed.org or 877.725.8795.

2011 AdvancED International Summit

Education is still the world’s most powerful force for change; it is the foundation from which great people and great ideas emerge.  The 2011 AdvancED International Summit, March 19-21 in Chicago, IL, will assemble educators dedicated to strengthening and advancing education worldwide.  Themed the Power to Transform, this summit will engage thought leaders, practitioners, and policymakers in deliberation on today’s most pressing and provocative issues facing our educational system.  Visit the AdvancED Web site for more information and to register today.