OUR MISSION Providing innovation, leadership and service.

OUR VISION ESU #1 will model excellence by helping schools

increase educators’ effectiveness and student learning as a result of expert service.

AGENCY IMPROVEMENT

NCA/AdvancED Standards

Standard 1Purpose and Direction

The agency maintains and communicates at all levels of the organization a purpose and direction for continuous improvement that commit to providing programs and services, active learning, and high expectations for professional practice as well as shared values and beliefs.

Standard 2Governance and Leadership

The agency operates under governance and leadership that promote and support student performance and agency effectiveness.

Standard 3Teaching and Assessing for Learning

The agency’s services and programs support the educational needs of its constituent schools/systems through meaningful professional learning experiences.

Standard 4Resources and Support Systems

The agency provides resources, programs and services that support its purpose and direction for all constituent schools/systems.

Standard 5Using Results for Continuous Improvement

The agency implements a comprehensive evaluation system that generates a range of data about the effectiveness of the agency and uses the results to guide continuous improvement.

ESU #1 Educational Service Unit #1 provides services

to the local school districts in Cedar, Dakota, Dixon, Knox, Thurston and Wayne counties in northeast Nebraska. ESU #1 is one of 17 Educational Service Units statewide.

ESU #1 is headquartered in Wakefield and provides a variety of special education, staff development, technology and media services to the 25 school districts in its six-county area. ESU #1 also operates the Severe & Profoundly Handicapped Program and the Behaviorally Disordered Program at the Tower School in Wayne.

The Educational Service Unit #1 service area covers 2,926 square miles and includes 11,456 students and 1,178 teachers. Moreover, the ESU #1 service area includes three Native American reservations: the Santee, Winnebago and Omaha.

“Providing Innovation, Leadership and Service.”

211 TENTH STREETWAKEFIELD, NE 68784

402-287-2061WWW.ESU1.ORG

Where We’ve Been ESU #1’s journey toward NCA accreditation

began with a readiness visit on March 5, 2010, which was conducted collaboratively with ESU #8. This visit helped prepare us for our Quality Assurance Review (QAR) visit on October 16-19, 2011. During the October 2011 review, an external team of six members visited ESU #1 and several member school districts.

The external team reviewed the progress ESU #1 made toward reaching its goals and examined the processes and procedures utilized by ESU #1. Interviews of ESU #1 staff members and school district representatives were conducted by the external review team. From the information collected and observations made, the external team offered commendations and a required action, and recommended full NCA accreditation.

On January 25, 2012, ESU #1 was recognized as being accredited by Mark A. Elgart, president and CEO of AdvancED. A plaque in Conference Room B signifies our accreditation. A framed certificate in the front office also indicates ESU #1 is accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement through June 30, 2017.

Continuous Improvement ProcessWhere We Are

Each year, ESU #1 conducts a data retreat to examine and analyze our data and determine areas of focus. We focus on having a continuous process that allows us to become better every year. As an agency, ESU #1 strives to model the same expectations required of the schools we serve. These expectations include the following:

• implement a clear vision and mission;• continuously evaluate data regarding our

progress and the effectiveness of our work;• integrate and coordinate departments,

efforts and activities that align with our continuous improvement goal(s); and

• reflect on our continuous improvement progress.

The Agency Improvement Team, along with the ESU team leaders, provide the necessary leadership for coordinated agency-wide improvement efforts. By meeting monthly, both teams remain focused on the successes and challenges we experience as an ESU. Together, we examine the services we provide to:

• determine goals for each ESU department that best align with across-the-agency

continuous improvement goals;

• gather and analyze data from a variety of sources, including ESU personnel and the students, teachers, administrators, parents, and communities we work with and serve;

• provide focus, guidance and direction through the development and implementation of department and across-the-agency action plans; and

• collect and analyze data, gather resources, establish timelines, implement strategies, and evaluate our services.

Where We’re HeadedESU #1 is fully AdvancED accredited. Our

process is continuous, and each year we strive to improve. Documentation of our work will be reviewed by the external team during our next accreditation visit in 2016-17.

Together, as an agency, we will continue to focus our efforts on ways individually and collectively we can improve the services we offer the schools, students, and families of ESU #1.