Team Member Orientation

Anywhere High School

October 20--

The Middle States Region

MSA-CESS accredits over 3500 schools in over 85 countries

Who are the Visiting Team Members?

The MSA visiting team is a group of professional

educators appointed by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA)

to visit a school using the Middle States accreditation

Process.

• selected from a pool of volunteers nominated by member institutions annually

• assigned to a particular team based on their background and expertise, geographic proximity to the school being visited

Team members are:

You have been selected to be a part of the team because your

school considers you to be someone who:

• can be relied upon to make rational, perceptive comments upon certain aspects of another school's operations

• can function well as a team member• will conduct him/herself in a thoroughly

professional manner.

• To determine the maintenance of MSA Standards and Indicators of Quality

• To determine the school’s adherence to the requirements of the protocol being used

• To assess the quality of a school’s process of planning for continuous improvement

• To review the validity and clarity of the plan and the level of commitment to implementation

• To offer an accreditation recommendation to the Commission.

What is the Purpose of the Visit?

The Standards and Indicators reflect what are generally accepted as constituting the practices with which an educational institution must be in compliance in order to assure its community that it provides quality programs and services.

Sets of Accreditation Standards have been adopted for:

• Schools

• Career and Technology Institutions

• Supplementary Educational Organizations

• Educational Services Organizations

Decisions on whether an institution complies with the Standards for Accreditation and Indicators of Quality must be based only on the evidence presented by the institution and observed and reported by the Visiting Team during its onsite visit

What are the MSA Standards and Indicators of Quality?

1. Philosophy and Mission

2. Governance and Leadership

3. School Improvement Planning

4. Finances

5. Facilities

6. School Climate and Organization

7. Health and Safety

8. Educational Program

9. Assessment and Evidence of Student Learning

10.Student Services

11.Student Life and Student Activities

12.Information Resources and Technology

The MSA Standards

Each self-study and accreditation protocol approved by the Commission on Secondary Schools includes a specific set of requirements that must be met for the institution to be accredited. These requirements include:

• A self-assessment of compliance with the Standards for Accreditation

• A plan for growth and improvement including:• Measurable objectives

• Baseline data for at least one assessment for each objective

• Technical approval of the objectives

• Comprehensive action plans

• Plan for regular monitoring and reviews of the improvement plans

• Active involvement of appropriate members of the school community’s stakeholders.

What are the Requirements of the Protocol?

• becoming familiar with the school's self-study, in particular those sections for which you have been assigned specific responsibility.

• treating the visit as a time for intensive work.

• contributing to a report that will be sufficiently detailed and comprehensive to be a reliable basis for the accreditation decision, and to be a useful working document for the future development of the school.

Remember the process of the visit itself may seem somewhat daunting and may be confusing at first. However, it will all fall into place.

Your responsibilities as a team member

include:

The Middle States Association relies on

the personal and professional honesty and integrity of team members to conduct

themselves in an ethical and

confidential way.

• Don’t compare to your school

• Be a critical friend and not a consultant

• Be respectful

• Trust the protocol

• Avoid expressing personal opinions

How Should You Behave?

The primary purpose of a team visit is to verify and corroborate the school’s/district’s self-study effort, to evaluate its improvement plans and to leave the

school in a position to grow.

What Will You Do?

Each day of the visiting team schedule will vary somewhat but will typically include opportunities for team members to :

• Attend scheduled meetings for interviews

• Review documentation

• Meet as a whole team or as sub-groups to reach consensus on interim decisions about standards and protocol requirements

• Write and review sections of the report

• Visit classrooms

The daily schedule begins early with team members arriving at the school before school begins and continues through the early evening hours.

Typical Visiting Schedule

By…

• Gathering information

• Reviewing the self-study

• Taking notes

• Conducting interviews

• Attending meetings

• Writing summaries

• Observing

How Will I Do It?

• Prepare thoroughly by researching the relevant material and planning questions in advance

• Frame questions so as to elicit information without reflecting a value judgement

• do not allow pressure groups or individuals to distract you from the main task

Gathering Information

• Avoid taking sides in any school issues

• Keep an open mind and don't jump to conclusions

• Do not immediately take as fact an opinion or value judgement expressed

• Always Seek Verification

Gathering Information (cont.)

• Peer review can be highly sensitive• Time should be provided for those being interviewed

to ask questions• Interpret and assess the information gathered

immediately following the interview• Interviews will be led by the team members

responsible for writing the section of the report related to the interview

• Two to three team members should attend each interview

Conducting Interviews

• Begin on time

• Introduce participants

• State the purpose of the meeting and of the team visit

• Begin with a general question

• Questions should be neutral and open-ended

• Listen to the opinions and concerns of participants

• Ensure that all participants have an opportunity to participate

Interviewing Tips

• Never put forward a point-of-view on any of the subjects under discussion

• Offer no signals of approval or disapproval • Thank the participants at both the beginning and

the end of the interview Conduct the interview in an atmosphere of appreciation and end on a note of personal grace

Interviewing Tips (cont.)

• As many teachers as possible are to be visited during a team visit.

• The purpose of classroom visits is to gain a sense of the teaching and learning climate of the school.

• Visits are typically short, perhaps 10-15 minutes.

Observing Classrooms

• Adhere precisely to the agreed format and style for the Visiting Team Report

• Try to use the school’s own factual description as the basis for the component of your report wherever you agree that it is accurate

• Identify the important problems and issues to be recommendations

• Do not be overly-prescriptive

• Commend progress where it has clearly been made and praise the school where praise is due

When Writing the Report, Remember…

• In writing commendations attempt to identify special features in which the school itself takes pride.

• Your written sections of the report should not be simply a regurgitation of the indicators or the school’s self-assessment.

• The value of the Visiting Team Report will be judged by the insights it brings to factors affecting the quality of the school, not by its length or the sheer number of recommendations and commendations

When Writing the Report,

Remember…(cont.)

The Visiting Team should attempt to leave the school itself in good spirits. The Team should convey a feeling to school

personnel that, through their efforts, they have contributed to school improvement. It is important to impart a sense that the Report’s recommendations will not be negative criticisms

but will be intended to help the school reach its goal of continuing to deliver the best possible education to its

students.

Ending the Visit

After the visit the team’s report and recommendations are sent to the MSA offices to be reviewed by:

First the Commission’s Staff who review the report of the Visiting Team to make a professional judgment as to whether the evidence supports the teams conclusions and recommendations.

Second an Advisory Committee with special knowledge of the protocol reviews the report and the Commission staff’s analysis of the report.

Third the Membership and Accreditation Committee (M&A) of the Commission reviews the report, the staff analysis and the recommendations of the advisory committee.

Finally the Commission takes an accreditation action based on its review of the recommendations made by the Visiting Team, the professional staff, the advisory committee and the M&A Committee of the Commission.

What Happens Next?

All expenses related to the visit (travel, meals, hotel) are paid for by the host school. Typically the school arranges and prepays costs for lodging and meals. These arrangements are made with the school by the chair of the team as part of the pre-visit.

Team members can be expected to be reimbursed for travel expenses including mileage, tolls and related expenditures. The reimbursement process is arranged by the chair and typically conforms with the procedures used by the district.

Your school is not reimbursed for substitute coverage.

Detailed records of your travel expenses will be required by the host school.

Team Member Expenses

Questions and Answers