Accreditation

NCA District Accreditation Process

AdvancEd is the parent organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI).  It is dedicated to advancing excellence in education worldwide through accreditation, research, and professional services. AdvancED is the world's largest education community, engaging 27,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in 65 countries worldwide and educating 15 million students. NCA accredited schools share a unified, clear and powerful accreditation process designed to help schools continuously improve.

As noted by AdvancED, the accreditation process breeds a culture dedicated to excellence - never satisfied with good, always striving for greatness. Accreditation welcomes the constructive feedback of peers; and demands rigor, is based in data, and approaches documentation of results with discipline. Accreditation is about making the quest for excellence a habit; it's about being the best a school can be on behalf of the students it serves.

Ipswich has been a part of the NCA process since 1924.  It did lapse momentarily, however, but was reactivated again in 2004.  Prior to 2004, the Ipswich High School was the only part of the district that was accredited, but since its reactivation, the entire district has been involved in the process, including the elementary and Hutterite attendance centers.  The district has been involved in the review portion of the accreditation process for over five years and the district is in the final stages of the review. Every five years, the last being 2015, a team of qualified individuals will visit and evaluate the school district and offer their feedback in order to improve the ability to serve our students even better.

Seven Standards of a Highly Effective School District

An AdvancED accredited institution or educational system adheres to the highest quality standards. These standards are the product of careful research and years of testing and fine-tuning the successful practices in education.

The AdvancED Accreditation Standards consider all aspects of how institutions deliver quality education, which include teaching and learning, vision and strategies, governance, data use, resources, and self-improvement. By examining the individual components of the educational system, we get a comprehensive look at the whole.  The Ipswich School District will be evaluated according to the following seven standards:

Vision and Purpose – The institution or educational system establishes and communicates a shared purpose and direction for improving the performance of students and the effectiveness of the school/system.

Governance and Leadership – The institution or educational system provides governance and leadership that promote student performance and school/system effectiveness.

Teaching and Learning – The institution or educational system provides research-based curriculum and instructional methods that facilitate achievement for all students.

Documenting and Using Results – The institution or educational system enacts a comprehensive assessment system that monitors and documents performance and uses these results to improve student performance and school effectiveness.

Resources and Support Systems – The institution or educational system has the resources and services necessary to support its vision and purpose and to ensure achievement for all students.

Stakeholder Communications and Relationships – The institution or educational system fosters effective communications and relationships with and among its stakeholders.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement – The institution or educational system establishes, implements and monitors a continuous process of improvement that focuses on student performance.

Information was taken from www.advanc-ed.org