NEWS

Group reaffirms Rapides schools accreditation

Leigh Guidry
lguidry@gannett.com
Lead evaluator Agnes Smith (right) presents findings Wednesday from a site visit review of Rapides Parish schools this week. Her team recommended that the school district's accreditation with AdvancED continue.

Rapides Parish School District officials got the news they wanted Wednesday when an external review team announced high scores and reaffirmed accreditation.

A team of eight evaluators from AdvancED spent the last three days visiting 13 schools in the district, observing about 70 classrooms and conducting 239 interviews with everyone from the superintendent and school board members to students and parents. Evaluators came from across Louisiana as well as other states.

Lead evaluator Agnes Smith presented her team's findings to the Rapides Parish School Board and a room full of principals at a special-called meeting Wednesday afternoon. The district was scored on seven "learning dimensions" that can be divided into three domains — teaching and learning impact; leadership capacity; and resource utilization — and on a scale of 1 to 4.

"But there is no such thing as a 4," Smith said.

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The district exceeded the AdvancED network (AEN) average for five of the seven. District administrators see that as a reaffirmation of efforts they have instituted over the last three years.

"It's gratifying to see the work we're doing here affirmed," Superintendent Nason "Tony" Authement said.

"And especially from people with expertise this team has," added Arthur Joffrion, executive assistant superintendent. "They are experienced educators from across the country."

The two areas with lower scores and "room for improvement" were active learning environment and digital learning environment.

"This gives you direction for the future," Smith said.

Joffrion said the district continues to work toward stronger student engagement and more technology in the classroom.

"I don't think we saw any surprises (in the report)," he said. "It acknowledges the positive work we're doing, but also reminded us of those things."

Findings

The domain scores are multiplied by 100 to provide Index of Education Quality scores. Most in the organization's network of schools score in the 200-range, Smith said. Rarely are there scores around or above 300.

Rapides' overall score is just under that mark at 291.77, which exceeded the AEN average of 278.34 and meant a recommendation that Rapides remain accredited.

The screen reflects Rapides Parish School District's scores from a site visit review this week. The district's overall score of 291.77 exceeds the AdvancED network average and led to a recommendation to continue accreditation on Wednesday.

"The IEQ results indicate that the school system is performing within acceptable ranges as compared to expected criteria as well as other institutions in the AdvancED network," Smith said.

The district's domain scores are 291.67 for teaching and learning impact, 316.67 for leadership capacity and 254.69 for resource utilization. The final score is the only one that did not trump the AEN average for the domain.

"What this did for us is reaffirm those things we have in place here, especially the use of data to improve instruction," Joffrion said. "... It's certainly reassuring to the administration and principals that much of what we're using to meet the needs of the district is working."

Smith commended the district for its "commitment to collaboration and use of data," which aligns with standards under teaching and learning impact.

"You are using your data to alter and plan," she said.

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The team's recommendation under this domain was to identify adult advocates for students and involve a broad base of stakeholder groups.

"You need a formal structure that assigns every students an adult advocate," Smith said, adding that it gives "a little extra attention" to students. "... You're doing that with parent nights ... but there is always more to be done to make sure your community members are clear on your purpose and direction."

Under the second domain, Smith commended the district on "effective leadership at the system and school levels."

While the team found "responsible management of fiscal resources" in the district, it also found some resource disparity among schools across the parish. Much of that is a result of piecemeal taxes passed in some communities that provide extra funds for, say, technology to schools only in that area.

Smith suggested the district "provide equitable support of resource allocation." These suggestions become "improvement priorities" that administration will include in accreditation progress report to AdvancED in two years.

AdvancED is a nonprofit organization that reviews and accredits pre-K-through-12 schools and school systems. Smith said the organization provides services to more than 32,000 institutions serving 20 million students worldwide.

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The Rapides school district has been accredited through AdvancED for decades, prior to new administration arriving in 2013. A team visits the district for such a review every five years. Such is the continuous nature of the accreditation process, Smith said.

"You're not through," she said. "Tomorrow you begin all over again."

In fact, the process leading to this week's visit began about a year and a half ago, Smith said.

"Each of the schools had to prepare very detailed reports," Joffrion said.

"They take the standards and indicators and carefully assess themselves and where they are in relation to those standards," Smith said, adding that the report must include evidence backing up each one.