GaDOE
partners with AdvancED for common continuous improvement framework to reduce
duplication of school improvement services, maximize capacity and promote
equity across Georgia.
February 20, 2018 — AdvancED has formed
a partnership with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) to reduce
duplication of school improvement processes for Georgia schools, focus
continuous improvement efforts statewide and facilitate equity for all Georgia
learners. Through the partnership, AdvancED and GaDOE will provide Georgia
learners, educators, and institutions with improvement tools, resource
guidance, and support services that are aligned with a common continuous
improvement framework.
“This partnership with
AdvancED will help us serve districts more effectively and more efficiently,
reducing duplication between schools’ accreditation processes and GaDOE’s school
improvement work,” said Richard Woods, State School Superintendent. “This is a
request we’ve heard from districts and we’re so grateful for the continued
partnership of AdvancED. Together we will create, implement, and sustain a
common framework for continuous improvement that is supported and enabled by
common terminology, shared communications, training, and aligned tools,
resources, and support systems.”
AdvancED and GaDOE have
previously worked together to strengthen the quality and reduce the duplication
of school improvement planning, training and related activities. This new
partnership is an opportunity to further reduce duplication for schools and
districts, create a shared understanding of data collection systems, and assess
opportunities for improved collective data gathering, reporting, analysis and
utilization.
“Our partnership with
the Georgia Department of Education now formalizes a working relationship we
have had for some time,” said Dr. Mark Elgart, President and CEO of AdvancED.
“AdvancED already accredits most of the schools and systems in Georgia. This
collaboration will greatly benefit the shared set of schools and systems that
we serve and support.”
AdvancED informally
partnered with the GaDOE to assess the needs of the Charter Schools Division
and developed a common framework aligned to both the GaDOE’s requirements for
Charter System charter renewals and the AdvancED External Review protocol. That
process led to the renewal of approximately nine Charter System charters within
the context of each system’s continuous improvement process and the External
Review. AdvancED also worked in collaboration with various GaDOE offices, the
Lieutenant Governor’s Office, and other Georgia education organizations to
ensure that the professional learning and services provided are relevant and
meaningful for Georgia schools and districts.
For
more than 100 years, AdvancED, through its accreditation division of Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), has served as the primary accreditor
of public schools and districts in Georgia. Through this work, AdvancED has
provided the vast majority of Georgia schools and districts with a
research-based framework for continuous improvement that incorporates
third-party evaluative feedback through external engagement.
About the Georgia
Department of Education
Led by State School
Superintendent Richard Woods, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) is
the state agency serving Georgia’s K-12 school districts, schools, and
students. GaDOE’s strategic plan emphasizes transforming the agency into one
that provides meaningful support to schools and districts. The agency has
developed a common, continuous improvement framework to ensure that these
efforts are aligned across all divisions, departments, and programs. Through
the Georgia’s Systems of Continuous Improvement framework, GaDOE is
focusing on the systems and structures that must be in place for sustained
improvement in student outcomes. The framework also utilizes a problem-solving
model to provide a clear process for identifying improvement needs, planning
for improvement, and implementing, monitoring, and evaluating improvement
efforts.
About AdvancED
AdvancED is a
non-profit, non-partisan organization that conducts rigorous, on-site school
quality reviews of Pre-K through 12 schools and school systems to help
educators and their communities ensure that all learners realize their full
potential. While their expertise is grounded in more than a hundred years of
work in accreditation, AdvancED is also committed to help schools improve.
Combining the knowledge and expertise of a research institute, the skills of a
management consulting firm and the passion of a grassroots movement for
educational change, we serve as a trusted partner to over 34,000 schools and
school systems— employing more than four million educators and enrolling more
than 20 million students— across the United States and 70 other nations.