FC-5898-1 report - 2016-2017 - APR 19.pdf · Printed by Zetta Comunicadores Bogotá, Colombia....
Transcript of FC-5898-1 report - 2016-2017 - APR 19.pdf · Printed by Zetta Comunicadores Bogotá, Colombia....
ISO 9001
Certificado No FC-5898-1
© Colegio NUEVA GRANADAPublications and Media Services DepartmentAll Rights Reserved.No part of this document may be reproduced without permission from the publisher.Printed by Zetta ComunicadoresBogotá, Colombia. April 2017
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2016-2017
President Bernardo Cárdenas
Vice President Juan Saldarriaga
Treasurer Diego Acevedo
Trustees Miguel Cortés
Mariana Lloreda
Mauricio Samper
Paul Stern
U.S. Embassy Representative Rachel Schmitt
Director Eric Habegger
ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCILDirector Eric Habegger
Director of Learning and Teaching/High School Principal Shaysann Kaun
Middle School Principal Matt Horne
Elementary School Principal Julie Hunt
Primary School Principal Elizabeth Knox
Learning Center Director Catalina Artunduaga
Athletics and Co-Curricular Activities Director Michael Gohde
Special Projects Director Charlotte Samper
Bachillerato Program Director Astrid Amador
Director of Academic Technologies Julián Rodríguez
Director of Finance and General Services Monique Duchamp
Associate Director of Learning Programs Liliana Borrero
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTORSDirector of Admissions Laura de Brigard
Director of Development and Community Relations Diana Colmenares
Director of Information Systems Susie Faccini
Director of Human Relations Nataly Epps
Director of Publications and Media Services María Isabela Gómez
ACADEMIC SUPPORT TEAMAssessment Data Analyst Olga Polyakov
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
54
President’s ReportBOARD OF DIRECTORS
Four years have passed since I last wrote a President’s Report on behalf of our Board of Directors. In looking back at my letter to the community in the 2013 Annual Report, I made the following prediction at that time: “The best is yet to come.” Our Board truly believed back then that CNG had successfully put into place the key foundations to begin making major advances as a school, and now when we examine today the significant results achieved these past years, we have much to celebrate as a community. I would like to highlight several important areas for celebration and share with you my next prediction for an even brighter future ahead for CNG.
At the Board of Directors, we continue to believe in the importance of maintaining a clear north that focuses on our three pillars and supports the most critical factors for school improvement, especially in the areas of academics and character development. The key areas that I outlined in my 2013 report for continuing success at CNG remain true for us today, and we believe that the same systems approach that produced major dividends for CNG back then will also continue to transform our school going forward. In that regard, we are pleased that the AdvancED External Team made special mention of the positive impact of all of our efforts:
When there is a systematic approach to making decisions and the decisions are driven by and aligned to the school’s philosophy, the culture of a school changes for the good. And, the culture at CNG is positive, nurturing, supportive, and above all, authentic.
AdvancED Accreditation Report 2016
When I last wrote about our key performance results back in 2013, CNG had already made major improvements across many areas, and my predictions back then for even better outcomes have exceeded expectations. As just one example, although we had increased from approximately 150 teacher applications in 2010 to more than 1,500 applications for teacher openings in the 2013-14 school year, CNG now receives more than 4,000 applications each year from Colombian and international teachers. We are truly hiring even better and brighter educators for our children today. This is something that is clearly tangible for our community.
On the academic side, our annual report back in 2013 highlighted that CNG had improved from 162nd up to 86th in the country on the SABER 11. As of today, we have now moved up to 56th in Colombia and actually into the top five in school-wide average among schools that test more than 100 students. Additionally, in the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Test for Grades 2-10, our students have improved in overall average from the 50th percentile to almost the 70th percentile. We are unique among schools in Colombia and internationally in meeting the individual needs of all students while still performing at the highest levels as an institution.
Finally, back in 2013, we celebrated a substantial increase in student admissions into the most competitive universities in Colombia and worldwide. At that time, CNG graduates had an acceptance rate of 33% into the top institutions of higher education in the U.S. Now four years later, we have an even more impressive result with 50% of our graduates reaching this exceptional acceptance level. And in Colombia, more than 85% of our graduates gain entrance into the top five universities. Equally impressive gains have occurred in university awards for scholarship and grants. We achieved an all-time high back in 2013 when our
graduates earned $1.4 million dollars in scholarships, yet now our latest graduating class has reached $4.2 million dollars in award monies at top universities.
Although we have much to celebrate in the incredible gains over these past several years, I still remain even more convinced today that our best is yet to come. Why do I have this strong belief? In simple terms, there is much work behind the scenes to help advance our institution in three foundational areas that help support future school success: long-term financial planning, capital facility investments, and strategic planning.
Our Board has worked diligently over multiple years to ensure that our institution has positioned itself for strong financial stability and sustainability over time. We have taken multiple steps that have allowed CNG to reduce non-academic costs, find greater efficiencies, and improve our annual surplus. These important measures will now allow us to increase capital investments from a five-year average of $2.3 mil millones de pesos to more than $6.4 mil millones.
As we think proactively about CNG’s future, our Board has fully embraced our critical role as trustees for long-range strategic planning to build innovative learning spaces that better serve our children today and our grandchildren tomorrow. In the past few months alone, our Board has achieved the following major accomplishments: we have reached an accord with Patrimonio that allows us to build across the majority of our campus; we have contracted one of the top companies in Colombia to move forward in creating a revised and approved master facility plan; and we have successfully gained support from IDU to build a pedestrian bridge over the Circunvalar to ensure the safety of our children. We are beginning to build CNG’s future today to support our educational pillars of mind, body, and character!
In many ways, so much has changed over the past four years and yet nothing has fundamentally changed since I wrote the following statement as Board President back in 2013: “I truly believe that the coming years will be exceptional for CNG.” In this regard, our Board firmly believes that as academic performance continues to rise at CNG, we must also place even greater emphasis on the ethical development of our students and community members as the key to our future success. If we can strengthen the moral compass of our students and build even greater social responsibility at CNG and within our community, then the very best for our school and greater society are still ahead of us to achieve. The Fundación Hogar Nueva Granada is a big example of the many things that can be achieved having social sensibility.
As a school community, we have worked very hard to achieve a long list of positive changes over these past years: improved student academic performance, higher overall teacher quality, stronger academic programs, better behavioral expectations and discipline, and greater school reputation in Colombia and internationally. Regardless of these positive results, I feel more confident than ever in repeating once again my closing statement from four years ago: The best is yet to come for our school and children!
Bernardo Cárdenas President of the Board of Directors Alumnus Class of 1981
CNG now receives more than 4,000 applications each year for Colombian and international teachers. We are truly hiring even better and brighter educators for our children today.
We are unique among schools in Colombia and internationally in meeting the unique individual needs of all students while still performing at the highest levels as an institution.
Our CNG students and teachers will benefit this coming school year from the biggest infrastruc-ture improvements in more than a decade.
We are beginning to build CNG’s future today!
Our Board firmly believes that as academic performance continues to rise at CNG, we must also place even greater emphasis on the ethical development of our stu-dents and community members as the key to our future success.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
76
Dr. Eric Howard HabeggerDIRECTOR’S REPORT
CNG Earns Highest AdvancED Index of Education Quality in Latin America
The External Review Team highly commends Colegio Nueva Granada for its outstanding achievement of the review and commitment to the continuous improvement process. Clearly, the school’s emphasis to always strive to improve and attain a deep understanding and consistent application of systems theory have positively impacted the school and therefore made a tremendous difference in the lives of students.
AdvancED Accreditation Team Final Report, October 2016
A top-performing organization understands the fundamental importance of not wavering or pausing for a moment in its relentless pursuit of excellence. Five years ago after CNG achieved the highest accreditation rating in our region based on the seven-standard AdvancED protocols, our school resolutely refused to rest on its laurels. Instead, we began the next phase of our improvement journey in 2011 using the more rigorous next-generation accreditation protocols that incorporated updated quality standards for schools. What was the result of our focused effort five years later in October 2016? CNG earned the highest Index of Education Quality ever achieved by an international school in Latin America.
These outstanding outcomes, which resulted from two different accreditation processes held five years apart, serve to demonstrate that achieving consecutive top performances for accreditation in Latin America does not result from mere luck. Over the past years, CNG has embedded within our institution a continuous improvement process –The CNG Way– as the driving principle behind all of our efforts for improving learning and teaching. In fact, the seven-person AdvancED External Review Team representing a select group of esteemed chief administrators from six different countries reached this same conclusion in stating the following:
Colegio Nueva Granada is a model for other schools to observe and study on how to adopt a process, systemize it, and consistently implement and evaluate it such that the process is so authentically ingrained in the culture, it becomes, “the way we do things.”
AdvancED Report 2016
Beyond the celebration of our re-accreditation successes, this Annual Report also commemorates the same enduring spirit of the Olympic Games held earlier this school year. Our ongoing pursuit of excellence actually began in August at our all-community assembly with a collective challenge for all of us to work together in order to raise the bar and “Reach Olympian Heights” in all of our endeavors this year. Without question, our students, teachers, support staff, and parent community fully realize that top performance, whether among athletes or students, takes a team of committed people working in harmony in order to reach the highest level possible. In the following pages of this report, you will see a broad range of outstanding results from this school year as well as multiple successes achieved by a community working together to help our students and school continue our relentless pursuit of CNG’s highest potential for excellence.
I. Some Selected Major Continuous Improvement Results for 2016-17 (Page 8)
A. KEY FINDINGS FROM ADVANCED RE-ACCREDITATION VISIT OCTOBER 2016
1. Powerful Practices: Overall School Strengths
2. Improvement Priority: Required Action
3. Opportunities For Improvement: Additional Recommendations
B. ENHANCED DIVERSITY IN SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
C. ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS RESULTING FROM THE RE-ACCREDITATION PROCESS
1. Refined Mission and Vision Statements
2. Improved Hiring Profile and Expanded Candidate Pool for Teachers
3. Established Retirement Policy and Phased-in Plan for Veteran Teachers
4. Expanded Child Protection Protocols
II. Measuring Our Success: Data Assessment and Usage for Accountability (Page 18)
A. ACADEMIC PROGRAM DATA SET AND ANALYSIS
B. COLLEGE ADMISSIONS DATA SET
C. LEARNING CENTER DATA SET
D. CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAM DATA SET AND ANALYSIS
E. SOCIAL SERVICE DATA SET
F. ADMISSIONS AND ENROLLMENT
G. INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS
III. Next Steps to Advance CNG’s Next-Generation Improvement Plan (Page 44)
A. SURVEY RESULTS FROM STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK
B. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN UPDATES
IV. Synergizing Stakeholders: Key Partners Helping Advance CNG’s Vision (Page 52)
A. OUR PARENT/TEACHER ASSOCIATION – INVESTMENTS IN OUR CHILDRENS’ FUTURES
B. FUNDACION HOGAR NUEVA GRANADA – ENGAGEMENT, INVESTMENT, IMPACT
C. CLOSING ONE CHAPTER AND OPENING OTHER PARTNERSHIPS
V. Our Strategy for Achieving the Next Generation CNG (Page 58)
1. Strengthening Systems Thinking
2. Building Individual Capabilities
3. Cultivating Organizational Capacity
Achieving consecutive top perfor-mances for accreditation in Latin America does not result from mere luck.
CNG earned the highest Index of Education Quality ever achieved by an international school in Lat-in America.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
98
271.10 264.20285.62
268.30278.94 268.48
293.71 286.27
340.29313.61
370.13 373.47
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Overall Score Teaching and Learning Impact
Leadership Capacity Resource Utilization
Aver
age
IEQ
Scor
e
AdvancED Index of Education Quality Comparative Data
Accreditation Results 2016
International Schools Only All Schools CNG
Some Selected Major Continuous Improvement Results for 2016-17
Based on an extensive and objective external evaluation, AdvancED’s unprecedented re-accreditation ratings for CNG this academic year reflect the foremost achievement of our school in 2016-17. Our accrediting agency appointed, seven-member Review Team evaluated all aspects of our school’s programs and services during a month-long period, and they based their report on a thorough analysis of over 10,000 pages of documentation and evidence highlighting significant advancement at CNG in student performance and organizational effectiveness. The following section highlights their major findings as well as four other key outcomes resulting from our self-assessment process conducted over the past two school years.
Section i
A. Key Findings from AdvancED Re-Accreditation Visit October 2016
This school exemplifies the continuous improvement process . . . Given the school’s deep understanding of the importance of the continuous improvement process being implemented well, the process has significantly and positively trans-formed this school.
AdvancED External Review Team 2016
As some important context related to CNG’s outstanding Index of Education Quality ratings compared to other institutions, AdvancED (AE) accredits more than 36,000 schools in the United States and worldwide. Our school significantly exceeded both the international averages as well as the ratings among all schools in the AE Network.
In addition to the above overall results in the three key domains for evaluation derived from five standards and 32 indicators, CNG also received a large number of overall strengths, defined as Power Practices, which were highlighted by the Accreditation Team as follows:
Powerful Practices: Overall School Strengths
1. The school has a strong collaborative culture committed to meeting the physical, social, and emotional needs of all students.
2. The Board of Directors has clearly defined roles and responsibilities as well as established policies to ensure proper governance so that the director can effectively manage the day-to-day operations of the school.
3. The commitment to the school vision and purpose is shared and valued by all stakeholders resulting in clear guidance in the school’s decision-making process.
4. The campus infrastructure is clearly a priority of the school as it ensures effective, safe, and comprehensive facilities, accessible to all members of the Colegio Nueva Granada community.
5. The school benefits from a deep and widely encompassing professional faculty and staff that directly support the purpose, direction, and educational programs of the institution.
AdvancED (AE) accredits more than 36,000 schools in the United States and worldwide.
The school has a strong collabor-ative culture committed to meet-ing the physical, social, and emo-tional needs of all students.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
1110
100%
86% 82%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Two or More Years of Teaching Experience Overseas Experience Advanced Degrees
Perc
enta
ge
CNGQualityIndicatorsforIncomingInternationalTeachers
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017 - 2018
Student Demographics2010-2016
The set of established AdvancED accreditation protocols also mandated the External Review Team to provide our school with at least one required area for improvement. In most institutions, schools receive anywhere between 3-6 areas for required improvement within a five-year period. At the exit meeting conducted by the External Review Team for all CNG teachers and staff, the AdvancED Lead Evaluator emphasized that CNG would receive only one Improvement Priority, a relatively rare occurrence due to this limited number. For its one key recommendation, the Review Team encouraged CNG to address in the next phase of its continuous improvement journey with the need to differentiate and modify instruction to meet the needs of all students. As a result, the Review Team outlined the following priority:
Improvement Priority: Required Action
Ensure instructional processes include modification and differentiation strategies supported by data and aligned with school goals.
Finally, the Review Team also suggested a few additional recommendations for consideration by the school. Unlike the mandatory nature of Improvement Priorities that must be addressed by schools in order to retain accreditation status, the following official Opportunities for Improvement provide added guidance for the continual improvement of other areas. Given CNG’s determination to raise the bar in all aspects of our school programs and services, the Board of Directors and Administration remain fully committed to addressing the following three areas in the near future:
Opportunities For Improvement: Additional Suggestions
1. Develop a gifted and talented program to provide challenging learning experiences for students who demonstrate high levels of aptitude or competence in one or more domains.
2. Formalize the specific functions of instructional coaches and mentors to ensure all teachers are provided support and to improve instructional capacity.
3. Develop student achievement objectives and actions that are derived from an analysis of disaggregated student performance data.
The above suggested areas for improvement will serve to help CNG maintain its focus and consistency in addressing the key factors that matter the most for school improvement. The School Improvement Plan outlined near the end of this report shows that both internal and external evaluations of our program provide the school with helpful data to inform our future efforts. As an added measure of transparency, CNG also publically reports to our community on the result of the efforts of intervention each year, thus assuring our community of the necessary oversight and follow up related to the measurable impact of our improvement efforts.
B. Enhanced Diversity in School DemographicsStudents were observed to be happy, respectful and enthusiastic about their
learning and being students at CNG.AdvancED External Review Team 2016
Specifically related to school size and student demographic diversity indicators, the CNG Board of Directors and Administration engaged in a thorough analysis and evaluation of these vital issues back in the Fall of 2010. This critical set of
discussions has guided our school direction as we continue to chart a course that remains faithful to our missional belief in the strength of diversity as well as sets our path going forward on a relentless pursuit of excellence as a learning community. During these yearly meetings, our Top-Management Team completely embraced the long-range ramifications of maintaining current institutional size along with ensuring student-diversity and teacher-quality indicators as the three fundamental drivers that impact overall school excellence.
Based on these three key factors related to overall school quality, the Board of Directors initially charged CNG’s Leadership Team with the creation of a highly detailed, fully transparent, and internationally benchmarked policy for student admissions at CNG back in 2010. The resulting 13-page document has provided our school with the blueprint for ensuring diversity aligned with our mission as well as promoting excellence within our school community. This hallmark policy decision also established the general guidelines along with the major responsibilities for providing the type of quality staffing, programs, and services, and campus infrastructure required to achieve our overall aims of higher performance standards for students and our organization.
The results of our admissions policies have produced a series of far-reaching and impactful outcomes for our institution. After six years of our non-exception policy implementation, which includes set cap limits of no more than 80% Colombian and/or dual passport holders, CNG’s enrollment at our current optimal level now demonstrates the following changes in demographic percentages as of Fall 2016:
Colombian passport holders Dual passport holders
U.S. passport holders International passport holders
9% 16%
20%
22%60% 49%
11%
11%
September2010
September2016
Despite the relatively large size for an international school currently serving 1,750 students and over 1,100 families on average, CNG has successfully decreased from nine grade-level classes with Colombian/Dual percentages above 80% to only one class at that level today (the current 11th grade). This singular example of ensuring diversity in our student population, as stated in our mission and desired by our parent community, clearly demonstrates the exponential power of making a concerted effort on an outcome objective followed by faithful policy alignment and consistent implementation.
The results of our admissions policies have produced a series of far-reaching and impactful out-comes for our institution.
The AdvancED Lead Evaluator em-phasized that CNG would receive only one Improvement Priority, a relatively rare occurrence due to this limited number.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
1312
100%
86% 82%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Two or More Years of Teaching Experience Overseas Experience Advanced DegreesPe
rcen
tage
CNGQualityIndicatorsforIncomingInternationalTeachers
2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017 - 2018
C. Additional Improvements Resulting from the Re-Accreditation Process
1. Refined Mission and Vision Statements
The school’s philosophy and the three pillars are carefully guarded in that all practices and policies support and ensure the beliefs remain as the school’s compass and foundational base.
AdvancED External Review Team 2016
Over the years, CNG has continued to maintain a laser-like focus on the three key statements that serve to define and advance our overall purpose and direction as an institution. These specific statements serve as our road map at school each day and inform our beliefs about what constitutes success for student learning and organizational effectiveness. The highlighted text below denotes the minor revisions resulting from a review process to continue refining and improving our Mission and Vision statements.
1. CNG Fundamentals: CNG is a unique combination of honored tradition and visionary future.
2. CNG Vision Statement: Educating the mind, strengthening the body, and developing character for leadership and service in the world of today for a better tomorrow.
3. CNG Mission Statement: CNG is a learning community committed to serving a diverse student population and preparing responsible global citizens through an accredited U.S./Colombian college-preparatory program focused on motivating students to achieve their fullest individual potential for excellence.
In each of the above statements, our school demonstrates a commitment to maintaining our established direction while still looking to refine our efforts to improve student and school performance. Additionally, our CNG Philosophy Statement also guides our day-to-day actions and decisions related to the provision of programs and services as well as to the key characteristics that define our learning environment and outcome objectives. After a thorough review of our
Philosophy Statement during the re-accreditation process, CNG maintained the same language and areas of emphasis as prior years, thus ensuring an ongoing clear north in our direction.
Lastly, in order to embed our three pillars in our daily work with students, the school continues to highlight our Vision Statement in all-school publications, our official documents, within our curriculum forms and Atlas Rubicon documentation, and at all key meetings and public presentations for every stakeholder group.
2. Improved Hiring Profile and Expanded Candidate Pool for Teachers
Earning a reputation that yields such a large number of applications does not occur by happenstance; it requires planning, committing to excellence, and staying the course.
AdvancED External Review Team 2016
Similar to our targeted school efforts to assure robust levels of student diversity, CNG has also understood the critical importance of raising the bar on our hiring profiles for teachers, administrators, and support staff members as a key quality indicator. As some background information, after reviewing the objective findings that ranked CNG as 20th in our region, the Board of Directors made the resolute decision to propel CNG into the Top 5 regionally and then to maintain this hiring competitiveness as part of Board policy. Following the immediate implementation of this policy, the data from the AASSA Regional Association now show that CNG has achieved this Top-5 status for five consecutive years, an accomplishment reached in this same time span by only one other school in South America.
As an additional area related to the key factor of staffing quality, concrete and transparent data provided to our entire school community each year show that CNG has dramatically increased the number of teacher applicants from approximately 100 total teacher applicants in the benchmark year of 2010 to over 4,000 received during 2016-17 for 29 open positions.
The key takeaway point for our Top-Management Team and school community was the confirmation that vision aligned to policy and translated into systematic processes undoubtedly produces dramatic missional results far faster and more ex-tensively than we ever projected. As a result, this strong linkage between focused vision, aligned policy, and intentional processes has led to a highly deliberate and purposeful emphasis on creating and advancing our emerging notion of “The CNG Way” across all fronts of our school improvement planning.
Over the years based on this expanded applicant pool, CNG now boasts a teaching faculty with experience at international schools in over 67 countries around the world, and our profile data show that candidates possess more prior years of experience and advanced degrees combined than any other comprehensive
Over the years, CNG has contin-ued to maintain a laser-like focus on the three key statements that serve to define and advance our overall purpose and direction as an institution.
CNG has also understood the critical importance of raising the bar on our hiring profiles for teachers, administrators, and support staff members as a key quality indicator.
CNG has dramatically increased the number of teacher applicants from approximately 100 total teacher applicants in the bench-mark year of 2010 to over 4,000 received during 2016-17 for 29 open positions.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
1514
3. Established Retirement Policy and Phased-in Plan for Veteran Teachers
A systems approach is clearly evident and implemented at CNG. AdvancED External Review Team 2016
An additional challenging factor faced by CNG over the past year relates to the large number of faculty and staff reaching retirement age over the next 7-8 years. During the past two years, the school undertook a comprehensive long-range analysis of succession planning across the entire faculty and administrative staff. This analysis occurred as part of a broader plan as our Board of Directors and Top-Management Team conducted a thorough risk assessment to identify potential obstacles that could hinder our current ability to continue advancing our vision and mission as a school.
As a result of this in-depth analysis of our core factors for continued success, especially related to ensuring high-quality staffing, we determined that over the next seven years a total of 76 veteran faculty and staff members would be
4. Expanded Child Protection Protocols
The well-being of students is the school’s first priority and exemplified throughout the school.
AdvancED External Review Team 2016
Finally, as one of the original pilot schools participating in the International Task Force for Child Protection (ITFCP) Project, CNG has fully implemented all recommendations related to hiring and screening practices, communication and advocacy of child protection to community members, and campus infrastructure improvements (biometric entry/exit system, view windows in doors, open entry student bathrooms, master lock system, and tripled video monitoring technologies). All of these efforts have culminated in the CNG Board of Directors and Administration developing and publishing our own Child Protection Handbook that aligns all programs and protocols in current effect to ensure a school environment that supports student safety and joyful learning.
At the beginning of this first section of our Annual Report, we highlighted the positive evaluation results of the AdvancED External Review Team and their overall findings that CNG exemplifies and serves as a role model for schools regarding to the continuous improvement process. Yet, without qualitative and quantitative results related to student learning and improved teaching, any process alone would fall short if the overriding goal remains focused on the pursuit of excellence. Fortunately for our school, The CNG Way produces results. Our overarching drive to generate higher levels of student performance and organizational effectiveness has demonstrated significant gains over the past years, both in overall outcomes as well as in a better school culture. These are no mere words as verified by AdvancED:
Students in their own words articulated the CNG Way during interview sessions and classroom observations; their positive attitudes towards learning and each other were clear indicators of their understanding of the school’s expectations, beliefs, and purpose.
AdvancED External Review Team 2016
cohort in CNG’s 78-year history. The Board of Directors, Administrative Team, and HR Department have published each year in our Annual Report the school’s ongoing commitment to providing our students and school community with the best and brightest educators – all 100% qualified and certified for their positions. Our original initiative in this area followed by a strong commitment to remaining transparent in and true to our belief in the fundamental importance and impact of high-quality teaching have served as major leveraging points for achieving excellence in student learning and performance results.
3250 722
28
750
CNGJob Applications, Interviews, New Hires
for 2017 - 2018
Applicants not interviewed
Interviewed, not hired
Hired
reaching retirement age at CNG. Given the importance to our school of sustaining our honored traditions, maintaining vital institutional knowledge, and preserving the essential spirit and soul of CNG, we embarked on a critical task to develop and implement a transparent and equitable retirement policy.
Incorporating a gradual four-year, phased-in process, our school has already started working proactively with our faculty to address the challenge and provide organizational support that helps prepare each future retiring staff member as well as our school for an effective transition.
Based on this formalized and systematized plan, our school has better positioned itself to serve as a beneficent caretaker of our valued staff members while also assuring the continuation of our honored traditions long into the future for the benefit of our students and community.
3250 750 715 354000 Applicants
750 Interviewed
Interviewed Interviewed, not hired HiredNot interviewed
We embarked on a critical task to develop and implement a transpar-ent and equitable retirement policy.
Our overarching drive to generate higher levels of student perfor-mance and organizational effec-tiveness has demonstrated signifi-cant gains over the past years.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
1716
Student performance results in Critical Reading both on MAP testing and the SABER exams clearly reflect the positive impact of the TC program on student learning and testing results. On a final note, our school receives significant financial support from the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas School, and this large grant helps CNG purchase additional educational materials and supplies as well as provides specialized workshops and professional learning options that support our Learning Center. All of these efforts help advance an overall strong teaching corps.
$360,716,912
$322,590,584
$295,366,041
$135,027,766
$128,389,765
$57,795,654
$24,596,624
$12,210,000
Curriculum Development, Character Education, Schools Improvement Plan
PGP Support- Professional Growth Plans
Columbia University, Teacher's College, Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP)
US Government Grant: Education Materials, Student Services PD and Risk Behavior Programs
US Government Grant: Special Education Training- Learning Center
Annual Educators´ Conferences, AASSA and Tri-Association
First Aid Training
Special Education Training- Learning Center
Colombian Pesos
CNGProfessional Development
Total Expenditure in Colombian PesosSchool Year 2016 - 2017
Total:COP$1,336,693,345
Student performance results in Critical Reading both on MAP testing and the SABER exams clearly reflect the positive impact of the TC program on student learning and testing results.
Using a systematic approach and working to build a more supportive culture for all community members have combined to produce some of the highest performance levels in our school history. With a sense of pride and with even greater hopes for the future, the next section highlights multiple areas that showcase all-time highs that result from a careful focus on hiring and retaining quality teachers, expanding and refining academic programs, and improving student-support systems.
Professional Development Investments
Beyond the importance of hiring and retaining the best and brightest teachers, administrators, and support staff, CNG strongly believes in the importance of providing ongoing professional development and training programs aligned with school-wide goals. The areas of curriculum development and investment in our character education programs topped the list of areas for emphasis this school year. Given our school’s commitment to supporting robust and personalized professional growth opportunities, CNG has also invested in specialized training focused on unique learning needs across a broad range of subject areas and departments. As a final area within the top three target goals, our teachers in English/Language Arts, Spanish, and Colombian Sociales have benefited from bilingual training programs provided by Columbia University’s Teachers College, specifically in advancing the reading/writing workshop model for student learning.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
1918
Measuring Our Success: Data Assessment and Usage for Accountability
CNG conducts a comprehensive and systematic annual process to evaluate student performance results in order to assess the effectiveness of our programs and determine the measurable impact of our improvement efforts. As one of the key research-based strategies for school improvement, robust data-driven decision-making helps propel all intervention efforts at CNG. Our school collects, analyzes, and uses multiple data sets to assess overall student learning, program quality, and organizational effectiveness. Given the breadth and depth of data utilized for school improvement purposes at CNG, the school uses a highly specialized data management system, Spotfire, which more effectively and efficiently provides data to teachers and administrators for the improvement of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The extensive evaluation of these data also provides us with valuable input to help us align our professional development investment and use of financial resources aligned with our School Improvement Plan.
Section iiFor the second consecutive year, CNG students from grades 2-9 reached all-
time-high results in their test average on two of the three Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) subtests. The all-time-high averages in Reading and Language Usage moved CNG closer to our aggressive school-wide target goal of reaching the 70th percentile on average in student performance. Although the Math subtest dipped slightly by only one percentile point, CNG’s overall math performance has increased by eight percentile points over the past seven years, an impressive result considering over 1,100 students take the MAP test each year.
The all-time-high averages in Reading and Language Usage moved CNG closer to our aggres-sive school-wide target goal of reaching the 70th percentile on average in student performance.
Compared to all students who take the MAP test at international schools in Latin America, our students perform at or above their peers on 23 of the 24 total subtests across all grade levels. In comparison to students in the top schools sponsored by the U.S. State Department (A/OS) in Latin America, the majority of our grade levels are now performing higher on average than their counterparts. In fact, our school achieved a 63% increase in 2016 based on the number of CNG grade levels that outperformed the top A/OS schools, our most competitive grade-level peers in the region, thus setting an all-time high by our students. Finally, compared to the students in top international schools in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, our students made impressive gains with a 50% increase in the number of grade-level subtests above the norm group.
86
8 87
8
54
75
3
6
35
11
11
13
1
2
1
1
12
31
2 21
3
7
2
012345678
Grad
e Le
vels
Norming Group - MAP Test
CNGMAP Scores Compared to Norming Groups
Fall 2016Above Norm Group Equal to Norm Group Below Norm Group
A. Academic Program Data Set and Analysis
56
59 58 5960
61
65 64
58
6364 64
63 63
66
69
61
63
6665
63 63
68
50
52
54
56
58
60
62
64
66
68
70
Perc
entil
e Ra
nk
Testing Term
CNG MAP School-wide 5-year average
2009 - 2016
Math Test PercentileReading Test PercentileLanguage Usage Test Percentile
56
59 5859
60
61
65 64
58
63
64 6463 63
66
69
61
63
6665
63 63
68
50
52
54
56
58
60
62
64
66
68
70
Perc
entil
e Ra
nk
Testing Term
CNG MAP School-wide trend
2009 - 2016
Math Test Percentile
Reading Test Percentile
Language Usage Test Percentile
MAP School-wide Trends
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
2120
Our school achieved a 63% in-crease in 2016 based on the num-ber of CNG grade levels that out-performed the top A/OS schools, our most competitive grade-level peers in the region, thus setting an all-time high by our students.
CNG students in Fall 2016 tied the previous all-time record in MAP Mathematics performance for classes exceeding the 70th percentile with four grade levels achieving that mark.
As a result of the SAT 10 recently being discontinued for use in the United States and no longer being updated with new norms for inter-national schools, CNG has begun the process of evaluating other standardized testing options for the future.
CNG students also achieved all-time high group performance in MAP Language Usage with six grade levels surpassing the 70th percentile compared to only two the previous year.
7576 73 7177
63
73 73 75
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Perc
entil
e Av
erag
e
CNGMAP Reading Percentile Performance
Historical Trend Data by Cohort 2012-2016
Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016
Our students obliterated CNG’s previous all-time high in Reading performance with eight grade levels surpassing the 70th percentile on average, besting the previous record of three grade levels total. Clearly, CNG has benefited from the ongoing positive impact of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop Model, which helps improve our students’ reading performance in both English and Spanish. Even our “lowest” performing grade level has improved by more than 50% in two years.
Similar to the trends seen in critical reading results, CNG students also achieved all-time-high group performance in MAP Language Usage with six grade levels surpassing the 70th percentile compared to only two the previous year. Notably, all grade levels improved their overall performance on average for this subtest since our prior testing year.
757369 68 70
65
74 73 73
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Perc
entil
e Av
erag
e
CNG MAP Language Usage Percentile Performance
Historical Trend Data by Cohort2008-2015
Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016
CNG students in Fall 2016 tied the previous all-time record in MAP Mathematics performance for classes exceeding the 70th percentile with four grade levels achieving that mark. The school looks to consolidate its gains and take student math performance to the next level in 2017-18 with the implementation of updated and improved math textbook series initially scheduled for use starting in August for grades K4 through 8th. The new series incorporates the latest and most rigorous mathematics standards as well as research-based teaching methodologies. The high school will pilot two new textbook series in Fall 2017 to help make a final decision on the selection and implementation of a new program starting in August 2018. As our main target goal, CNG looks to propel mathematics performance to reach levels above Reading and Language Usage in the future.
5254
4854 52 51 5254
58
49
5854 53 5454
57
49
60
53 54 555457
49
60
53 54 5554 57
49
60
53 54 55
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Total Reading Reading Comp. Reading Vocab.
Total Math Language Basic Battery Complete Battery
Stan
ford
10
Scor
e
Test Section
CNG STANFORD 10 COMPARISON BY SUBJECTS
(Normal Curve Equivalent)2012 - 2016
Average 2012 Average 2013 Average 2014 Average 2015 Average 2016
Unlike student performance increases on MAP testing, the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT 10) averages for Grades 2-9 have remained relatively flat for the past three consecutive years. As a result of the SAT 10 recently being discontinued for use in the United States and no longer being updated with new norms for international schools, CNG has begun the process of evaluating other standardized testing options for the future. Within the next school year, our school will be making a decision related to selecting an alternative standardized assessment system better aligned with our curricular program goals and more closely matched to providing comparative data for gauging student learning and growth related to similar peer groups of at top-performing schools.
73
66 6459
53
71 7277
0102030405060708090
100
Perc
entil
e Av
erag
e
CNG MAP Mathematics Percentile Performance
Historical Trend Data by Cohort2012-2016
Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
2322
Continuing the trend from prior years, CNG students achieved their strongest performance results in Total Math, Thinking Skills, Social Science, Math Problem Solving, and Reading Comprehension on the SAT 10. Areas for improvement also remain similar to past years, specifically in subtests related to second-language learning skills such as spelling, word study, and vocabulary. Again, based on the discontinuation in the use of SAT 10 as a stateside standardized test measure, our school will be moving toward an alternative test to determine student growth and identify areas for improvement.
CNG students in high school reached an all-time high with 423 students achiev-ing a score of 3 or more on their AP exams. This past year they also set a five-year best with a robust 68% of students achieving a score of 3 or above on a 5-point scale. The overall number of tests taken by students surpassed the 600 total test mark for the first time ever as a result of more students challenging themselves to enroll in the most rigorous programs of study. Depending on the particular college or university, earning a score of 3 or more on an AP exam can allow a student to qualify for higher-education credits and/or advance standing at many universities both in Colombia and stateside.
54 5749
60 58 56 53 5651
57 58
49 4654 56 54 55
60
0102030405060708090
100
Stan
ford
10
Scor
e
Stanford 10 Subjects
CNG STANFORD 10 COMPARISON BY SUBJECTS
(Normal Curve Equivalent)2012-2016
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
178 183 201 233 201
225
368 363 337 423
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Num
be
r of E
xam
s
Year
CNGTotal Number of AP Exams
vs Number of Exams at 3.0 or above2012 - 2016
Below 3 At 3.0 or Above
The overall number of tests taken by students surpassed the 600 to-tal test mark for the first time ever as a result of more students chal-lenging themselves to enroll in the most rigorous programs of study.
The Class of 2016 achieved the highest average score for all sub-jects across the past ten years of graduating classes at CNG.
CNG students also set an all-time record with 29 students earning the “AP Scholar with Distinction” award.
Continuing the trend from prior years, CNG students achieved their strongest performance re-sults in Total Math, Thinking Skills, Social Science, Math Prob-lem Solving, and Reading Com-prehension on the SAT 10.
CNG students in high school reached an all-time-high with 423 students achieving a score of 3 or more on their AP exams.
CNG students also set an all-time record with 29 students earning the “AP Scholar with Distinction” award. Additionally, the 2016 AP testing group as a whole tied the overall record of 87 students receiving special recognition from the College Board for their exceptional performance in taking multiple AP exams. Our CNG high school students have more than doubled the average number of student recipients earning AP Scholar Awards across all three major categories since 2012.
1932
4432 34
12
13
18
23 24
8
24
25
2029
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Num
ber o
f Stu
dent
s
Year
CNGStudents Receiving AP Scholar Awards
2012 - 2016
AP Scholar AP Scholar with Honor AP Scholar with Distinction
62.40 62.38 60.69
73.60 74.76
58.60 58.39 56.94
70.83 70.61
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
SABE
R 11
Ave
rage
Scor
e
Year
CNG SABER 11 AVERAGES GRADE 12: 2012-2016
Average all subjectsAverage without English
The Class of 2016 achieved the highest average score for all subjects over the past ten years of graduating classes at CNG. Although the Ministry of Education changed the test format back in 2015, our school’s national ranking provides the best indication of the impact of recent curricular improvements in both the Bachillerato and U.S. Diploma programs, including ongoing efforts to better align our academic program to position students for increased performance results.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
2524
Revista Dinero Ranking SABER 11 EXAM 2011-2016
School Year (Class) Dinero RankingOverall
AverageClassification
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
57th
82nd
78th
96th
86th
95th
74,76
73.6
60.36
62,4
62,4
60,3
Muy superior
Muy superior
Muy superior
Muy superior
Muy superior
Muy superior
The Class of 2016 achieved CNG’s second-highest national ranking in the past ten years based on the overall class averages for Calendar A and B schools. CNG has successfully maintained for a full decade our ranking in the highest category of “Muy Superior” on this high-stakes national exam.
After the Colombian Ministry of Education released the new Prueba SABER 11 format back in 2015, our school now has comparative data that will begin to reflect trend performance over time. Our SABER 11 results for 2016 clearly show that CNG students improved in 3 of 5 subtests compared to the prior year with Critical Reading, Mathematics, and English demonstrating overall increases. With the next series of SABER student performance results scheduled for release in 2017, CNG will no longer post the prior scores of the former exam given that it included multiple subtests no longer evaluated.
69.6665.42
69.29
78.06
91.38
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
SABE
R 11
Ave
rage
Scor
e
Subject Area
CNGSABER 11 Average Comparison by Subjects
Grade 12 : 2011-2016
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
The Class of 2016 achieved CNG’s second-highest national ranking in the past ten years based on the overall class averages for Calen-dar A and B schools.
Our SABER 11 results for 2016 clearly show that CNG students improved in 3 of 5 subtests compared to the prior year with Critical Reading, Mathemat-ics, and English demonstrating overall increases.
Of the top 100 schools listed in the Dinero Magazine 2016 ranking of SABER 11 based on school-wide averages, only 10 schools tested more than 100 students. Among those schools, only half achieved an average score above our school, and none of them come close to matching CNG’s commitment of serving students with special learning needs. Compared with other AdvancED accredited schools in Colombia, CNG tested the highest number of students overall and placed on average less than 0.5 points of the next five schools ranked slightly above us. CNG students ranked highly in English and Critical Reading in comparison to their peer groups.
Of the top 100 schools listed in the Dinero Magazine 2016 ranking of SABER 11 based on school-wide averages, only 10 schools tested more than 100 students.
Compared with other AdvancED accredited schools in Colombia, CNG tested the highest number of students overall and placed on average less than 0.5 points of the next five schools ranked slightly above us.
The latest results for students tak-ing the SABER 3 show that CNG sig-nificantly outperforms our peers schools on both Spanish Lan-guage and Mathematics subtests.
Similar to the SABER 11 for graduating seniors, the SABER 3, 5, and 9 standardized tests also help our school analyze and compare CNG student performance with other private, top-performing schools in Bogota. The latest results for students taking the SABER 3 show that CNG significantly outperforms our peers schools on both Spanish Language and Mathematics subtests. Notably, no CNG student tested in the Insufficient category on the exam despite our strong commitment to serving students with special learning needs.
Pues
to
Institución
Prom
edio
Eval
uado
s
Lect
ura
Críti
ca
Mat
emát
icas
Soci
ales
y
Ciud
adan
as
Cien
cias
Na
tura
les
Ingl
és
16 Montessori British School Bogota 77.99 46 66.24 85.85 70.91 77.87 89.09
22 Colegio Bolivar 77.23 84 67.48 82.6 71.63 71.99 92.46
47 Colegio Jorge Washington 75.2 49 65.65 79.76 68.04 70.92 91.63
49 Colegio Panamericano 75.08 46 64.28 81.02 70.67 71.26 88.17
51 Colegio Altamira 74.97 44 65.8 78.25 69.75 72.86 88.2
53 Colegio Cristobal Colón (Colombus School) 74.91 94 64.94 79.86 67.84 71.02 90.91
56 Soc. Escuela Karl C. Parrish 74.83 48 64.13 76.75 68.81 73.13 91.33
57 Colegio Nueva Granada 74.76 119 65.42 78.06 69.29 69.66 91.38
62 Colegio Granadino 74.63 45 65.02 78.58 70.31 69.62 89.64
79 Gimnasio Inglés 74.05 38 65.08 77.55 69.39 72.21 86
107 Fundación Liceo Inglés 72.69 35 64.6 74.23 67.26 68.94 88.43
149 Colegio Albania 70.91 33 61.97 71.85 65.39 68.39 86.94
213 Colegio Bureche 69.16 45 60.87 70.29 64.33 63.67 86.64
3% 3% 8% 10% 8% 13%
25% 36%
13%
27%
67% 50%
79%
57%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
CNG Lenguaje Colegios Privados Lenguaje
CNG Matemáticas Colegios Privados Matemáticas
CNGSaber Grado 3
2016
INSUFICIENTE MÍNIMO SATISFACTORIO AVANZADO
CNG Lenguaje
CNG Matemáticas
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
2726
The SABER 5 results also show that CNG students outperform their peer groups in all three subtest categories. In Spanish Language and Mathematics, CNG students on average have more students in the Advanced Performance category compared with their peer groups at other private schools in Bogota. Student testing results in the Natural Sciences also exceed their competitor groups by nearly half overall.
In the SABER 9 testing group, CNG students consistently and significantly outperform their peer groups across all private schools in Bogota. Of special note, CNG also has students in the Advanced Performance ranking compared with their similar peers in Bogota’s private schools. Results in the Natural Sciences and Spanish Language also show strong student performance above the averages for peer groups at the same grade level.
Of special note, CNG places three times the number of stu-dents in the Advanced Perfor-mance ranking compared with their similar peers in Bogota’s private schools.
In Spanish Language and Math-ematics, CNG students on av-erage place greater than 50% more students in the Advanced Performance category com-pared with their peer groups at other private schools in Bogota.
Despite the overall downward trend worldwide on testing results for students in private/interna-tional schools in reading, CNG stu-dents have actually demonstrated increased performance in this key area for future college success.
Efforts to utilize research-based best practices for writing instruc-tion in both English and Spanish classes at CNG have now posi-tioned CNG to continue its upward trend in SAT results for writing.
0% 3% 2% 11% 3%11%
18%12%
25%
18%26%
27%
37%
26%
31%
28%
34%
63% 42%
60%
32%
53%
37%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
CNG Lenguaje
Colegios Privados Lenguaje
CNG Matemáticas
Colegios Privados Matemáticas
CNG Ciencias
Naturales
Colegios Privados Ciencias
Naturales
CNGSaber Grado 5
Nivel de Desempeño2016
INSUFICIENTE MÍNIMO SATISFACTORIO AVANZADO
2% 4% 2% 5% 5%6%
19%11%
34%
13%
32%
65%
61%
31%
43%
50%
43%
27%17% 57% 19%
37%
21%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
CNG Lenguaje
Colegios Privados Lenguaje
CNG Matemáticas
Colegios Privados Matemáticas
CNG Ciencias Naturales
Colegios Privados Ciencias Naturales
CNGSaber Grado 9
Nivel de Desempeño2016
INSUFICIENTE MÍNIMO SATISFACTORIO AVANZADO
With the school-wide implementation of the Reading and Writing Workshop Model of Columbia University (Ivy League) beginning in 2014, CNG has continued to see the positive impact of this program on student performance in Critical Reading on stateside and Colombian standardized test results. Despite the overall downward trend worldwide on testing results for students in private/international schools in reading, CNG students have actually demonstrated increased performance in this key area for future college success. With four of the past five years showing averages above the norm for college-bound seniors, CNG looks poised to increase its performance based on key initiatives to improve critical reading skills for our students.
With the Writer’s Workshop Model now fully implemented across all grade levels at CNG, student performance has now reached the norm of college-bound seniors in private/international schools worldwide. Efforts to utilize research-based best practices for writing instruction in both English and Spanish classes at CNG have now positioned CNG to continue its upward trend in SAT results for writing.
547558
524
538544
400
420
440
460
480
500
520
540
560
580
600
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
SAT
Ave
rage
Scor
e
Year
CNG Critical Reading SAT Averages
2012 - 2016
CNG
All Test-Takers
Independent / Private
Public
547556
531 523534
400
420
440
460
480
500
520
540
560
580
600
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016SA
T A
vera
ge Sc
ore
Year
CNG Writing SAT Averages
2012 - 2016
CNG
All Test-Takers
Independent / Private
Public
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
2928
As a positive indicator of future student performance on the SAT exam, CNG students currently outperform their college-bound peers on the PSAT at both the 10th and 11th grade levels. These overall scores combine the average for the Writing/Reading and Mathematics subtests. In general, PSAT Average Total Scores serve as strong predictors of future high levels of competitiveness for application to the best colleges and universities.
An analysis of subtest results for the PSAT demonstrates that the vast majority of CNG students meet or exceed established standards in both Reading/Writing and Mathematics. For those students currently falling short of the standards, they generally close the gap in their final year or two at CNG depending on their grade level. In most private/international schools on average, significantly fewer students meet PSAT Standards at this time in their high school careers.
Similar to CNG’s upward trends in Critical Reading, our SAT results in Math-ematics demonstrate a positive trend line. As a result of the school’s recent year-long process of reviewing and selecting updated mathematics textbooks for imple-mentation in August 2017, CNG has undertaken the necessary steps to continue building critical math foundations that will allow students to reach even higher performance levels in the future.
93810191011
1106
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
10th grade 11th grade
Aver
age
Tota
l Sco
re
Grade Level
CNGPSAT Average Total Score
2016
National Mean Average Total Score CNG Average Total Score
86% 90%
66% 65%
14% 10%
34% 35%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
ERW - 10th grade ERW - 11th grade Math - 10th grade Math - 11th grade
Perc
ent o
f Stu
dent
s Mee
ting
Stan
dard
Subject Area - Grade Level
CNGPercent of Students that Met PSAT Standards
2016 Yes No
As a positive indicator of future student performance on the SAT exam, CNG students currently outperform their college-bound peers on the PSAT at both the 10th and 11th grade levels.
An analysis of subtest results for the PSAT demonstrates that the vast majority of CNG stu-dents meets or exceeds estab-lished standards in both Read-ing/Writing and Mathematics.
As a result of the school’s recent yearlong process of reviewing and selecting updated math-ematics textbooks for imple-mentation in August 2017, CNG has undertaken the necessary steps to continue building criti-cal math foundations that will allow students to reach even higher performance levels in the future.
573579
544
569 571
400
420
440
460
480
500
520
540
560
580
600
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
SAT
Aver
age
Scor
e
Year
CNGMath SAT Averages
2012 - 2016
CNG
All Test-Takers
Independent / Private
Public
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
3130
American University (4)
American University of Paris (2)
University of Arizona (3)
Armstrong State University
Babson College (9)
Bentley University (12)
Berklee College of Music
Bethel College
Universita Bocconi
Boston College (4)
Boston University (7)
Brandeis University
University of British Columbia (4)
Bryant University (3)
California State University - Monterey Bay
University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Davis (2)
University of California - Los Angeles (6)
University of California - San Diego
University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California - Santa Cruz (2)
Chapman University (2)
University of Cincinnati
Claremont McKenna College
Clark University
Colby College
Colgate University
University of Colorado Boulder (3)
University of Colorado - Colorado Springs
Colorado School of Mines
Colorado State University College of Engineering
Colorado State University
Columbia College
Columbia University
University of Connecticut
Curry College
Dartmouth College
Drexel University
Duke University
Eckerd College (2)
Elon University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
Emory University
Fairfield University (4)
Florida Institute of Technology (4)
Florida International University
Florida State University
Fordham University (4)
Franklin Pierce University
Full Sail University
George Mason University
Georgetown University
Grenoble School of Management
University of Guelph (2)
Hamilton College New York
University of Hartford
Hesston College
Hofstra University (2)
Hult International Business School (2)
IE University (5)
Indiana University - Bloomington (2)
James Madison University
John Cabot University
Johnson & Wales University
University of Kansas
King’s College London
Lake Forest College
Lawrence Technological University
Le Cordon Bleu
Lehigh University
Leiden University College - The Hague
Loyola Marymount University (5)
Loyola University Chicago (5)
Lynn University (2)
Marymount Manhattan College (2)
University of Miami (6)
Michigan State University
University of Michigan
Universidad de Navarra (6)
New Mexico State University
New York University (4)
University of North Florida
Northeastern University
Northwestern University (2)
University of Notre Dame (2)
University of Oregon
Oxford College (2)
Pace University New York
Pennsylvania State University
University of Pennsylvania (2)
Pomona College
Pratt Institute
Purdue University (6)
Queen’s University
Ringling College of Art & Design
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rollins College (6)
Saint Louis University - Madrid
University of San Diego (2)
University of San Francisco
Savannah College of Art & Design (2)
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Seton Hall University
University of South Florida -Tampa
University of Southern California (3)
Saint Edward’s University
Suffolk University (3)
Swarthmore College (2)
Syracuse University (3)
University of Tampa (3)
Texas Christian University
University of Texas - Austin
The George Washington University
The New School (4)
University of Toronto
Trinity University Bucknell
Tufts University (2)
Tulane University (4)
University of Essex
University of York
University of Utah
Vassar College
University of Vermont
Villanova University
University of Virginia
Wesleyan University
Western University
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Yale-NUS College
York University (2)
B. College Admissions Data Set
Acceptances into high-quality colleges and universities serve as an important measure of the overall strength of our college-preparatory program. As a second key measure, our school also tracks student awards in receiving scholarships that demonstrate the value-added aspects of a CNG education. The Class of 2017 has continued the strong tradition of gaining high levels of acceptance in Top 60 stateside universities as well as the best Colombian universities.
Although still early in the process of receiving award monies, our graduating Seniors have already received over $3,100,000 dollars in scholarships and grants for their scholastic achievements in their acceptances to highly competitive institutions of higher education. Given historical results based on prior years of awards granted after April, our graduates will most likely reach the $4-million-dollar mark given that additional colleges and universities will be awarding grant monies in the coming months. In addition, of those Seniors who applied to U.S. universities, a robust 51% received scholarships and/or grants. Our graduates have also received acceptances into five Ivy/Ivy-Plus institutions as part of their overall offers.
Our graduating Seniors have al-ready received over $3,100,000 dollars in scholarships and grants for their scholastic achievements in their accep-tances to highly competitive in-stitutions of higher education.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
3332
Scholarships and grants
58%
50% 49%46% 46%
43%
51%
33%
40%43%
47% 48%
56%
48%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Perc
ent o
f 201
6 Gr
adua
ting
Clas
s
Year
CNGTrends in University Choices for Graduates
2010 - 2016
Study in Colombia Study Abroad
33% 38%
13%
25%
41%
48% 50%
26% 31% 32% 33% 36% 36%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Perc
ent o
f 201
6 Gr
adua
ting
Clas
s
Year
CNGPercentage Acceptance into Top-Ranked U.S. Higher Education
2010 - 2016
Top 60 U.S. Liberal Arts College
Top 60 Universities
College Name Amount in US$ # of awards granted
Army ROTC Scholarship $33,000 1
Bentley University $534,628 7
Bethel College $14,500 3
Boston College $202,000 1
Boston University $160,000 2
Brandeis University $50,000 1
Chapman University $64,000 1
Full Sail University $20,000 1
Lynn University $80,000 2
DePaul University $68,000 1
Fairfield University $60,000 1
Florida Institute of Technology $21,500 1
George Washington University $140,000 3
New Mexico State University $76,000 2
Johnson and Wales University $16,000 1
Loyola University Chicago $118,000 3
Loyola Marymount University $58,000 2
Marymount Manhattan College $24,000 1
Northeastern University $97,500 2
Parson´s School of Design $54,000 1
Pratt Institute $100,000 1
Rollins College $284,000 4
SCAD Academic Scholarship $66,000 2
Suffolk university Merit Scholarship $92,500 1
Trinity University $68,000 1
Curry College $88,000 2
Tulane University $260,000 3
University of California Santa Cruz $40,000 1
University of Cincinnatti $40,000 1
University of Southern California $108,000 1
University of Tampa $52,000 1
Yale NUS $40,000 1
Total amount Class of 2017 as of April 4th $3,129,628 56
The above acceptances into highly competitive colleges and universities along with continually increasing scholarship awards are a result of our CNG high school students taking the most rigorous program of study available through our Advanced Placement program. As an added measure, our graduates have also been choosing to pursue options for university study abroad, which serves to increase the overall number of opportunities for scholarships and grants as well as gain higher acceptance numbers into U.S. News & World Report Top-60 universities. These comprehensive data on university acceptances and scholarships strongly demonstrate the impact of improved academic programs and higher expectations for students at CNG in taking the highest level of courses during their high school years.
These comprehensive data on university acceptances and schol-arships strongly demonstrate the impact of improved academic programs and higher expecta-tions for students at CNG in tak-ing the highest level of courses during their high school years.
A close balance now exists among CNG graduates between study in Colombia versus study abroad for their current prefer-ences in pursuit of opportunities in higher education.
Based on the Class of 2016 results, an unprecedented 50% of our graduates received acceptances in the Top 60 Liberal Arts Colleges and Top 60 Universities.
CNG has experienced some important shifts in trends for graduating classes regarding their choices for their undergraduate study. A close balance now exists among CNG graduates between study in Colombia versus study abroad for their current preferences in pursuit of opportunities in higher education. One key factor for this parity of choice has been the increased availability of awards for scholarships and grants among those students who choose international schooling options.
According to the rankings for institutions of higher education conducted annually by U.S. News and World Report, a dramatically greater number of CNG graduates are achieving acceptance into the universities and liberal arts colleges widely considered for highest quality. Based on the Class of 2016 results, an unprecedented 50% of our graduates received acceptances in the Top 60 Liberal Arts Colleges and Top 60 Universities. The graph above reflects the impressive trend lines of the performance in this area by our graduates.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
3534
C. Learning Center Data Set
The well being of students is the school’s first priority and exemplified throughout the school. Of particular noteworthy praise, is the school’s Learning Center, which serves as an effective resource center for students who struggle academically or have special learning needs. . . . CNG has fully embraced educating students who experience learning challenges, and the school is regarded as a leader in the region for this program.
AdvancED External Review Team 2016
D. Co-Curricular Program Data Set and Analysis
825
938879
947
982
776
905856
1009
949
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017
Num
ber o
f Stu
dent
s
School Year
CNGCondor Activities - Student Participation
2012-2017
Semester I
Semester II
Student Support Services Data Set 2016-2017 School YearBuilding No. of Students Receiving L.C. % of All StudentsPrimary School 85 17.00%Elementary School 61 15.93%Middle School 34 8.99%High School 24 5.06%Total 204 11.76%
ESL ServicesPrimary School 7 1.40%Elementary School 8 2.09%Middle School 0 0.00%High School 1 0.21%Total 16 3.70%
Screenings and Tier 1 InterventionsPrimary School screenings 500 100.00%Primary Tier 1 interventions 373 75.00%Elementary School 0 0.00%Middle School 0 0.00%High School 0 0.00%Total 17 3.40%
Tier 2 interventionsPrimary School 17 3.40%Elementary School 0 0.00%Middle School 0 0.00%High School 0 0.00%Total 17 3.40%
Special Education Services Tier 3 Primary School 63 12.60%Elementary School 55 14.36%Middle School 35 9.26%High School 24 5.06%Total 177 10.20%
As a major program area to help all students achieve their individual potential for excellence, the Learning Center (LC) provides support services to approximately 200 students annually. Within our overall enrollment, given CNG’s written admis-sion policies, our school accepts a maximum percentage per grade level of no more than 15% of students who require specialized learning support. This policy allows us to support the needs of struggling students while still maintaining high-quality educational services for all enrolled students.
For our services provision model, CNG has adopted the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) model to provide academic support with the goal of preventing students from falling behind through early intervention. Currently, the MTSS model has been fully implemented at the Primary School. Within our MTSS model, learning support is provided to students through ongoing collaboration and problem-solving practices that involve teachers, administrators, families, and specialists.
Additionally, the MTSS model provides an integrated approach to address remedial interventions or support services to struggling learners through a multi-tiered service delivery model. Effective MTSS practices utilize a proactive and collaborative framework that uses universal screening assessment and progress monitoring to guide preventive or remedial instructional practices. The core principles of MTSS are: (1) decisions based on data and screening for at-risk students, (2) school-wide collaboration to help each student, (3) progress monitoring, and (4) evaluating the effectiveness of instruction and interventions. These support structures allow a significant number of students to reach their full potential in their individualized learning programs.
CNG has fully embraced educating students who experience learning challenges, and the school is re-garded as a leader in the region for this program.
Condor Activities achieved its second highest level of program enrollment in comparison with the past five years.
Condor Activities achieved its second highest level of program enrollment in comparison to the past five years. Our activities programs have more than doubled since the 2010-11 school year thanks to a major expansion in the number and variety of activities available to students. Each school year, Condor looks to provide a wider range of programs based on student interests in sports, academic and project areas, and fine arts.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
3736
HS BinationalsSCHOOL GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL
1st CNG 4 1 1 62nd Granadino 1 1 23rd Liceo Inglés 1 1 2
Columbus 2 1 3Jorge Washington 1 1 2
GI School 2 2Panamericano 1 1
Bolivar 0Albania 0Altamira 0
MS Binationals Team Results 2016 - 2017
BasketballMS Boys 1st place
MS Girls 4th place
VolleyballMS Boys 4th place
MS Girls 2nd place
SoccerMS Boys 1st place
MS Girls 4th place
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th
Perc
enta
ge
Grade Level
CNGClassroom Without Walls Participation Rates
SY 2012-2017SY 2012-2013SY 2013-2014SY 2014-2015SY 2015-2016SY 2016 -2017
With the travel restriction due to Zika virus lifted across the country, our overall participation rates in our CWW program significantly increased, specifically at the high school. CNG achieved grade-level participation rates about 75% at 7 of 10 grade levels. Our school continues to examine a full range of trip options each year in order to find the optimal balance between interesting locations and controlled cost structures in order to serve the majority of students and families.
CNG achieved grade-level partici-pation rates about 75% at 7 of 10 grade levels.
Continuing an impressive five-year trend, participation in after-school sports programs reached another all-time high in 2016-17.
Reflecting the same overall growth in total participants, student in-volvement in athletics by school level reached all-time highs in three of the four building levels.
Similarly at the high school level, our teams captured the General Cup for the sixth consecutive time, including setting an all-time-re-cord in the 25-year history of the Binationals: all CNG Teams earned medals for top-three finishes in all six championship categories.
Continuing an impressive five-year trend, participation in after-school sports programs reached another all-time high in 2016-17. With almost 1,200 students participating in both sports and Condor Activities, CNG will need to greatly expand the number of available facilities to meet this growing need. The school’s long-range master facilities plan includes an additional UNCOLI-official soccer field and a new sports complex in order to meet student interests in sports.
Reflecting the same overall growth in total participants, student involvement in athletics by school level reached all-time highs in three of the four building levels. The lower overall average at the high school simply reflects the graduation of our two “bubble groups”, which decreased high school enrollment by 50 students. Again, growth trends in participation across the school as a whole serve as a prime driver for the building of more sports and recreation areas in the near future.
On an annual basis, a total of 13 AdvancED-accredited teams from across Colombia compete for the Binationals championship trophy in three sports for both boys and girls (soccer, basketball, and volleyball) as well as for the overall sportsmanship award. Our student-athletes continue to achieve top performance at the Binational Games at both MS and HS. At the MS level, our student-athletes earned their fifth consecutive championship trophy this season in the General Cup. Similarly at the high school level, our teams captured the General Cup for the sixth consecutive time, including setting an all-time-record in the 25-year history of the Binationals: all CNG Teams earned medals for top-three finishes in all six championship categories.
135
211
251285
250278
314330
348
247
288 290 290325322
268
308273
235
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
2012 - 2013 2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016 2016 - 2017
Num
ber o
f Stu
dent
s
School Year
CNGAthletic Participation by School
2012 - 2017
PS ES MS HS
819
969
1123 11441193
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
2012 - 2013 2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016 2016-2017
Num
ber o
f Stu
dent
s
School Year
CNGAthletic Participation
2012 - 20172012-2017
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
3938
E. Social Service Data Set
As one of our major pillars at our school, our stated CNG Vision highlights “Developing Character” as central to student growth and as exemplified by demonstrating leadership and service to others. The HS Social Service Department provides our students with a significant breadth of opportunities for developing a greater understanding and empathy toward our broader community. Our Social Service Program allows for students to engage in concrete projects and service-learning experiences that truly help make a difference in the world of today for a better tomorrow.
MS / HS UNCOLI Team Results 2016 - 2017
Basketball
Mayores Boys 2nd
Mayores Girls 3rd
Juvenil Boys In Season
Juvenil Girls 3rd place
Infantil Boys 3rd place
Infantil Girls In Season
Volleyball
Mayores Boys In Season
Mayores Girls In Season
Juvenil Boys 1st
Juvenil Girls 5th
Infantil Boys 4th
Infantil Girls 7th
Soccer
Mayores Boys 8th
Mayores Girls 2nd
Juvenil Boys 2nd
Juvenil Girls In Season
Infantil Boys In Season
Infantil Girls 1st
Chess
Mayores General in Season
Juvenil General In Season
Infantil General In Season
Gymnastics
Juvenil 1st
Nivel 1 4th
In Season
T. Tennis 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 5 Bronze Medals
Track/Field In Season
Our Social Service Program allows for students to engage in concrete projects and service-learning experiences that truly help make a difference in the world of today for a better tomorrow.
More than 20,000 hours of social service have been devoted to multiple organizations during the past year.
Our CNG student-athletes have already earned top-three finish-es in nine different champion-ship competitions.
More than 20,000 hours of social service have been devoted to multiple organizations during the past year. Over 20 non-profit institutions receive support from our students with our own Colegio (Hogar) Fundacion Nueva Granada and other CNG programs benefiting from social services support. With CNG no longer a member of the Alianza Educativa, those service hours will shift to other programs among the range of options for students.
Additionally in the area of competitive sports, our CNG sports teams have con-tinued to capture multiple trophies for placing in the top three in UNCOLI sports this season in their competitions among the 23-member schools. Our CNG student-athletes have already earned top-three finishes in nine different championship competitions with slightly over half of the events still remaining to be completed this season. Our student-athletes are poised to finish the 2016-17 school year with one of the top trophy results in CNG sports history.
1st
1st
1st
3rd
3rd
3rd
2nd
2nd
2nd 16366
42073011
1560621
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
20,000
NPO CFNG CNG Others Allianza
Hour
s of S
ervi
ce
Areas of Service
CNGMayor Areas of High School Service Learning
2014-2015 2015-2016
Major Areas of High School Community Service
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
4140
F. Admissions and Enrollment
75
30
43
100
4035
42
100
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
After School clubs Saturday clubs Adult Education Talentos
Prog
ram
Par
ticip
ants
CNGSocial Service
Benefited Program Participants
2015-2016 2016-2017
In addition to the multiple organizations benefitting from student service to the greater community, CNG provides a variety of paths for student to pursue their individual interests in social service. The Saturday “Talentos” program affiliated with the Alianza Educativa has traditionally been one of the major areas of interest given the busy daily schedules of our high school students. After-school clubs and organizations provide the second most-frequent choice for social service options. Our students also work with disadvantaged groups from the local community by teaching adults various academic subjects to help them acquire their Bachillerato degree and provide support to local students in organizing Saturday clubs. As CNG looks to the future, our school plans to expand our program impact in social ser-vice by formalizing and systematizing opportunities school-wide to ensure that all CNG students benefit from character development activities and service to others.
As CNG looks to the future, our school plans to expand our pro-gram impact in social service by formalizing and systematizing opportunities school-wide to en-sure that all CNG students benefit from character development ac-tivities and service to others.
Our projections for next school year currently show that CNG will likely maintain this optimal enrollment level for a fourth con-secutive year.
CNG has continually maintained the highest admission standards over the past six years under our revised policy.
Seven years ago, the Board of Directors and Administration made the determination that CNG’s current infrastructure could support an optimal student enrollment level of between approximately 1760-1780 students. For the past three years, CNG has achieved this optimal number in our annual headcount. Our projections for next school year currently show that CNG will likely maintain this optimal enrollment level for a fourth consecutive year, thus allowing our school to continue building a strong program along with a solid financial foundation.
In addition, an overall enrollment number for headcount, CNG also sets a target average of between 120 to 135 total students per grade level. During the 2015-16 school year, 11 of 14 grade levels have met this established standard, which reflects a 20% increase over the prior year. Although overall enrollment takes into account budgetary needs in order to maintain quality programs, CNG has continually maintained the highest admission standards over the past six years under our revised policy while balancing the need for optimal headcount along with high-quality student and positive family additions to our school community.
18141829
1776 17781761
1500
1550
1600
1650
1700
1750
1800
1850
1900
1950
2000
2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017
Num
ber o
f Stu
dent
s
School Year
CNG Total Enrollment
2012-2017
110
134 133 129134
126 129 130 131124
115
130
114122
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
K4 K5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Num
ber o
f Stu
dent
s
Grade Level
CNGTotal Enrollment by Grade Level
2016-2017
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
4342
Investments 2016-2017( In Colombian pesos )
Technology and communications 702,895,311
New ipads, Macbooks
Desktop Computers
Projectors and access points
Servinomina licenses (payroll)
Construction and building improvements 1,276,518,363
Bathroom improvements
Talud - soccer field
Ceiling changes
Sports fields maintenance
Classroom furniture, libraries, and office equipment 326,358,153
Transportation 422,225,200
2 Buses
Total investments 2,727,997,027
38%34%
41% 41% 43%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017
Perc
ent o
f App
lican
ts A
ccep
ted
School Year
CNG Admissions Acceptance Rate
2012-2017
G. Infrastructure Investments
Reflecting our drive to maintain a competitive admissions processes, our school continues to receive almost 500 official applications annually, therefore allowing for highly selective admissions. Limited space availability has also provided our school with the opportunity to carefully select quality candidate families and students in order to maintain high academic and behavioral standards for all applicants.
Our school continues to receive almost 500 official applications annually, therefore allow for highly selective admissions.
Acceptance rates for the past three years have remained in the low 40th percent range in competitive selection across all candidate applicants. Current application trends as of April 2017 suggest a continuation of around 500 candidate applications, so projections continue to remain positive for ongoing highly selective admissions at CNG.
The Board of Directors and Administration remain fully committed to building a better CNG for current students as well as engaging in long-range strategic planning to continue capital investment. In the 2016-17 school year, CNG completed 2.7 billion pesos in campus improvements including the following major investments: phase two of significant purchases of technological tools for student and teacher use; renovated bathrooms and upgraded sports fields; classroom furniture and library improvements; and investment in two new buses to replace dated models. Over the past five years, CNG has made capital investments totaling almost $12 billion pesos not including annual expenditures for educational materials and supplies.
As reflected in the Board President’s report, CNG has made major strides in securing building permits for a major seven-building master facilities plan. The Board of Directors and Administration have accomplished the following objectives to advance with an aggressive plan for building a better CNG:
• Patrimonio Designated Only Four Buildings as Historical• Company Contracted to Update Master Facilities Plan• Revision and Update of PRM in Process (projected for 12/2017)• Selection Process Underway to Hire Project Architect• Funds Approved to Produce Architectual Renders• Fundraising Committee Beginning Quiet Phase• List of Priority Building Projects Selected by Our Board• Projected Costs Determined for First Three New Buildings
As a result of robust enrollment that exceeded budget projections, plans are moving forward to make more than double the average amount of capital investments in the 2017-18 school year with major renovations and upgrades planned schoolwide and scheduled for completion during the summer break.
Plans are moving forward to make more than double the av-erage amount of capital invest-ments in the 2017-18 school year with major renovations and up-grades planned schoolwide.
CNG has made major strides in securing building permits for a major seven-building master fa-cilities plan.
Over the past five years, CNG has made capital investments totaling almost $12 billion pesos not including annual expendi-tures for educational materials and supplies.
762 751
644694 675
446493
405
500451
171 166 168204 195
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-15 2015-2016 2016-2017
Num
ber
School Year
CNGNumber of Contacts, Applications, and Acceptances
2012 - 2017Contacts Applications Admission
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
4544
Next steps in advancing our comprehensive school improvement plan
As a key factor in the process of creating the Next Generation CNG, we open-ly invite all of our stakeholders to provide their survey input into our school’s continuous improvement process related to program evaluation and the devel-opment of key improvement priorities. The school utilizes these survey data to monitor and adjust our School Improvement Plan each year. The summary find-ings that result from these efforts provide us with consensus confirmation of overall agreement across all stakeholder groups related to the key factors and target goals that help our school advance to the next level of performance. The following section highlights our stakeholder participation, overall improvement trends, and key findings that inform our improvement plans.
Section iii
A. Survey Results from Stakeholder Feedback
CNG continues to achieve high participation rates that guarantee reliable and valid results across all stakeholder groups. Of note, our participation rates have remained above 80% in three of four groups with Total Students and Total Teachers maintaining robust levels of feedback. Additionally, Total Community participation on the survey instrument along with open-ended responses have remained above 50%, significantly higher than the 20% minimum needed to produce valid results. Our school will be focusing on strategies to increase parent participation in the future in order to gain more comprehensive feedback from this key stakeholder group.
Total Community participation on the survey instrument along with open-ended responses have remained above 50%, sig-nificantly higher than the 20% minimum needed to produce valid results.
95% 85%
90% 81%
26%
59%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
PS/ES Students MS/HS Students Total Students Staff/Teachers Parents Total Community
Perc
enta
ge
Stakeholder Group
CNGAdvancED Survey Participation Rates
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
90%
19%
71%
51%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Students Parents Teachers/Staff Total Community
Perc
enta
ge
Stakeholder Group
CNGAdvancED Open-Ended Survey Participation
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Beyond the importance of continued robust participation rates, CNG has maintained a strong focus on three critical areas deemed essential for improving the quality of our programs and services to students.
1. Hiring, Retaining, and Training Quality Staff2. Improving Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Practices3. Upgrading Policies to Strengthen Discipline and Reduce Bullying
These three areas have prompted CNG to take important decisions and make data-driven interventions focused primarily on our core function of teaching and learning as well as the positive learning environment needed to support our major educational goals. Following several years of concerted emphasis on the development and implementation of school improvement plans related to these key areas, the survey results conclusively show program improvements across all three critical areas identified at CNG.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
4746
Based on six years of survey results, stakeholders report overwhelming agree-ment both on subjective perception and objective performance data, which show that all five target areas of concern have dramatically improved. CNG’s commitment to presenting survey feedback with complete honesty and transparency has proven critical to the improvement process and accountability to maintaining action plans. Based on the benchmark open-ended survey responses from 2010, CNG has ad-dressed five major concerns in two key areas: academic quality and student behav-ior. Not a single area initially identified six years ago remains of major concern for more than 4% of the school population on the open-ended survey results in 2016.
As the most notable improvement area over the past six years, overall concerns about the academic program have shown the most remarkable decreases at CNG. Survey results across all three stakeholder groups demonstrate significantly posi-tive improvements related to the quality of our academic programs. Less than 1% of students and teachers report concern about academics, and student concerns in this area have fallen to the lowest levels ever.
Similar to the school’s efforts in bullying prevention and intervention, CNG has also taken major strides to improve disciplinary policies and procedures by upgrading our Honor Code and Disciplinary Policy as well as reinforcing common expectations and consistent consequences across the K4-12 program. Overall survey results related to stakeholder perceptions on the strengthening of our disciplinary policies show the positive impact of these interventions on our student-learning environment. In the disaggregated results for parents and teachers, the general feedback on discipline has focused on ensuring greater consistency across building levels related to dress code and in disciplinary consequences for behavioral infractions.
Based on six years of survey re-sults, stakeholders report over-whelming agreement both on sub-jective perception and objective performance data, which show that all five target areas of concern have dramatically improved.
Not a single area initially identi-fied six years ago remains of major concern for more than 4% of the school population on the open-ended survey results in 2016.
Survey results across all three stakeholder groups demon-strate significantly positive im-provements related to the qual-ity of our academic programs.
As the second area of major stakeholder concern initially reported six years ago, CNG took major steps to reduce incidents of bullying within the school. The latest survey results from 2016 clearly show the positive impact of our interventions in this key area related to our student-learning environment and bullying-prevention/intervention programs. In this open-ended survey section, parent concern fell to its lowest overall level while teacher concerns remain at nearly no negative responses. While student concerns rose slightly, they still remain at the second lowest level in six years. Although CNG will continue its work to reduce bullying to zero levels, the issue will always remain on the table to continue seeking program improvements. With our emphasis on child protection protocols, our school has already taken additional steps to expand programs in bullying intervention and prevention to help create an even better environment for students.
The latest survey results from 2016 clearly show the positive impact of our interventions in this key area related to our student-learning environment and bullying-prevention/inter-vention programs.
Overall survey results related to stakeholder perceptions on the strengthening of our disciplinary policies show the positive impact of these interventions on our stu-dent-learning environment.
51.9%
1.3%
42.0%
2.2%
35.0%
1.8%
20.5%
4.8% 15.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010 2016Pe
rcen
t of A
ll Op
en-E
nded
Res
pons
esYear
CNGAdvancED Open-Ended Response Results
Areas of Major Concerns2010 vs. 2016
Academics
Bullying and Behavior
Discipline / Rules
Teaching and Teachers
Curriculum
9.9%
0.7%
81.4%
0.8%
36.5%
3.7% 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Perc
ent
Sur
vey
Re
spo
nse
s
Survey Year
CNGAdvancED Open-Ended Survey
AcademicConcerns2010 - 2016
Teachers
Students
Parents
7.0% 0.3%
67.6%
3.4%
27.6%
0.0% 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Perc
ent S
urve
y Re
spns
es
Survey Year
CNGAdvancED Open-Ended Survey
Bullying Concerns 2010 - 2016
TeachersStudents Parents
36.0%
3.8%
32.0%
0.0%
38.2%
5.9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Perc
ent S
urve
y Re
spon
ses
SurveyYear
CNGAdvancED Open-Ended Survey
Discipline Concerns2010 - 2016
TeachersStudentsParents
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
4948
0
1
2
3
4
5
Primary Students Elementary Students
Middle and High School Students
Staff / Teachers Parent
Aver
age
Scor
e
Stakeholder Groups
CNGAdvancED Survey Score
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Commonalities of Strengths Students Parents Faculty /Staff Total Percentage
Friendly Environment/School Climate/Community 149 99 30 278 16.20%
Learning Opportunities/ Student Support 102 65 99 266 15.50%
Teachers/Quality Staffing 97 40 34 171 9.90%
Across all stakeholder groups, overall survey averages on the quality of our school programs improved compared to the prior year, and four of five groups reached all-time highs in stakeholder satisfaction. Notably, MS/HS students and Staff/Teachers both exceeded 4.0 averages on the AdvancED 5-point scale. The combined stakeholder averages reached an all-time school high in rating school performance on the five standards for school quality. CNG not only focuses on building upon our strengths but also works diligently
on improving our weaknesses. As a result of our efforts, CNG improved across all five of the prior lowest indicators linked with Standards 3 and 5, thus setting an all-time high on the cumulative improvement average of these areas. Of important note, based on the criteria established by AdvancED, a ranking of 3.0 indicates a neutral response, and all five items rated above 3.7 overall with two surpassing the 4.0 level and therefore no longer qualifying as underperforming areas.
Continuing to build upon on established strengths, CNG’s Top-Five Indicators evaluated over the past five years also reached all-time-high averages in combined
Across all stakeholder groups, overall survey averages on the quality of our school programs improved compared to the prior year, and four of five groups reached all-time highs in stake-holder satisfaction.
The combined stakeholder aver-ages reached an all-time school high in rating school perfor-mance on the five standards for school quality.
Continuing to build upon on estab-lished strengths, CNG’s Top-Five indicators assessed over the past five years also reached all-time-high averages in combined stake-holder ratings of satisfaction.
As a result of our improvement efforts, CNG improved across all five of the prior lowest indicators linked with Standards 3 and 5, thus setting an all-time high on the cumulative improvement aver-age of these areas.
The breadth of program and support services, the overall school learning environment, and the high quality of our teachers continue to lead the way in positive stakeholder perceptions that fully align with our major school goals.
Despite the category of cafeteria/food making list for improvement in 2016, this area actually experi-enced as 60% decrease in the num-ber of respondents listing it as an area of concern.
CNG has remained fully committed over the past seven years to improving our core function of teaching and learning. As a result of this ongoing focus on pro-viding quality programs and services to our students and parent community, the survey results across all stakeholder groups provide strong confirmation on the positive impact in maintaining a clear north for our school’s direction. The breadth of program and support services, the overall school learning environment, and the high quality of our teachers continue to lead the way in positive stakeholder perceptions that fully align with our major school goals.
3.7: Mentoring, coaching and induction programs support instructional improvement consistent with the school’s values and beliefs about teaching and learning.5.1: The school establishes and maintains a clearly defined and comprehensive student as-sessment system.3.5: Teachers participate in collaborative learning com-munities to improve instruction and student learning.
3.11: All staff members participate in a continuous program of professional learning. 5.2: Professional and support staff continuously collect, analyze and apply learning from a range of data sources, including comparison and trend data about student learning, instruction, program evaluation and organizational conditions.
3.7 5.1 3.5 3.11 5.20
1
2
3
4
5
AverageScore
CNGAdvancED Survey Bottom 5 Indicators
2012 - 20162012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Indicators
3.4: School leaders monitor and support the improvement of instructional practices of teachers to ensure student success.4.4: Students and school personnel use a range of media and information resources to support the school’s educational programs.1.1: The school engages in a systematic, inclusive and comprehensive process to review, revise and communicate a school purpose for student success.
4.1: Qualified professional and support staff are sufficient in number to fulfill their roles and responsibilities necessary to support the school’s purpose, direction and the educational program. 2.2: The governing body operates responsibly and functions effectively.
0
1
2
3
4
5
3.4 School leaders monitor and support the
improvement of instructional practices of
teachers to ensure student success.
4.4 Students and school personnel use a range of media and information
resources to support the school’s educational
programs.
1.1 The school engages in a systematic, inclusive
and comprehensive process to review, revise
and communicate a school purpose for student success.
4.1 Qualified professional and support staff are
sufficient in number to fulfill their roles and
responsibilities necessary to support the school’s purpose, direction and
the educational program.
2.2 The governing body operates responsibly and
functions effectively.
Aver
age
Scor
e
Indicator
CNG AdvancED Survey Top 5 Indicators
2012 - 20162012 2013 2014 2015 2016
3.4 4.4 1.1 4.1 2.2
Indicators
stakeholder ratings of satisfaction. Based on an objective analysis of these five areas, four of these indicators are directly related to our core function of quality teaching and learning while the fifth factor highlights the positive work of our Board of Directors in their role and function as a strategic governing body.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
5150
B. School improvement plan updates
Commonalities Areas for Improvement Students Parents Faculty/
Staff Total Percentage
Facilities /Campus/Infrastructure 235 29 29 284 16.20%
Cafeteria/Food 109 17 6 132 7.70%
A strong confirmation to CNG’s positive efforts related to improving teaching and learning, our stakeholders groups only identified non-core-function areas as consensus areas for improvement. Although students, teachers, and parents ranked the quality of our campus facilities within the Top Five strengths of the schools, these same groups also believe in the need for further improvements in this area, especially in terms of sports fields and enhanced learning spaces. Despite the category of cafeteria/food making the list for improvement in 2016, this area actually experienced as 60% decrease in the number of respondents listing it as an area of concern.
After a thorough analysis of the comprehensive set of data related to CNG’s academic and co-curricular program results, school-wide survey outcomes, and evaluation of operational effectiveness, the CNG Board of Directors and Administration have worked jointly to establish the next generation of our strategic goals for the future. Applying our current framework founded on five key perspectives based on best practices for school improvement, we have identified the following key goal areas to advance the overall quality of our programs and services. As a central part of our plan, we intend to focus our priorities on major campus facilities and infrastructure improvements along with added program objectives that advance our institution’s three pillars of mind, body, and character. The following updated plan helps advance institutional excellence as well as maximizes each student’s individual learning potential.
Vision and purpose perspective
1. Update CNG’s Master Facilities Plan and obtain the all building licenses necessary to begin immediate infrastructure projects as well as long-range capital investment plans.
2. Complete the quiet phase and begin the public phase of CNG’s fundraising plan to generate financial capital to start the school’s Master Facility Plan to build eight new projects.
Staffing and training perspective
1. Formalize the specific functions of instructional coaches and mentors to ensure all teachers are provided support to improve instructional capacity.
2. Develop and implement a plan to provide professional development to support staff members in the culture of client service.
3. Provide robust professional development to ensure that all teachers expand their knowledge of instructional processes that include modification and differentiation strategies supported by data and aligned with school goals.
Financial and resource perspective
1. Implement Year 2 of our long-range funding plan to finance capital facility needs and ongoing program improvement.
2. Begin a phased-in process to build a robust contingency and reserve fund to provide long-term financial stability for our institution.
3. Continue expanding partnerships to secure additional long-term funding sources.
Curriculum, instruction, and assessment perspective
1. Begin the implementation of an expanded gifted and talented program to provide challenging learning experiences for students who demonstrate high levels of aptitude or competence in one or more domains.
2. Develop student achievement objectives and actions that are derived from an analysis of disaggregated student performance data.
3. Evaluate the overall effect of the comprehensive Character Education Program to gauge the impact of program implementation and impact of interventions.
4. Assess the impact of accountability measures to ensure consistency of implementation with the Handbook for Teaching and Learning and assure effective use at all building levels.
5. Evaluate current progress on the key established objectives for the improvement of our Colombian program and SABER performance results.
6. Implement a comprehensive program to improve social integration for new students and families to CNG.
7. Develop and implement an updated three-year Technology Plan.
Governance and organization perspective
1. Increase accountability on achieving higher expectations for students, staff, and parent on meeting the established Honor Code and Disciplinary Policy.
2. Revise and update the Board Policy Manual to reflect all policy updates and continue to reflect best practices in school governance.
3. Develop and implement a branding and communication plan to increase CNG name recognition and generate partnerships to advance the school.
Our pursuit of excellence at CNG demands an ongoing and concerted focus on the five major perspectives to hold the course for continuous school improvement. Each year’s Annual Report advances this major objective by utilizing data-driven analyses based on comprehensive assessment data. Given the wide range of measurable improvement trends demonstrated during this past year, the school plans to leverage our ongoing focus on research and best practices in teaching and learning along with organization improvement to propel student learning to next-generation heights.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
5352
Section iv Synergizing Stakeholders: Key Partners Helping Advance CNG’s Vision
Although the vast majority of this Annual Report highlights student and organizational performance, The CNG Way also includes a strong notion of the daily impact of our extended CNG Family on our school. We clearly benefit from the efforts of our CNG parents across multiple areas of programs and operations, which includes the support of our PTA, our elected Parent Council with representatives from each grade level, and other parent volunteers who help our students and staff to reach our goals of educating the mind, strengthening the body, and developing character. CNG greatly values these strong partnerships across our community to advance the quality of our school programs and appreciates the work of parents as role models to our children for leading the way in service others.
As we look into the future with an overriding vision to build a better CNG, our school must remain committed to strengthening as well as expanding these partnerships to maximize our institutional potential for excellence. Partnerships in the following three key areas have allowed CNG to advance our programs and overall school quality beyond regular budget limitations:
A. Our Parent/Teacher Association – Investments in Our Childrens’ Futures
Through their ongoing efforts of building community and supporting healthy communication among stakeholder groups, the Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) sponsors many activities that help strengthen our community and enhance program goals. Adding to their original investment of $250 million pesos to promote high-tech learning environments in school, the PTA has committed another $50 million this coming school year to expand the availability of innovative learning spaces that promote student creativity and higher-order thinking. Beyond these important efforts, the PTA has also organized the highly successful community Bazaar, our popular Halloween window-painting contest, multiple welcome-back breakfasts for new parents and staff, and contributed to worthy causes such as donating furniture to our Fundación Hogar. Throughout these efforts, the PTA has given many opportunities for students and teachers to participate with them. Without question, our active PTA has generously volunteered hundreds of hours of their invaluable time toward helping to build stronger ties within our community and supporting the school’s efforts to improve programs for our children, educational staff, and parents.
B. Fundación Nueva Granada – Engagement, Investment, and Impact
The Colegio Fundación Nueva Granada (Hogar) continues to add great value in helping CNG students understand the reality of Bogota’s broader social context as well as break through the socio-economic bubble surrounding us in order to establish authentic relationships with those less fortunate. As a critical element to maintain this valuable social project as well as achieve a greater culture of caring and empathy among our students and within our CNG community, the Fundación heavily relies on the contributions of time, talent, and treasure from our school community to provide the majority of financial support to ensure the long-term viability of the Foundation. Current funding has helped support the educational, health, and emotional needs of approximately 550 children and their families. Beyond providing a quality educational program for these children, the CFNG also provides multiple opportunities for quality interactions across our two communities and also advances our character education program goals. Many CNG students, especially for their Senior Independent Study, have gained valuable leadership experiences to positively address critical needs in the surrounding communities.
Contributing to the school’s caring culture is its commitment to serving others and providing leadership opportunities for students and teachers.
AdvancED External Review Team 2016
The PTA has committed another $50 million this coming school year to expand the availability of innovative learning spaces that promote student creativity and higher-order thinking.
CNG greatly values these strong partnerships across our commu-nity to advance the quality of our school programs and appreciates the work of parents as role mod-els to our children in leading the way in service others.
Current funding has helped sup-port the educational, health, and emotional needs of approximate-ly 550 children and their families.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
5554
$622,789,132 $613,494,860$666,239,830
$742,862,398
$976,052,499
$0
$200,000,000
$400,000,000
$600,000,000
$800,000,000
$1,000,000,000
$1,200,000,000
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Colo
mbi
an P
esos
FHNGPlan Padrino Fiscal Year Donations
Related to engagement and investment demonstrated through donations by our community to Plan Padrino, which provides the opportunity to fund students scholarships, CNG reached an all-time high this past year with almost $980 million pesos donated to fund the education of the children at the Fundación. These increases in overall donations have provided more children with scholarships, helped improve the quality of programs, and ensured that children receive two free meals a day to support their growth and development.
$1,208,067
$1,328,948
$1,291,777
$1,349,585
$1,237,383
$1,416,438
$1,583,713
$1,543,813$1,617,769
$2,301,892
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
Colo
mbi
an P
esos
Year
FHNGPlan Padrino Average Donation Per Family
Ten-Year Trend
In addition to the overall increase in donations to Plan Padrino, the ten-year trend in the amount of contribution per family shows strong increases over time, and this most recent school year established an all-time record in charitable contributions from CNG families and other donors.
324339
316345
365 373396
427405
353
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Num
ber o
f CNG
Fam
ilies
Year
FHNGNumber of CNG Families in Plan Padrino
Ten-Year Trend
Despite the positive news in overall giving totals and donation amount per family, the number of contributing families at CNG has decreased the past two years. With currently 68% of total revenue being generated by Plan Padrino, our community must reverse this downward trend in number of donating families in order to assure the Fundación’s financial sustainability in providing education programs to underserved children as well as ensuring that our students, teachers, and community members have the opportunity to contribute to the greater good of society.
55.57 55.39 55.29 55.07
60.75
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
LECTURA CRITICA
MATEMÁTICAS SOCIALES Y CIUDADANÍA
CIENCIAS NATURALES
INGLES
Punt
aje
Prom
edio
Competencias
FHNGPruebas SABER 11
Results per graduating class
Class of 2014 Class of 2015 Class of 2016
Beyond the aspect of our school’s engagement and investment in quality public education through the Fundación, the impact of our community’s involvement has supported increases in student academic achievement and strengthened of programs and staffing. On three of five subtests on the SABER 11, our most recent graduates of the Fundación made positive gains. Data provided by the Ministry of Education show our Fundación students to be outperforming their similar demographic peer groups in Bogotá and across Colombia.
CNG reached an all-time high this past year with almost $980 million pesos donated to fund the education of the children at the Fundación.
With currently 68% of total rev-enue being generated by Plan Padrino, our community must reverse this downward trend in number of donating families.
Data provided by the Ministry of Education show our Fundación students to be outperforming their similar demographic peer groups in Bogotá and across Colombia.
This most recent school year es-tablished an all-time record in charitable contributions from CNG families and other donors.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
5756
10
22 21
13
7 8
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Class of 2014 Class of 2015 Class of 2016
Num
ber o
f Stu
dent
s
Graduating Class
FHNGAlumni Enrolling in Higher Education
2014-2016
Yes No
Finally, the impact of our investment in the education of Hogar students truly demonstrates our ability to transform lives and communities. The last three years of results from graduating classes demonstrate that a Fundación education provides opportunities for personal and career advancement through technical and higher education. Truly, a quality education can help change society for the better by opening doors that once were closed.
C. Closing one chapter and opening several others
After 15 years as a founding member and committed partner in the Asociación Alianza Educativa (AAE), our school closed this chapter of our history in order to focus on the Fundación and other priorities for improving public education for highly disadvantaged children in Bogotá. We have remained steadfast in our belief to think global but act locally in order to make the largest impact in our social responsibility endeavors. Regardless of this shift in focus as we continue to increase our support to the Fundación Hogar, the CNG community wishes to extend our thanks to the Universidad de Los Andes, Colegio San Carlos, and Colegio Los Nogales for their valued partnership in operating five charter schools to help advance public education in Colombia. We feel honored to have been a committed part of Alianza Educativa in supporting and strengthening public education, and we look forward to continuing these efforts in our local community through other partnerships.
As CNG closes one chapter, CNG has opened several other doors in forming strategic partnerships with the University of Kentucky (UK), the Tri-Association of Latin America, and the Association of American Schools in South America. These partnerships are intended to advance CNG’s impact both in Colombia and
The last three years of results from graduating classes demon-strate that a Fundación educa-tion provides opportunities for personal and career advance-ment through technical and higher education.
CNG opened several other doors in forming strategic partner-ships with the University of Ken-tucky (UK), the Tri-Association of Latin America, and the Asso-ciation of American Schools in South America.
Fifty special-needs support staff and school administrators at-tended the CNG Symposium with direct impact to student in 22 schools in 9 different countries
All of these key partnerships help us build a better CNG now and into the future.
We feel honored to have been a committed part of Alianza Educa-tiva in supporting and strength-ening public education, and we look forward to continuing these efforts in our local community through other endeavors.
regionally in the area of inclusive education. This school year, CNG hosted the first annual Learning Center Symposium to advance special education services in schools. Fifty special-needs support staff and school administrators attended the CNG Symposium with direct impact to students in 22 schools in 9 different countries (Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Curacao, and Ecuador).
This annual CNG Symposium helps educators advance their inclusive education programs and research-based practices for students with special needs. The interactive sessions are tailored for interdisciplinary team members who help facilitate growth, potential, and independence in students with learning challenges. As a result of attending the CNG Symposium, school professionals learn about inclusive service-delivery models; observe classes, programs, and services in action; and participate in workshops to deepen their knowledge about the most common learning disabilities and expand their researched-based approaches. Related to this initiative to advance inclusive education, CNG also wishes to acknowledge our partnership with the U.S. State Department in promoting special education, assisting with security improvements at CNG, and providing support for our upcoming initiative to advance gifted-and-talented education at our school. All of these key partnerships help us build a better CNG now and long into the future.
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
5958
Our Strategy for Achieving the Next Generation CNG Section v
1. Strengthening systems thinking: continuous improvement of key policies, procedures, and protocols
First and foremost, we firmly believe that top performance and improvement to the next level demand formalized systems put into capable hands. Schools can hire and retain highly talented teachers, administrators, and support staff, but if their efforts lack alignment due to faulty structural integrity and unclear target goals, then outcome achievements will suffer accordingly. Our extensive efforts focused on creating and implementing a systemic model with aligned systematic practices underscore our fundamental belief in the power of rooted processes. These processes and practices are clearly reflected in the following: CNG’s Handbook for Teaching and Learning, Assessment Protocols, Business Office Procedures, Security Manual, Technology and General Services Ticketing System, ISO 9001 Standards-Based Job Descriptions and Quality Management Systems, Emergency Evacuation Plan Procedures, Online Educational Materials and Supplies Ordering, Professional Development Policy and Request System, Staff and Community Handbooks, Accounts Receivable Policies and Financial Aid Request Processes, Child Protection Protocols, Challenged Materials Policy, Board Policy for Salary-and-Benefits Competitiveness . . . ad infinitum.
In the end, the long-term stability and sustainability of higher levels of excellence revolve around policy-based practices that far outlast the normal rotations of personnel, an inherent aspect within international schools. Our systematic annual review of CNG policies, procedures, and protocols will assure the continuity of high-quality programs, services, and support structures to advance our institution regardless of changes in staffing and system dynamics, which in other organizations, might thwart the “keep-it-going” principal objective. Our emphasis on systems thinking will undoubtedly help us achieve the next iteration of a better CNG.
2. Building individual capabilities: professional development for growth mindset
As the second vital factor for maintaining a continuing-success school performance model to reach the next level, the ongoing professional development of high-quality staff members also helps leverage the school’s ability to ensure improvement trends. Our strong tradition of supporting ongoing professional growth continues today with the prime example of New York’s Columbia University naming CNG as the first Project School in Latin America due to our commitment to advancing the Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop Project (TCRWP) for student learning. Our teachers and support staff across all core subjects continue to receive high-quality professional development from top literacy experts to promote stronger reading and writing skills for our students in both English and Spanish. Added support structures, which include experienced literacy coaches and external consultants, extend this robust professional development throughout the school year to further enhance the knowledge and skills of our staff and their students. With critical reading skills as one of the most central components for improving student performance on both Colombian and U.S. standardized tests, CNG’s partnership with the Columbia University TCRWP serves to strengthen our students’ skills while also building the instructional capabilities of all teachers.
Further evidence of our school’s strong commitment to instilling an institutional growth mindset can be found in CNG taking its next evolutionary step for advancing our inclusion services for students. Despite more than four decades of industry-
Three-prong Strategy for the Future
When a school establishes an ongoing trend of producing a significant num-ber of all-time-high performance results, community members initially react with celebratory joy and a deep sense of pride. Yet interestingly, the same aspects of human nature that produce these typical reactions to school success, soon thereafter, bring accompanying feelings of anxiety and uncertainty, particularly related to two questions:1) How can we keep it going? and; 2) Will we ever reach this level again? In simple terms, CNG can answer these two questions and al-lay these normal fears through the following syllogism: IF we truly believe that shared vision drives policy and written policy drives processes, THEN systematic processes built on current levels of success achieved through an increasingly more capable community of learners will continue to generate even higher per-formance results. As reflected in The CNG Way, the value we place on the strength of the systemic whole will consistently prove far greater in its impact than the sum of its parts. Our performance highs have essentially served to establish a new normal – a stronger and higher baseline on which to build future successes. Based on this holistic belief system, we would like to highlight three particular areas of current and future focus, which will help CNG maintain momentum as well as provide the impetus for higher performance and continued upward trend-ing to create The Next Generation CNG.
Given the school’s current leadership, staff, and supportive community, the school will continue to thrive and offer students a quality education in an environ-ment that deeply cares about each individual. This is truly an exciting time for CNG and its entire school community.
AdvancED Accreditation Report 2016
Colegio NUEVA GRANADA
6160
leading commitment to maximizing the fullest potential of all students, CNG still took the initiative to raise the bar by contracting the services of three highly published special-education professors from top research universities in order to conduct an exhaustive audit of our learning-support services. This audit helped CNG develop an extensive list of short, medium and long-range improvement plans with targeted professional development for improving our service provisions. This extensive process also helped map our path forward for the next five years and generate greater capacity in our support specialists as well as our general education teachers to serve the needs of all students more effectively.
Additionally, as our second major advancement in developing greater capacity for inclusive education within our teaching corps, CNG entered a strategic partnership with the University of Kentucky (UK) and the Tri-Association of Latin America to become a regional center for advancing inclusive education. CNG currently serves as the center for training in special education for UK/Tri-Association courses that provide specialized certification and Master’s Degrees to participants. As a result, CNG has certified all academic support staff in our Learning Center, and three of our teachers have already earned advanced degrees in this key area. Moreover, after hosting more than a dozen visits from other international schools with interest in improving their inclusion programs for children, our school initiated a new annual forum, –the CNG Learning Center Symposium– to provide inclusive-education leadership and establish critical connections to advance these educational services regionally and worldwide. The CNG Symposium also leverages a new joint partnership with the Tri- Association, AASSA, and the Office of Overseas Schools that helps build individual and collective staff capabilities to meet the needs of our students along with those previously underserved in other institutions in our region. CNG has also extended these partnerships into the area of gifted-and-talented education in order to provide our students with a greater range of challenging learning opportunities.
As a final example indicative of the school’s overall systems approach to program improvement and capacity building for our personnel, The CNG Way now extends fully into our athletics and activities programs. Over the past two years, internationally renowned experts have provided targeted professional development to help advance our organizational and personal understanding of the holistic nature of these programs, which simultaneously develop Mind, Body, and Character in our students. This training represents a new paradigm shift in physical education, sports, and motor-skills development that combines applied neuroscience research, behaviorist and constructivist pedagogical models, and emotional learning constructs. The program also emphasizes the importance of coaches serving as character role models for expected behaviors in teamwork, responsibility, determination, respect, and fair play.
Finally, this new model, Coaching the CNG Way, also provides our staff with an understanding of the theoretical foundations for multi-sport and multi-activity student learning, which fully align with CNG’s belief in our responsibility to develop the whole child. The above examples merely highlight a few of the many capability-building initiatives that signify our growth mindset for the ongoing development of all members of our learning community.
3. Cultivating organizational capacity: systemic approaches to higher quality
The third and final area critical for maintaining upward trends to achieve the next generation of higher results in student and school performance relates to our ongoing work of focused, continuous improvement. This centers upon cultivating three overarching principles necessary for improving organizational capacity as highlighted earlier in this report:
1. Greater intentionality in our programs and learner outcomes aligned with our three pillars;
2. Increased purposefulness in focusing on student learning; and3. Higher levels of sophistication in our data literacy and data utilization for
improving learning and organizational effectiveness.
First, our vision and purpose represent the enduring foundation on which to continue nurturing student learning in our three pillars of Mind, Body, and Character. In the ongoing process of developing greater understanding of research-based best practices for achieving key learner outcomes in these areas, our teachers will gain greater intentionality in their decision making related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Furthermore, as we better align our processes for continuously improving in these pillars along with leadership and service, our programs will also provide stronger scaffolding in program delivery. These efforts to clarify and refine our learning outcomes will definitely raise the overall baseline on which to build even higher levels of student success.
Secondly, our school made a major shift in our thinking two years ago as our emphasis evolved from an emphasis on the work of teaching to an intensified focus on student learning. This change in concentrating on the learning of students as central to our core function now guides the structuring of our learning programs and instructional strategies. Our continuing work in embedding pre/post testing, developing rubrics and common assessments, and ensuring the utilization of exemplars will undoubtedly set a higher bar for student engagement and performance. This increased purposefulness also extends to the entire Administrative Team related to promoting the best quality-assurance protocols to support all academic and operational areas. Efforts are currently underway to pursue the rigorous training of all members of the leadership team in the next iteration of our AdvancED protocols, a process that will help each team member improve in his or her unique organizational role, ultimately better supporting student learning.
Finally, along with greater intentionality and increased purposefulness for student learning, the ongoing training of all faculty and staff in data literacy and utilization will further refine and ensure achievement of intended student learning and organizational improvement goals. The major initiative already undertaken, which produced our own data literacy evaluation and training tools with professional development aligned to the individualized needs of teachers and staff, only serves to highlight the school’s robust commitment to data-driven, decision-making processes for program improvement. These important advances in data literacy and usage will sharpen our focus and heighten our sophistication to improve the measurable factors that foster student growth and the conditions that best support their learning.
In the end, our belief in the exponential power of aligning vision, policy, process, and people –The CNG Way– reflects our fundamental institutional ethos, which places greatest value on advancing the shared values, core beliefs, and common practices necessary for producing high-quality outcomes. The extensive list of notable achievements, resulting from our recent five-year journey as well as results this school year of applying these tenets in the relentless pursuit of excellence, strongly supports the enduring power of our systemic model and systems thinking. We are confident that by remaining fully committed to our core mission and current path, we will also remain true to our vision of creating a better tomorrow for our CNG students and their world of learning. Next Generation CNG here we come!
(A) (B)
2016-2017Approved
Budget
2016-2017Projected
Budget End Of Year
A Vs B%Of
Increase
Tutition & Fees 52,473,043 54,025,511 3.0%Investment Returns 289,270 474,776 64.1%
Transportation 3,189,743 3,261,309 2.2%Cafeteria 3,312,329 3,343,439 0.9%
Varios 2,103,509 2,016,138 -4.2%Total Operation Income 61,367,894 63,121,173 2.9%
Total Non-Operational Income 4,592,000 8,572,820 86.7%Total Revenues 65,959,894 71,693,993 8.7%
ExpendituresPersonnel Total 49,596,912 49,974,767 0.8%
Salaries 18,319,936 18,178,859 -0.8%Social Benefits 11,492,405 12,328,781 7.3%
Personnel Expenses 16,169,514 15,404,310 -4.7%Collective Bargaining Agreement 145,019 182,132 25.6%
Staff Expenses 3,470,038 3,880,686 11.8%Teaching Materials 3,769,617 2,672,887 -29.1%Academic Activities 1,998,730 1,813,945 -9.2%
Administration & Support 3,349,379 3,152,093 -5.9%Transportation 2,773,985 2,555,198 -7.9%
General Expenses 3,464,387 3,622,248 4.6%Total Expenditures 64,953,008 63,791,138 -1.8%
Surplus / (Deficit) 1,006,885 7,902,855 684.9%
Colegio Nueva Granada Budget Execution 2016-2017
Appendix 1
SCO
RE
ADVANCEDNETWORKAVERAGE
CNG IEQ SCORE
RESOURCEUTILIZATION
LEADERSHIPCAPACITY
TEACHING ANDLEARNING IMPACT
OVERALLSCORE
INDEX OF EDUCATION QUALITY (IEQ)
373.47
350
400
300
250
200
150
100
370.13
313.61
340.29
286.27 293.71
268.48278.94
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS FOR COLEGIO NUEVA GRANADA
On behalf of our entire leadership team and our Board of Directors, we are pleased and proud of the external review conducted by AdvancED on October 2016. The results reflect the incredible efforts of our teachers, staff, parents, and administrators in working together to help our students make significant improvements in their learning and personal growth. Although, we still have plenty to improve in order to reach our true potential as a school, the report highlights the great work being done every day in teaching and learning at CNG. Congratulations to everyone!
AdvancED External Review teamoctober 2016
Below please find only a few verbatim excerpts (listed by page order) from the report that highlight an unprecedented number of superlatives regarding the quality of our teachers and staff, our students and their learning environment, and our school’s commitment to continuous improvement. I hope that you enjoy all the following accolades from the External Review Team that reflect the results of your hard work!
Dr. Eric H. HabEggEr CNG Director
CNG has an outstanding faculty and staff who are excited about the school’s direc-tion and very dedicated to its students and to each other. (ERT Report, page 33)
And, the culture at CNG is positive, nur-turing, supportive, and above all, authen-tic. Goodness, kindness, and excellence are exuded throughout the school - the staff are high quality and show their respect and dedication to students and each other. (ERT Report, page 33)
Students were observed to be happy, respect-ful and enthusiastic about their learning and being students at CNG. The eleot data for items that measure students’ positive attitude towards learning, how they speak to each oth-er, and their willingness to meet the teachers’ high expectations are manifestations of the overall school’s positive, respectful, and caring culture. (page 15)
Colegio Nueva Granada fully embraces and lives continuous improvement. There are clear pro-cesses and systems in place that exemplify the most effective continuous improvement mod-els. The school’s improvement plan is well-de-veloped, comprehensive, and includes the essential elements of a quality plan needed so that teachers and staff members can understand and implement its actions. (page 26)
Stakeholder interviews and survey responses also confirmed the professionalism of this board and its commitment to the school’s purpose and direction. Their willingness to work in concert with the director to establish challenging yet at-tainable goals are demonstrative of their strong belief and support that the school is progressing in the right direction. Together over the past five years, the school’s leadership and board of di-rectors have transformed the school by creating policies and providing resources to ensure the intent of the policies are realized. (page 27)
Given the school’s deep understanding of the im-portance of the continuous improvement process being implemented well, the process has signifi-cantly and positively transformed this school. Co-legio Nueva Granada is a model for other schools to observe and study on how to adopt a process, systemize it, and consistently imple-ment and evaluate it such that the process is so authentically ingrained in the culture, it becomes, “the way we do things.” (page 33)
The External Review Team highly commends Colegio Nueva Granada for its outstanding achievement of the review and commitment to the continuous improvement process. Clearly, the school’s emphasis to always strive to improve and attain a deep understanding and consistent application of systems theory have positively im-pacted the school and therefore made a tremen-dous difference in the lives of students. (page 34)
With their (the Board of Directors) collective knowledge and expertise in finance, organi-zational effectiveness, law, and education, this group of leaders has the vision and determina-tion to continue to guide the school to achieve and flourish. (page 28)
The school’s leadership plans and hosts a very comprehensive and informative orientation and induction program for new staff members; this program seems to serve the new teachers very well and received high praise from those who experienced it. Teachers remarked during their interview sessions that they felt supported, re-gardless of the number of years employed at CNG. (page. 22)
Earning a reputation that yields such a large number of applications (over 3,000 annually) does not occur by happenstance; it requires planning, committing to excellence, and staying the course.The leadership, which includes the board of directors, has steadily stayed the course and strategically and measurably increased the salary package for all faculty members, institut-ed a rigorous application process, and devel-oped an intensive interview process for local hires that encompasses background checks and psychological examinations. (page 32)
Staff members are employed in positions that specialize in and effectively function to support students and ensure they reach their potential. All staff members who were interviewed or ob-served clearly understood and performed their responsibilities with proficiency, enthusiasm and pride. (page 34)
When there is a systematic approach to making decisions and the decisions are driven by and aligned to the school’s philosophy, the culture of a school changes for the good. And, the cul-ture at CNG is positive, nurturing, supportive, and above all, authentic. Goodness, kind-ness, and excellence are exuded through-out the school - the staff are high quality and show their respect and dedication to students and each other. The school’s philosophy and the three pillars are carefully guarded in that all practices and policies support and ensure the beliefs remain as the school’s compass and foundational base. (page 33)
As stated and implied throughout this report, the External Review Team was extremely impressed with every facet of the school and commends its tremendous progress since the previous External Review five years ago. Giv-en the school’s current leadership, staff, and supportive community, the school will continue to thrive and offer students a quality education in an environment that deeply cares about each individual. This is truly an exciting time for CNG and its entire school communi-ty. (page 35)
The school has an effective and visionary leader who in concert with the board of directors, made a commitment four years ago to place a priority on investing in, recruiting, and sustaining quali-ty staff members. (page 32)
Colegio Nueva Granada has a quality education-al program that provides students with a variety of courses, learning experiences, and a positive environment with caring adults to help them reach their potential. (page 16)
Statements expressed during interviews with students, staff, and parents described the vari-ous levels of support available to students, the collegial relationships between staff members and leaders, and the overall feeling that CNG is a cohesive and caring community. (page 23)
The CNG Way, a carefully and thoughtfully de-veloped framework that guides the school’s continuous improvement process, is clearly communicated and understood by stakehold-ers with whom the Team interacted. Students in their own words articulated the CNG Way during interview sessions and classroom obser-vations; their positive attitudes towards learning and each other were clear indicators of their un-derstanding of the school’s expectations, beliefs, and purpose. (page 28)
The well-being of students is the school’s first priority and exemplified throughout the school. For example, CNG provides stu-dents with a variety of support and services, numerous clubs and extra-curricular activities to expand their interests, and opportunities to be challenged during their learning times. Of particular noteworthy praise, is the school’s Learning Center which serves as an effective resource center for students who struggle aca-demically or have special learning needs. The counseling staff implements a multitude of programs and services, all age-appropriately developed and evaluated to confirm that the programs are effective, align to the school’s philosophy, and are based on student needs and interests. CNG has fully embraced edu-cating students who experience learning challenges, and the school is regarded as a leader in the region for this pro-gram. (page 34)
Systematic processes to identify and provide research-based interventions to assist strug-gling students are one of the hallmarks of this school. (page 23)
Each conversation and interaction with the Di-rector and every stakeholder at the school was professional and positive; it was clear to each Ex-ternal Review Team member that this school not only understood the continuous improvement process but authentically lived and believed in its power to constantly and systematically trans-form a school so that it always strives to meet the needs of its learners. This school exem-plifies the continuous improvement pro-cess. (page 9)
OUR SCHOOL’S COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
“QUALITY OF OUR
TEACHERS AND STAFF
The campus is elegantly designed yet function-al, and the grounds are aesthetically beauti-ful. (page 31)
HIGHLIGHTS FROM REPORT
The three days the External Review Team worked on-site at Colegio Nueva Granada were extremely and positively memorable; the Team felt privileged to have interacted and experienced life at Colegio Nueva Granada. The experiences have made an indelible and positive impres-
sion on each Team member’s individual professional learning journey. (page 35)
“