7/31/2019 Monitoring Visit Report January 24-26, 2012

1/5

Mon i t o r in g V isi t Repor t

Bur k e Cou nt y Pub l i c Schoo ls

70 0 East Par k er Road

Morgan ton , No r t h Ca ro l ina 286 55

Dates of Visit: January 24-26, 2012

7/31/2019 Monitoring Visit Report January 24-26, 2012

2/5

Page 2 of 5

Abou t Advan cED an d N CA CASI / SACS CASI

Background Dedicated to advancing excellence in education worldwide, AdvancED provides accreditation, research, andprofessional services to 30,000 institutions in more than 70 countries. AdvancED provides accreditation under the

seals of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), theNorthwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council onAccreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).

The Accred i t a t io n ProcessTo earn and maintain accreditation, an institution must:

1. Meet the AdvancED Standards and accreditation policies.Institutions demonstrate adherence to the AdvancED Standards and accreditation policies, which describethe quality practices and conditions that research and best practice indicate are necessary for educationalinstitutions to achieve quality student performance and organizational effectiveness.

2. Engage in continuous improvement.Institutions implement a process of continuous improvement focused on improving student performanceand organizational effectiveness.

3. Demonstrate quality assurance through internal and external review.Institutions engage in a planned process of ongoing internal review and self-assessment. In addition,institutions host an external Quality Assurance Review team at least once every five years. The teamevaluates the institutions adherence to the AdvancED Standards and accreditation policies, assesses theefficacy of the institutions improvement process and methods for quality assurance, and providesCommendations and Required Actions to help the institution improve. The institution acts on the teams

Required Actions and submits an Accreditation Progress Report at prescribed intervals following theQuality Assurance Review. Monitoring visits may be conducted during this time to ensure that theinstitution is making progress toward the Required Actions.

Special Reviews

At any point, a Special Review may be conducted in response to complaints or information about the institutionand/or its system (district, board, or corporation) to determine adherence to the AdvancED AccreditationStandards and policies. The institution and/or its system must respond to the Required Actions of the SpecialReview Team. Monitoring Teams may be sent to the institution and/or its system at regular intervals to ensure thatprogress is being made toward the Special Review Teams Required Actions. Both Special Review Teams andMonitoring Teams are empowered to make accreditation recommendations based upon evidence obtained during

said visit.

A Process o f Con t inuous I m prov em entThe AdvancED Accreditation Process engages institutions in a continuous process of self-evaluation andimprovement. The overall aim is to help institutions be the best they can be on behalf of the students they serve.

7/31/2019 Monitoring Visit Report January 24-26, 2012

3/5

Page 3 of 5

Mon i to r i ng V i si t Repor t

I n t r o d u c t i o n

This report summarizes the findings of the Monitoring Visit, held on January 24-26, 2012, to Burke County PublicSchools. The purpose of the Monitoring Visit is to review the districts progress toward addressing Required

Actions from the Monitoring Visit held on May 22-24, 2011.

Act i v i t i es o f the Mon i t o r ing Team

In preparation for the visit, the Monitoring Team reviewed the districts progress report and related documentation.Once on-site, the team engaged in the following activities:

Meetings with the superintendent

Interviews with 97stakeholders representing district leadership, parents, principals, business and communityleaders, teachers, and board members.

Artifact review

Team deliberations and report preparationThe Monitoring Team used the findings from these activities to assess the progress the district has made towardaddressing the Required Actions.

Find ings

The Monitoring Teams findings are organized by each of the Required Actions that continued to be identified asIn Progress by the previous Monitoring Team. The Monitoring Team provides a progress status rating, summaryof findings, and specific directives to guide future actions for those Required Actions that necessitate furtherimplementation by the school system.

In August 2011 an Interim Superintendent was named to fill the position vacated by the previous Superintendent.In November, four new Board members were elected to serve with three members of the previous Board. Thesechanges have created a palpable difference in the climate and culture of the district. Each stakeholder groupinterviewed confirmed positive changes in the operation of the district and a renewed focus on students and theirsuccess. The Board is involved in a Superintendent search guided by the Board attorney with expectations ofnaming a Superintendent in May 2012.

Requ i red Ac t ion 1 : The Burke County Board of Education must be able to validate that all actions andbehaviors of Board members are fully aligned with the official Board policies and all applicable AdvancEDAccreditation Standards.

Progress status: please indicate the progress the institution has made toward addressing this recommendation.X Completed - All necessary and appropriate actions have been taken and evaluated. The institution has

documented evidence that supports fulfillment of the Required Action.In Progress - The institution is currently engaged in actions and processes but has yet to fully implement stepsnecessary to address the Required Action.Has Not Addressed - The institution has not taken any action at this time.

7/31/2019 Monitoring Visit Report January 24-26, 2012

4/5

Page 4 of 5

Summary of Findings:

Shortly after new Board members were sworn in, the entire Board participated in a two-day retreat conducted bythe Board attorney. The first day of the retreat focused on legal duties and responsibilities of Board members, whilethe second day concentrated on ethics, conflicts of interest, and other legal aspects of Board service. New Boardmembers and the Board Chair also participated in the two-day Boardsmanship 101 session conducted by the NorthCarolina School Boards Association.

During interviews, stakeholders shared that the Interim Superintendent and Board members clearly understand theirresponsibilities and follow established protocols. Multiple examples of adherence to established protocols wereshared with the Monitoring Team.

Within the past year, district leadership has reviewed and revised the vision and mission statements. Thesestatements are highly visible on the districts website, all correspondence, and signage throughout the district. Whilea widely shared commitment to students and their success was evident in each stakeholder group interviewed, fewstakeholders could clearly articulate the concepts of the established vision and mission statements.

The Board has drafted and all members have signed a comprehensive Code of Ethics statement that ensures

adherence to the Open Meetings Law. Further, Board members revised and signed their agreement with the BurkeCounty Public Schools Board of Education Commitment to Best Practices. The Superintendent, Board Chair, andBoard Attorney work collaboratively to develop and organize agendas for Board meetings. Additionally, the districtleadership has begun holding Board work sessions to streamline regular Board meetings. Students and staff havebegun to be recognized for positive accomplishments at Board meetings; a welcome change according tostakeholders.

Requ i red Ac t ion 2 : The Burke County Board of Education must develop a written plan including a timelinefor the provision of training Board members in effective boardsmanship. The Board should continue to review andeducate themselves on the policy changes, particularly in the area of Board and Superintendent/management teamrelations. In conjunction with this, they should develop and employ a written communication plan, which includesan implementation timeline for educating themselves, staff, and the public.

Progress Status: Please indicate the progress the institution has made toward addressing this recommendation.Completed - All necessary and appropriate actions have been taken and evaluated. The institution hasdocumented evidence that supports fulfillment of the Required Action.

X In Progress - The institution is currently engaged in actions and processes but has yet to fully implement stepsnecessary to address the Required Action.Has Not Addressed - The institution has not taken any action at this time.

Summary of Findings:

Board members have updated and approved the Burke County Board of Education Commitment to Best Practices,

and this can be reviewed on the district website. The Board and Interim Superintendent have identified the BoardAttorney as parliamentarian to ensure adherence to the commitment to best practices. The Burke County Board ofEducation and Interim Superintendent have adopted 30 appropriate behaviors that are used as a self-evaluationtool. This tool is completed by all attending Board members at every meeting to identify additional professionalgrowth activities.

The Interim Superintendent and Board members have developed a communication plan that reflects a myriad ofcommunication strategies from the schools and district to parents and community stakeholders. Among thosestrategies are letters and e-mails to parents, ALERT NOW announcements, district and school webpages,

7/31/2019 Monitoring Visit Report January 24-26, 2012

5/5

Page 5 of 5

newsletters, grade level school newsletters, streaming school board meetings, school announcements, Kids ScopeNews, and student handbook/agendas. Stakeholders are invited to provide online feedback through the schooldistrict website. Regularly scheduled meetings are held with the district administrative team, school leadershipteams, and other professional groups throughout the school district. Members of the Board, the InterimSuperintendent, and district staff have increased visibility and communication with all schools and are encouragingfeedback from all staff members.

Directive:

While the Burke County Board of Education has developed a written plan for communication, the plan does notinclude a timeline for implementing and evaluating these activities. The Board should review the written plan andadd specific dates/activities as well as develop an evaluation system, including feedback from stakeholders, tomonitor the effectiveness of the communication plan.

Conclus ion

Burke County Public Schools is to be commended for the progress it has made in addressing the Required Actions

and refocusing on the success of all students. The Monitoring Team recognized many areas in which Burke CountyPublic Schools has taken action and implemented changes to meet the remaining Required Actions. While there isstill work to be done in the area of communications, based on the significant progress made to date, the MonitoringTeam recommends that the high schools in Burke County Public Schools be moved to an accreditation status ofAccredited on Advisement.

The directive provided in this report is designed to help the district fully meet the final Required Action establishedby the August 2009 Special Review team and reiterated by subsequent Monitoring Teams. The district may discussthis directive with the AdvancED North Carolina office to gain assistance and support in meeting the RequiredAction.

The district has experienced significant changes and transitions in leadership since 2009 and faces additionaltransition as the Board embarks on a superintendent search with expectations of naming a superintendent in May2012. At the time of the Monitoring Team visit, the majority of the Board had been in office only two months, andthe Interim Superintendent had been serving only five months. Therefore, effective leadership processes are stillemerging, and the Board and district leadership must continue to train all leaders in the district, focus on improvingoperational effectiveness, and sustain their commitment to student achievement.

In order to continue to monitor the progress of Burke County Public Schools, the school district shall submit semi-annual Institutional Progress Reports. The first report is due by July 15, 2012 and the subsequent report is due byJanuary 15, 2013. These Institutional Progress Reports should provide an update on the districts progress inaddressing the directive contained within this report, as well as efforts to sustain effective leadership processes. Thereports should include the communication plan, developed timeline, implementation efforts, stakeholder feedback

and other evaluation systems for monitoring the effectiveness of the plan. Evidence of other efforts to sustaineffective leadership practices and processes should be provided in the report as well. The documented progress andsustainability of efforts articulated in the aforementioned reports will determine further actions and/or a change inaccreditation status.