Administrative+Internship

SAC-CASI Accreditation Renewal Continuous School Improvement Plan  The following is a brief synopsis of the School Improvement Plan I co-created and implemented as a co-chair of our School Leadership SACS Renewal Team. This review was submitted to the SACS Quality Assurance Review Team as the Plans and Results portion of our report.

Using the Headmaster’s 2007-2008 school-wide goals of improving information literacy, differentiation and customer service as a spring board, the Continuous School Improvement Leadership Team facilitated a semester of research and school-wide discussion of the current strengths and needs of the school. Faculty and staff were placed in fluid groups as they went through the process. This method of grouping was used in lieu of the traditional, static SACS committees to allow collaboration among a variety of teachers, and groups always included representation from each division of the school. The starting point of every discussion, presentation, and plan was always the school’s strategic plan. This document provided the necessary guidance to keep all groups focused on the same agenda. The staff reviewed the points included in the strategic plan and nominated specific actions to be further examined. Those nominations were then tabulated and narrowed to five for each of the school’s three overriding goals - information literacy, differentiation and customer service. An online survey was developed to allow all faculty and staff a chance to vote and the “winners” were announced during an Emmy style celebration complete with movie stars, popcorn and a red carpet.

The school then moved into new groups to carry out the development of each chosen action plan goal. Groups were allowed to meet at times and places that accommodated their schedules, and all-school SACS meetings gave everyone the opportunity to come together and share their progress. The SACS Leadership Team illustrated its goals for innovation with a Guitar Hero Wii demonstration and celebrated successes along the way with a breakfast and dessert party.

The action plan directives were rolled out in three phases. The teams worked together to formulate if-then statements, research best practices, and look at resources required to carry out their plans. The culminating activity was a school-wide presentation during our February In-service. The plans were then reviewed by the Leadership Team and the school administration, prioritizing action steps by urgency, feasibility, and potential impact on student learning. Results were documented using a variety of surveys and records, and in order to accommodate school goals for future improvement, a space for modifications and re-evaluations was included.