Friday, April 2, 2004

Fulton is first in nation to achieve districtwide accreditation

 The Fulton County School System will become the first school system in the nation to achieve districtwide accreditation, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) announced March 24. The announcement was made by Dr. Mark Elgart, chief executive officer of the SACS’ Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI), to a packed audience of school, system, and community leaders.

“It is a great honor to announce that the Quality Assurance Review Team [of the SACS/CASI] recommends, without reservation, that the Fulton County School System be awarded district accreditation as a quality school system,” Dr. Elgart said.

Superintendent Michael J. Vanairsdale thanked Dr. Elgart and his evaluation team for allowing Fulton County to be the first system to pursue districtwide accreditation. “This is a historic moment and truly an honor,” Vanairsdale said. “I appreciate the review team’s comments about our strengths because they validate the work of our staff, our schools, and our teachers. But most of all, I appreciate the comments about our limitations and recommendations for improvement. We know that the journey never ends, but this is a great system and we will make sure that we live to our vision - that all children can learn.”

A 15-member Quality Assurance Review Team spent March 22-24 evaluating the entire school district against rigorous accreditation standards and met with more than 350 system leaders, principals, teachers, parents, and business partners. The SACS accreditation process customarily is handled on a school-by-school basis, but leaders in Fulton decided that pursuing accreditation as an entire district would provide a valuable opportunity to review the system as a whole.

SACS evaluators praised Fulton’s high expectations for students, parent and stakeholder involvement, a focused and talented teaching and support staff, as well as a supportive community and Board of Education.

In addition, the review team recognized the district for:

•Building understanding and commitment of stakeholders to the district’s vision, mission, and beliefs;

• Accessing and using pertinent data to improve student learning;

• Embracing diversity as a strength;

• Establishing a “customer service focus” toward the schools;

• Developing and using technology for communication and providing information;

• Allocating resources that support the teaching and learning process;

• Providing assistance and feedback to schools engaged in the improvement process;

• Securing professional staff that embody the district’s vision and demonstrate commitment to high expectations;

• Leadership and support of the Board of Education for a systemic approach to improving student achievement; and

• Focusing on, believing in, and committing to making students first

The review team also acknowledged several limitations and challenges faced by the system, including geographic diversity, student growth, increasingESOL population, and perceptions of inequity across the county. The evaluators recommended that the system research and identify student achievement indicators, assessment tools, and provide more professional development resources to school and system leaders.

Fulton’s districtwide accreditation will be made official when the SACS/CASI Board of Directors votes at its June meeting.

SACS accredits more than 12,000 public and private educational institutions, from pre-kindergarten through the university level, in 11 states of the southeasternUnited States. It is one of only six such regional accrediting organizations in the state recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Dr. Mark Elgart, chief executive officer of the SACS’ Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, announces the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ recommendation to grant districtwide accreditation to the Fulton County School System.