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Dear Colleagues,
Traditionally, as an accrediting agency, we develop research-based standards and put in place processes to help member schools determine if they are meeting those standards or not. However, we often find ourselves limited in the degree to which we can help schools fill the gaps between where they are now and where they need to be.
More than before, our member schools are asking NEASC to not only help them gauge where they are excelling and can be improving, but also to provide more resources, more support, and more guidance to meet their goals for school improvement. That’s why we are committed to strengthening the role we play in helping to match schools that need support with the resources they require.
We see an emerging role for us here at CPS to act as a bridge between schools and to other organizations for a variety of expertise and support critical to the success of our learning communities. As a first step, we recognize that our members have a wealth of knowledge to share, and we have enthusiastically embarked on the development of a database of promising practices to facilitate access to that information for our members.
In addition, we are also engaging in new strategic partnerships with other organizations that are already working with schools and have the capacity to provide targeted resources. For example, in conjunction with the Center for Secondary School Redesign (CSSR), NEASC co-sponsored the Redesigning for Student Success: Student-Centered Secondary Schools Showcase that took place in San Diego earlier this month (see more details below). CSSR is an organization already working with many New England area schools to provide coaching and technical assistance. We are very excited by the opportunity to foster this type of support for our members through our expanding partnership.
Our hope is that in the future - through a network of strategic partnerships and a knowledge base cultivated by NEASC members - we will be able to reinforce our position as a collegial friend and partner in school improvement.
Sincerely,
George H. Edwards,
Director, Commission on Public Schools
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Redesigning for Student Success:
Student-Centered Secondary Schools Showcase
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The Student-Centered Secondary Schools Showcase held on February 15-17 in San Diego presented attendees with a rich opportunity to hear about successes and best practices directly from their peers from across the nation.
Three NEASC member schools were among those selected to present at the event. Please take a moment to read about their innovative programs below.
The NEASC/CPS staff members who attended the Showcase praised the high quality of the presentations and the vibrant atmosphere. They were also fortunate to tour a few high performing schools in the area: Clairemont High School, the San Diego Met, and High Tech High. You can view some of their photos below.
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Save the date for next year’s National Showcase:
February 14-16, 2018
(dates tentative; location TBD)
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Featured Member Presentation:
Pittsfield High School, NH
Topic: student-centered, competency-based learning
Presenter: Susan Bradley
Project Manager for District Level Systems Change
Pittsfield, New Hampshire School District
At the Student-Centered Secondary Schools Showcase in San Diego (Feb 15-17, 2017), Susan Bradley, Project Manager for District Level Systems Change from the Pittsfield, New Hampshire School District, shared the vision and logic model of student-centered learning that Pittsfield Middle High School spent nearly a decade developing in collaboration with their local community. The presentation highlighted four components that have proven successful for Pittsfield: learning studios, the extended learning opportunity (ELO) program, restorative justice, and their site council.
>> Read more about Pittsfield High School's compelling vision for student-centered, competency-based learning
Today many topics are student-generated, developed not only by teachers but also by the passionate groups of students themselves, who, according Bradley, feel a real “ownership” over the learning studios.
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Featured Member Presentation:
Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School, Devens, MA
Topic: promoting student engagement and agency
Presenters: (pictured left to right)
Susan Massucco, Arts & Humanities Domain Leader
Jon Churchill, Division 3 Coordinator
Diane Kruse, Math, Science and Technology Domain Leader
In their highly interactive Showcase session, the presentation team from the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School distributed artifacts of student work, led discussions about the student-teacher evaluative process, and gave voice to their students back home by playing a series of video and audio recordings. Each section of the presentation was structured to underscore Parker’s approach to the personalization of education for their students. The student artifacts also helped illustrate common ground between their system, which grades students along a continuum, and the other schools at the conference.
>> Learn more about Parker’s distinguishing approach to engaging students as active partners and agents in their own education
"By incorporating active revision and response to feedback, it opens the dialogue between teacher and student — it shifts kid's mindsets to ‘Have I done something well? And now, what do I need to do next?’."
Sue Massucco, Arts & Humanities Domain Leader
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Featured Member Presentation:
Brien McMahon High School,
Norwalk, CT
Topic: student-driven learning in a diverse urban high school
Presenters: (pictured left to right)
Tom Seuch, Science Department Chair
Scott Hurwitz, Housemaster
A fresh approach to student advisory has created a new level of student engagement and investment at Brien McMahon High School. A key factor is the four-year continuity created by their House Advisory Program, which now connects students with adult mentors and peer advisors on a weekly basis. Recently adopted extended learning periods have been embraced by the faculty and students, along with new cross-disciplinary offerings, and critical changes in assessment practices. And finally, engagement with outside voices and ongoing professional development have been essential components in the school's transformation to a student-driven learning community.
>> Learn how a student-focused culture guides all aspects of learning and student life at BMHS
"We probably wouldn’t have been able to get to student-centered learning if the approach hadn’t been so staff-centered at the beginning."
Tom Seuch, Science Department Chair
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CTCI 2015 Standards for Accreditation - Revisions Approved
The NEASC Committee on Technical and Career Institutes (CTCI) 2015 Standards for Accreditation were authored by the CTCI ad hoc Standards Revisions Committee and adopted by unamimous vote on October 28, 2015.
Revisions to the 2015 Standards were proposed to the Committee and were adopted on October 25, 2016.
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WANTED: Nominees for the NEASC Committee on Public Secondary Schools
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NEASC is seeking nominations for educators from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont to serve as Commissioners on the Committee on Public Secondary Schools (CPSS). The current openings are as follows:
- MAINE -
one building level administrator
- NEW HAMPSHIRE -
one building level administrator
one central office administrator
- VERMONT -
one building level administrator
The Nominating Committee seeks educators who are knowledgeable about the accreditation process, dedicated to the work of the Committee on Public Secondary Schools, and willing to devote the time that is necessary to participate fully in the four meetings conducted each year (January, April, June, and October). Please submit your own name or a colleague's for consideration by Friday, March 10, 2017.
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Please submit nominations no later than
March 10, 2017
to:
George Edwards
Director, Commission on Public Schools
gedwards@neasc.org
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All interested individuals, whether self-nominated or nominated by another, will be asked to submit information about their background, experience on accreditation Visiting Teams, and their interest in serving on CPSS. Nominees are also invited to speak with George Edwards, the Director of the Commission on Public Schools, and/or with current Committee members about the responsibilities entailed in serving as a NEASC Commissioner.
>> View a full list of CPSS Committee Members online
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Promoting girls in STEM
Minuteman High School - Lexington, MA
Minuteman High School and Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce, Inc. are joining forces to expand opportunities for young high school women seeking careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). With the help of a competitive state grant, a series of activities for Minuteman’s award-winning Girls in STEM program will be funded and facilitated. For example, a Girls in STEM vacation camp and a library are in development.
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Nurturing a positive school culture
Franklin High School - Franklin, MA
Principal Paul Peri of Franklin High School, through the process of a school "listening tour", was able to create a list of core values to bring his community closer together: communications; collaboration; comfort and care; and culture.
>> Read more...
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Design team noted as one of best first-year teams ever
A.I. Prince Technical High School - Hartford, CT
Four students from Prince Tech placed 3rd in the state of CT in the Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) - despite having only three weeks to present their design and being first-time participants.
>> Read more...
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2017
2018
- Feb 14-16: National Student-Centered Secondary Schools Showcase
(dates tentative; location TBD)
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FEBRUARY 23, 1917 - 2017: CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF THE SMITH-HUGHES ACT
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This month we celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Smith Hughes National Vocational Education Act, the nation’s first federal investment in secondary CTE, which was signed into law on February 23, 1917.
>> Read more
[Note: logo was designed by Leeah Luepke, winner of the Smith-Hughes 100th anniversary Logo design competition hosted by the National Council for Agricultural Education]
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March has been declared the official month to focus on students ages 10 to 15 and celebrate middle level education.
The key messages for the celebration are:
- The importance of parents being knowledgeable about young adolescents and being actively involved in their lives;
- The understanding that healthy bodies plus healthy minds equal healthy young adolescents;
- The realization that the education young adolescents experience during this formative period of life will, in large measure, determine the future for all citizens; and
- The knowledge that every young adolescent should have the opportunity to pursue his or her dreams and aspirations, and post-secondary education should be a possibility for all.
>> Learn more at the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) website
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NEASC/CPS Member Workshops and Seminars
The Commission on Public Schools offers a variety of workshops and seminars throughout the year for members at different stages of the accreditation process. A few examples are listed here, but please check online for the schedule of upcoming events and registration information:
NEW PRINCIPAL SEMINARS
This seminar will focus on helping newer principals understand the accreditation cycle, the Standards for Accreditation and their Indicators, processes, and how to align the school’s ongoing initiatives and/or mandates with the Standards. Additionally, NEASC will provide some specific guidance to principals to meet their immediate needs and future plans. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and to interact with colleagues.
SELF-STUDY SEMINARS
Designed for Principals, Heads-of-School, Self-Study Coordinators, and Steering Committee Co-Chairs, this seminar will present initial information about the process of reflexive self-study and ideas for involving your entire school community. Schools have found these meetings very helpful in assuring that everything is in place for the Visiting Team.
EVALUATION SEMINARS
This seminar is designed for schools who will host Visiting Teams in the next six months. Principals/Heads-of-Schools will receive invitations prior to the event.
FOLLOW-UP SEMINARS
This seminar is designed to assist principals, members of the school leadership team, and steering committee members as they begin the follow-up phase of the accreditation process. Principals will receive invitations prior to the event.
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What and who would you like to read about in future news from CPS?
Send us your ideas
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Share your photos!
We would love to showcase photos from members in our newsletter and on our website. To send us photo(s) from your school, click here:
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