001Let me quickly bring you some reassurance, because you have a lot to do. Yet? Wow. Who else? Wow. Ooh. Can you refuse him? Oh, push me down. Okay, I...I just remember not to worry. Okay . Um, we're just here today to make you aware that there's a lot going on behind the scenes , uh, in preparation for this accreditation visit. Um, and once again , you can be sure that everything is under control and in good condition. But we also want to make sure you are prepared and know what you need to know about this journey. We have a good combination here. We have several teachers with long experience. Um, when you think about accreditation, uh, and you think about how you've gone through it in the past, uh, what image comes to mind? Exhaustion.
002Thank you for your honesty. Yes. I can make you feel really good, because I'm sure those of you who think about accreditation think, "Oh my God, we have a room full of boxes and all this paperwork, and all these strangers are coming in, and we have to interrupt our schedules for a week." We almost have to close our schools. They are swarming everywhere. We should put them up at the Red Roof Inn. We have to make sure they have hotels, that they are fed, that they need to be given snacks, we have to have a big event – a final board meeting, all that. Does this sound familiar to you? Okay, then throw that out the window. Since 2022, we have introduced a new way of conducting accreditation. And you're going to hear about it
003today, and I think you're going to like it. I've already spoken to Lee and she's very happy with how it's working. Hmm, a lot of these changes were, in part, related to COVID. As we know, we have changed the way we do business so much, and it is now easier to do so many things virtually. However, much of this planning that you will see now, and how we are doing it now, started long before COVID. Since the magic word for the accreditation process these days is, uh, "really thinking," not the word " accreditation," thinking about accreditation is, uh, one of the criteria for continuous improvement. And now, it all comes together beautifully. Uh, like this . Now I say, uh, Cognia, and I always had to even tell my dad when I said I worked
004at Cognia now, that's what, Jeff, what is that? And I said, "Well, Dad, have you ever heard of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SACS?" I see some people nodding. He said: " I heard about it." I know what it is." So, I said, this is really Cognia. Cognia, like you, I have a badge, I did n't wear it today, but now its 130th anniversary is being celebrated . And it has grown from all the localized accrediting agencies like SACS and the Northwest Accrediting Agency into something that extends to every state in the United States. And Cognia is represented in 90 countries. So now we're a big global nonprofit, and, um, just so you know, the high standards that we demand of Dauphin City schools are also reflected in schools around the world. So
005this gives you an idea of the high quality and standards of excellence you are aiming to achieve. I just showed you our mission and vision for Cognia. Find a word or two that really hits home what you think is important, especially since you are all who we consider Cognia customers here in Alabama. What is comforting to know about our work together? Student achievement, task number one. And people who have been to school a lot know that we often have so many rules, norms, and things to keep track of. Sometimes student performance goes unnoticed. So we need to take care of ourselves. Does anyone see those words there, trusted partner? We want you to, uh, think of us as a trusted partner. And I hope you see that accreditation is also something we partner with to
006embrace you and make sure you demonstrate continuous improvement for the benefit of every one of your staff and every child. We are not the kind of organization that suspects that “Oh, accreditation time. We'll come with our tablet and try to catch you doing something." Absolutely not. And I think what Lee Jacobs can say, working with Donna Calhoun, who is one of the people who will be working, she is a regional expert on accreditation. Um, she's been working with, uh, Lee for a few months now, and to know that it's just a great collaboration, which , of course, uh, the accreditation work is aimed at Dothan City Schools to show and prove, uh, how you adhere to continuous improvement, but, uh , you have great people who are willing to support you and work with you
007in this process. Just showing that when it comes to Cognia, uh, we've always been, uh, throughout our 130-year history the gold standard for accreditation, but we're expanding into a lot of other areas that, uh, we don't need to go into today, but, uh, professional development , improvement solutions to make your schools even better, and, uh, school assessment. One of those improvement solutions that has really caught on across the state. Uh, Cognia is now doing what we call diagnostic reviews, which, while our big accreditation visits are almost exclusively online, a diagnostic review is a smaller, more intimate, sort of mini-review, and is mostly focused on one campus. So, for example, if you have a school here in the city of Dothan that may be underperforming on a number of outcomes and it's just driven you into
008a corner, or you have a school that's doing really well but seems to be stuck in a rut. A diagnostic review is a great opportunity to invite real people to your area to visit that school and find out the root cause of what is happening. So, all of this is available to you. Everything you see today, you will receive. I have a little link to a thing we call a Padlet, and it's just a little sheet that you can click on, that you can print out, that you can give as a gift for Christmas, all of which is what I'm talking about today. So what's happening is that I'm finishing this presentation within the next 24 hours, I'm sending you all a copy of the PowerPoint so you do n't have to go crazy saying,
009"Oh, I'm trying to remember everything." Uh, and also I'm sending you this link for all of you to use, and every piece of material that I mention today you can get, whether you just want to have it on your computer or know that you have access to it. So, you got it . That's what we're going to do today. Let's focus on your primary roles and responsibilities, which I think, uh, how would you rate your level of involvement in the Alabama School Boards Association? Do you have the opportunity to attend any of their events, etc.? Uh, they cover all of this really well, so, uh, you know for sure, as a school board member, that you're pretty familiar with your roles and responsibilities. I'm going to take it one step further to show these roles
010and responsibilities when it comes to this accreditation process. Uh , understanding your role in this process, uh, really familiarize yourself with Cognia's performance standards. There are 31 standards of excellence that, ahem, a school district is held accountable for during an accreditation review. And of those 31 standards, there is one that is particularly focused on the governing body, and that is all of you. And, um, things that they'll be looking for when it comes to all of you as a governing body, and we can talk about that a little bit later. We're going to talk about the goal and the expectations, the process, and also, um, you don't have to look for them, but I'm going to show you that, um, because you all as a school district are, um, a member of Cognia, all the
011great tools that are available to anyone in your school district to really help you all on this journey of continuous improvement. Okay, I have a, um, quick, um, test for you all today. Hmm, first question, and you can write it down. We're going to do, I think we're going to do it like a game show. Or I'll even let you all talk to each other. But when it comes to the accreditation process, everything is built on high quality standards. If I came here and said, "Wow, Dothan City Schools is a high-quality district." How could I make such a judgment? What do you think I would see here that would demonstrate your high quality? Think about this for a minute. And just one or two of you be prepared to answer. You can hear each other
012whispering. But what exactly makes a school or school district high-quality? What would have been done there? There are several things to do, but choose only one. Yes, yes . Devotion? Certainly. And dedication comes when you have people who are completely committed to their work. This is part of the school culture. Which is great. Something else? How do I know that when I walk around Dauphin City, I see high quality here? Perfectly. Yes. Excellent staff. A good team that works together, etc. Yes. There's planning, there's, um, when it comes to all of you as board members, what makes you a high-quality board? What is one quality, which, um, and actually, I think we can move on to the next set of questions. There are three questions here. What are you most proud of as a school
013board member ? What do you think has the most positive impact on students? And what do you see as your next steps as a board member? I'll just ask a volunteer to choose one of them to answer. Who is ready to be brave and speak up and tell me what you are most proud of as a school board member ? I'm quite new, but I'll just say that students are my central concern. This is what I am most proud of. Absolutely. This matters. What do you think has the most positive impact on your students? We know that good things are done every day . What is one thing that has an impact? I think it's our teachers and their relationships with our students. Absolutely. You know, and it all depends on...it all depends on this
014relationship, because... get ready for this. Here's another quiz. People don't care how much you know, teachers, until they know how much you care. And this is a critically important part. So, keeping all of this within limits. The main roles and responsibilities of the school board, and we're adding to that as it relates to this accreditation process that's currently underway. And, you know, I said that's another reason why we changed our accreditation outreach , because in the past, if I mentioned accreditation, it was relevant. And I see some of you nodding and saying, " Accreditation, oh no, it's coming this year." And this accreditation lasts from March 7 to 9. And we need to dust off those old, uh, workbooks that we collected a few years ago and look through them and see what we're doing.
015And, because everything got so bogged down in one thing, and all these people were coming to your campuses and loading you up, it lost its purpose and meaning. So, that's why at Cognia we kind of rethought it, and now we say that accreditation is just a small part of the continuous improvement process. Let me show you how much it has changed. So, accreditation used to be something we do in the spring. This is a visit from March 7 to 9 . No. Now, the essence of accreditation is continuous improvement. You gain accreditation when you demonstrate that you are committed to continuous improvement. Okay, we had a calendar date for accreditation. What is your calendar date in Dothan City Schools for continuous improvement? What day of the year do you engage in continuous improvement? Daily. Thank
016you. We have a winner. Uh, and we'll pull out the card and get the car now. So, uh, every day , and as Eric McKee says at the State Department, every child, every moment, every day, anyway, everything. It always is. You always practice continuous , uh, improvement. And is there hope in this, that we can all get better and better and better? Can your best school in Dothan City become even better? Yes. It gets challenging sometimes because I know in Elmore County, where I come from, we had one school that got famous for their pants and forgot that no, you can...we loved them, but it's like you can, you can get better, and we need you to get better. Hmm, there 's such a wonderful feeling to it, and that's the whole point. Okay, let's
017all read this like we're back in school and say it together. Everyone... Every student can learn and succeed every day. Truth? Absolutely. And that's what we base everything on. The main responsibilities of most school boards. So, look at them. Is there anything you disagree with about your role? Okay, I lost the thread. I helped...I do n't understand anything here . Hmm, Dothan City, is the superintendent of education elected or hired? Designed. Okay, thank you. That's what I thought. I, uh, was the elected superintendent of education in Elmore County, Alabama. So, I have registered you all for the appointment of your superintendent. There, there, there's nuance to everything , but, oh my God, when you're choosing a superintendent, it's so easy... You know, especially when you have two people that you really like, it becomes like
018"The Voice ." Where, I don't know how many of you watch this TV show, "The Voice." This is driving me crazy because they have the best singer I've ever heard in my life, and this person is the best singer I've ever heard in my life, but only one can win the grand prize when the confetti falls. Likewise, when you have an elected superintendent, it can really cause tension and difficulty. So, we all agree that you all see this as your primary responsibility. And again , through your work with the school board association, you know all of this to be true. Someone interpret this little picture here. What could it mean? A wish list for effective board members. You are open to the community. And it shines through. That's it. This is an overflow. You have
019to start with a vision. And all these other things, the buckets will overflow and fill up. Good. Looking at some of them. Um, what about when it comes to the big picture. You know, for the last 20 years we even followed a different accreditation format. Are you all familiar with this term, and this is what the city of Dothan is going through right now, district accreditation. And that's great. Um, Andre Harrison, who I do n't have anywhere yet where people don't know Andre, but, uh, I was the superintendent of education in Elmore County. Andre was my, uh, was my deputy director of education. Now with Cognia, uh, Andre is my main boss. So remember that in education, you always need to treat people well. Uh , but what can we say about this? Andre was
020one of them, worked so hard with Cognition that 20 years ago he was one of the first to get our school system on the list for district accreditation, which is much better than you'd remember if you missed an individual school , uh, Guilford or Guilford? Guildford. Uh, you remember running around and your school had to put all this stuff together and they also did it in the central office and we just ruled that out. The focus now is on, uh, Lee Jacobs and her team at central office working with the head of education, Askew, uh, to make sure that they bring all the schools together. But the big picture, this is a district; This is an umbrella. And when you accredit a district, that means all of your schools in the district are accredited. So
021this is a much better way to achieve this. But also, as a district council, these are things that we will take through the accreditation process, that you all demonstrate a positive approach. Does anyone want to comment on this and say what you think is a particular strength among the council ? Or I won't put you on the spot, but if you see something there that no one else saw during the visit, it's just stuff like that, and they're not going to come and show you pictures of buttons, like, are you demonstrating teamwork? Do you...But it's just going to naturally become part of this, but thinking as a council...I'm acting like a tornado here. Any questions or...Okay. Amen. Yes. Absolutely. And that's really nice to hear, because, you know, I'm just really impressed with all the
022federal funds that have been coming in over the last few years. We finally got our wish in the local counties. We finally got the money. But was it difficult for you to get money, and there are conditions, and there are deadlines, and you become a bad person if you don't spend, uh, money? And we always thought that, uh, you know , uh, having a smart budget and being careful with your money, and just not rushing things...So I thought, "Oh, I'll be careful with what I wish for." Because we received it, but they even kept a list, for example, of who doesn't spend their money. It was very nerve-wracking, uh. So, but this is so key. Because money isn't everything, but Dr. Jones, you know , if you don't have the money to handle it, that
023also disrupts everything. Uh, that's right, and money is not the answer to everything, but not just having that money, but also making wise decisions about it and managing it well. This is part of...Is there anything else? Okay, as part of the accreditation process, these are key questions. Oh. So often when it comes to things that get in the way of accreditation, it may, ahem, not always start, but often, unfortunately, with the school board. And, um, some of these, um, little things are raising, um, their ugly face. And so, um, that's why it's so important that the school board always, um, work to stay out of any of these areas. But now, as school board members, it's a city system, I guess you're all assigned to where? Are they choosing? Good. So, even with your best
024efforts, it makes things difficult because, um, the day-to-day operations of the school system fall on the shoulders of the superintendent of education, right? And his teams. But you also went out and knocked on doors in your local community. And all these smiling faces come up to you at Walmart, at the grocery store, and you feel a sense of responsibility to them. When your people are unhappy with who appointed you to this position, it makes things difficult. But also knowing that when you do the right thing and do it well, you know that ultimately it falls on the shoulders of the Chief of Education, Askew. And you know, if someone, like Aunt Susie, shows up at Walmart in such a frenzied state, you can say, "Thanks for sharing this, but I'll make sure the school principal
025and his team know about this." And that's sometimes easier said than done, because I'm also good at fixing problems, and I think men , like women, are good at fixing problems, but men like to fix problems, and, "Well, I'll look into this ." I'll check it out , I'll look into it, and I'll go and visit that school, and I'll talk to that coach, and blah blah blah. Danger, danger, danger ." And I'm not just talking about my experience as the head of a local school, where I empathize. I understand, but it really makes your life easier in many ways. If you just say, "I hear you." This worries me. I'll go. " “And that’s why you hire someone you trust. That's why it's so important to have the gift of hiring people. Hmm, because
026when people choose you, even the best people you just love, they will also expect something from you. And it gets very uncomfortable, very quickly. So, here it is. But, I would say again, we see so often where Cognia has to step in and interfere in the affairs of the board, and that can disrupt the accreditation process because there are stumbling blocks in those areas . Hmm, and that's just not the point , that's not bad. Micromanagement is typical or bad behavior. Hmm, it's always fascinating when people like to misbehave in a council meeting, especially when they're on television, and, you know, sometimes it seems like it's nice and it helps you misbehave, but it just really upsets people and it's not good. So, blah blah blah, you all attend the school board association, but not,
027um, and, and one time” Again, this is what I tell every school district I deal with. Just don't fall into the trap of any of these things. Even the best people can do this easily . But don't ruin your accreditation because of this. The promise of continuous improvement–that is what we strive for, achieve, support and implement in the community . I like this cartoon. Hey Bill, I want you to find a bold and innovative new way to do things exactly the same way we've been doing it for 25 years. Have you ever had any major changes here in the district? It could be just because of the election, it could be, uh, because of a new initiative that you're going to introduce there. Uh, I...years ago, when I was a school principal, I just signed
028up my teachers for a reading initiative, which turned out to be a great thing, but people weren't entirely sure about it at first. And, oh my God, change can make you sad, and the easiest thing to do is say that everything is going pretty well. I have a good feeling in my stomach, but come on... just keep going. But do we know, after all, what we should be doing? What should we do? Oh, yes. Yes, children and continuous improvement. It's so important. I like it too . CHILDREN. I had to stop for a minute and say that this...This has been a long day. What kind of spell is this? Uh, key activity. Why should all of you, as a school board, engage in continuous improvement? How important is it to improve your schools so that
029the results are...Let me just ask you here. Is it important that in your leadership as a school board, you all be consistent? Right. Uh, to be fair. Because this is the tricky part. You know, fair enough, some need more than others. And we have to, uh , define that. What is permanent. You know, the danger is also, and that's another thing that I think they emphasized with these federal funds, you can, uh, you can spend money and hire all these people, but it's not sustainable. You...Once the money runs out, you'll have problems. And so you may be able to... be able to bring in a lot more teachers and achieve some results quickly, but if you haven't been visionary, it's not a sustainable process. This is a problem. And scalable. That if we try something
030in one of our schools, we can transfer it to other schools and it will work. This is a smart thing to do. So, this is so important. Is the improvement a one-time event or an event every few years, or a continuous process? What exactly? Now, with the new method that appeared in 2022, it was previously necessary to undergo accreditation every 5 years. Now you are accredited every 6 years. But is it just something you don't think about until you're in your sixth year, or is it something that happens all the time, something you're always preparing for? Thank you. And we don't really prepare, because we don't prepare for accreditation, we just copy the materials. This, um, we're doing, uh, we're doing a process of continuous improvement. And we just come, not for you to invent
031anything. things or put on a dog and pony show. We just want to see what you're doing. And make sure it meets those standards of improvement. Do policies , processes, and practices support improvement as a compliance or growth-oriented effort? Now, while we're talking about compliance, uh, when do you school districts monitor compliance? Oh, you all are lucky. Many school districts in the state, ahem, state, and it's always been that way. Many of you educators, those of you, no, the state comes in and does compliance monitoring, and they check everything to make sure you don't have, uh, doors with chains on them for security reasons, to make sure you have all your records. And it's just check , check, check, check, check. Yes or no. But accreditation is different from that because it's not just a
032strict "yes" or "no," it's the whole process. And that's good, but it's really hard because school districts have to juggle and deal with compliance monitoring and accreditation multiple times in the same year. And they should somehow flow easily into each other, but sometimes it's harder said than done. And how can we ensure that our actions help improve our school? We always ask about this. And again, you immediately say that the most important thing is our children. I know you are on this path, that you are following this. The continuous improvement system you use at Cognia has very close collaboration with the State Department of Education . We all, um, just work together, and the state department uses our improvement principles in what they call a campus improvement plan. What is also known, uh, is our
033wonderful, uh, "Asap Plan" so that people always get their " Asap Plans," which is kind of like a strategic plan for your local school campus. And the state of Alabama has adopted those principles, uh, and that's what's happening right now in the Dothan City School District. Uh, this four-step process . Imagine, in other words, you have to plan where to go. Uh, or see where to go. You have to plan it. You have to do it. And then the last process is the one we...Exclude. Evaluation. We launched it. We do it. But does it work? As the head of the education department, I have always had problems with coming up with an interesting idea, implementing it, and presenting it. But, uh, once it starts working, you don't go back and check it and say, "Hey,
034is this working?" Meanwhile, something else good appears. And you add this, and you add that. And, um, Dr. Jones, when you have a school leader who keeps adding new things to your list, how does that affect you in the classroom? Does this affect the administrator? When all these new brilliant ideas come out and we just keep adding to them. Does this make you feel good? You say, " Oh, I wish I had all these things." "Not when you get to the point." You see. I mean, if you have enough to do. But if you're arguing whether it will improve anything, then yes. Right. Right? We're just building up. And again, we don't stop, sometimes, uh , we just, uh, get this warm feeling in our stomach that everything seems to be going well. But you
035have all these things and we all build them up and if you don't take a step back and evaluate, is it really helping the kids? Are we on the right track? But how can you know that? What do you need to have? Data. Absolutely. And data has become such an important part. There is nothing more compelling, and that is what we are looking for in this process. They don't just say, "Well, we feel really good about this ." Well, we appreciate that, but how can you claim that and show us that to say, “Look right at these numbers. 3% of our students demonstrated one thing or another. That's the point. And you know what? Do you view these four as part of strategic thinking or the ASIP process, as many schools know, it's just a
036continuous cycle that goes on and on, because what kind of improvement are you dealing with? Continuous. Never stopping. Continue. Oops. Um, if you press the back button, the system goes back . Okay, do I have one reader? Please, head of the education department. Please give us that loud voice and read this for us. Continuous improvement is a built-in culture of behavior in a school that constantly focuses on problems, processes, and practices. What inspires you about this definition? What do you think would be good after a ministry of continuous improvement? Some words that catch your eye here. Build it into behavior. Oh, and you see, you're not even a teacher in the classroom. It's much better to build it in, because if you don't build it into what you're doing, it becomes something extra. And that's
037what you've just been teaching all day, and now we're going to add a little bit more to it . Embedding it is just not something special, or it is just something we do. Something else? Dr. Jones, you preached the sermon right away. We encourage ourselves because we know it will improve teaching and learning. The most important, uh, job in the world that we can do. Focusing on all of this, how important it is. What is continuous improvement? What it is and what it is not. Oh, I was going to ask Lee Jacobs a sneaky question, and she disappeared for a minute , so... Hmm, when we see that, I like the word " hopeful." Problem solving, y'all , that's what you said . You are on the right track. Data-informed. Based on what research shows
038works. Look at what's not working. Random attempts. Do n't we love this education? Throw everything at the wall. Just please , let something take hold. Let something work. No. We need to be, uh, more focused than that. Er, without the participation of those who should implement the actions and other stakeholders. In this process, with Lee Jacobs and, uh, the executives, their team, we want it to be a team effort. You know, before, even one poor person could be locked in a back room just trying to put together a report. Julie, knowing you, it was probably you, bent over the typewriter , typing that gigantic report. But no, that's not the point of continuous improvement. We are all working on this as a team, and it is not a quick fix. We do n't expect this.
039We want to see this over time. Uh, and that's the greatest, uh, pleasure in the world. And how important it is. So, it all comes down to continuous improvement. It has its challenges. Deciding what needs to be fixed right now. This is a challenge for all of you and for the leadership of the leader who reallocates and activates key resources. Make sure you are good stewards. And, uh , even if it's a program that everyone likes, the results don't justify it. The costs do not justify this. Yes, but many teachers like it. This could be a problem. But as a leader, you have to make the right decisions and, through one of these communication channels, find ways to leave people alone. And respond and expand services that meet the needs of your diverse population. This
040is always important. Sorry. They didn't tell me they were sending me to AP board training. Oh my God, you all have elevated status. Of course, keep preaching. Hmm, that's exactly right. Yes. This is great. Absolutely. So important, and it's, um, it's not such a quick fix, it's not a coincidence. So, I keep saying that the accreditation process and visiting everything, discarding everything else, that's what it's all about . 31 high quality standards. And, uh, none of them are written in a way that makes you say, "What is this?" But, you know what? Uh, and it makes me so jealous because I didn't have that when I was in school. And again, when I send you this thing I call Padlet tomorrow, you can get your own copy of this...Oh, I'm getting my, uh, this. This
041is a self-assessment workbook. It's about 180 pages long, so take your time . Uh, you might want to ask the central office to copy it for you. If you want to get a copy. But, uh , you have a handout with performance standards. This is a big book that all team members will use. This is a great step-by-step book that describes everything you need for continuous improvement and the accreditation process, preparing for the visit. And, uh, this is all about the self-assessment workbook. Because thanks to this, you as a district will pass, your leadership will evaluate, uh, according to 31 standards, how you meet these standards. And it has everything you need . This is a great late night read. Uh, but I also say it's 180 pages, which puts people off. It's about a
042hundred pages of what you need step by step to prepare for the visit, and, uh, another 80 pages of an appendix that they show you asking you to write reports. They provide examples of what a good report looks like and what a bad one looks like. So you talk about building your confidence, they give you little cards that are part of it that say, "Oh, we're just tired, and, oh , look at this big old Bible book. I'm tired. They take 30 standards and stick them on...I'm going to show you right now on one card that says, "Quick look, you need this, this, this and this, okay?" So, this is really the perfect process for you. We have new standards in effect since 2022. And, uh, most importantly, if I'm going to come here late
043on a Tuesday afternoon and you've all been doing, uh, other things, and I've been preaching and preaching to you, uh, about continuous improvement. Cognia also believes in continuous improvement. Every 5 years we review the standards, we review how we work in general. Well, we review it all the time, but when it comes to accreditation processes and their model, we have to make sure that we are following the path to the most relevant materials that you need. And we are always building these standards in a new way . The standards you're dealing with now, this good doctor, look at number one. Does that make you proud? They are focused on the most important audience – students. For all of you who are reporting together in schools and trying to get involved, they clearly allocate roles as
044to who is responsible for what. Instead of using fancy old terms like “the bank will write,” and you ask, “What does that mean? Will the building write? They will say : "The administrator will do this or that." Uh, they're looking closely at the learning environment . The learning process, as well as its openness to practical research and everything you need so you can quickly check things out and make the best decisions in the moment. Standards are like the commandments of what you need to do. And these are just standards that you don't need to think about solely in terms of accreditation. These are the kind of benchmarks you can look to to always show that at any time, Dothan City Schools, through our commitment to these standards, are providing high quality teaching and learning. And
045that they work for the good of the entire organization. Good. You have 31 standards. And these 31 standards are divided into four areas, which we call key characteristics. And what are they all built around? Because the city of Dothan wants to be known as that adjective. High quality. So, these four areas...What's number one, Ms. Jenkins? Learning culture. Friend? Taisha? Leadership for learning. Third, Ms. Brenda? And the fourth, Julie? Good. So, they all say that there are 30 standards on this side, but we recently added another one to the 31. These are the four pillars that you're going to include, uh, from an organizational perspective, to the 31 standards. Why do you think culture is mentioned as the number one thing from the beginning? What is special about culture? That's right. And just give me a
046clear definition . If I say "school culture," what is it? This is a willingness to learn. That's it. You give them some examples of what it looks like. What is a sense of inclusivity? They feel protected. Something else? Absolutely. Everyone is there together. Nobody says, " I don't know what's going on at this school." What is useful to know? Everyone has good communication. Everyone has a culture of learning. I love the word " positivity". There is a lot of positivity associated with it. Leadership for learning. Um, that's when it comes to the big guy. And also for the big boys, administrators or girls on every campus. Because imagine a campus, um, where you have a teacher in a classroom who does a tremendous job. But if you don't have a really dynamic principal and leadership
047team in this reception area of this campus, it's not going to help that teacher much. She'll do great things in her classroom, maybe in the hallway, maybe spread it around campus. But there has to be great leadership for learning that starts at the highest position on that campus or in that school district, that provides, that moves the train forward in every way. There must be engagement in learning. What does this mean? Yes. Engagement in learning–that is me, the great sage of wisdom, the teacher, that this is what you will learn, period. The Great and Powerful Oz , teacher. No, we say that students should have a voice. They are because if I just pour this into you and say, “Shut up and write it down,” will you be involved? No. And, my God, engagement has
048changed so much in the last 30 years. What did we think before? We would walk into a classroom and say, "Oh my God, these students are so engaged ." What would that look like? Calm the rows, there's no dust, everyone is sitting there. And we have unfortunately discovered that this is not necessarily a good thing. Engaging in learning can be a noisy, noisy classroom. But you approach any student, he knows exactly what he's doing, he's passionate about it. He is involved. So making sure that's something you can easily see here in Dothan City Schools. And growth in learning. Oh my God, there is so much focus on standardized testing and raising those scores. And, oh my God, the state report cards, they're so unnerving. But above all of that, the most important expectation is that
049every student throughout the school year will be able to...While they may not score high on a standardized test, we've seen that they've demonstrated movement from point A to point B. And that you can demonstrate that. Question? The key characteristics that truly define each student are equity in learning. Equality has become somewhat, uh , in our politicized environment a term that people can misunderstand. We're using the notion of equality here purely for pure purposes, not to advance a political agenda, but simply to really show that, uh, students are getting what they need. And you all, as leaders, look at your diverse audience and plan wisely for what the students need. I was talking about how, uh , the standards changed throughout the year. Uh, and back in 2017, that was, uh, the time before last, when
050we changed our standards. Those two standards were what the team, uh, back in the day when the team came in, those are the ones they sat down and discussed with you as board members. Shirley, could you please read these two 2017 standards? And so, in 2022, when they updated the standards to show that they hadn't lost any of the important features, they turned it into eight standards, which during this accreditation period, this is where the board is going to, um, these are the aspects of the board that are really going to be looked at carefully. So, um, Dr. Jones, could you read me these eight standards? The governing body is demonstrating commitment... Just hearing that as a standard you will be held accountable as a board, hmm, do you think you meet that standard? Don't
051make it too complicated. Do you collaborate with your leader? With your superintendent? Is there a collaboration between the district, um, where the principals, the administrators communicate through the superintendent, and you all help that drive the agenda of your board and the important work of your board. Are you doing this? Hmm. Yes. And you're on the right track, uh, because, uh, as part of this process, because you're all working together, collaborating as board members with leaders like your chief operating officer, to move things forward. Are you all working to move things forward for Dothan City Schools , or are you leaving things as they are? Thank you. Good. Yes. So, you are on the right track. Now, again, this is just a quick look at this. There's a lot more to it, and it's one of
052those things you look at and say, oh, yeah. Definitely. In fact, we even find it here. Let me find it. This is what the eighth standard looks like. I'll just take it from here. I'll just let you pass it on . Let's see if we get to...Ah, the perfect time. Oh, even better. Thank you. I have it on the screen. Thank you. I will simplify the task for you. Um, how many standards are there that you are all responsible for? Excellent. 31. Oh my God, we have...So you have 31 little cards or little sheets here that completely explain how to prepare for this standard. And you will see that you have the very standard that we just read. You broke it down into elements, which actually falls short of this...standard. And there are four levels.
053Uh, in all 31 standards, uh , during this accreditation process and preparation for it, in each of these 31 standards there are four ... uh, equal rubrics, where four is, oh my God . Dothan City needs to hit the road with its relationship with the board of directors. This is incredible. This is outstanding. The third level is that we meet the standard. And we're doing a damn good job. We're in... we're in A. Emm, but we still have room to grow. Level two, you don't quite meet the standard, but that's often...no need to panic. You will find someone...It's not a sin to bet a deuce. How many of you remember Peppy? How many of you have had to evaluate someone using Peppy? Teacher evaluation process. Have you ever had to do this or been evaluated
054using it? Uh, I just remember being a young, failed principal and evaluating teachers, and out of four, there were great teachers and one was bad, why did every teacher in the state want to get evaluated? Four. Or maybe three, let yourself buy it. What happens if I ever give a teacher a D? Uh , of course. I mean, it's going to be tearful and surprising, especially if it's a veteran teacher. Eh, and it's hard to say that a two is not a condemnation. It's the fact that just being transparent that you're still a great person, but there's room for growth here. And, and absolutely. But, oh my God . But I want to say that in the accreditation process you can get a D. And this is not a condemnation. Don’t panic, because a two
055could mean, “Hey, we have a really great program, but we only started it a few months ago, and it’s going to hit the city of Dothan. They will invite television crews to interview us to see what great things we do . But we don't have enough data yet to truly create one. So it's still in development. So it might be a two. So keep that in mind . Don't panic if you see a two. If you see three, then yes, sir, we are there. We met the standard. Four, you can start signing autographs. We are wonderful ." And another great thing that we always recommend as part of this process is that, although in the schools, all the hard work lies with the central office with Dr. Askew and his team. But we also, uh,
056propose that, uh, at the most basic level, all schools take the 31 standards and conduct a self-assessment for each of them against the 31 standards and submit it to you. Uh, when they really… Do it, uh, through faculty meetings or something, uh, it would take a total of two to three hours to get through each of them. And, boy, can it give you some important information. Because if you have a school that you're a little bit worried about and they say, "We've evaluated ourselves. "There are four of us in everything." This will open up a valuable conversation with you. You can say: " Four?" Tell me about it. “And demonstrate. So, this is a useful tool for you. Uh , and not just, uh, if, God, if this was the only part where it's like,
057"You all come up here real quick and tell me, are you 1 2 3 or 4?" "Phew, done. But, you have to not only do it, you have to show it. And that's with sample evidence. And for the eighth standard, let's see if you have any of this that the evaluator will be looking for. Do you have, uh, a policy? Do you have a document about your Dothan City policy ? Okay, mark that. Uh, do you have documentation on training, including leadership development and ethics? Oh. Okay. We're two on two. Uh, you have the survey results on, uh, collaboration with institutional leadership and effectiveness, and these are surveys that you may have already conducted, but are available, uh, that are suggested that you, uh, and these various stakeholder surveys are conducted throughout. So, I think
058you already have that. Is that the only evidence that you're limited to? No. You may have other, better evidence than that. And then we even have on each of these pages a definition to make sure that any, because we like to throw a lot of big words in education and confuse people, but no, it even breaks it down where you know. Does that make you feel good, Dr. Jones, that you've got it under control? Okay. I think so. Okay. Oh -oh. Did I freeze? I must have been talking too long. Okay, okay. Okay, the computer went back to... Well, I was just going to go and talk, and then the slides will come up and we'll discuss it, but you'll also see what comes up here, just imagine this , an announcement of an upcoming
059attraction. Are you happy to be here? Oh, my God. I forgot I was... I forgot too. I hope I... Okay, sure. Oh, here we are... Hallelujah. Here we go. Okay, great. Our performance standards rubric, we've discussed all of this step by step. Um, and you'll see that with the fours, it's a normal process. Um, that up to the twos, threes and fours, this is part of the normal process. Please avoid units. Units can get you into trouble. Units... er, we have different levels of accreditation... er, but if you start getting a lot of units, it can... affect the type of accreditation. There's no danger. Again , once you've established yourself and implemented, there's no process that's going to come and take your accreditation away overnight. And either you say, "Oh, we've done everything else right,
060but we're just, "No." That's, um, that's not how it works, but we have, um, things that need to be addressed to some extent, if you accumulate a significant number of units or problem areas, then it becomes, um, a point of accreditation, um, accreditation, um, under certain circumstances that are of concern. So, um, but we're not even going to think about that kind of thing here. Looking at it here, breaking down these rubrics again, level four means that 75% of your people and your stakeholders are committed to it. In other words, what was one of the key words we said about, um, continuous improvement? It's built in. It's just what we do here. And it's not like someone has to have, when, um , the process is going on, someone needs to be reminded of it.
061It's natural that everywhere and in every report filed in the district, you see evidence of it. It's just everywhere. It's built in. It's a good four. It's consistent. It's regular. It's intentional. Then, um, level three is that you meet the standard, and most people are doing it. But there's still room for growth. But it's that you're doing great, but it can grow. A two is you're not meeting that standard, you're achieving it. Uh, we would say that's progress. You're on track, but you're not quite there yet. But remember, a two is not a sin. No panic. One is the problem. That means you can't provide any evidence. You, um, can't talk about the standard. And obviously, that's not happening. That's the problem. And that's one. That's a red flag. Our accreditation process. That's what I'm
062talking about. And again , this whole process is going to look like this. Are all these people going to show up in black SUVs that you have to put up in a hotel? No. What happens then? Actually, the accreditation process has been going on for a few months now. Lee, would you like to take a moment and just talk about, um, you don't have to talk about it every day, but just talk about what's going on behind the scenes with your work with Donna. Who is Donna? We call her RAE. Regional Executive Director of Accreditation. There are two of them, and you know what? They're both from Alabama , because if you've ever been through this before, and we love our people from Michigan and so on, but you have There was this woman with
063a tablet from Michigan who came into Ms. Brenda's classroom, not knowing the Alabama way of life, the standards, etc., how things work here. And that's when it started to get intimidating. But you're going to be working with Donna Calhoun, who, uh , came to us from Thomasville, where she worked on federal programs, and she knows everything about Alabama students like the best . Uh, it's easy to communicate there. And with Gary Rickard. Uh, he's been working for years. He's, uh, he's like the Moses of Cognition, and I mean that as a compliment, uh, to come and work with you. But the main evaluator of the process is Donna. Sorry to interrupt. Go ahead, Lee. So when she contacted us, she gave us a general overview of what it would look like and encouraged us to
064come through the training. So we went and I think we did a two- or three-day virtual training. Uh, it was the training department, special education was part of it, federal programs. We had someone from HR. We had someone from the district. And once we got through our training, we set up an accreditation schedule, we call it. So every month our goal was, what are we going to do this month? And I shared that with Donna, and she kind of looked at it and added some suggestions, like try to get this in first or do this first. So as soon as she did that, we had a change of leadership, so it was kind of on hold. But we got it back up in early September. And as soon as we got it going, we started
065analyzing the data. It was basically like, we got in a room and we did this kind of war room thing where we discussed every piece of data that we could get to start looking at the research and seeing what it said. And can you say that's one of the differences is that now you have constant communication , instead of these strangers showing up ? Yeah, they used to just show up and put everything on the shelf. You know, and then they reviewed everything. It's all up front . So before they start the interview with the doctor and ask you to do this part, they've already gone through every part of us in detail, based on evidence and analysis. We do a brief about us. So they really get to know us from that perspective. And
066then we move into the final phase of our growth. So hopefully this week we've completed our growth and engagement. And we're doing really well.