by Mary Wilson
The Hickman Mills Board of Education in April 2016, approved
the pursuit of accreditation through AdvancED. Since then, the district has
been preparing evidence of progress for the external review team. On April 20,
AdvancED’s review team concluded the process, which began three days prior,
with a presentation to the Hickman Mills Board of Education.
AdvancED Accreditation Commission recommended that Hickman
Mills C-1 School District be accredited with distinction by their review team
made up of nine educators from across the United States. A comprehensive review
was conducted of all district processes in the areas of teaching and learning,
leadership capacity, and the utilization of resources showed that Hickman Mills
is performing within AdvancED’s acceptable ranges as compared to expected
criteria as well as other institutions in their network. The external review
team also reviewed district artifacts, conducted classroom observations, and
interviewed approximately 215 district stakeholders to support their
recommendation of accreditation to the AdvancED Accreditation Commission.
“I am extremely pleased to announce to our school district
community that we have been recommended for international accreditation through
AdvancED,” said Superintendent Dr. Dennis Carpenter. “We know there is work yet
to be done in the area of student achievement, but it’s refreshing to have the
district’s processes, systems and overall programming validated. This ensures
we are on track in terms of providing a holistic education of the district’s
children validated. In addition to highlighting five powerful practices in the
district, this external review team also noted three improvement priorities
that should guide this district’s work in the short-term future. I am humbled
by positive sentiments of the external review team. This makes me extremely
proud of the work of the faculty, staff and students of our district. We have
come a long way.”
Currently there are six districts in Missouri accredited
through AdvancED, and Hickman Mills will be the only urban school district in
the state to receive the distinction. Parents and interested community members
can learn more about the System Accreditation Process by visiting www.advanc-ed.org.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education (DESE) still designates Hickman Mills C-1 as provisionally
accredited, and stated that the independent review will not impact the
district’s accreditation with the State of Missouri.
“This accreditation service is unrelated to the state’s
system of accreditation,” said Sarah Potter, communications coordinator for
DESE. “Therefore, it would have no bearing on the department’s accountability
and accreditation system. Local districts have the option to consider employing
outside accrediting organizations in addition to the state’s process.”
The total price tag for the independent accreditation review
from AdvancED remains unclear, as the district has not yet received invoices
for the services provided in the initial review process. According to Ruth
Terrell, Director of Public Information and Partnerships, Hickman Mills, as
part of AdvancED’s member network, will pay $11,550 annually. In five years,
AdvancED will return to the district to perform another review, which will cost
an estimated $2000 on top of the membership fee.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Carl Skinner, who coordinated this
effort with AdvancED, said, “Although the process was comprehensive and
exhausting, it was worth it. Hopefully this honor will encourage our
stakeholders and demonstrate our district-wide commitment to excellence, as
well as our desire to continuously improve and be the best we can be for our
students.”
While AdvancED cannot comment on the nature of the
identified improvement priorities and powerful practices, as those were given
directly to the district, the AdvancED Engagement Review process, according to Mariama Jenkins, AdvancED Director of Public
Relations, enables institutions to self-reflect on their progress, and provides
them with specific recommendations or improvement priorities in various
environments, from classroom instruction, culture, and student engagement, that
are designed to improve overall school quality.
“The State of Missouri has a test and performance based
accreditation process which differs from AdvancED’s more holistic approach to
improving school quality,” said Jenkins. “School improvement is a journey, not
a destination. Engaging in the continuous improvement journey with AdvancED has
given Hickman Mills a way to analyze their work, make necessary adjustments for
student improvement and determine how what they are doing is aligned in meeting
the state standards.”