The process
Establishing a Leader
The process of leading and managing an accreditation process is highly demanding, taking a great deal of time and planning to coordinate an entire school community’s participation.
To facilitate the completion of a successful process it is highly recommended that someone is appointed to formally lead the process and that time be allocated for this position, instead of someone taking this on above and beyond a full-time job.
Ideally, the person who is assigned this role will have previous experience in the accreditation process. If this is not the case, it is suggested that the person undergoes training to become a visiting team member of the accreditation process through which the school will go. For example, if it is a CIS accreditation process, the leader of the process can train to become a visiting team member and would ideally participate in a school visit before leading their school through the process.
Establishing Stakeholder Groups
In order to move forward with the accreditation process involved stakeholder groups must be identified.
While each process will be different, generally speaking, the process will require involvement from the following groups:
The Board of Trustees and/or the owner
The school’s senior leadership team
The divisional leadership teams
Faculty
Supporting staff (e.g., finance/business office, operations/buildings and grounds, and health services)
Students
Parents
Once the key stakeholder groups are established the next step is to assign a leader for each respective stakeholder group who will be responsible for compiling necessary supporting documentation as well as completing drafts of needed summary reports or self-studies.
Timeline
The person charged with leading the accreditation process will then outline a timeline for all necessary steps to be completed. Following this, the leader will then meet with the respective stakeholder leads to take them through the expectations for the process as well as outline the key dates.
Collecting Data
Perhaps the most demanding part of the process is collecting the required data to meet the expectations of the accreditation visit.
For some, it is collecting data to complete a self-assessment against the prescribed criteria, and for other processes, it is a matter of collecting required data so that a visiting team can come in and conduct an evaluation.
It is essential that the leaders of the respective sections are aware of the data they need to collect and the required information that they must complete if, for example, there is an overall self-assessment.
In order to successfully collect data, the leader of the accreditation process will need to have already set up a storage system to collect the required data. Typically stakeholder groups will be required to collect data that corresponds to a given section of the accreditation process and an electronic storage system. For example, Google Drive can be set up allowing each group to access and save key documents, including evidence needed.
Importantly, given the fact that data stored may well be sensitive, it is necessary that appropriate measures are taken to ensure that those accessing and saving information have access only to necessary sections, and that any information saved is in accordance with any and all data protection requirements of the school, the country, and/or the accrediting body.
Engaging in the Process
Once the overall framework is set up and a timeline is established, groups will need to be allocated time to go through and complete any required information, provide any needed supporting data, and write up any summary findings as required. The process of stakeholders going through this is intense and can require a good deal of time and effort to collect needed information.
To facilitate the process, it is suggested that time be allocated for groups to engage en masse so that the entire school can be focused on this.
This will allow for a deeper dive into the process and should allow for richer reflection and a more thorough collection of information rather than engaging in the process periodically over an extended period of time.
Thus, the suggestion is to allocate entire professional development days to this process, rather than allocating infrequent time slots over longer periods of time.
Establishing One Voice
Once stakeholder groups have had the chance to complete their respective sections it will be good for the accreditation leader (AL) to review all sections to identify ways to ensure coherence of voice and consistency of message throughout any required summary documents.
Further, it will be essential for the AL to go through and ensure that there is consistency and quality in supporting data across all sections. Upon reviewing the entire document, the AL should make summary notes and share key findings with the school’s senior leadership team (SLT). Thereafter, the SLT should identify any areas in the report that may need addressing.
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