School Improvement

Accreditation process begins for CDA of Carrollton

In an ongoing effort for school improvement, Coram Deo Academy of Carrollton has filed for candidate status with the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS). The school is following the same process used by CDA of Flower Mound, which was accredited in December 2006. 

On Feb. 21, SACS state specialist Dianne Shaw will visit the school to begin the review process. Next school year an outside team of professional peers representing SACS will visit CDA of Carrollton to evaluate all aspects of the school and make a recommendation regarding accreditation. Initial SACS accreditation is based upon assessing compliance with standards, identifying areas needing improvement, creating and implementing an action plan and monitoring improvement results.

“It is our goal to gain accreditation for the Carrollton campus by spring 2008,” said Bob Schaefer, newly appointed CDA school improvement coordinator.

Bob is shepherding the internal process, as he did when CDA of Flower Mound recently applied for and received accreditation. Bob has classroom experience, teaching fourth-graders through seniors, and is presently teaching physics at CDA of Flower Mound. He is also a pilot for American Airlines.

“I am happy to accept this greater responsibility to encourage school-wide excellence,” said Bob. “It will be a team effort with parents, directors and teachers.”

In addition to the proven process for improving schools, benefits of accreditation include ease of transfer of credits from one accredited school to another and qualification for students to receive some state grants and scholarships.

“While we have confidence in the education we offer, accreditation will provide external validation of excellence,” said Scott Davis, director, CDA of Carrollton.

Accreditation assures families that there is a documented focus on a safe and enriching learning environment, an efficient and effective operation, and student achievement. It is a validation of excellence and quality comparison to other schools, which gives confidence to enrolled families and to businesses in the Carrollton area. In addition, accreditation helps ensure that schools have access to resources for translating their vision into reality – some foundations and corporations require accreditation as a prerequisite for matching gifts.

Media

SACS Accreditation Final Report Released

It's official! The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) has awarded accreditation to Coram Deo Academy's Flower Mound campus. The announcement was made on December 10 th during the SACS annual conference in Atlanta. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall were in attendance to accept the distinction. They returned energized in their commitment to continuous school improvement and ready to spread the process to all CDA campuses.

Our successful accreditation depended on the recommendation of the SACS visiting team which evaluated every aspect of CDA's program this fall. During the accreditation visit, the review team interviewed the President and Headmaster, board members, students, parents, and teachers. They also observed all aspects of our academic program. Team members found our "commitment to educational excellence…clearly and consistently evident throughout the visit." The team both commended our past and current achievements and offered recommendations to further improve our program.

As fellow Christian educators, the visiting team made an important contribution to our future success. We plan to take their professional advice seriously. As the report concludes, "The Quality Assurance Review Team sincerely hopes that the recommendations presented in this report will help Coram Deo Academy in its continuing efforts to improve the quality of the learning experience for all of its students."

You can find the full text of the final report by clicking here.

Accreditation debriefing comments made on Friday, September 29, 2006 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Accreditation team:

[to listen click here]

Speaking is Diane Shaw, state specialist for Southern Assn. of Colleges and Schools and team chairwoman.
“They have done an outstanding job,” said Ms. Shaw referring to the accreditation team. “God has really blessed us with this team.”

Team members included:
Deborah Henry, administrator at Christian Life Preparatory School
Tony Jeffrey – headmaster at Providence Christian School, Dallas
Dave Delph – headmaster, Trinity Christian Academy

“It’s been a blessing to be here,” said Delph.

“May I say before we go any further that our team is recommending without reservation and overwhelmingly that Coram Deo Academy be accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,” said Shaw. “We are so proud of what you are doing here and every school can always get better. There are always things that you want to do to improve and that’s one of the things that we will commend you for is how seriously you are taking that and that every day you are working to make this the best school it can be for students.”

RECOMMENDATIONS for the next five years:

• Allocate resources to improve the math and science indicators to be at least the same quality and reputation as the history and language arts programs. You have outstanding language arts and history program and really good math and science programs.
• Develop and communicate a formal ongoing strategic planning process reflecting the participation of all stakeholders.
• Develop and implement a plan to increase the allocation of resources and opportunities for the professional growth and development of all employees of the school.
• Create more opportunities to develop student leadership and influence on our campus.
• Address, implement and promote safety security policies and procedures, including a formal documented crisis management plan that would meet any unforeseen instances.
• Improve the financial standing of the school through the development of a culture of philanthropy and to build a development program and to continue with your tuition increases so that it never becomes a huge burden in one year.

COMMENDATIONS

• You have moved to a wonderful facility We commend you for bringing your campus together into a permanent location
• We commend you for the growth of the school…
• We especially want to commend you for with that growth, you are maintaining the feeling of a small community and that everyone here is still known and cared about.
  “It gives me chills to think about the things you are doing…”   “But you still have that feeling of a small, close-knit and caring community.”
• For your unwavering commitment to a classical Christian education
• We want to commend the students across the grades for their appreciation for the value of the education that they get.
• The outstanding faculty, staff and administration for their commitment to vision, mission, philosophy and the core values of the school
• The parents of this school for their commitment to the vision, philosophy and core values of this school and the partnership that the parents and the school have for the education of the students here.
• We saw active, engaged learners in the classroom, across the grade-levels in every classroom we went in, we saw students, young people, actively engaged.
• We commend you for the fact that your tuition up to this point has been able to cover all your operating expenses, that the school is on good financial footing; but again we encourage you to look at ways to ensure that financial footing for the future.
• We commend your very clearly written scope and sequence that is available not only to faculty, but it’s available to parents.
• We commend your commitment to professionalism in attracting and retaining high quality administration, faculty and support staff – a phenomenal group of people.
• We would like to commend you for your excellent enrichment, preparation and  tutorial programs offered on Fridays
• We would like to commend your commitment to retaining a highly qualified Director of Development and Communications, that’s a new position to help you meet your goals as you move into the capital campaign and beyond.
• We would like to commend you for your commitment to the analysis of testing data to determine improvements in curriculum and stewardship of resources. That is an important thing – it’s not just about testing or assessment but it’s using the assessments for the good of student learning.
• The commitment for moving to the Flower Mound campus – moving to a single site.
• Comprehensive academic & college guidance and PSAT test preparation opportunities.
• The promotion of the AP programs in congruence with the mission of the school
• Especially commend you for allowing families to lead in the education of their children and the development as a Christian family
• Commend the integration of technology and communication in record-keeping and instruction
• Outstanding student encouragement, by not only teachers, certainly that is so important and we saw it over and over and over, but we commend you for the peers that encouraged each other. We were so impressed at every grade level that students were encouraging each other. And we are very appreciative of what you are doing there.
• We appreciate and commend the addition of the advisory program for student and parent support
• We commend the maximization of instructional time, that you really are using the instructional time you have on campus extremely well – that students are able to take those skills and go home and use those same skills
• Final commendation is to tell you how much we appreciate the overall culture and climate of this school, this very supportive nature that is here. Thank you for letting us be a small part of that.

“It’s a very special place and we’re very proud of you. Congratulations.”

Coram Deo Academy President Rodney Marshall: “Thank you for your professionalism, for your friendliness, for your frankness, your honesty; we thank you for your recommendations. We very much want to become a better school. We thank you for taking time…”

Getting Better All the Time

Accreditation is a multifaceted process.  Working toward our September 2006 visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the CDA staff has been pursuing across-the-board improvements in our program. It may be encouraging to review the progress made so far. Due to the dedicated work of many, here are just a few of the gains we have made this past year:

• CDA has secured its most ambitious strategic aim by acquiring and beginning development of a campus for the Flower Mound lower and upper school
• In light of the financial commitment to develop the Flower Mound campus, the school has recently announced the formation of a Capital Campaign Leadership Team, formed of parents committed to the flourishing of CDA
• The CDA Board of Directors has enhanced its manner of governance by adopting a comprehensive policy governance approach
• CDA conducted its first-ever stakeholder opinion surveys. Teachers, staff, parents and students told us where we excelled and, in some cases, where we struggled. This vital data has been continuously revisited as we seek ways to improve our program
• This fall, a full-time high school option will afford students the opportunity to attend classes and receive highly qualified tutorial assistance in a study center environment. 
• Monthly upper school assemblies have been added to enrich and engage students with the values and mission of our school, making them partners in CDA's vision
• Advanced placement exams, a priority among survey respondents, have been greatly expanded. Participation has increased, year over year, by a factor of four
• Upper school mathematics has received careful attention, resulting in increased instructional time and reevaluation of   textbooks
• The 2006 school year will see the inauguration of the Logic School (grades 5-8) with its own director and program to address this level of student learning. Guidance has been likewise been improved for students and families as they transition from 6 th to 7th grade
• Adding to the continual improvement of our athletic offerings, CDA has gained admission into the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS), greatly expanding our opportunities for academic, artistic, and athletic competition. In addition, we have continued to develop our summer athletic camps
• Consistent use of our online grade book program, TeacherEase, has been reemphasized and continuous improvements in our school website have won the praise of parents and external recognition from other private schools
• With student and parent input, school uniforms have been revamped and compliance with uniform requirements has been reasserted

Why SACS?

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a non-governmental, voluntary organization that accredits more than 13,000 public and nonpublic institutions from early childhood through university. Since its beginning, the mission of SACS has been to help schools improve student learning. Today, SACS is the largest accrediting agency in the world

What is accreditation?

An accredited school seeks feedback from an external group of professionals through peer review and is expected to demonstrate quality assurance to its stakeholders.

Accreditation and school improvement involve three major components:

Meeting standards: The school must commit and adhere to the appropriate, research-based standards for accreditation. Every school must demonstrate compliance to an applicable set of standards. A school demonstrates adherence to the standards by an initial self-analysis (Guided Self-Study), annual reviews, and on-site evaluations (Quality Assurance Reviews) every five years.

Engaging in continuous improvement: An accredited school is one dedicated to qualitative development. SACS expects a school to engage in a continuous process of improvement.

Providing for quality assurance: Accredited schools provide quality assurance by delivering on promises and demonstrating institutional integrity. SACS expects the school to demonstrate institutional integrity and trustworthiness within its community and the educational community at large. Focused on results, quality assurance requires a school to document what it has accomplished and use the results to inform future improvements.

Why accreditation?

Benefits to Schools

• Accreditation provides schools at all levels with a proven process for raising student achievement.
• Accreditation helps ensure that schools have access to the resources necessary for translating their vision into reality.

• Educators also gain valuable information about effective practices in other schools by serving on Quality Assurance Review teams. Through participation in the accreditation process and use of the resources available from SACS, educators improve their ability to analyze and use data to make sound educational decisions.
• Teachers at accredited schools gain recognition of service toward state certification.

• Several recent studies of schools actively engaged in school improvement through accreditation revealed that verifiable gains in student achievement occurred in a significant majority of the schools.
• In addition to raising student achievement, accreditation eases the transfer of credits from one accredited school to another.
• Accreditation benefits students who participate in specific sports programs; apply for federal and state grants and scholarships; or seek admission to military programs, colleges and other postsecondary institutions that require students to come from regionally accredited schools.
• A valedictorian from an accredited private school receives the monetary stipend given by the state of Texas to those attending public schools, amounting to one year free tuition.

• Accreditation assures parents, the business community, and the public that the school is committed to raising student achievement, providing a safe and enriching learning environment, and maintaining an efficient and effective operation.
• Regional accreditation assures parents, businesses, and the public that an accredited school adheres to standards that are based on successful professional practice and the latest educational research, and that the school is continuously trying to become even more effective.