School Improvement and Accreditation
School Improvement is an ongoing process that school staffs engage in to improve student learning in their buildings and districts. Although school improvement is required by Public Acts 25 and 355 of Michigan law, the process of improving student learning is a moral and ethical obligation to make sure that all students learn at the highest levels possible to ensure for them fulfilling, productive futures.
Improving schools involves a reflective and repeated cycle of looking at five dimensions of "doing the business" of schools. These are:
- Teaching for Learning
- Leadership
- Personnel and Professional Learning
- Schools and Community Relations
- Data and Information Management.
These dimensions are strands in the Michigan School Improvement Framework (MSIF), a great tool and associated rubrics to help educators discuss and evaluate what they do and how they do it. The MSIF and related school improvement tools are available at this website.
Accreditation is the formal process of evaluating and documenting efforts of school improvement. Accreditation in Michigan takes the form of Education Yes! and, for many schools, North Central Accreditation.
Education Yes! will expire in September 2009 and be replaced by Michigan School Assessment System (MI-SAS).
To see more information about Ed Yes! and MI-SAS or North Central Accreditation, visit this website or at the Advanc-ED website.
