Wawasee Passes Six of Seven Standards after Accreditation Visit
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
SYRACUSE – A school accreditation team gave the Wawasee School Corp. several commendations and a satisfactory grade in six of seven standards, school officials recently learned.
Representatives of AdvancED, which rates schools nationally on such standards as teaching, leadership and improvement, toured Wawasee buildings Oct. 16-19. They spoke with teachers and parents, observed classrooms, and pored over student performance data.
School board members received the report Monday but did not comment on it during their meeting Tuesday, except to note that they have to report back to AdvancED soon on the few issues it raised.
In their report, AdvancED praised the district for its “think tank” Committee for Assessment, Curriculum and Teaching; its commitment to continuing improvement through such programs as the Wawasee Academic Mentoring Program; and for the Mastery Algebra program and the increase in student achievement on the algebra End of Course Assessment. AdvancED also commended Wawasee for its community partnership efforts, remarking on the more than 120 scholarships from local groups together worth $129,000.
The team also identified three areas for improvement and actions required: improve communication with stakeholders, develop a unified improvement plan at the district level, and complete academic mentoring program training for all teachers and provide WAMP access to all schools.
The team gave Wawasee an “operational” grade for all standards except leadership, which it classified as “emerging.” While the report notes several strengths in this area, it suggests the corporation improve communication “so that all stakeholders affirm that leadership hears and responds to their suggestions and recommendations.”
Also during the meeting, the board pushed Wawasee High School closer to a new kitchen and cafeteria by approving several resolutions, such as accepting a 50-signature petition determining a need for the project. The three-member high school building board will meet Thursday to discuss bonds needed for the $2.2 million project.
At the beginning of the meeting, the board recognized members of the high school FFA Horticulture team for recently winning a national award. They gave certificates to Seth Helfers, Kaeli Long and Jessica Wilson; the other team member is Zach Bussie.
Mariah Roberts, FFA adviser, thanked the school for its support and noted the team benefited from the new greenhouse built as part of high school renovations.
