The Logan County School District completed the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation process and was recommended for that honor by the external review team Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 15, according to District Curriculum Specialist Dawn Slaton.
The team consisted of the following educators: Dr. Kathy Spencer, retired superintendent from North Carolina; Dr. Jim Flynn, superintendent of Simpson County Schools; Mr. William Nelson, administrator from Arizona; Mrs. Kathy Goff, assistant superintendent of Warren County Schools; and Mr. Brian Wilmurth administrator of Calloway County. Members visited Logan County schools for three days, observed approximately 50 classrooms, interviewed more than 60 staff members, parents, and students and reviewed a multitude of artifacts.
The external review team was very complimentary of the school district as they recommended it be accredited and listed the following Powerful Practices:
· The governing body operates effectively and respects clearly delineated roles and responsibilities with a clear focus on the best needs of students;
· The Logan County Board of Education and Superintendent set clear district goals and provide leaders in the district and schools the autonomy to manage day-to-day operations effectively in order to meet the goals;
· The Logan County Board of Education, Superintendent, system and school leaders have fostered a student-centered, high performance culture based on the needs of students;
· The district has committed to gathering data from assessments and surveys at a high level of participation and with fidelity.
The team also stated they were very impressed with the leadership in the district and noted that was a definite strength of the school system.
All six Logan County schools have been individually accredited; however, since the district has now completed the process, individual schools no longer need to go through it individually. The district must go through the process and be revaluated every five years.
Accreditation is an international protocol for institutions committed to systemic, systematic, and sustainable improvement. The Analysis and Evaluation consists of three areas of focus: Impact of Teaching and Learning, Leadership Capacity, and Resource Utilization.