For several months last year, school and district leaders, along with the Board of Education of Logan County Schools, were faithfully engaged in the process of accreditation to improve the quality of the school system and its schools.
School systems seeking to gain accreditation must meet AdvancED standards specified for their organization, demonstrate high levels of student performance, and provide evidence of stakeholder satisfaction with the operation of the school system. The accreditation standards focus on conditions and processes within a system that impact student performance and organizational effectiveness. The power of accreditation lies in the connections between and among the standards, student performance, and stakeholder feedback.
Their hard work and effort was rewarded on Monday when Donna Wear, field consultant with AdvancED, presented Dr. Kevin Hub, Logan County Schools superintendent, with a plaque and banner officially recognizing this outstanding achievement.
“Our students, staff, parents, community stakeholders and Board of Education should be very proud of this notable accomplishment,” says Hub. “Receiving AdvancED accreditation will positively impact the future economic development and success of the communities of Russellville and Logan County. When businesses investigate prospective communities, the quality of the local school systems is among the most important factors considered.”
The Logan County Accreditation Report furnished by AdvancED stated that “this achievement recognizes the quality of education afforded the students in Logan County Schools through the leadership of the superintendent and governing authority, the dedication and service of the professional staff, and the support of community stakeholders.”
The AdvancED Accreditation Commission has determined that Logan County Schools “meets the Accreditation Standards for a Quality School System, engages in a continuous systemic process of educational improvement, and has effective and efficient quality assurance controls throughout the system and its schools.”
Within the report, the AdvancED Accreditation Team lists “powerful practices” they found during their external review of Logan County Schools including:
1. The Logan County Board of Education operates effectively and respects clearly delineated roles and responsibilities across the district and school environments.
2. 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.
3. The Logan County Board of Education, Superintendent, and school system leaders have fostered a student-centered, high performance culture based on the expectations established for students.
The external review team also listed “opportunities for improvement” which focused on developing communication strategies with external stakeholders, developing a plan to include more cultural arts and gifted and talented opportunities for students, and evaluating current district personnel roles and responsibilities.
“I’ve been challenged by our Board from the beginning to maintain the standards of excellence in Logan County. This Board is not only informed, but very involved in the forward progress of our district, and set goals for me which specifically address the ‘opportunities for improvement’ stated in the report,” Hub said.
“Logan County Schools has a long tradition of academic and operational excellence and this accreditation is a testament to that legacy, the leadership of current and former Board members, as well as school and district leaders including retired superintendent Marshall Kemp.”