ROGERS — The Benton County School of the Arts is looking for a gold star.
Superintendent Paul Hines filed paperwork Friday to start a process with AdvancED giving the charter school district additional accreditation. The district operates a high school campus and a campus for kindergarteners through eighth grade. Both are in Rogers.
The Arkansas Department of Education accredits the charter district allowing it to operate, but school administrators want additional accreditation to demonstrate the district is on equal footing with other local school districts, officials said. That accreditation would come through AdvancED, a company based in Georgia and Arizona. The company, which has an office in Jonesboro, reviews schools and awards varying levels of accreditation if academic standards are met.
School Board members voted Tuesday to approve the application cost of $1,450 and the annual renewal cost of $1,100. The AdvancED accreditation is not mandatory, said Emma Bass, director of AdvancED Arkansas.
“This is something, in Arkansas particularly, that is an additive accreditation,” Bass said.
Accreditation visits by the Arkansas Department of Education look at state standards such as student-teacher ratios and the number of academic days, said Seth Blomeley, Department of Education communications director.
The charter district received a strong review from the department this fall and was ranked a four in the state achievement ratings for 2010. A four ranking means the district exceeds standards, Hines said.
As part of the AdvancED process company evaluators will interview community members, staff and administrators, classroom teachers, students and school board members. The evaluators will issue a report offering commendations and recommendations. The recommendations are not suggestions, but required actions, Bass said. Schools must submit their solutions online within two years.
It is very rare to not find commendations, and required actions often enhance what a school is already doing, Bass said.
Areas the accrediting staff reviews include student learning, teacher development and involvement of parents. Evaluators look for all teachers and students to perform well.
AT A GLANCE
Making The Grade
Other Northwest Arkansas school districts with AdvancEd accreditation:
Farmington
Gentry
Gravette
Huntsville
Lincoln
Pea Ridge
Prairie Grove
Springdale
West Fork
Source: Staff Report
“For all of those ‘all’ terms you're not going to be there yet,” Bass said. “This is a beginning thing that allows you to move forward.”
In March administrators from Benton County School of the Arts will have a training day with administrators from 30 other districts. In April the district will have it first visit from AdvancED evaluators. After a second visit a year later, the district will be eligible to receive accreditation status.
The review process is continual, Bass said. A report from evaluators serves as a compass for the district, she said.
It is one thing for schools to look good internally, Hines said, but when an outside agency gives then a stamp of approval, it adds a measure of assurance that the schools are doing the right thing for students.
“I’m all for looking outside our four walls and finding smart and brilliant people telling me how to get better,” Hines said. “We are always in a state of getting better for our students. It keeps us finely tuned and keeps us sharp.”