Team Member Orientation
Anywhere High School
October 20--
The Middle States Region
MSA-CESS accredits over 3500 schools in
over 85 countries
Who are the Visiting Team
Members?
The MSA visiting team is a
group of professional
educators appointed by the
Middle States Association of
Colleges and Schools (MSA)
to visit a school using the
Middle States accreditation
Process.
Team members are:
• selected from a pool of
volunteers nominated by
member institutions
annually
• assigned to a particular
team based on their
background and expertise,
geographic proximity to
the school being visited
You have been selected to be a part of the
team because your school considers you
to be someone who:
• can be relied upon to make rational, perceptive
comments upon certain aspects of another
school's operations
• can function well as a team member
• will conduct him/herself in a thoroughly
professional manner.
What is the Purpose of the
Visit?
• To determine the maintenance of MSA
Standards and Indicators of Quality
• To determine the school’s adherence to the
requirements of the protocol being used
• To assess the quality of a school’s process of
planning for continuous improvement
• To review the validity and clarity of the plan
and the level of commitment to
implementation
• To offer an accreditation recommendation to
the Commission.
What are the MSA Standards and
Indicators of Quality?
The Standards and Indicators reflect what are generally accepted as constituting
the practices with which an educational institution must be in compliance in
order to assure its community that it provides quality programs and services.
Sets of Accreditation Standards have been adopted for:
• Schools
• Career and Technology Institutions
• Supplementary Educational Organizations
• Educational Services Organizations
Decisions on whether an institution complies with the Standards for
Accreditation and Indicators of Quality must be based only on the evidence
presented by the institution and observed and reported by the Visiting Team
during its onsite visit
The MSA Standards
1. Philosophy and Mission
7. Health and Safety
2. Governance and Leadership
8. Educational Program
3. School Improvement
Planning
9. Assessment and Evidence of
Student Learning
4. Finances
5. Facilities
6. School Climate and
Organization
10.Student Services
11.Student Life and Student
Activities
12.Information Resources and
Technology
What are the Requirements of the
Protocol?
Each self-study and accreditation protocol approved by the Commission on
Secondary Schools includes a specific set of requirements that must be met for
the institution to be accredited. These requirements include:
• A self-assessment of compliance with the Standards for Accreditation
• A plan for growth and improvement including:
• Measurable objectives
• Baseline data for at least one assessment for each objective
• Technical approval of the objectives
• Comprehensive action plans
• Plan for regular monitoring and reviews of the improvement plans
• Active involvement of appropriate members of the school community’s
stakeholders.
Your responsibilities as a
team member include:
• becoming familiar with the school's self-study, in
particular those sections for which you have been
assigned specific responsibility.
• treating the visit as a time for intensive work.
• contributing to a report that will be sufficiently detailed
and comprehensive to be a reliable basis for the
accreditation decision, and to be a useful working
document for the future development of the school.
Remember the process of the visit itself may seem
somewhat daunting and may be confusing at first. However,
it will all fall into place.
The Middle States
Association relies on
the personal and
professional honesty
and integrity of team
members to conduct
themselves in an ethical
and confidential way.
How Should You Behave?
• Don’t compare to your school
• Be a critical friend and not a consultant
• Be respectful
• Trust the protocol
• Avoid expressing personal opinions
What Will You Do?
The primary purpose of a team visit is to verify and
corroborate the school’s/district’s self-study effort,
to evaluate its improvement plans and to leave the
school in a position to grow.
Typical Visiting Schedule
Each day of the visiting team schedule will vary somewhat but will
typically include opportunities for team members to :
• Attend scheduled meetings for interviews
• Review documentation
• Meet as a whole team or as sub-groups to reach consensus on
interim decisions about standards and protocol requirements
• Write and review sections of the report
• Visit classrooms
The daily schedule begins early with team members arriving at the
school before school begins and continues through the early
evening hours.
How Will I Do It?
By…
• Gathering information
• Reviewing the self-study
• Taking notes
• Conducting interviews
• Attending meetings
• Writing summaries
• Observing
Gathering Information
• Prepare thoroughly by
researching the relevant
material and planning
questions in advance
• Frame questions so as to elicit
information without
reflecting a value judgement
• do not allow pressure groups
or individuals to distract you
from the main task
Gathering Information (cont.)
• Avoid taking sides in any
school issues
• Keep an open mind and don't
jump to conclusions
• Do not immediately take as
fact an opinion or value
judgement expressed
• Always Seek
Verification
Conducting Interviews
• Peer review can be highly sensitive
• Time should be provided for those being
interviewed to ask questions
• Interpret and assess the information gathered
immediately following the interview
• Interviews will be led by the team members
responsible for writing the section of the report
related to the interview
• Two to three team members should attend each
interview
Interviewing Tips
• Begin on time
• Introduce participants
• State the purpose of the meeting and of the team visit
• Begin with a general question
• Questions should be neutral and open-ended
• Listen to the opinions and concerns of participants
• Ensure that all participants have an opportunity to
participate
Interviewing Tips
(cont.)
• Never put forward a point-of-view on any of the
subjects under discussion
• Offer no signals of approval or disapproval
• Thank the participants at both the beginning and
the end of the interview Conduct the interview
in an atmosphere of appreciation and end on a
note of personal grace
Observing Classrooms
• As many teachers as possible
are to be visited during a team
visit.
• The purpose of classroom
visits is to gain a sense of the
teaching and learning climate
of the school.
• Visits are typically short,
perhaps 10-15 minutes.
When Writing the
Report, Remember…
• Adhere precisely to the agreed format and style for the
Visiting Team Report
• Try to use the school’s own factual description as the basis
for the component of your report wherever you agree that
it is accurate
• Identify the important problems and issues to be
recommendations
• Do not be overly-prescriptive
• Commend progress where it has clearly been made and
praise the school where praise is due
When Writing the
Report,
Remember…(cont.)
• In writing commendations attempt to identify special
features in which the school itself takes pride.
• Your written sections of the report should not be simply a
regurgitation of the indicators or the school’s selfassessment.
• The value of the Visiting Team Report will be judged by the
insights it brings to factors affecting the quality of the
school, not by its length or the sheer number of
recommendations and commendations
Ending the Visit
The Visiting Team should attempt to leave the school itself in
good spirits. The Team should convey a feeling to school
personnel that, through their efforts, they have contributed
to school improvement. It is important to impart a sense that
the Report’s recommendations will not be negative criticisms
but will be intended to help the school reach its goal of
continuing to deliver the best possible education to its
students.
What Happens Next?
After the visit the team’s report and recommendations are sent
to the MSA offices to be reviewed by:
First the Commission’s Staff who review the report of the
Visiting Team to make a professional judgment as to whether
the evidence supports the teams conclusions and
recommendations.
Second an Advisory Committee with special knowledge of the
protocol reviews the report and the Commission staff’s analysis
of the report.
Third the Membership and Accreditation Committee (M&A) of
the Commission reviews the report, the staff analysis and the
recommendations of the advisory committee.
Finally the Commission takes an accreditation action based on
its review of the recommendations made by the Visiting Team,
the professional staff, the advisory committee and the M&A
Committee of the Commission.
Team Member Expenses
All expenses related to the visit (travel, meals, hotel) are paid for
by the host school. Typically the school arranges and prepays costs
for lodging and meals. These arrangements are made with the
school by the chair of the team as part of the pre-visit.
Team members can be expected to be reimbursed for travel
expenses including mileage, tolls and related expenditures. The
reimbursement process is arranged by the chair and typically
conforms with the procedures used by the district.
Your school is not reimbursed for substitute coverage.
Detailed records of your travel expenses will be required by the
host school.
Questions and Answers