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Highlands Today

Accreditation recommended for Highlands schools, district

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By MARC VALERO Highlands Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 12, 2009

SEBRING - The Highlands County School District is a "quality school system," according to the preliminary report of a Quality Assurance Review Team, which recommends accreditation for the district and all of its schools.

The report noted several district strengths and challenges.

Among the strengths cited: servant leadership, support for professional development, reading coaches for all schools, focused and student-centered staff, strong working relationship among the superintendent, district administrators and school leaders and a positive relationship between the superintendent and the school board.

Among the challenges cited: recruiting and retaining professional staff representative of the racial/ethnic diversity of the district, increasing stakeholder involvement, reducing the gaps in academic proficiency rates among students and targeted groups, providing appropriate student services and funding district operations with declining revenue sources.

The team also recommended that the district use strategies to increase the graduation rate and decrease the dropout rate of at-risk students.

The preliminary report was presented to the school board Wednesday afternoon with principals and district administrators in attendance.

School Board Member J. Ned Hancock said to the review team, "you validated what we thought about our school district."
Superintendent of Schools Wally Cox said: "it is truly an honor to be associated with this school district for 34 years."

The 10-member team met with district administrators, school board members and principals and parents on Monday and then visited six schools to observe and interview students, teachers, principals and parents.

A total of 217 stakeholders were interviewed for the district study by the AdvancED review team of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement.

According to AdvancED, the benefits of accreditation for students include:

• Transferability of credits to students from school to school.

• Greater accessibility for students to federal loans, scholarships, post secondary education and military programs that require regional accreditation.

• The school or district has committed to raising student performance and will be held accountable for improving student learning on a continual basis.

The district should be receiving a final accreditation report around the first of the year, the review team's chairman said.

Once reviewed and approved by the AdvancED Accreditation Commission, the district and all its schools are granted accreditation for a five-year term.

Highlands Today reporter Marc Valero can be reached at 386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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