AdvancED External Review Report

One year ago, the TCS accreditation team began the process of self-assessing and looking at all of our student data and all of our current procedures and processes in preparation for our AdvancED Review.  The purpose of this process is to stimulate and guide continuous improvement with a focus on:

• Impact of teaching and learning
• Capacity of leadership
• Use of resources

Upon reflecting last November, our TCS team determined that we were not satisfied with where we were with regard to the AdvancED standards and indicators.  So, we went to work.  During this past year, our district worked to create a strategic plan, district and individual school professional development plans, continuous improvement plans based on our student data, a data governance plan, a district assessment plan, and much more!  We set district expectations for consistent use of learning targets and implementation of walkthroughs for the purpose of teacher support, gathering data, and providing feedback to teachers.  We began a year-long process of developing a new teacher evaluation plan, after coming to consensus on what effective teaching looks like.  We began a process of carefully examining our data with the purpose of impacting teaching and learning.

The review team examined thousands of documents, interviewed 183 stakeholders in our district, and visited dozens of classrooms during their visit.  Needless to say, we were all pretty proud when the visiting review team recognized our efforts and awarded Trussville City Schools with outstanding Index of Education Quality scores. The IEQ results indicate that the school system is performing within acceptable ranges as compared to expected criteria as well as other institutions in the AdvancED network, and the team recommends that TCS earn the distinction of accreditation by AdvancED.

Powerful Practices that were noted by the External Review Team are:

• The Trussville City Schools designs and evaluates structures in all schools whereby each student is well known by at least one adult advocate in the student’s school who supports that student’s educational experience. (Indicator 3.9)

• The Trussville City Schools Board of Education and school leaders monitor comprehensive information about student learning, system and school effectiveness, and the achievement of system and school improvement goals.  (Indicator 5.5)

• Shared values and beliefs permeate the Trussville City Schools and have created challenging, equitable educational programs and learning experiences for all students. (1.3)

• The Trussville Board of Education ensures that the leadership has the freedom to make the day to day decisions that meet the goals for academic achievement and instruction while promoting a culture that provides support and accountability across the system. (2.2, 2.3) 

• The Trussville City Schools maintains facilities, services and equipment to provide a safe, clean and healthy environment for all students and staff.  (Indicator 4.3)

Opportunities for Improvement that were noted by the External Review Team are:

• Provide a continuous program of professional learning for all certified and classified staff and ensure that evaluation processes are linked to these activities.  (Indicator 3.11, 2.6)

• Establish a process to review and update  board policies and procedures. (2.1)

The only Improvement Priority noted by the External Review Team is:

• Implement a systematic and systemic set of  processes and procedures K-12  that ensure all staff continuously collect and analyze data to evaluate student needs and drive instruction.  (5.2, 5.3)

In accordance with the findings of AdvancED, TCS will implement a systemic set of processes and procedures regarding data collection and use K-12.  We have already begun planning for this important work that we will roll out later this month.  

During the external review presentation, the lead reviewer included many positive remarks about their visits in the schools.  She complimented the climate in classrooms, saying that it reflected trust and risk-taking, and referring to it as "conversational learning."  All of the reviewers mentioned how well behaved and engaged the students in all schools were.  They also complimented the student work in the hallways, particularly at the high school as that is not the norm in most high schools.  Our student leaders who greeted the reviewers when they entered the classrooms especially impressed the visitors.  Additionally, our beautiful, well-maintained facilities greatly impressed the review team.  Many thanks to every person in the district who reflected, read, wrote and prepared for our self-assessment and review.  We feel like we have a very clear picture of where we are right now regarding teaching and learning.  We will continue to set ambitious goals for ourselves and for our students, and, together, we will work to attain those goals.

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