Members of an AdvancED External Review Team visited Smithville Elementary School this week and liked what they saw. During an exit report meeting Tuesday afternoon, Lead Evaluator Karen Garner announced to the administration and faculty that the school will be recommended for reaccreditation.
If the AdvancED Accreditation Commission concurs with the recommendation, Smithville Elementary School will earn the distinction of accreditation by AdvancED for a five year term that expires June 30, 2019. “We will be composing this report over the next couple of weeks and then it goes to Nashville. We hope this report will help guide your future,” said Garner.
The AdvancED external review team, made up of five Middle Tennessee educators, met with several stakeholders in conducting its evaluation of Smithville Elementary School including the Director of Schools, parents, support staff, teachers, students, a school board member, and others.
According to Garner, SES scored higher than the national average in better than 90% of the areas surveyed. But the school needs a computer teacher and more technology, and those areas will be noted as “Improvement Priorities” that must be addressed within the next two years.
“We looked at your standards and each indicator and each of us rated each indicator. We put them into the computer to come out with a team average to use. On this list it gives us the indicator’s average score from across the country. I would say 90% or better of your numbers are higher than the national average and that is something to say congratulations to you. We think your scores are very good. When you beat the national average consistently that is just a good job you’re doing,” said Garner.
“We observed close to 30 classrooms and the numbers there are excellent except in one area, technology. That is nothing to be ashamed of. They do not give us the national averages for this but I can guarantee you that every school I’ve done since this instrument came out, technology was the lowest score. You’re lacking technological equipment in your classrooms. You’re lacking a computer teacher in your school. We’re not going to worry about that low score in technology right now but we are going to say that’s one of the things we would like to see improved. We cannot say hire a new teacher or anything that relates to money. We have to say things like research ways that you can obtain a computer teacher,” she said.
On a scale of 1-4, Smithville Elementary School had an average score of 3 or higher in all areas except technology. “This is a 1-4 rating. I’ll give you the average. The first is called “Equitable Learning Environments” in which each child has an equal opportunity. Your average on that one was 3.16. The second one was “High Expectation Environments”. You had a 3.4 on that one. On “Supportive Learning Environments” you had a 3.59. That’s an excellent score. And on the “Active Learning Environments” you had a 3.23. On “Progress Monitoring and Feedback” you had a 3.13 and “Well Managed Learning Environment” you had a 3.41. “Technology” was 1.67. That was your only score under a 3″, said Garner.
The External Review Team identified three areas as “Opportunities for Improvement” including “Mentoring”, “Professional Development for everyone”, and “Range of Media” or the need for computers for each teacher.
Among the “Powerful Practices” identified was “Communication”. ” You do a great job communicating with your parents in so many different media that they can’t miss it. You have it out there,” said Garner.
Smithville Elementary School Principal Julie Vincent commended her staff for their dedication. “I think you would be hard pressed in any school that you go to, to find a finer group of teachers than here at Smithville Elementary. I’m extremely proud of the work they do on a day in and day out basis. They are phenomenal. Good job,” she said.
Members of the AdvancED External Review Team at SES were Lead Evaluator Karen Garner, retired teacher from Rutherford County; Michelle Burke, an educator at Seigel High School in Murfreesboro; Juanita Climer, a retired teacher from Rutherford County; Rita McDonald, a retired teacher from Giles County; and Carol Hawkins, a teacher from Rutherford County.
A written external report will be prepared and sent to the AdvancED Tennessee Commission for approval and then to the regional office in Atlanta for final action on reaccreditation in June.
(PICTURED: Assistant SES Principal Karen Knowles, Lead Evaluator Karen Garner, retired teacher from Rutherford County; Michelle Burke, an educator at Seigel High School in Murfreesboro; Juanita Climer, a retired teacher from Rutherford County; Rita McDonald, a retired teacher from Giles County; and Carol Hawkins, a teacher from Rutherford County, Second District School Board member Jerry Wayne Johnson; and SES Principal Julie Vincent)
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