Accreditation for Growth, known as AFG, is a process for school improvement that is monitored by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a non-governmental, nonprofit, peer-administered organization of diverse educational institutions committed to ensuring that students in accredited schools are receiving the highest quality education. Additionally, the Association seeks to ensure that accredited schools are engaged in continuous improvement efforts through effective leadership, a comprehensive program of self-study, evaluation by peer educators external to the school, meeting the requirements for accreditation, exemplary programs, and supportive services.
The school selected the Reflections on Standards of Quality (REF) self-study and accreditation protocol. Reflections on Standards of Quality engages the school in a comprehensive examination and evaluation of every aspect of the school, including the community it serves, the school’s underlying philosophical underpinnings, each component of its education program, and a variety of resources such as finances and facilities.
The idea of reflection is a pivotal part of this self-study protocol. If the word reflection is looked up in the dictionary, a number of synonyms are found. One of these ideas, to mirror, suggests that one purpose of the self-study is to describe the school clearly and accurately. This description is important to both the school community as a precursor to effective planning and to the Visiting Team in making evaluative judgments.
There are, however, other synonyms of reflection that point out additional purposes of the Reflections on Standards of Quality self-study process. Concepts such as:
to think to consider to contemplate
to ponder to deliberate to cogitate
to meditate to evaluate
are critically important to making decisions about school improvement priorities. Description of the current situation is not enough. Evaluation and prioritization are also keys to the self-study process. In setting a course for school improvement, a school must not only describe its current state, but it must also thoughtfully and critically identify its major areas of strength and needs, so that improvement plans can be developed.
To be accredited through the Reflections on Standards of Quality protocol, the school must meet the 12 Middle States Standards for Accreditation. The 12 MSA standards demonstrate the critical role that foundational building blocks such as curriculum, instruction, assessment, school culture, facilities, and student services play in creating the conditions necessary to promote improved growth and improvement in student and organizational performance and the organization’s capacity to produce the levels of student learning and performance desired and expected by the school’s community.
Second, the school must identify areas of student performance and/or organizational capacity that are the highest priorities for growth and improvement, measurable performance objectives, and a plan for achieving the objectives.
