by Ann Perham

VIEW a chart, comparing NEASC standards for 2009 and 2011 

Writing this article may be a bit premature because I haven't survived...yet. I'm just past the midpoint of a two year process that may be the most important experience for my library program and for me as a professional.

Immersion Learning   It all started in the winter of 2007, when an appeal went out on the MSLA listserv for someone to serve on a NEASC accreditation team visit. I wasn’t able to do those dates, but it reminded me that I had promised myself that “I reallyotta” do a visit because my school would be up for accreditation soon. In previous school, I had gone through two accreditations; I had served on a steering committee and had chaired one of the standards committees, but the standards had changed and I needed to reacquaint myself with the 2009 standards. I emailed my principal and before I knew it, I had my choice of two schools and two dates. Pick your poison!

Being on an accreditation team is nothing short of a self-sacrifice, but a worthwhile one. Essentially, I gave away four days of my life. From the time I arrived on Sunday morning until the final meeting on Wednesday, I did nothing but NEASC. “Intense” is the only term that comes close to describing the gathering of information, tours, shadowing of students, discussions and writing of reports. Our team of 16 educators from across New England became fast friends. Many were classroom teachers, two were department heads, and the chair and assistant chair were a superintendent and an assistant superintendent. Would I do it again? Now that I’ve had a chance to step back a bit, I can say “yes” because of the importance of the process. NEASC prepares the team with plenty of materials to read in advance and ample support during the visit so in some ways it’s easier than running a library. I absolutely recommend that anyone looking at their horizon and seeing NEASC should apply to be on a team ASAP.

Backwards Planning  Soon after returning to school, I realized that I had a "bigger picture" of the whole NEASC process. For my library program, I knew exactly what I needed to do to prepare for our own NEASC visit. My faculty was in the process of agreeing on the mission for our school and I had the advantage of having seen how "mission-driven" the NEASC process really is.

Then came the fateful phone call, in May of 2007. It was my principal, inviting me to attend a seminar with the assistant principal on NEASC for schools preparing to go through the self study. Little did I know that I had started down a road that would take me on a journey of leadership. When the assistant principal told me he had an offer I couldn't refuse and asked me to take on the role of the co-chair of the steering committee, I was absolutely shocked, but I accepted the challenge.

The fall of 2007 was a series of details, all outlined in a manual from NEASC. From gathering a steering committee to setting up the seven committees, it was detail work that I do well. The team of leaders that we gathered has meshed together quite well. Since our faculty has very few veterans of past NEASC self studies, we have had to learn together.

The Needham High School accreditation visit is November 15-18 of 2009. To date, the faculty has voted to accept one of the standards reports and we have six more to go, with a completion goal of May. We have our hotel lined up to house the team, a budget, and a to-do list that is long but do-able.

Midstream Wisdom   Do I have advice for library teachers anticipating their own accreditation?

FIRST and foremost: Continue to run your quality program. If you have shortcomings, recognize them and know that the NEASC self study is the opportunity to have the strength of recommendations from an outside authority.

Read the standards for your year – make neasc.org a favorite on your browser. The chart at the end of this article compares the standards of 2009 with 2011, but the points of emphasis are obvious. When I studied the standards, the emphasis on the embedding of the information literacy curriculum was clear. I undertook a year-long study of projects in the library, charting our information literacy curriculum indicators – which were introduced, which were reinforced. This document is strong evidence for our self study.

STATISTICS are important evidence, although not the only evidence. I have always kept statistics, so I am able to show changes over time as well as verify access of students and classes to the library.

Ongong ASSESSMENT is a cornerstone of the 2011 indicators. The draft calls for us to "conduct ongoing assessment, using relevant data including feedback from the school community to improve services and ensure each student achieves the school's 21st century learning expectations." It's all about the evidence of learning.

A huge lack in the NEASC accreditation is their failure to assess technology and its importance in the School Resources/Library Standard 6. When I called it to the attention of our subcommittee assessing the library, they were amazed that they had completely left out our instructional technology program because the indicators specify library with only glancing mention of “technologies”. Software and hardware is mentioned, but there needs to be more emphasis on the use of technology as a learning tool. In the Instruction Standard, the use of technology plays a role. In the Instruction Standard, there should be more emphasis of using inquiry methods of instruction and developing intellectual curiosity through research.

I have compared the 2009 standards and the draft of the 2011 standards in this CHART . The library is still in School Resources, but I don’t see that we have lost any importance. The redundancy of Standard 6 has been banished and once the indicators are fleshed out, I have hope that they will be clearer than the 2011. The emphasis on evidence-based practice and 21st century skills is very positive for school libraries.

Job Alike: NEASC – Preparing, surviving (From the 2008 MSLA Conference, High School Job Alike)

At our 2008 Conference, a special feature on Sunday evening was the Job Alikes. I facilitated the high school session in a “round robin roundtable” format and posed three focus questions. “NEASC: How do you prepare and survive?” was one of the topics.

This is the advice offered:

• Independent and Public schools are all under NEASC, just different departments/divisions
• Best thing to prepare for your own accreditation is to volunteer to be on a visiting accreditation team.
• It is long hours, but rewarding – a superior professional development activity (for which you DO receive PDPs)
• volunteer to be on a visiting committee to know what to expect as soon as you can, even if your visit is three years away; allows you to plan and change your practice if need be
• To Serve on a NEASC Team contact your principal or call Janet Allison at NEASC to be on a team
• Self study is an intense year
• Try to be on your steering committee. Be a leader for your school, position of visibility
• Use school Professional Development Time for NEASC – great way to bring staff together
• Try to ensure that all depts are represented on all committees
• Gather your evidence required by NEASC: look at standards
• Evidence Binder: Quantify what you are doing- collect collaborative lessons along with circ stats., extra evidence including book talks, tutoring, what available for the kids.
• Don’t write your own report; (rough draft?) but holds more veracity if someone else does it.
• The School Resources committee should be a diverse group
• never hide anything; NEASC is a library’s best advocate
• Stick to the facts as committee will find out anyway
• The NEASC Rubric to decide adherence to the standard is difficult to use, but it does work
• Standard - Indicators are very specific and the evidence will speak for itself
• It’s not about ‘you’… the committee takes a look at the ‘program’ so that library can do/be offered to do (financial, staffing, etc) what needs to be done
• Get Statistics, “anyone can talk, but the data speaks”
• Take lots of time to prepare
• For the accreditation visit, offer library for meeting space to the Accreditation Team so NEASC can see library in action and see what materials are there
• NEASC best protector for the professional library position
• From the NEASC recommendations needed help for your program (such as library support staff) may come.