Jonathan Law High School Receives Good Academic News

From the Jonathan Law High School: In the spring of 2017, Jonathan High School hosted decennial accreditation visits by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). NEASC is the nation’s oldest regional accrediting association serving more than 2,000 public and independent schools, colleges and universities serving member institutions across Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

NEASC accreditation is a voluntary system of accountability that is comprehensive in scope measured against a body of qualitative standards. The accreditation process is structured in a ten-year cycle of: Self-study whereby the entire educational community engages in structured analysis, self-reflection, and planning in response to the standards. Peer review process through the observations and judgments of a Visiting Committee of peers from other schools and colleges, informed by the self-study and based on the standards. Follow-up carried out at the school-level for school-based action committees to implement findings of its own self-study and valid recommendations of the NEASC Visiting Committee.

NEASC accreditation attests to the substantial compliance with established qualitative standards, integrity in statements to the public describing the schools’ programs, institutional commitment to improvement, and sufficiency of institutional resources. NEASC accreditation does not measure the experience of individual students, guarantee the quality of specific programs, nor compare or rank institutions (New England Association of Schools and Colleges website, www.neasc.org).

The self-study began by completing a comprehensive analysis the schools’ strengths and weaknesses based on the NEASC standards. These Standards for Accreditation fall into two larger categories: Teaching and Learning (Core Values, Beliefs and Learning Expectations, Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment of and for Student Learning) and Support of Teaching and Learning (School Culture and Leadership, School Resources for Learning, Community Resources for Learning). Ultimately, a self-study report was created by teams of teachers, administrators, parents and students who focused on each of the respective Standards.

The NEASC Visiting Committee spent four days at Jonathan Law, reviewed the self-study documents, met with administrators, teachers, other school and system personnel, students and parents, shadowed some students, visited classes, and interviewed teachers to determine the degree to which the school meets the NEASC Standards for Accreditation.

Since the Visiting Committee represented a variety of public schools, diverse points of view were brought to bear on the evaluation of each standard.

Each conclusion in the report was consensually agreed upon by the Visiting Committee. The seven Standards for Accreditation reports include commendations and recommendations that in the Visiting Committee’s judgment will be helpful to the school as it works to improve teaching and learning and to better meet NEASC Standards.

At the conclusion of the visit, the visiting committee was impressed with the quality and scope of programming offered at Jonathan Law. Ultimately, the Visiting Committee’s recommendation was to maintain the accreditation status for Jonathan Law High School.

Below is a summary of our school’s commendations and recommendations by each standard. The full report has more detailed information of how Jonathan Law has met the standards. The principal is responsible for completing a one, two and five year report addressing how the school is progressing on the recommendations identified by the Visiting Committee.

The Committee was impressed with many of the programs and services and wishes to commend the following:

• The teachers' instructional practices that exemplify the school's 21st century learning expectations and core values and beliefs
• the alignment of the 21st century learning expectations between the two high schools in the district
• the commitment to the informed and ethical use of technology
• the instructional emphasis on higher order thinking skills to support student achievement
• the freshmen academy that provides additional support for students transitioning from middle to high school
• the commitment to lifelong learning by many teachers who pursue professional learning opportunities and the district's increased funding support for such opportunities
• the variety of assessment strategies used by teachers
• the specific and corrective feedback on student work that is evident across disciplines throughout different units of study
• the review and revision of grading and reporting practices.

As well, the Committee was pleased to note the following:

• The positive, respectful, safe, and supportive culture
• the direct intervention strategies available to all students through Law Academic Support Services
• the staffs dedication to students and their pride in the school
• the professional development provided for administrators in calibration and reflective practices
• the maintenance of small class size that allows teachers to meet the learning needs of students
• the variety of intervention strategies that support the achievement of all students, including identified at-risk students
• the variety of methods used to inform families about available student support services
• the efforts of the college and career center counselor to support students’ transitions to post-high school life
• the delivery of a comprehensive guidance program by the school counseling department which systematically meets the career, academic, and personal/social needs of students
• the commitment of the health services staff in supporting the physical and mental well-being of all students
• the many high-quality resources and technology offered by the media center to support student learning the responsiveness of the school, in conjunction with the facilities department, to provide prompt maintenance, repair, and a clean environment
• the five-year replacement plan for both desktop and laptop computers that supports the integration of 21 century skills
• the school site and physical plant that supports the delivery of high quality instruction and school programs
• the efforts to engage the larger Milford community for continued investment and support of programs and activities.

The Committee has requested detailed information regarding the school's alignment to the Accreditation in the following areas:

• Ensure the curriculum is written in a common format that includes units of study with essential questions, concepts and skills, the school's 21st century learning expectations instructional strategies, and assessment practices including use of specific and measurable criteria for success, such as school-wide rubrics
• develop and implement a plan to create curriculum documents for courses in which they do not currently exist and to fully revise existing curricula to comply with the school's common curriculum format
• develop and implement a formal system to assess individual student and whole school progress in achieving the 21st century learning expectations
• develop and implement a formal system to report individual student progress in achieving the school 's 21st century learning expectations to students and their families as well as whole school progress to the school community
• report on efforts underway to develop formal communication systems between central office and building administration to achieve the school's 21st century learning expectations
• report on efforts to develop a formal collaboration processes between and among building administration, district supervisors, and central office personnel in decision making
• report on efforts to develop a formal process to ensure that a variety of teachers, representative of the school community
• have ongoing formal opportunities to exercise initiative and leadership essential to the improvement of students’ engagement in learning
• develop and implement a more collaborative and inclusive process that engages all stakeholders in the ongoing development of the school’s core values, beliefs, and 21st century learning expectations
• provide additional time, resources, and opportunities for teachers to participate in the curriculum revision process
• increase opportunities for integration of technology in the formal, written curriculum in all subject areas and provide professional development for teachers to familiarize themselves with instructional strategies involving technology
• develop and implement a formal process of collecting, disaggregating, and analyzing data to identify and respond to inequities in student achievement
• develop and implement a process to ensure the advisory program clearly provides strategies to show that it establishes a relationship with another adult in the school community and how this process assists students in achieving the school's 21st century learning expectations
• provide opportunities for the media specialist to formally integrate research skills into the curriculum in major subject areas
• develop a plan to address safety concerns regarding school security, roof access, and parking lot concerns.

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