Avondale School District receives high rating from AdvancED

AdvancED, an international organization committed to school improvement that leads to success for all learners, provided Avondale School District leadership with a report of their findings after conducting an in-depth analysis of data and onsite interviews with district staff, parents, students and administrators. The results of the findings indicate that since the last report was generated, the district has shown improvement in the three main measured areas of learning/instruction, leadership, and resource capacity. Avondale School District earned an overall score of 312 points out of 400. In 2014, the last time the analysis was conducted, the District earned an overall score of 261 out of 400. The overall score reflects the AdvancED Index of Education Quality (AIQ) with most institutions achieving an overall score between 278.34 and 293.33.

“The work that our staff is doing in and out of the classroom is evident throughout the AdvancED report,” said Avondale School District Superintendent, Dr. James Schwarz, “it demonstrates our focus on student learning and the district-wide commitment to our shared mission and vision to educate ALL students.”

That commitment resulted in the District reaching the report’s benchmarks that measure learning and instruction including “learners engage in differentiated learning opportunity and/or activities that meet their needs; learners have equal access to classroom discussions, activities, resources, technology, and support; and learners are supported by teachers, their peers and/or other resources to understand content and accomplish tasks.” Schwarz attributes success in these benchmarks to the tremendous progress in the roll-out of major initiatives across the district such as Project Based Learning as well as the implementation of data dialogs and systematizing accommodations, differentiation, and interventions from building to building to address the learning styles of a variety of students. In addition, he notes significant changes within revisions of curriculum including reading, math, writing, and Science resulting in teaching and learning that is relevant to the real world. “All of the movement that we’ve made in delivery of instruction is purposefully designed to increase student engagement and success,” said Schwarz.

The report also indicates that in the area of leadership, it is clear the district has a focused direction and exercises fidelity to that direction when implementing policies and initiatives. Citing the Avondale 2020 Strategic Plan, the report states that all stakeholders have knowledge of, and exhibit ownership of the Plan, adding that they believe it guides and supports the mission and actions of the district. Further in the report, stakeholders say they continue to be involved in the plan’s monitoring and revision. The District’s ability to reach leadership benchmarks that include “commits to a purpose statement that defines beliefs about teaching and learning, including the expectations for learners; implements operational processes and procedures to ensure organizational effectiveness in support of teaching and learning; and provides experiences that cultivate and improve leadership effectiveness” confirms evidence of the shared commitment.

Resource Capacity is the final area considered in the report with Avondale School District demonstrating ability to leverage relationships with community members, organizations and local businesses in order to provide learning opportunities for students. In addition, the report noted that the District’s professional learning structure promotes collaboration to improve student performance. “We are strong in our priority of seizing opportunities for collaboration and supports for curriculums and programs,” said Schwarz, “our community is rich with learning experiences that enhance our students’ educational journey.” Schwarz also pointed out that even in the inner-learning community of Avondale staff members and parents there are many resources available to provide what is needed to assist with student growth – academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.

In the final analysis of the AdvancED Report, Avondale School District administrators recognize that though the district’s overall score improved (up 51 points from the most recent reporting in 2014) there is still work to be done. “Though we had no area of the analysis identified as “needs improvement”, some areas were characterized as “emerging”, noted Schwarz. “Those are areas that we’ll continue to refine and grow to ensure the growth of our students and staff.”