GRAVETTE — “We are going to recommend your school be accredited.” With these words Michael Lodico revealed the results of a two-day visit to the Gravette Public Schools by an AdvancED District accreditation committee.
Lodico, a North Carolina educator, chaired a five-member team which spent two days evaluating the Gravette Public Schools, touring facilities, meeting with staff and administrators and visiting and questioning numerous citizens from the community.
The evaluation was the final step as the school seeks AdvancED accreditation status, rather than its present North Central Accreditation rating.
If approved by the national rating board, which will receive the recommendation, the change will consolidate the district’s schools, Glenn Duffy Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School and High School, into a single advance rating.
The team announced its decision last Wednesday afternoon at a special meeting of the district school board in which Lodico enumerated the procedures of the evaluation team. This included an evaluation of the four schools with recommendations for the future.
In his presentation, Lodico described the school with complimentary phrases: “The district is exceptional” and “The school leadership has been proactive in achieving its status.”
He lauded the district’s effort at curriculum and instructional development, particularly in its evolvement into the state’s co-recurriculum directive, now underway statewide.
Preceding the visit by the team, the school had submitted detailed reports and information which led to the on-site evaluation.
School board members, local school educators and several townspeople broke into applause at Lodico’s announcement. The Asheville educator said the district will be receiving the official results of its findings within the next week.
Other members of the evaluation team included Jerry Valentine, vice-chair, principal of Alma High School; Alene Bynum, assistant superintendent of personnel and instruction at Russellville Schools; Linda Brown, retired Little Rock educator who is Arkansas’ AdvancED state specialist; and Jan Voss, superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Arkansas City (Kan.) Public Schools.
Wednesday’s meeting lasted about one-half hour. Team members then visited briefly with board members, superintendent Andrea Kelly and others. Individually and collectively they indicated how the school, its facilities and operation impressed them.
Kelly issued the following statement concerning the evaluation process and its results:
“The exit report made by the NCA Accreditation Review Team provided affirmation that the district’s efforts with the formation of the Curriculum Coordinating Council and the Academic Subject Area Alignment Teams is a positive step forward. Just like private business, the business of education must operate in a continual state of renewal to keep pace with the changes in our global society. We firmly believe we must prepare our students to compete effectively in the 21st Century.”
News, Pages 1 on 03/02/2011