Cobb County Schools will not be investigated by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the agency that accredits the district, Superintendent Fred Sanderson announced Thursday.
AdvancED, the association's parent company, was looking into governance concerns with the Cobb Board of Education. Complaints centered around the board's vote to ditch the balanced calendar, and the exclusion of board members in the decision-making process.
After communication between the agency and the district, AdvancEd decided Cobb would maintain its "accreditation on advisement" status until the district's mid-term report is submitted later this year. The agency said it would monitor the board, and directed members to get more training, make sure to following state's open meeting laws and to use data and evidence in decision making.
The letter from AdvancEd is posted at www.cobbk12.org.
AdvancED is hosting a media press conference Friday to update its involvement with Cobb, Atlanta and Clayton schools.
Cobb County Schools will not be investigated by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the agency that accredits the district, Superintendent Fred Sanderson announced Thursday.
AdvancED, the association's parent company, was looking into governance issues with the Cobb Board of Education. Complaints centered around the board's vote to ditch the balanced calendar, and the exclusion of board members in the decision making process.
After communication between the agency and the district, AdvancEd decided Cobb would maintain its "Accreditation on Advisement" status until the district's mid-term report is submitted later this year. The agency directed the board to make sure it is following the state's open meeting laws and to use data and evidence in decision making.
The district must submit a mid-term report later this year.The letter from AdvancEd has been posted to the district web site www.cobbk12.org.
As you may know, AdvancEd is an organization that provides accreditation to Southeastern schools, school districts, colleges and universities through a comprehensive evaluation process conducted by its SACS/CASI subsidiary. The Cobb County School District was the second district in the nation to receive SACS accreditation in 2004, and was successful in having that accreditation reaffirmed in 2009.
I recently received a letter from AdvancEd that outlined numerous complaints and concerns the organization had received regarding the operations and processes of our Board of Education. The letter stated that the allegations raised, if true, could indicate a lack of compliance with SACS standards for accreditation and could, potentially, lead to an investigation of the district that might impact its accreditation status. My response letter acknowledged several of these concerns, but also noted that our Board of Education is committed to correcting them and improving its processes. I also noted that the Board remains committed to the SACS Standards For Excellence in Education and is willing to take whatever steps are required to maintain the district's accreditation.
We have now received a reply from AdvancEd that confirms the areas of deficiency and the steps our Board of Education must take to ensure compliance moving forward. The letter also states that SACS will not conduct an investigation of the district, and that the district will maintain its current "Accreditation on Advisement" status until the district's mid-term report is submitted later this year.
Overall, this is a very positive outcome for our district. Moving forward, I am confident that our mid-term report will indicate significant progress toward addressing the concerns that have been raised, and that our Board and district will continue to reflect the ideals championed by the SACS Standards For Excellence in Education. In turn, I expect our district to return to an unqualified SACS accreditation by 2012.
The letter from AdvancEd has been posted to the district web site http://www.cobbk12.org/.
Thank you,
Fred Sanderson
Cobb County Schools will not be investigated by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the agency that accredits the district, Superintendent Fred Sanderson announced Thursday.
AdvancED, the association's parent company, was looking into governance issues with the Cobb Board of Education. Complaints centered around the board's vote to ditch the balanced calendar, and the exclusion of board members in the decision making process.
After communication between the agency and the district, AdvancEd decided Cobb would maintain its "Accreditation on Advisement" status until the district's mid-term report is submitted later this year. The agency directed the board to make sure it is following the state's open meeting laws and to use data and evidence in decision making.
The district must submit a mid-term report later this year.The letter from AdvancEd has been posted to the district web site www.cobbk12.org.
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