Fourth grade faculty celebrated the end of a successful year in May.
Reaccreditation: Year Two
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ith veteran Graland teacher and administrator Di Nestel, director of programs, at the wheel, the School’s reaccreditation process is progressing right on schedule. After completing the self-study component last summer, Graland concluded its second year of the seven-year cycle to maintain certification with the Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS). The self-study process, while timeconsuming, was worth the significant, school-wide effort, according to Di. “In the end, the School’s request for recertification will get approved, which is important,” Di says. “But even more important is the time spent reflecting on what we do, why we do it and how we could do it better.” Forty-eight committees worked throughout the 2011-12 school year to prepare a total of 50 reports that make up the final document. Every faculty and staff member served on at least one committee; others helped with two, three, four or even five committees. “It was great to talk in depth with other faculty members, then step back to see the big picture and how my part fits in with all the rest,” says Mitch Masters, history teacher. “We were given time to have professional, meaningful conversations about our practices and everyone viewed it as an important step in defining who we are as a school, especially in the context of our new mission statement.” In fact, part of the yearlong objective was for colleagues to work together, have lively debate and apply critical analysis to our programs. “It’s healthy to identify areas of growth and put our goals in black and white for all to see,” Di continues. “The report itself is very honest and represents our School authentically.” The three-part document (overview, strengths/challenges and future plans) has already received glowing reviews from ACIS. “They were impressed with the quality of the program content; in fact, the executive director at ACIS says the faculty reports were among the best he’s ever seen,” Di notes.
Year three in the reaccreditation process involves the ACIS visiting team, a group of peer school leaders who will talk to every employee and validate information in the report. They were on campus November 11-14, 2012.
Curriculum mapping an ongoing process
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raland began the exciting task of curriculum mapping last year. Mapping is the act of documenting the scope and sequence of learning that happens vertically (from Grades K-8) and horizontally (across each grade level). Kristin Ryder led the effort, and her committee encouraged every faculty member to evaluate the content knowledge, skills and instruction methods for his or her curricular area. Every teacher engaged in conversations about scope and sequence of learning and documented his or her curriculum into a computer program. Now, with the curriculum information online, teachers and administrators can view and sort data by grade, subject or a variety of other criteria. Educators can see “holes” in scope or sequence as well as overlapping curricula, revealing opportunities to fill in educational gaps and engage in cross-divisional and cross-subject collaboration. Curriculum mapping helps the School create programs that are unified, aligned and intentional. “The curriculum map holds us accountable to plan and teach in the most effective and meaningful way for our young learners,” says Dana Pease, Grade 3 teacher. Within the first year of the mapping exercise, Graland saw a “huge” benefit, says Kristin, and not only in the classroom. “Mapping greatly complemented the reaccreditation self-study project,” she explains. “Because every teacher was involved in mapping, we were able to critique our programs more effectively for our reports -- it is a valuable ‘jumping off’ point.”
The mapping task will continue indefinitely as Graland constantly improves its excellent and rigorous educational program. Gail Hill, newly appointed director of curriculum and instruction, will carry on the important project as Kristin Ryder focuses on her new role as director of admission.