Greenville County Schools and all of its schools have been recommended for re-accreditation for another five years by the AdvancED (Advancing Excellence in Education) Accreditation Commission. The recommendation from the external review team will be acted on later by the AdvancED Commission.
The school system and its schools were originally accredited by AdvancED in 2008. Prior to district-wide accreditation, schools had been individually accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) which later merged with other agencies to form AdvancED.
“Re-accreditation by the AdvancED Accreditation Commission provides national recognition of our high quality teachers, staff, schools, and school system, and our continuing commitment to meet the needs of our almost 73,000 students,” said Superintendent W. Burke Royster. “The quality assessment by the external review team provides us with information based on national quality standards so we can continue to advance educational offerings and support services for the benefit of our students and community.”
School Board Chairman (serving in 2013) Chuck Saylors added, “The re-accreditation process provides clear evidence of our focus on students, which is reflected in our strategic education plan, budget process, school construction and maintenance plans, and other improvement efforts. We believe the AdvancED re-accreditation process will assist us in continuing to grow our services and support for student success.”
The re-accreditation process included review of five standards: Standard 1 – Purpose and Direction, Standard 2 – Governance and Leadership, Standard 3 – Teaching and Assessing for Learning, Standard 4 – Resources and Support Systems, and Standard 5 – Using Results for Continuous Improvement. Standards were evaluated based on meeting high quality standards, implementing a continuous process of improvement, and engaging in quality assurance through internal and external review.
In presenting the exit report, Dr. Edlow Barker, chairman of the AdvancED external review team noted, “The school district is doing an excellent job for its community and students,” and outlined several Powerful Practices and Opportunities for Improvement.