Meeting Standards
The Branch School, a private school in west Houston, has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 1998. As a member of the Houston Association of Independent Schools, we are part of a network of well- known private schools. Our graduates have performed successfully at many highly-regarded private and public schools as well as colleges and universities. The Branch School admits students of any religion, race, color, or national and ethnic origin. Reaccreditation takes place every five years. The next reaccreditation will occur in 2013.
Highlights of the Quality Assurance Review Report: Reaccreditation 2008
[The complete report is available on request. The report of the Quality Assurance Review Team was prepared by AdvancED which is the unified organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), and National Study of School Evaluation.]
Following are highlights taken from a 16-page report written by the educational review team of three who conducted a two-day concentrated evaluation of The Branch School. Specifically, the team examined the school's systems and processes related to the seven AdvanceED standards:
- Vision and Purpose
- Governance and Leadership
- Teaching and Learning
- Documenting and Using Results
- Resource and Support Systems
- Stakeholder Communications and Relationships
- Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Taken from Commendations, Description, and Strengths
Commendations
- The Branch School maintains a clear and powerful focus on student performance that permeates all levels of the organization.
As evidenced by statements from stakeholder interviews and through classroom observations, all stakeholders know the school's student performance objectives, are aware of current performance levels, and can articulate what strategies are being implemented to address gaps in performance.
Standards of Accreditation
The primary requirement for accreditation is that The Branch School demonstrates that it meets the seven standards for accreditation.
Standard: The school establishes and communicates a shared purpose and direction for improving the performance of students and the effectiveness of the school.
- The Branch School's vision, mission and values provide focus for direction for all stakeholders throughout the school community.
- Interviews with staff members, parents and students indicated strong knowledge of the commitment to the school's vision, mission, and values.
- The school and stakeholders continue to focus all efforts on student success and student values. The school vision guides allocations of time and human, material, and fiscal resources.
Standard: The school provides governance and leadership that promote student performance and school effectiveness:
- The Branch School has a very active Board of Trustees in which several members serve on the executive committee and work directly with long-term objectives. The leaders are clearly advocates for the vision and all improvement efforts.
- The leadership of the school, including the Board and school leadership, are very aggressive in evaluating programs and school improvement efforts.
- Progressive change is encouraged and welcomed as part of the process of updating policies and procedures and improving the school program and learning environment.
Standard: The school provides research-based curriculum and instructional methods that facilitate achievement for all students.
- ... it was evident that teaching and learning are geared toward the whole child. The focus is on conceptual learning and problem-solving. Parents supported this by stating that learning was not memorization, but rather learning concepts.
- As a part of the school's philosophy to "teach the whole child," teachers are given ample opportunities for staff development. The QAR team praises this effort and considers it a strong practice for the implementation of methods that focus on problem-solving and conceptual learning. Clearly, teachers focus on the individual needs of the child.
- Character education is emphasized in awards given periodically throughout the school year to students recognized for exhibiting good character.
Standard: The school enacts a comprehensive assessment system that monitors and documents performance and uses these results to improve student performance and school effectiveness.
- The students are constantly assessed on learning objectives that are based on the TEKS and the self-developed curriculum guide
- Teachers have been trained in the writing process and differentiated instruction. These are examples of reviewing data to determine the need for instructional change.
Standard: The school has the resources and services necessary to support its vision and purpose and to ensure achievement for all students.
- The QAR committee reviewed the very extensive evaluation instrument used two times yearly for teachers.
- Continued training for teachers is offered. Teachers are required to obtain 150 hours of professional development over a 5-year period. Artifacts and interviews indicate teacher training in differentiated instruction, 21st century thinking skills, and the ability to teach problem-solving and conceptual learning skills.
- The Branch School has excellent financial resources which are in addition to tuition receipts. An endowment has been established to secure the future of the school, and grants are pursued to provide scholarships, training, and overall development of the school.
- The leadership provides great support for the teaching staff. Staff members have direct access to the Head of School and indicated that she is interested and open to any and all suggestions that will benefit students.
- Assessment and evaluation drive the school improvement process.
Standard: The school fosters effective communications and relationships with and among its stakeholders.
- Stakeholder communication efforts are many and often.
- The school has commitment and support from all stakeholders. School personnel actively promote and provide regular, systematic opportunities for collaboration and shared leadership among stakeholders to help students learn and advance improvement efforts.
Standard: The school establishes, implements, and monitors a continuous process of improvement that focuses on student performance.
- The process for continuous improvement of student learning has a high priority by the Board as well as the school community stakeholders in general.
- The school fully implements a collaborative and ongoing process for improvement that aligns all functions of the school with the expectations for student learning. Improvement efforts are systemic, sustained, and fully embedded, and the school demonstrates significant progress in improving student performance and school effectiveness.
The review team also listed areas where they felt there were opportunities for continuous improvement. The main recommendation was that The Branch School form a committee to study and implement technological improvements. In line with this recommendation, the school has formed a Technology Committee which has developed a strategic plan to address the technological needs of the school for the next three years.
