The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) shall conduct an on-campus Standards Review (OSR) of each school district no less than one (1) time every four (4) years as mandated by Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-202 (e)(1). ADE may visit any school campus for an OSR at other times as determined necessary by the Commissioner of Education or the State Board of Education.
Monitoring reviews for the 2012-2013 school year will occur between October 2012 and April 2013. Please refer to the attachment indicating the school year in which school districts are scheduled for the four (4) year monitoring. Area specialists from the Standards Assurance Unit (SAU) will contact district superintendents by telephone in advance of the OSR to outline the monitoring review procedures and to confirm date and time. Following the initial contact, the area specialist will send the superintendent a packet with details to assist districts and school officials in preparing for the monitoring review.
An OSR Checklist will be used during the monitoring review. For each item on the checklist, supporting documentation should be prepared by the district for the OSR team. Checklist documentation for review should be organized by item number to facilitate the monitoring review process. An administrative staff member holding a valid teaching license or other licensed district personnel familiar with the process should be available for questions during OSR.
ADE Rules Governing Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts, Standard XVIII, Section 23.03, requires the ADE to annually review all reports and investigate suspected deficiencies in meeting standards. Each year the ADE shall conduct an OSR of a selected number of school districts. The district office and schools within the selected districts will be reviewed for compliance with the standards. The ADE shall notify all schools not meeting the Standards for Accreditation of deficiencies by May 1 of each year. In the year of the OSR, the assignment of the annual accreditation status will result from the Cycle 2 data submission and the OSR.
To assist school districts in preparing for the 2012-13 OSR, the Standards Assurance Unit will conduct a training session via videoconference hosted by local education service cooperatives. The session is scheduled for Wednesday, August 29, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Roll call will begin at 8:30 a.m. Coordinators for this training are: Mr. John Hoy, Assistant Commissioner, Division of Academic Accountability; and Mr. Johnie Walters, Standards Assurance Unit Leader.
Districts scheduled for a 2012-13 OSR visit are encouraged to attend. Pre-registration is required as seating may be limited. Participants should include one district administrator and a principal or designated leader from each building.
To pre-register, please contact your local education service cooperative.