Issuu

Poster Session: Module 1 1. What are our r easons for seeking accreditation? 2. What are our f ears? How can we address them? 3. What a ttitudes do we have about the review? Which ones do we need to foster? Which ones do we need to change? 4. What a ctions should we take after the review? REASONS Demonstrate that we are performing at an international standard ● Necessary for our high school graduates that continue their education in the States. Identify strengths and weaknesses Overall the process will open more doors for our students. ATTITUDES We are open minded to feedback. Important to look at this an opportunity not just as an institution but as individuals as well Objective attitude is important for honest feedback While acknowledging the new challenges, it’s important to keep in mind the purpose and end goal of this process.

FEARS How the accreditation process will take the data from the past few months into account. Will there be considerations for the current situation Getting placed under review To address these, we must be as committed to the process as much as possible. Organization of collecting data is key

AFTER ACTIONS Honest reflection Apply the recommendations Analyze the new data after applying recommendations

REASONS 1. To validate the quality of our work and institution. 2. Ensure continuous improvement. 3. To demonstrate continuous improvement spirit 4. Recognized as a good quality school with high standards. 5. Track progress. 6. To optimize our investment in resources. 7. To get a better vision or orientation to ehre we have to go and get to. 8. Improvement of our STEM program.

ATTITUDES 1. Keep an open mind to new ideas and methods. 2. See it as an opportunity for growth not judgement. 3. Realization that the process is a team effort. 4. Have a positive attitude during the process.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

FEARS We do not have or gather the appropriate criteria expected. Realizing the needs are not being met by some of our student population. Going on the wrong path. Restructure and reevaluate our priorities of getting accredited. Lack of evidence.

AFTER ACTIONS 1. Take action to improve based on the suggestions. 2. Commitment to change and improve. 3. Focus on the students and keep it student centered. 4. Set priorities and reachable goals.

REASONS Continue to be accredited by Cognia To grow Provide a top tier environment for our communitie’s stakeholders To remain focused on providing students a top tier education

FEARS Our priorities are being maxed out! The challenge of trying to do too much Self Care - be honest with your colleagues perhaps this should be built into the process Because we are typically good at multitasking - we need to so no to some things

To see how we are viewed from an outside lens

ATTITUDES Honesty Transparency

AFTER ACTIONS Reflection Make action plans

Have a growth mindset Be positive We need to be mindful that this review cycle falls during a challenging time - thus, we need to stay focused on being mentally and physically healthy See the purpose

Prioritize actions - look through one angle of the lens (assessment, pedagogy, curriculum….

REASONS

To strive for improvement in instructional delivery and to further our aspirations to be the premier student-centered institution in Honduras and Central-America Maintain our status within the country and international communities Due to our situation we can use it as an opportunity to reflect on our teaching practice and instruction

ATTITUDES At times we are plagued with the irrational fear that Cognia is just merely a top-down administrative fiat designed to limit our creativity and freedom of actions. Encourage one another to foster creativity, embrace changes

FEARS

Challenges due to the pandemic and the unknown of what the rest of the school year will look like. Finding gaps or missing pieces of evidence required by Cognia. We want the current practices and evidence to demonstrate what we have accomplished.

Application

AFTER ACTIONS

Stay open-minded to use the recommendations Prioritize as a community based on the feedback

REASONS

FEARS - That we will be assessed on our ability to deliver instruction via Zoom while we are still learning the best practices for this type of teaching. - Not getting the accreditation - That we will be assessed on student engagement and class community in a situation where it’s harder for us to connect with them. Hoping they will keep in mind that this is a different situation for us, and sometimes we only see our students once a week.

ATTITUDES

AFTER ACTIONS - Create a plan to implement the changes based on the suggestions given by the Cognia Team. - Collaboration among the different departments and grade levels

- Improvement of academic quality - Better teaching learning experience for students - Update teaching strategies through professional development - Continue implementing STEAM activities to encourage our students become better problem solvers - Continue to encourage all stakeholders to give continuous feedback on how to make our school succeed - To make sure the all departments of the school are aligned - To make sure the school’s mission and vision are present in all areas of the school by encouraging the stakeholders to play an active role

- Open minded - Collaboration - Flexible - Positive - Reflective

REASONS ● Maintain AST stakeholders’ continued trust in our institution ● Pursue continuous improvement ● Reflect on our teaching practices ● Seek formal recognition as an educational institution ● Remain a “de facto” school

FEARS ● Virtual Review: Will it really be a true barometer of our school’s progress since the last review? ● Time factor: WIll the review be more time consuming due to many life stresses at this time? ● Surveys (Stakeholders, Students, Staff) : WIll they be approached and completed in a positive manner as a result of the current circumstances?

ATTITUDES

● Due to the current situation… we feel worried, nervous, anxious, etc. ● We have also seen that student engagement has been better than expected given the present situation. As a result, we feel this review will turn out to be a positive experience for us.

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AFTER ACTIONS Reflect on the teams’ feedback Cite the areas which need enhancement Develop an Action Plan for Improvement Actively monitor the Action Plan EXHALE!!!

REASONS ● For continuous improvement on our practices. ● To get feedback on what we are doing. ● Up to date teaching practices. ● To implement new paradigms of education.

ATTITUDES ● Adjust our expectations related to student growth and performance. ● Open mindedness and flexibility. ● Adapt to our new reality and make the best of it.

FEARS ● Thinking that we have become stagnant. ● Resistance to change and working out of our comfort zone. ● Fear to be transparent and feeling exposed. ● Time constraints. ● Limitations of virtual school. ● Fear of post pandemic learning gaps. ● Fear of not complying with the expected growth.

AFTER ACTIONS ● Accept the feedback and use it to improve our practices. ● Keep our skills updated. ● Analyze results and act accordingly. ● Self and group reflections.

REASONS -

School improvement Identify strengths and weaknesses Meet standards of quality General assessment

ATTITUDES

FOSTER Willingness to do the work Positive mindset Creativity and collaboration

Anxiety Fear

CHANGE

FEARS Did the school meet the goals from the previous accreditation Budget Meeting high quality standards and how we compare to the rest of the schools being accredited by COGNIA. Fear of classroom walkthroughs

AFTER ACTIONS Thoroughly follow up with the action plan Develop a school improvement plan Analyze and understand the recommendations.

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REASONS Gain more knowledge on best practices Obtain an objective third party perspective Identify what we do well and areas of improvement Identify strengths and weaknesses Maintain the status of the school in our area, community and internationally Maintain high standards

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ATTITUDES Attitude of “one more thing on my plate,” address is it in a manner in which we focus on the improvement of the quality of the institution we work in Fostering a positive attitude that leads to improvement, communicate that message with the community, it is not a complaint platform Keep a positive attitude, this will help us in the long run, look ahead Honest self-examination

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FEARS How to handle the current situation with virtual education Are we truly doing a good job? What if we don’t meet their standards? The adaptation of standards to the virtual process Opportunity for negative aspects to become a focus given the current situation We might over-criticize ourselves, be too harsh on ourselves. A way to address this is to focus on the positives rather than the negatives Time- how to balance the newness of virtual school along with the accreditation review

AFTER ACTIONS Implement the suggestions given to us

REASONS 1.

FEARS Miss the mark Not having the improvement we planned for in the previous accreditation. That this is a time-consuming process Since it is virtual, it is a harder task to do The name of AST may be affected by not achieving the desired status.

AST is in constant growth and on top of ways to improve our instructional methods. 2. Show the stakeholders that AST maintains a high level of standards. 3. Create the best possible environment that is conducive for learning for staff, teachers and students 4. Pursue positive outcomes of our efforts for education with the highest possible standards.

1. 2.

ATTITUDES 1. Work as a team 2. Have collaboration in a positive way 3. Remain open-minded, not defensive 4. Be honest

AFTER ACTIONS 1. Take into consideration the areas we have to improve in. 2. Remain in communication with all the stakeholders after the process 3. Create action plans 4. Implement those plans with a time line.

3. 4. 5.

FEARS More workload to make sure everything is up to standards Are we going to be able on time? [early dismissals-latestarts?] Access to information Will it be affected because it will be remote?

Assists [other] institutions in determining acceptability of transfer credits. ATTITUDES attitudes toward learning are believed to influence behaviors, There is a relationship between attitudes and success or achievement Both negative and positive attitudes have a strong impact on the success To foster: Positive mindset, teamwork, collaboration, willingness to improve, the need to adapt to change, communication among stakeholders To change: leave our comfort zone, accept the reality of lots of work coming our way, accepting change

Maybe we are afraid of tech, but our students are resilient to the use of tech AFTER ACTIONS We need to work together to improve together Being open minded and leaving our personal agendas to the side Follow up on recommendations and feedback

Poster Session: Module 1 1. What are our r easons for seeking accreditation? 2. What are our f ears? How can we address them? 3. What a ttitudes do we have about the review? Which ones do we need to foster? Which ones do we need to change? 4. What a ctions should we take after the review? REASONS ● To seek objective feedback on our performance across the school in order to maximize our effectiveness for students. ● Receive an objective evaluation of school ● To improve ourselves ● Cognia sets clear goals and criteria for improvement ● Receive feedback on how our school is performing and how we can improve ● To evaluate or update our mission and vision due to the different changes that have taken place in the world today ● For continuous improvement change and adaptation

FEARS ● That an online evaluation will not be as thorough as an on-site one. ● Online evaluation lacks social contact ● Logistical issues -- environment/ space ● Online evaluation is not realistic! ● That the online evaluation will not be as “personal” and less proof for them. ● These fears could be addressed by having Cognia explain to us how the online evaluation will be conducted and how it differs from the regular evaluation.

ATTITUDES

AFTER ACTIONS ● Reflect on what we learned about ourselves and our overall practice from the review process ● Review their process response and improve areas to be worked on. ● Apply and make changes for improvement ● Adapting to new situations

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An open mind and a growth mindset(foster) The process will take me away from my class prep (change) To be willing to learn from the process and embrace changes (foster) Working as a team. Always with a positive attitude and flexibility. This is a process for continuous improvement (foster) Collaborative and teamwork across divisions

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REASONS Continuous school improvement Constant teacher improvement Guarantee that the school meets and keeps international standards Identifying where to invest our resources Measure key components of school quality

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ATTITUDES TO FOSTER ● Open minded ● Mindfulness ● Adaptive ● Collaboration ● Team work ● Growth mindset ATTITUDES TO CHANGE ● Accepting our new reality ● Tolerance ● Embracing virtual mindset.

FEARS A thorough report requires time that is currently limited due to the present virtual modality Planning time will be affected as we focus on the accreditation process Increase of stress level due to the amount of work involved in the accreditation and certification process Not being able to meet accreditation expectations and its consequences

AFTER ACTIONS ● Acceptance of results and recommendations ● Continuous improvement for better learner outcomes ● Open to change ● Teamwork and collaboration ● Sustain our commitment to our students and school community

REASONS

FEARS -Maybe not enough experience -A lot of work -Time consuming -Challenges of distance learning and working virtually

ATTITUDES

AFTER ACTIONS -Embrace the change -Managing what needs to change as efficiently as possible -Make an efficient plan of action -Open channels of communication

-Career opportunities and improving skills -Growth opportunities -Enhancing the professional image -More experienced educators -Credentials -To know what we need to improve -Analyze evidence/findings -Evaluate student/teacher performance

-Open minded -Positive attitude -Teamwork -Self-reflective -Improvement

REASONS -The quality of education we provide is aligned with our vision. -Constant improvement -Keep credibility as a leading institution in Honduras -Hold ourselves to a higher standard of excellence.

ATTITUDES

FEARS -Having accreditation take place in a virtual setting -Difficult being evaluated while in a new environment as a teacher -For somethings, it is easier online and others not so much -Quality of evidence may vary due to the current situation -Being my first time going thru this process I am unsure of the process in general

AFTER ACTIONS -Not knowing when someone will possibly -Analyze the data and feedback that is given enter my class for the accreditation process. -Celebrate the process, GO TEAM!! -Not knowing the process is daunting -Get ready to make changes according to -It is nerve wracking even though this is for recommendations improvement in teaching