The St. Bernard Parish Public Schools just completed their five-year accreditation visit by AdvancEd evaluators, and the school system will be recommended for continued accreditation with the highest ranking possible.

The school system was ranked “highly functional,” in each of AdvancEd’s 7 standards:  Vision for the future; Leadership; Teaching and Learning; Letting Data Drive Decisions; Support Services; relationships with Stakeholders; and efforts at Continuous Improvement.  The system also received commendations for its Board, Superintendent, and Central Office leadership, its integration of technology throughout the system, its support from the community, and the obvious dedication and caring of its teachers and staff.

AdvancEd, a nationally recognized school accreditation agency formerly known as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, sent 8 outside evaluators into the district February 5-8 to visit schools, observe school operations, and meet with various school system stakeholders.  

Superintendent of Schools Doris Voitier hailed the team’s findings as recognition of the hard work of the system’s employees, parents, and students.  

“We work very hard to provide our community with the best of what public education has to offer, and it is nice to have ‘outsiders-looking-in’ to come, see if our efforts are moving in the right direction, and validate our hard work.,” she said.

Team Chairperson, William Rivenbark, a retired Superintendent from North Carolina, told the Board in a special report, that the team was very impressed with the school system and its commitment to continually improve.  “It is so obvious that the teachers and staff really care about what happens to students.  We heard that over and over from not only parents but from students themselves.  The community has good reason to be proud of this school district,” he said.

The Quality Review team interviewed over 200 students, parents, teachers, and administrators during their visit, and they met with each of the district’s principals and other administrators to review how the system supports schools.  The district also had to submit a self-report to the team in December for them to review prior to their visit.

The recommendation of the team now goes to the Executive Committee of AdvancEd, which will actually award accreditation next fall.  AdvancEd, formerly known as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), accredits schools and colleges nation-wide.  The accreditation label is especially helpful to graduating seniors who may apply to attend college out-of-state.  Accreditation is a signal to colleges and to the community that the district far exceeds the minimums of an appropriate education for its students.

The school district, fresh off of recognition as one of 14 out of 70 districts state-wide to make the Governor’s Honor Roll, has been accredited as a district since 2007.  Prior to that time, each of the district’s schools was accredited as a single entity.  St. Bernard was also the first district in the state to have each of its schools accredited by SACS.