Accreditation time is here

Out-of-state educators will visit eight county schools in November while making an accreditation visit to the Cherokee County School District.

A committee of educators from North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina will spend Nov. 9-12 speaking with parents, teachers and school board members about Cherokee County schools. The district is seeking accreditation through AdvancEd, an international organization which represents 23,000 public and private schools.

Committee members will visit Blacksburg Primary, Blacksburg Elementary, Blacksburg Middle and Blacksburg High. Additional visits are scheduled for Mary Bramlett Elementary, Limestone Central Elementary, Gaffney Middle and Gaffney High. A separate meeting will be held with representatives from other county schools.

Cherokee County is seeking a 5-year accreditation that will cover all county schools, said Page McCraw, who is overseeing the district's accreditation effort.

The committee chose to visit specific county schools so it could view how the district works to meet the needs of different students, school accountability objectives and how the overall school system is working.

"Blacksburg Primary was selected for a visit because it is a unique school. The committee wants to take a look at the other Blacksburg schools in part to study how school feeder patterns work," McCraw said. "One of the things the committee will take a look at in the district is equity of resources. Students benefit from the accreditation process because it is all about making continuous academic improvement."

A special called school board meeting will be held Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. to end the district accreditation visit. AdvancEd committee members will present the school board with commendations and specific recommendations for improvement in their final report.

"Our accreditation visit will be based around the state strategic and school renewal plans our district updates on an annual basis," McCraw said. "Accreditation is important so students can continue with their postsecondary education in programs that require regional accreditation."