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A Visiting Committee of fellow educators spends 3-1/2 days at the school, learning more about their work, new understandings, and commitment to the Action Plan. The size of the Visiting Committee is based on the size of the school - for full visits, almost never less than 3. WASC makes every attempt to ensure that members have knowledge of the type of school being visited and represent a wide variety of roles possible at the school. Chairpersons are selected several months in advance. They should visit the school campus at least once prior to the visit and do preliminary reading of the self-study report among many, many other things.

• Here are fairly typical schedules: one for public schools using the WASC-CDE process and schools using a WASC only process. For the visit, a one-page version is helpful, even if abbreviated. The manuals show Focus Group meetings occasionally early in the morning or during the school day. In my experience, this just isn't possible.

• Information for schools

In preparing, share with stakeholders the type of questions that VC members may ask. Thanks, Ginger, for the good ideas!

Questions for Parents/Families
Questions for Students
Questions for Classified Employees

In preparing staff, try these two personal worksheets. Thanks, Fifi, for such excellent work!

Celebration of Awesome Progress Use this in the few weeks prior to the visit to prompt staff's thinking about "what they've learned" and "what difference that growth will make for students.
Action Plan Study Guide Just as its title implies, this is a prompt to both remind staff of the content and purpose of the action plan AND to solicit their personal commitment to each of the sections.

What evidence do you need in the workroom for the Visiting committee? Here's a draft of suggestions for this evidence that would be useful during the visit. Consider this a work in progress.

• Information for Chairs and Visiting Committee members

  Chair Tips Here's a thoughtful list of ideas and actions to help you in your work.

  Housekeeping Topics for chairs and school personnel to discuss prior to the visit - schedule, parking, hotel, food, clerical support, meeting guidelines. These are mine; make your own list.

  Visiting Committee Agreements outlines our commitment to the school. We ask the school to hold us accountable! This is a personal practice as chair for me. I find it clears the air of any "got ya" feelings and opens the dialog early. As always, a work in progress.

  Best Practices for Visiting Committee members. As always, a work in progress. (Last updated 3/08)

  Prewriting Worksheets - WASC-CDE Download this file to complete your prewriting for a California public school. Members receive a paper copy of this from WASC along with other materials. Thanks to WASC for making this available. (Word® file)

  Prewriting Worksheet - WASC Only  This file is for private schools. If you are a member of a team at a religious school, use this template and include the Support criterion related to spiritual support. (Word® file)  Thanks to Camarillo member training participants January 2002 for reminding me to link this resource.

  Help for prewriting and discussion can come a variety of sources. Thanks to returning VC members at Camarillo Training 2-5-01 for encouraging me to link these resources.
   

  • Distinguished Middle and High School Applications (California School Recognition Program).
  • Guidelines for National No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program
  • Continuation High School Model Program. This includes an excellent Career-Technical Rubric
  • The earlier National Blue Ribbon School Program included rubrics which are still are instructive. E-mail Louise for a classic-mail copy.
  • Other regional accrediting associations' standards (criteria) may also be helpful in doing your prewriting and developing ideas for discussion.
  • The California Standards for the Teaching Profession

  50 Ways to Improve Your Writing   Humorous guide to writing style. Thanks to Jim for this reference.

  Another quick list of 50 writing tools comes from Roy Peter Clark and is posted at the Poynter Institute website for journalists. You might even want to purchase a copy of his book Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer. If not check out the podcasts that accompany this. For example:

  10. Cut big, then small.
  Prune the big limbs, then shake out the dead leaves.
  
  14. Get the name of the dog.
  Dig for the concrete and specific details that appeal to the senses.
  
  32. Place gold coins along the path.
  Reward the reader with high points, especially in the middle.

  Content and Style Tips  Not so humorous guide to writing style. However, this one is directed particularly at the style errors in writing for Focus on Learning.

  Check out the lists of verbs to help with your writing

  Sample of prewriting. For new VC members, understand that your prewriting is is feeding back to the school the big ideas gleaned from their self-study and asking questions about key areas: missing ideas, clarification needed, ideas for further discussion. Keep in mind this is not a compliance review.  Thanks for VC members in training 3-19-01 in Anaheim for encouraging me to make this available.

  Member Support is a help for new members: good questioning stems, some general questions for focus groups, and guides for good questioning techniques - a combination of many resources.

  Here's a way of organizing your best questions for Focus Group meetings. These are Word® documents. Incorporate your questions using the key ideas of the criteria along with the "big issues" structuring the VC's work. Then, take notes on the sheet.  WASC-CDE Criteria A-Organization (note: the two criterion for Charter Schools are not included); WASC-CDE Criteria B-Curriculum;  WASC-CDE Criteria C-Instruction; WASC-CDE Criteria D -Assessment and Accountability; WASC-CDE Criteria E - Support  WASC Only Criteria A-; WASC only Criteria B-Curriculum and Instruction; WASC only Criteria C-Support; WASC only Criteria D-Resources. These are coming! Thanks Brian for the basic idea.

  Mediational questions promote reflection and the highest level of thinking. Ask questions directed to process rather than content to focus on the thinking process which underlie behavior, performance, decision, or choice.

  THINK before you ask the question. Is it Thoughtful? Is it Helpful? Is is Important? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?

  Active listening techniques will encourage more open communication.

  Here are a few tips on observing while at the school. A shorthand way of remembering the most important things is to look for three Cs and a E -- curriculum content; challenges to students' cognitive abilities; the classroom and lesson context; and evidence of student engagement. thanks to the Spokane School District for this easy memory device.  If you want a checklist to keep your memory fresh, here's one that will help you capture much! Download and copy it as you need.

  The suggestion is often made to leave a handwritten note in each classroom you visit. Should you adopt this practice, focus on one positive, concrete point that homes in on one thing you appreciate about how they worked with a child or the class that day. Find a strength, express your appreciation for it, and thank the person for letting you visit their classroom. Consider using one of these stems to begin (with appreciation to Brenda Power in her In Praise of Handwritten Notes):

  • I appreciated...

  • When you did X, I learned Y...

  • I enjoyed the...

  • I heard...

  • I was surprised by...

  • Isn't it amazing that...

  • One thing I noticed in your classroom today...

  The Visiting committee's Wednesday public presentation of the report at the end of the visit is the last, best impression and information for the school. Do it WELL! Consider using a PowerPoint presentation to keep it short and on target. Here are my shells; one for WASC only schools which could be used with almost any of the partner associations; and one for WASC-CDE schools. The background is easy to change to the school's colors. We insert photos of students and staff taken while on campus during the visit and we'll leave a copy with the school so they may share it with other audiences. The last slide is a thank you to the school from the VC - a professionally personal ending. Thanks to an unknown chair for this suggestion which was reported in training. Depending on the circumstances (school, time available, mood), I might leave out the "21st Century Skills" piece. WASC has its versions (quite similar but more formal) on their website (look in the templates section).

  Student Visiting Committee Members have some different questions. Here's information for them.

  The WASC website includes some on-line review training. For the big picture, check the WASC Process Overview. You can review member training, at WASC FOL Member Training or WASC/CDE Member Training (for California Public schools only). Note: These online training files require Internet Explorer 5.0 (or higher) for viewing. Click here for a free IE6 download. They run best over a high speed internet connection, please contact the WASC office if you would like a CD containing the training presentations.

• Information about other types of visits

Six-R terms require a one-day visit at the mid point. Here's a sample schedule from one. Details of the school and VC reports are posted on the WASC website in the "Ongoing Accreditation" section.

Schools with 3-year terms have a two day visit. Here's a sample schedule from one. Details of the school and VC reports are posted on the WASC website in the "Ongoing Accreditation" section.

Both of these reports mirror Chapter 3 of the self-study. You might want to look at samples posted here for Chapter 3 and review the self-check questions for the task of developing Chapter 3 in the process manual. Directions and samples in table format; sample in narrative format. WASC has a narrative sample on their website as well.

Acknowledgements

Site last modified & updated April 24, 2008