Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

February 12, 2007

School System Accredited by SACS/CASI

   After visiting in Gwinnett County with 807 stakeholders, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Council on Accreditation and School Improvement recommended without reservation full accreditation for five years for the Gwinnett County School System.

   Accreditation of the total school system as opposed to school-by-school is a new format for SACS/CASI. This is the first year that the Gwinnett County School System has been reviewed for system-wide accreditation. Two other school systems in Georgia—the City of Atlanta, Cobb County, and Fulton County—have been successfully accredited under the new SACS/CASI system-wide format.

   “Gwinnett County is a fine, fine school system,” reported Dr. Eddie Krenson, chairman of the SACS/CASI Quality Assurance Review Team. “You have every right to be proud of what you have achieved here.” 

   “The Review Team found the GCPS’s strengths lay in stable, visionary, and effective leadership at all levels and its continuous focus on the core business of teaching and learning.

   “The System has achieved continuous improvement in academic achievement, even when faced with unparalleled growth, unparalleled diversity, and a growing number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch programs.”

   More than thirty professional educators participated in the SACS/CASI visiting committee. They came from throughout the Southeast, the Mid-west, and South America, reflecting the geographic area covered by SACS/CASI. One additional member of the team represented the Northwest Association of Colleges and Schools. 

   Serving as the spokesperson for the Review Team, Dr. Krenson pointed out that the foremost challenge facing the Gwinnett County Public School system is the growth of the student population. This challenge includes increased diversity of the student body as well as an increased demand for more classrooms. Both of these issues lead to an additional issue—funding from local, state, and federal levels.

   The Review Team made three recommendations—each in keeping with the Strategic Plan adopted by the Gwinnett County Public School System. The first is to continue to close the Achievement Gap among students in the school system. 

   The second is to recruit and retain high-quality staff members and administrators, with an emphasis on increasing the percentage of those who reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the students served.

   The third recommendation was for the GCPS to continue to study the long-range impact of increases in student enrollment on the system.

   As the District III School Board member, I had the privilege of meeting with ten of the Review Team members for an individual interview at the beginning of their visit to Gwinnett County. The Team wanted to meet with Board members to determine how closely aligned the mission and vision of the school system are with the academic program, including assessments and the Results Based Evaluations System at each school. 

   During my individual meeting with the Review Team, I spoke of my years on the Board and our experience listening to the community about the views regarding the content of the academic program, their support of assessments to determine what students learn, and their desire for teachers to receive professional development linked with the Academic Knowledge and Skills curriculum.

   During the second day of their meetings in Gwinnett County, the Review Team visited 40 schools, including Norcross High School in the Norcross Cluster. The team met with 245 community members, including parents. Also they met with teachers, principals, staff, students, and Central Office staff, including Mr. J. Alvin Wilbanks, CEO/Superintendent.

   One of the most telling stories the Review Team heard came from a parent in one of the 40 schools. The team asked the parent about their satisfaction with the curriculum. The parent noted that during the school year, they have moved their family from one school in Gwinnett County to another school in a different district. The parent stated that the curriculum was the same in both schools and that the move had not had a negative impact on their student’s learning. The Review Team viewed this as a positive comment worth its weight in gold.

   The second meeting that the School Board had with the SACS/CASI Review Team came on the third and final day of their visit. To the 807 parents, community members, teachers, staff, principals, administrators, students, and others who participated in this important visit, thank you for helping us to make possible the GCPS system-wide accreditation for the full five-years—the longest period of time possible.

   As the District III School Board member, I am very proud of the leaders at all levels who have made this system-wide accreditation possible. It is an honor and a pleasure to participate in such an important assessment component of the Gwinnett County Public School system. 

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