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In a couple of months, the Albany Diocese is set to become the first diocese in New York State to achieve accreditation for not just all 22 of its Catholic schools, but the school system itself.

"Most dioceses have individual schools that are accredited. We'll be the first diocese in the state to get system-wide accreditation" through an organization called AdvancED, explained Giovanni Virgiglio, associate superintendent of schools for the Diocese.

The accrediting organization, AdvancED, is a non-profit based in Georgia that has already evaluated more than 28,000 schools worldwide. It was chosen over the Middle States Association many schools had previously used because AdvancED aligns its standards with the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools, which speak of "excellent education rooted in Gospel values."

The accreditation process has been underway for some time, with each of the 18 elementary and four high schools completing what Mr. Virgiglio termed an "internal review."

School section
Every school collected student performance data, did self-assessments; surveyed parents, students and staff; and wrote a plan for improvement in any area that appeared to need some work.

Each school also had a representative on DASC, the Diocesan Accreditation Steering Committee. DASC explored common themes unearthed in the schools' reviews that would best be addressed at a diocesan level.

One example, said Mr. Virgiglio, is professional development for teachers: School staff cited the need for more support in helping teachers sharpen their skills on an ongoing basis.

Another need that surfaced was mentoring for new teachers and for those new to the diocesan school system. Again, this is an area where the Diocese can offer support for Catholic schools.

Mr. Virgiglio pointed out that it was important to the process to have data on how well students are learning. That was gleaned from the Iowa Assessments, a national test administered to all students in grades three through eight.

Since the Albany Diocese made the decision last year to step back from using New York State Common Core assessments in its schools -- now given only in grades three, five and seven -- the Iowa Assessments provide a basis for evaluating student performance.

Outside review
The next step in the accreditation process is still to come: In October, a 10-member review team from the AdvancED organization, hailing from across the United States and even from Mexico, will come to the Diocese to go over the work that's been done.

The result will be accreditation, recognizing both the schools' and the school system's achievement and commitment to continued improvement.

Already, said Mr. Virgiglio, the diocesan Catholic Schools Office has an eye toward helping schools with marketing and recruitment. In July, the Diocese sponsored an "Enrollment Planning Institute," held at Siena College in Loudonville, to give schools ideas on how to stay viable. Even some schools from the Syracuse Diocese participated.

"Together, we can do so much more than schools in isolation," the associate superintendent remarked.

If a school is struggling, he added, it "will hopefully address that in an improvement plan."

In two years, the Diocese will undergo the accreditation process again. Mr. Virgiglio said it's crucial not just to "validate our work," but "to see if we did what we said we were going to do."

Knowing that the Diocese is being evaluated and planning for the future should reassure parents about enrolling and keeping students in its Catholic schools, he said: "Teachers are getting to know students' strengths," and "the school and the system are looking at the data and performance."[[In-content Ad]]

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