SACS - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

SACS CASI Accreditation

The State Board of Education has called a meeting for January 17, 2013 at 1 PM pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-73 (Suspension and removal of local school board members under certain circumstances).

Big decisions awaited after DeKalb school board hearings - 7/22/2013
By Ty Tagami - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The hearings have ended in the case of the DeKalb County school board shake-up, and if the testimony was truthful, then at least some of the suspended members did nothing improper. Read More >>

Suspension Reaches Georgia Supreme Court - 6/2/2013
By Ty Tagami - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The control of a school system with nearly 100,000 students will hang on the outcome of a 40-minute hearing Monday at the Georgia Supreme Court. Lawyers for Gov. Nathan Deal and for the former DeKalb County school board chairman he ousted will face off, each getting 20 minutes to argue over the constitutionality of the law that led to the February suspensions of Eugene Walker and five other board members. Read More >>

ACTA Calls on Secretary of Education for Accreditation Reform - 3/12/2013
Washington, DC—The American Council of Trustees and Alumni today asked Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to prevent the wrongful intrusion of college accreditors in state governance matters and called for an alternative system of quality assurance that would end interference in institutional autonomy. Read More >>

Georgia Board of Education Meeting - 1/17/2013
The State Board of Education has called a meeting for January 17, 2013 at 1 PM pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-73 (Suspension and removal of local school board members under certain circumstances). Read More >>

The Rise of the Accreditor as Big Man on Campus - 1/14/2013
By Hank Brown @ The Wall Street Journal
Who's in charge of our colleges and universities—their boards of trustees or the accreditation organizations? Accreditors increasingly interfere in institutional decision-making and use their bully authority to tie the hands of colleges and universities. For decades, these accreditors have effectively guarded the status quo, focusing on process and resources rather than on educational excellence.When it comes to accreditors' real assignment—ensuring educational quality—the record is dismal. Read More >>

Change The Game - 1/12/2013
By Nancy Jester
I understand your frustration with the board. As the most consistent “no” vote, I experience this frustration more than most. For what it’s worth, if the board cannot agree to a drastically new approach to the delivery of education and governance of our district, the board should be removed. I believe all the members of the board and most of the DCSD administration want better results for children. But, they want other things more. Board members and administrators can be removed and the game remains. Rearranging or replacing the chess pieces won’t result in improved outcomes. The game itself is rigged. Read More >>

SACS is a Fake Organization - 1/11/2013
By: John R. Alston Trotter, EdD, JD
We have been pointing out for going on five years now the sheer hypocrisy of Mark Elgart’s and SACS’s actions. SACS’s so-called “standards” are a way to keep elected school boards in line and a way to protect superintendents and the politically-connected ... Read More >>

The Curious Case of Policy DJE - 1/3/2013
By: Nancy Jester
The Superintendent/Administration/Staff (SAS) researches and brings policies to the board for board approval. So, DCSD staff wrote Policy DJE. Additionally, once a policy is first brought to the board it must sit for 30 days while all interested parties have the opportunity to vet it. Read More >>

SACS – FRIEND OR FOE - 1/3/2013
By: Don McChesney
Here’s what you’ve all been waiting for. I’m going to tell you the politically incorrect story behind the AdvancED/SACS Special Review Report. Please note that I am going to use the pronoun “I” even though, AdvancED/SACS has some sort of prohibition on its use. Today’s post is going to cover two issues raised in the report – (1) The Coralwood Shuttle and (2) the textbook line of credit. Read More >>

Circle Of Trust - 12/31/2012
By: Nancy Jester
Process Versus Results – Accreditation by SACS explored the relationship between AdvancED/SACS accreditation and academic results for children. DeKalb County School District has been accredited for years — as have other Georgia districts and schools that fail children, as witnessed by the state’s low aggregate graduation rates (48th out of 50 states). My Thoughts on the AdvancED SACS Report pointed out that SACS accreditation teams had been visiting the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) for years, examining DCSD on many “standards and indicators,” including the management of financial resources. Yet, these teams of SACS accreditors failed to find the simple, yet deceptive, accounting practices that I uncovered shortly after coming onto the board. Read More >>

Process Versus Results – Accreditation by SACS - 12/28/2012
By: Nancy Jester
I thought it would be useful to provide some historical context to the whole accreditation issue. Five years ago, if you had asked me what accreditation means, I probably would have told you that it meant something about the quality of the education that kids received; that it judged in some way the results of how well children were educated. It does not. Read More >>

Nancy's Response To SAC's Special Report - Just a Mom with a Calculator - 12/26/2012
No one knows better than I do, that the board as a whole can be very frustrating to watch. As the board member who most often votes “no”, I endure this frustration more than most. I am the board member who identified and publically discussed the financial issues that were cited in this report. For almost two years, I have publically inquired during the presentation of the monthly financial report about the discrepancies that I uncovered. Read More >>

SACS - Special Review Visit Report - 12/17/2012
This report is the result of a Special Review that was conducted due to formal complaints made against the DeKalb County School District, which, if true, impact the system’s ability to meet the Standards required for accreditation. Read More >>

SACS Investigation Notice - 9/18/2012
From: Mark A. Elgart, EdD., President/ CE 0, AdvancED
As you shared in your correspondence, many initiatives are underway that have the promise of improving the school system. However the concerns described in the letter of correspondence to you, dated August 27, 2012, could have a significant, negative impact on the capacity of the school system to realize the many improvements that are the focus of these initiatives. Read More >>

Nancy Jester's Response To Dr Atkinson - 9/13/2012
From: Nancy Jester
Thank you for sending your draft response to the SACS letter to me for comment. Here are my thoughts: You have listed some of the important steps that you and your team have initiated to set DCSD on a path for both academic and fiscal success. I certainly appreciate the efforts you have made to change the trajectory of our district and I am glad you enumerated them for SACS. I often think that some of my colleagues do not acknowledge the dire straits we are navigating. Why they chose to not accept the reality of our difficult fiscal situation and the abysmal academic performance of so many of our schools is not clear to me. All evidence that I see, tells me that you appreciate the gravity of the situation. I am invested with you in your efforts. Read More >>

Don McChesney's Response to Dr. Atkinson - 9/13/2012
From: Don McChesney
Dr. Atkinson, I have been reading and rereading your response letter to SACS. My feeling is that we do not always directly address Dr. Elgart’s points. For example in bullet point 2 of Dr. Elgart’s letter it says…. The governing body operates responsibly and functions effectively. I believe that we get a grade of about 60 on that. I would prefer that we just say to SACS that we have issues within the entire system that need scrutiny. Please come in and help us fix the inefficiencies because we know they exist. Read More >>

Pam Speaks Response to Dr Atkinson - 9/13/2012
From: Dr Pam Speaks
Dr. Atkinson, I suppose that the proper protocol is to send a letter such as the one sent to you by Dr. Elgart addressing allegations that our school district is in violation of AdvancED Accreditation Standards and/or Policies even though as I reread the letter it seems to me the letter should have been addressed to the DeKalb Board of Education instead of you because the alleged complaints are with the board not the superintendent. Read More >>

Response to AdvancED SACS letter - 9/12/2012
From: Cheryl L.H. Atkinson, Ed.D., DCSD Superintendent
The District acknowledges challenges from the past and is committed to continuing to address and comply with all AdvancED SACS Standards. including the two specifically referenced in your letter. In that regard. the DeKalb Board of Education has worked cooperatively and collaboratively with AdvancED over the years and more specifically over the last several months. Read More >>

SACS Letter To DCSD - 8/28/2012
From: Mark A. Elgart, EdD., President/ CE 0, AdvancED
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) has received numerous complaints containing allegations that the DeKalb County Public School System is in violation of the AdvancED Accreditation Standards and/or Policies. SACS CASI is an accreditation division of AdvancED. Read More >>