Self-Study |
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Each of the affiliate organizations has slight
variations in some components of the self-study; namely in the criteria
and in the chapter arrangement. For each variation, the process manual
provides detailed instructions, suggested procedures, and a clear
outline of the contents of the self-study. Some schools are involved in
joint accreditation processes. Materials
describing each of the major processes (WASC, WASC/CDE, and WASC
Postsecondary) are available on the
WASC website |
Guiding Questions: Some schools have established key questions to guide
their self-study work. Consider these:
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General ideas/support material
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Writing
- remember
you're producing a document that provides not only first impressions for
the Visiting Committee, it is a logical argument for the decision about
what should be the next best work for school staff and leadership. It needs to be fact not fiction. It should read
well. It should be free of mechanical errors. It should dig for the
concrete and specific. It should offer judgments about "how well" and
describe current activities/processes. It needs a support group of outside readers and
helpers for feedback. Check out the writing tip
included for Visiting Committee members. |
What does the finished
self-study look like?
To see and read samples of other schools' self-studies, do an
Internet
search on "WASC self-study" (do not use the quotes;
use other levels of schools as required; using "public" or "private"
seems not to help much. Even with slightly different content, you can
learn from any of the self-study reports. In
mid-2010, I got over 10,800 hits! Yes, some were duplicates, some were
too old to be of use, and some were informational about the process or
product. However, there were many, many current full
self-studies posted. No value of "goodness" can be placed on any of
these; it's an imperfect world and every self-study has strengths. All
are instructive at some level. Good
reviewing! Consider binding the self-study rather than publishing it in a notebook. Either spiral or stapled/glued with a spine covering hold up better than the less expensive comb (or finger) binding. Plus, there's a more "finished" look to the product. First impressions are important. Think about a student-designed/produced cover that supports the school's commitment to student learning. Other details
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Copyright 1998-2013 Louise Wright Robertson |
Site last modified & updated July 28, 2013 |