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Johnston School Board Acts to Prevent Loss of Accreditation

Posted on: Thursday, 28 July 2005, 18:01 CDT

JOHNSTON - School administrators are gearing up for another battle.

The School Committee has given the administration the authority to try to convince the New England Association of Schools and Colleges that the high school shouldn't be stripped of its accreditation.

Last week NEASC's Commission of Secondary Public Secondary Schools sent the School Department a letter that said it had recommended to its board of trustees that the high school's membership be terminated, because it has failed to meet the agency's standards for accreditation on curriculum, assessment of student learning, leadership and organization, and school resources for learning.

The commission said the problems at the high school, which has been on probation since 2000 and will remain on probation until its case is heard by the commission in January, have been fueled by the "dysfunctional manner in which Johnston currently operates" and town politics that destroy the educational environment.

"It is not acceptable to allow politics to become more important than the constructive discourse about decision-making and practices which support student learning," the letter said. "Students deserve adults who can model effective working relationships in order to accomplish common goals as well as programs which have been planned and implemented to improve their achievement in school."

Now, the School Department has until Dec. 1 to put together a case that shows the agency how it has corrected the perceived failures.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to get those findings out of there," said Ronald Cascione, one of the new attorney's representing the School Committee.

Pamela Gray-Bennett, director of the commission on public secondary schools, said the accreditation of about seven schools has been terminated over the last 10 to 15 years.

Still, the final determination is several months away.

Last night, schools Supt. Margaret Iacovelli said the administration and staff will be working together to fill the potholes the NEASC commission says exist at the high school.

Iacovelli pointed toward the improved scores students received last fall on state assessment tests as a sign that things in the district have been moving in a positive direction since she took over the helm in October 2002. Thornton Elementary School and the Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School made major strides in state assessments, meant to show how well students absorb what they're taught.

The high school bumped up a notch from "school in need of improvement/insufficient progress" to "school in need of improvement/ making progress."

"In my opinion, we were moving in the right direction at the high school," Iacovelli read from a prepared statement. "I believe in the old adage, 'If it isn't broke, don't fix it.' But if it is broken you need to repair it immediately at all cost, or it will end up costing more in the long run."

She continued: "I was not able to accomplish what needed to be done. My momentum was stopped. I must be given back the responsibility that belongs to the superintendent of schools. If it is broken, I must be allowed to fix it. I must be allowed to hold all parties accountable. Once this happens, I believe that you will see the high school again moving forward."

Over the next two weeks Iacovelli said she will be meeting with Assistant Supt. Cathryn Crowley, high school principal Elizabeth Mantelli and the high school staff to start moving toward the goal of being accredited.

Iacovelli ended her comments by saying: "I must have the power and authority to carry out the plan for the benefit of the students of Johnston."

Source: Providence Journal

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