GAAA Performance Standards

What Makes a Good School?

The quality of a school goes beyond its name, location, or reputation. An educational institution succeeds when it supports every learner every day, offering opportunities for every learner to reach further. One hallmark of a good school is that it continually strives for improvement. Like the member institutions we serve, the Greater Alaska Accreditation Association (GAAA) works to innovate and improve. In spring 2021, we completed a research and development cycle that takes place every five years, examining and updating the GAAA Performance Standards to acknowledge changes and set expectations for quality education institutions in a new era. Based on current research in education, input from practitioners, and multiple expert reviews, this cyclical development process assures that the standards at the foundation of our improvement and accreditation strategies continue to be viable, feasible, and relevant to educators in today’s world.

One Set of Standards

If you’re familiar with the previous GAAA standards for different institution types, you’ll notice a significant change: One set of standards now applies to all K–12 and postsecondary institution types, including systems of institutions. All education institutions share a fundamental common goal: to inspire and equip learners so that they succeed to their highest potential. The new, research-based standards acknowledge that commonality. They are appropriate for all institutions, placing emphasis on quality and effective practices that benefit all learners in any K–12 or postsecondary non-degree granting setting. The details relevant to different types of institutions will be addressed in Assurances and in other GAAA Accreditation resources that will be available to members. (Early Learning and Extended Learning institutions continue to have dedicated standards.)

Important Concepts

Learner-Centered
GAAA’s new standards focus on the learner, describing the impact on the learning journey of processes and practices, which reflect the performance of the institution. Further, the standards emphasize student voice and agency.

Demonstration of Equity
These standards emphasize the expectation of equity for every learner across all aspects of the institution. Equity is expressed in the institution culture and in a curriculum that values the diversity of individuals, families, cultures, and more.

Learner Well-Being
Learning depends on more than skilled instruction. Institutions must address multiple aspects of learners’ circumstances and environment, so that every learner can grow.

Quality Characteristics

Four key characteristics are evident when institutions effectively adopt the GAAA Performance Standards and engage in GAAA’s peer review process for accreditation and continuous improvement:

  1. Culture of Learning: The institution’s focus on the challenges, joys, and opportunities for learning, and the coherence with its mission and vision.
  2. Leadership for Learning: The responsibility of an institution’s leaders to influence and impact all aspects of the institution in positive ways.
  3. Engagement of Learning: The inclusion of all learners in the learning process, and their development of confidence and love of learning.
  4. Growth in Learning: The growth of learners in the programs and curricula provided by the institution and their readiness to successfully transition to next levels of learning.

These characteristics serve as our model for identifying and discussing school and system quality. Additional information will be available to members to show how the standards align with these characteristics.

Framework for Improvement

Our new standards and the key characteristics are the foundation for GAAA’s approach to continuous improvement—not just to accreditation. These are the elements that should guide every educational institution to ensure high-quality teaching and learning and overall organizational effectiveness. The new GAAA Performance Standards, which will be in effect on July 1, 2022, define the practices of a good education institution and provide the criteria for improvement efforts that will energetically and visibly grow learners, teachers, leaders, and organizations.

Performance Standards Key Characteristics

Key Characteristic 1: Culture of Learning

  • What It Means: A good institution nurtures and sustains a healthy culture for learning. In a healthy culture, learners, parents, and educators feel connected to the purpose and work of the institution as well as behave in alignment with the stated values and norms. The institution also demonstrates evidence that reflects the mission, beliefs, and expectations of the institution (e.g., student work; physical appearance of the institution; participation in institution activities; parents attendance at institution functions).

  • Standards:
    • STANDARD 1: Leaders cultivate and sustain a culture that demonstrates respect, fairness, equity, and inclusion, and is free from bias.
    • STANDARD 2: Learners’ well-being is at the heart of the institution’s guiding principles such as mission, purpose, and beliefs.
    • STANDARD 3: Leaders actively engage stakeholders to support the institution’s priorities and guiding principles that promote learners’ academic growth and well-being.
    • STANDARD 4: Learners benefit from a formal structure that fosters positive relationships with peers and adults.
    • STANDARD 5: Professional staff members embrace effective collegiality and collaboration in support of learners.
    • STANDARD 6: Professional staff members receive the support they need to strengthen their professional practice.

Key Characteristic 2: Leadership for Learning

  • What It Means: The ability of a leader to provide leadership for learning is a key attribute of a good institution. Leaders who engage in their own learning while tangibly supporting the learning process for learners and teachers have a significant positive impact on the success of others. Leaders must also communicate the learning expectations for all learners and teachers, continuously, with consistency and purpose. The expectations are embedded in the culture of the institution, reflected by learners’, teachers’, and leaders’ behaviors and attitudes toward learning.

  • Standards:
    • STANDARD 7: Leaders guide professional staff members in the continuous improvement process focused on learners’ experiences and needs.
    • STANDARD 8: The governing authority demonstrates a commitment to learners by collaborating with leaders to uphold the institution’s priorities and to drive continuous improvement.
    • STANDARD 9: Leaders cultivate effective individual and collective leadership among stakeholders.
    • STANDARD 10: Leaders demonstrate expertise in recruiting, supervising, and evaluating professional staff members to optimize learning.
    • STANDARD 11: Leaders create and maintain institutional structures and processes that support learners and staff members in both stable and changing environments.
    • STANDARD 12: Professional staff members implement curriculum and instruction that are aligned for relevancy, inclusion, and effectiveness.
    • STANDARD 13: Qualified personnel instruct and assist learners and each other in support of the institution’s mission, purpose, and beliefs.
    • STANDARD 14: Curriculum and instruction are augmented by reliable information resources and materials that advance learning and support learners’ personal interests.
    • STANDARD 15: Learners’ needs drive the equitable allocation and management of human, material, digital, and fiscal resources.

Key Characteristic 3: Engagement of Learning

  • What It Means: A good institution ensures that learners are engaged in the learning environment. Learners who are engaged in the learning environment participate with confidence and display agency over their own learning. A good institution adopts policies and engages in practices that support all learners being included in the learning process.

  • Standards:
    • STANDARD 16: Learners experience curriculum and instruction that emphasize the value of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and abilities.
    • STANDARD 17: Learners have equitable opportunities to realize their learning potential.
    • STANDARD 18: Learners are immersed in an environment that fosters lifelong skills including creativity, curiosity, risk taking, collaboration, and design thinking.
    • STANDARD 19: Learners are immersed in an environment that promotes and respects student voice and responsibility for their learning.
    • STANDARD 20: Learners engage in experiences that promote and develop their self-confidence and love of learning.
    • STANDARD 21: Instruction is characterized by high expectations and learner-centered practices.
    • STANDARD 22: Instruction is monitored and adjusted to advance and deepen individual learners’ knowledge and understanding of the curriculum.
    • STANDARD 23: Professional staff members integrate digital resources that deepen and advance learners’ engagement with instruction and stimulate their curiosity.

Key Characteristic 4: Growth in Learning

  • What It Means: A good institution positively impacts learners throughout their journey of learning. A positive impact on the learner is reflected in readiness to engage in and preparedness for the next transition in their learning. Growth in learning is also reflected in learners’ ability to meet expectations in knowledge and skill acquisition.

  • Standards:
    • STANDARD 24: Leaders use data and input from a variety of sources to make decisions for learners’ and staff members’ growth and well-being.
    • STANDARD 25: Leaders promote action research by professional staff members to improve their practice and advance learning.
    • STANDARD 26: Leaders regularly evaluate instructional programs and organizational conditions to improve instruction and advance learning.
    • STANDARD 27: Learners’ diverse academic and non-academic needs are identified and effectively addressed through appropriate interventions.
    • STANDARD 28: With support, learners pursue individual goals including the acquisition of academic and non-academic skills important for their educational futures and careers.
    • STANDARD 29: Understanding learners’ needs and interests drives the design, delivery, application, and evaluation of professional learning.
    • STANDARD 30: Learners’ progress is measured through a balanced system that includes assessment both for learning and of learning.