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Accountability, Research and
Continuous Improvement Department |
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| About Us |
| District Accountability, both formal and informal, relies on the
availability of data, especially related to student achievement
measures. The Accountability, Research and Continuous
Improvement Department (A.R.C.) is responsible for providing
data for both school-based and district personnel; parent,
business, and community organizations; and other educational
agencies. The data are used primarily to monitor the progress of
students, schools and the district as a whole. Links to School
Grades, No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP),
FCAT results, and more, are provided to access this type of
data. School-based staff can easily access student FCAT scores
through our District FCAT Data Inquiry page. |
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| Accountability |
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The ARC
Dept. serves as the liaison for the district for the two State
accountability systems currently in place: School Grading and
NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress. These systems monitor student
achievement as measured by results of the Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test (FCAT). These measures are built into the School
Improvement Plan process as well as the Strategic Planning and
Department Improvement Plan processes.
Another aspect of accountability is program evaluation and
auditing. The Evaluation Matrix is an attempt to capture major
district programs, how they are evaluated, and by what entity. |
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| Testing – Administration and
Reporting |
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The ARC Department oversees the
administration and reporting of all state mandated assessments
such as the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), the
Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS), as well as,
other District assessments including the Stanford 10 and reading
diagnostic tests. |
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| Research - Guidelines, Request
Forms, Reports |
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The A.R.C. Department is responsible
for the management of requests to conduct research in the
District through a district committee that reviews proposed
research studies. Requests to conduct research in the District
primarily come from district employees who are pursuing advanced
degrees and who are working on doctoral dissertations. We are
happy to encourage our employees in these endeavors and equally
committed to following guidelines that ensure that instructional
activities in the District continue as usual. Past and current
research projects are displayed in the links at the right.
The department is currently working on a system for publishing
departmental areas of research interest. Also, the department
plans to make the results of approved research projects
available for viewing on this website. Other data related to Educational Research studies and resources
can be accessed via the Grant Department's link to
Program
Development. |
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| Continuous Improvement |
| Continuous improvement is the goal for all schools and
departments within the School District of Lee County. Schools
complete a yearly "School
Improvement Plan" that is aligned with State requirements
and the District Strategic Plan. District Departments complete
"Department Improvement Plans" that align with State
requirements, the District Strategic Plan, and District Division
goals. Budgets are derived from these improvement plans. These
improvement plans drive the operations of the schools and
departments. Continuous Improvement also includes collecting
information from employees and community members on ways to
improve District efficiency and effectiveness. There are several
ways that the District has initiated to collect this
information. The first is the "Cost
Savings Ideas" program in which anyone can submit, in
writing, ideas for ways to improve a particular District
function. The form is reviewed by District staff to discuss the
practicality and feasibility of the idea. Ideas that may help
improve operations are tested and then implemented. The District
also conducts periodic surveys of stakeholder groups to collect
data on specific subjects or to gauge general customer
satisfaction. These surveys are conducted using our phone
surveys and internet-based surveys.
The "Strategic Plan" is the driving force behind all
Continuous Improvement in the District. The "Strategic Plan"
offers long term goals for the District to strive to reach. All
improvement efforts are aligned to the "Strategic Plan" to
assure that all areas of the District are working to achieve the
same things. By focusing our attention on these main priorities,
the District will achieve the goals in the "Strategic Plan" and
will offer the students in Lee County a "world class" education. |
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