Over the past year-and-a-half, District 7 has been undergoing a comprehensive self-study in preparation for pursuing the renewal of our Cognia accreditation. Hundreds of teachers, staff, students, parents, and community members participated in the preparation process as well as the three-day virtual site visit by the Cognia accreditation team. We are pleased to share that on the final day of the site visit, the Cognia team gave an enthusiastic and positive report, noting that no insufficiencies were found. District 7 will receive the official designation and the full report soon, which will strengthen our continuous improvement process at the school and district levels when we incorporate their feedback.
Cognia, formerly AdvancED, nationally recognizes districts that meet rigorous standards that focus on productive learning environments, equitable resource allocation for meeting the needs of learners, and effective leadership. It is widely considered to be the "gold standard" of quality assessment for schools and school districts. District 7's voluntary participation is a reflection of our commitment to excellence, our recognition of the value of external review and feedback, and our desire to be the best we can be on behalf of the students we serve.
During the three-day virtual visit, the Cognia team interviewed 108 members of our D7 family, including employees, students, parents, community partners, and reviewed around 150 documents of evidence as they studied all aspects of our operation.
Since the accreditation team was unable to visit in person due to the pandemic, we created the video below to introduce them to District 7 on the first day of their visit. We hope you will enjoy this video as three very special teachers share their perspective on who we are as a D7 family.
We learned a great deal from the reflection and self-study. This is a moment to celebrate the good work we do and our commitment to continuous improvement. Thank you for contributing to our success. Whether you are a teacher, staff member, parent, or student, you play an important role through your unique Power of ONE!