ANNUAL REPORT
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP Mark A. Elgart, Ed.D. President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Bergman Chief Legal Officer
OUR VISION
Annette Bohling, J.D. Chief Operations Officer
Create a world of opportunities for every learner.
Angela Hilliard Chief Strategy Officer Albert Mayo Chief Information Officer Rosario Rodriguez Chief Financial Officer
OUR MISSION Lead and empower the education community to
Ludwig van Broekhuizen, Ph.D. Chief Innovation Officer
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dr. Denise G. Borders, Chair President, SRI Education Division Vice President, SRI International Menlo Park, CA Dr. Eugene G. White, Vice Chair President Martin University Indianapolis, IN Dr. Jeff Keller Director General American Nicaraguan School Managua, Nicaragua Ms. Mary Jo Kirchner President and CEO Primrose Schools Acworth, GA Mr. Jerry Peacock Director/Principal Baker Technical Institute Eagle Cap School Baker City, OR Dr. Janet Womack Superintendent of Schools Florence City Schools Florence, AL Mr. Phil S. Jacobs, Past Chair Partner Pendleton Consulting Group Atlanta, GA
advanc-ed.org
OUR VALUES
2
Dream Big.
Stand for the Learner.
Be Bold and Daring.
We are not constrained by the current environment or framework even as we work within existing systems.
We represent the interests of all learners with a commitment to equity and integrity.
We take risks that support our beliefs.
Message from the President Looking back on a year of growth and progress, our 2018 annual report reflects on the results we have achieved as well as insights into a new era of continuous improvement.
We began 2018 with institutions fully engaged in the AdvancEDÂŽ Continuous Improvement System (CIS), a new framework that guides institutions along a journey of discovery about the quality of their institution. We also introduced institutions to the AdvancED Improvement Network (AIN), a network in which membership affords them access to all of our services, including accreditation and certification. As we continue to realize growth across various sectors of our work, we are witnessing a new era of service as members join the AdvancED Improvement Network and use the new system of improvement. We deployed new tools and resources to our network and conducted follow-up surveys and interviews with every institution that participated in an Engagement Review as well as the Lead Evaluators who conducted the review. The feedback from our institutional leaders and evaluators has been very positive as well as informative. We are using the feedback to continue to refine and improve our services and tools. In support of our Strategic Direction, and in conjunction with our new model, we began to focus on how to strengthen our impact and broaden our reach in the improvement market. If we are to actualize our commitment, we must expand our current capacities and offerings to support the success of every learner. We contracted with an advisory firm to learn more about the improvement market, including how AdvancED is viewed currently and how we could strengthen our impact and reach. We learned from the market examination that AdvancED needs to introduce and integrate student assessment, cognitive and noncognitive, into its continuous improvement system. Based on market analysis, AdvancED must secure this capability in order to deepen its support of institutions and extend its presence and strengthen its impact in the improvement field. Thus, the new era begins. We began negotiations with Measured Progress, the fifth largest assessment company in the United States, to unify our organizations and ultimately announced the merger of AdvancED and Measured Progress. The merging of AdvancED and Measured Progress creates an organization that aligns and connects school quality measures and student assessment outcomes. This allows us to expand our capacity to provide institutions what they seek from one provider offering a variety of improvement solutions. We are excited about what the new era of continuous improvement will bring with the merging of AdvancED and Measured Progress. The storied histories and successes of the two companies will serve as the foundation of a new company with a renewed direction and purpose. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our institutions, partners, and the many education providers that we serve for their support, and we look forward to continuing the journey.
Mark A. Elgart, Ed.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, AdvancED
Drive Potential.
Be Tenacious.
Build Connections.
We create and initiate change, growth and innovation in our work and also among each other. We embrace the individuality we bring and strive for excellence.
We are relentless in pursuing our mission.
We expand and nurture our internal and external relationships.
1 3
Growth Highlights At A Glance AdvancED serves as a trusted partner to over 36,000 schools and school systems from providing accreditation to continuous improvement services. These institutions employ more than four million educators and enrolling more than 20 million students across the United States and over 70 nations. In the coming year, we will be looking at how we can expand our services to meet the needs of education providers of all types, including focusing more on a tailored approach to each individual institution’s needs.
Who We Serve
Accreditation by the Numbers
2017-2018 2016-2017 2015-2016
School Type
Total Total Total Number Number Number
Accredited Institution
Early Childhood
853
Elementary
809
778
10,964 11,071 11,322
2017-2018 2016-2017 2015-2016 Number of Institutions
Number of Institutions
Number of Institutions
Schools
25,486 25,744 26,144
Public School Systems
1,044
1,068
1,111
Middle School
2,994
3,077
3,180
Nonpublic Systems
79
73
75
High School
6,346
6,510
6,632
Education Service Agencies 90
78
67
Unit
2,431 2,392 2,313
Corporations
116
111
88
Other*
1,941 1,881 1,951
TOTAL INSTITUTIONS
26,815
27,074
27,485
*Educational institutions include American International, Career Technical, College Preparatory, Distance Education, Postsecondary, International Overseas, Supplementary and Special Purpose.
Growth by Region
Total Schools in Nonpublic Accreditation
Our global operations saw a 10.5% annual gain in growth for 2017-18. The largest growth continues to be in the Middle East-Asia Region; however, we now are seeing gains in the Europe-Africa Region. Latin America continues to be a strong growth region. Global data for 2017-2018 shows the number of accredited institutions by country/region. 2017-2018 GLOBAL DATA Total # of Institutions: 1,076 Total # of Countries: 71
Accredited Institution
Number of Institutions
Number of Institutions
Number of Institutions
Catholic Systems
1,292
1,318
1,277
Other Faith-Based Systems
90
90
77
International Systems
31
31
31
481 Partners*
250 171
EuropeAfrica
4
174
Latin America
2017-2018 2016-2017 2015-2016
Middle EastAsia
Department of Defense
2,002 1,864 1,747
*Represents the total number of all combined schools served by AdvancED through accreditation partners in the Nonpublic School Services Department.
Engagement Review Process Overview The AdvancED Engagement Review plays a pivotal role in the continuous improvement process by guiding institutions through a review protocol that allows them to see their strengths and areas that need improvement. Engagement Reviews would not be, in part, possible without the support of our volunteers, who guide our institutions through this process. Institutions are awarded accreditation on a five-year term and are required to hold an Engagement Review. ENGAGEMENT REVIEWS COMPLETED
AdvancED STEM Certification
Public School Systems
During the 2017-2018 year, 40 STEM schools/ programs achieved AdvancED STEM Certification.
2017-2018 2016-2017 2015-2016
185
216
198
Nonpublic School Systems
4
19
21
Education Service Agencies
8
21
15
Corporations
4 3 1
Corporation Systems
12 28 11
In total, we now certify 141 schools/programs in 22 states, Puerto Rico and Saudi Arabia. This is up from last year’s total of 104 schools.
Individual Schools
1,474 1,732 1,389
*This number includes schools accredited with partners and schools systems.
5
Technology Leads the Way
Expanding Our Voice
In the past year, our Information Technology and Product
AdvancED not only serves as a trusted partner to the
Management Teams worked jointly to launch several
education communality but also serves as a knowledgeable
technology enhancements to our eProve™ continuous
and sought-after resource on education quality and continuous
improvement platform. The eProve™ platform provides
improvement. During this year, we published whitepapers
seamless integration of an institution’s custom content
and insights based on our research and expertise to expand
and AdvancED Certified Content, allowing institutions to
our voice and reach to institutions seeking a roadmap for
leverage their own data to inform improvement strategies.
continuous improvement. Here are a few publications we
Some of the technology strides made include:
have been featured in throughout the year.
eProve™ eleot® enhancements provided the capability to edit user information and manage training. eProve™ surveys was updated to improve action and status functions, including new content for Student Engagement Surveys, Climate and Culture Surveys, and Inventories (domestic and international). eProve™ diagnostics provides visibility into history logs and snapshots, as well as language translations and custom content capabilities for users. eProve™ workspace provides the ability for staff,
“Meeting the Promise of Continuous Improvement,” an original whitepaper by Dr. Elgart, garnered media coverage from national industry publications, including Education Week. The whitepaper was widely circulated to AdvancED Improvement Network members, state education agencies and industry organizations. “These Three Mistakes Can Hamstring Improvement Even in Good Schools,” written by Sarah Sparks for Education Week also links directly to the AdvancED whitepaper, “Meeting the Promise of Continuous Improvement,” authored by Dr. Elgart.
Engagement Review Teams, and institutions to collaborate on Engagement Reviews with integration of observations for teams, diagnostics for teams, and proprietary content for Assurances and Protocols. Recent enhancements include email, search and activity statuses.
“K-12 Accreditation’s Next Move—A storied guarantee looks to accountability 2.0,” published in Education Next magazine features Dr. Elgart and other AdvancED staff.
The Debut of eProve™ strategies The biggest enhancement was to the eProve™ suite. The fifth module, eProve™ strategies, was released. The launch of eProve™ strategies gives users with the ability to create robust and guided continuous improvement plans with the benefit of automated outputs reported in four forms: Strategy Map, Annual Improvement Plan, Annual Implementation
“Can Schools Meet the Promise of Continuous Improvement? New research offers insights on how leaders can actually make continuous improvement,” written by Dr. Elgart was published in the December 2017/ January 2018 edition of Phi Delta Kappan magazine.
Plan, and the Theory of Action. In addition to the technology offering, eProve strategies also includes a comprehensive guidebook, inFocus: A Guide for Strategic Thinking and Improvement Planning. The guide is available in the app and off-line to support users in navigating each phase of the continuous improvement planning process.
6
“Ideaventions Academy gets STEM-certified” gives a nod to AdvancED STEM Certification.
AdvancED’s signature digital publication, The Source, is growing and gaining exposure in the industry both within and beyond the AdvancED Improvement Network. With a distribution of more than 200,000 readers, The Source continues to add value through articles written by practitioners and education professionals targeting issues and topics that matter to principals, teachers, and system leaders. Issues produced this year include: • The fall 2017 issue on Student Engagement • The spring/summer 2018 edition on School Turnaround
Spreading the Word about the AdvancED Improvement Network With the introduction of the AdvancED Continuous Improvement System, AdvancED is strategically positioned to provide an array of products and services to meet the continuous improvement needs of a variety of education institutions – regardless of where they are in their personal journey of improvement. In support of this new model, we have developed a suite of marketing collaterals, guides, infographics and other customized tools for staff to use in promoting these services. Examples include:
AdvancED® Continuous Improvement System
AdvancED® eProve™
The largest global resource for innovative and transformative school improvement
A comprehensive, learner-centric and customizable system for improvement
empower. engage. evolve.
JOIN THE JOURNEY
JOIN THE JOURNEY
JOIN THE JOURNEY
AdvancED® Improvement Network
AdvancED Improvement Network (AIN) –
Continuous Improvement System –
eProve Platform –
An overview of AIN solutions and services for customers who may be familiar with AdvancED for accreditation, but not other offerings.
AdvancED’s CIS helps institutions understand and visualize the research-based framework that the AdvancED Improvement Network is built upon.
A web-based productivity platform to facilitate school improvement through six comprehensive and integrated modules.
AdvancED® Performance Accreditation
AdvancED® STEM Certification
AdvancED® Intensive Support and Improvement
Guiding the pursuit of excellence
Meeting the demands of the future
Facilitating Institutional Success
JOIN THE JOURNEY
JOIN THE JOURNEY
JOIN THE JOURNEY
Performance Accreditation –
STEM Certification –
Intensive Support and Improvement –
Performance Accreditation offers an assessment of an institution’s performance and provides support on its continuous improvement journey.
A mark of distinction for schools providing highquality STEM education to students and investing in the future of the field.
Solutions to some of the most urgent problems institutions face when schools and systems are underperforming.
7
What’s Trending AdvancED continues to use social media to increase engagement with the community and foster dialogue about topics and best practices that matter most to our followers. Highlight postings from AdvancED’s Facebook and two Twitter accounts in 2017-2018 include:
www.facebook.com/AdvancEDorg @AdvancEDorg and @MarkElgart
8
Financial Performance As a nonprofit organization, AdvancED continually reinvests resources to improve services, bringing expanded solutions to help support institutions in pursuit of student achievement and continuous improvement goals. A focus on financial performance will remain a strategic priority.
Advance Education, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Activities (For fiscal years ending on June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017)
Revenue and support
2018
2017
$29,274,713
$25,847,581
School improvement services
3,181,556
6,102,439
Workshops
1,769,876 1,852,535
Membership and accreditation
Other income
Total revenue and support
67,557 ___________
61,164 ___________
34,293,702 ___________
33,863,719 ___________
Operating expenses Employee compensation and benefits General and administrative Total operating expenses Excess of revenue over operating expenses Depreciation and amortization Interest expense Interest and dividend income Net realized and unrealized investment gain (loss) Change in net assets, unrestricted
22,364,377 11,470,153 ___________
21,555,107 10,799,453 ___________
33,834,530 32,354,560 ___________ ___________ 459,172 1,509,159 ___________ ___________ (1,759,297)
(1,787,156)
(339,913)
(235,083)
420,331
308,702
299,312 813,952 ___________ ___________ (920,395)
609,574
Net assets unrestricted Beginning of year
16,927,595 16,318,021 ___________ ___________
End of year
$16,007,200 $16,927,595 ___________ ___________
9
2017-2018 Strategic Priorities: Leading to Serve Each year, AdvancED sets strategic priorities to guide the direction of the organization. This year has been a year of accelerated change. We redefined our approach to continuous improvement by implementing a new continuous improvement framework along with new resources and tools.
Implement the New AdvancED Business Model. AdvancED repositioned its structure and focus on being an improvement-centric organization that continues to provide accreditation and STEM certification to interested and eligible institutions. The journey to this evolutionary shift began over a decade ago with the creation of AdvancED. The objective in forming AdvancED was not to create the world’s largest accrediting agency but rather to position our new organization to become the world leader in helping schools and other educational organizations improve. We fully launched the new AdvancED Continuous Improvement System for all institutions that are members of the AdvancED Improvement Network. During the 2017-2018 year, accredited institutions engaged in a new protocol based on new criteria and supporting resources and tools.
Achieved
Generate At Least 2% Operating Income. This annual financial benchmark is established by the Board of Trustees and ensures we maintain and grow the fiscal health of AdvancED. Financial security allows the new AdvancED business model to survive and thrive.
Achieved
10
AdvancED, Measured Progress Merge to Help Educators Improve Schools and Raise Student Achievement New nonprofit will help educators improve schools and enhance learning for millions of students ALPHARETTA, Ga. and DOVER, N.H. (June 26, 2018)
2018-2019: A New Era Begins AdvancED and Measured Progress announced on June 26, 2018 the intent to merge, forming a single, unified nonprofit educational organization focused on providing a continuous improvement system that connects student learning outcomes with school quality measures. The official press release headline above captures it all.
At A Glance AdvancED and Measured Progress both have storied histories and bring a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and qualified staff to the merger.
About AdvancED AdvancED is an international leader in school improvement dedicated to helping stakeholders make decisions and take actions to improve the quality of learning experiences for every learner. The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization conducts rigorous external engagement reviews of pre-K through 12 schools and school systems to help educators and their communities ensure that all learners realize their full potential. Membership in the AdvancED Improvement Network affords access to school quality tools and services to help institutions on their journey of continuous improvement.
About Measured Progress Measured Progress, a nonprofit organization, is a pioneer in authentic, standards-based assessments. Since 1983, Measured Progress has successfully partnered with more than 30 states and hundreds of districts across the nation to support their assessment programs. Today, the organization develops 21st century assessments for classrooms, districts, states, and collaboratives, and is proud to be a leading provider of alternate assessments for students with cognitive difficulties.
11
CONNECT WITH US! TOLL FREE: 888.41EDNOW (888.413.3669)
www.advanc-ed.org
contactus@advanc-ed.org
www.facebook.com/AdvancEDorg
@AdvancEDorg and @MarkElgart
www.youtube.com/AdvancEDorg
www.linkedin.com/company/advanced
9115 Westside Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30009