Site Reviews for Ball State University
Professional Development Schools Network

Once per year, each PDS site council will prepare a narrative report that summarizes the activities of the partnership by addressing each of the points in the following outline. Include at least one paragraph discussing each of the points listed. Reports may be up to eight pages in length.

1. Background: Give a brief description of your school, its size, personnel, location, etc., to familiarize the reviewer with your site.
   
   
2. PDS Functions/Goals: For each of the following areas, record your stated goal and then describe and discuss your progress with reference to that goal.
   
   
   • Teacher Preparation
   • Staff Development
   • Research
   • Student Learning (quantitative and/or qualitative)
     
     
3. Essential Attributes: Briefly discuss your assessment of your partnership project in terms of each of the following NCATE Standards.
   
   
   • Learning Community
   • Accountability and Quality Assurance
   • Collaboration
   • Diversity and Equity
   • Structures, Resources, and Roles

The report of the annual review must be submitted to the PDS Network director by June 1. Results will be used to prepare an annual report on the state of the Network and to make recommendations for the Network for the coming year.

In years when a site review has occurred, the site council will update site goals based on feedback from the team conducting the site review. By June 1 the site council will submit the revised goals as the annual review.

2. Periodic Site Visit

Three years after signing the partnership agreement, each site council will host a site review team for a half-day visit. Following the visit, the site review team will recommend that a review be considered in another three, four, or five years. The site review process can be initiated any year by the BSU liaison, the TC department chair, dean of Teachers College, or a site council.

The site review team will consist of a BSU administrator, a PDS administrator, a site council representative, and a BSU liaison. The BSU liaison will chair the visit.

The site review team should receive a copy of the site's most recent annual review prior to the visit. The visit will include the following:

1. Review of records and documents related to PDS activities.
   
   
2. Interviews with site council members, school staff members, BSU students, school students, and parents relative to PDS activities.
   
   
3. Observations in classrooms relative to PDS activities.
   
   
4. Exit interview with the site council.
   
   
5. Written report from the site review team.

Based on the site-review report, the site council will submit an updated site plan to the PDS Network director. Site goals for each of the four PDS functions must be updated.

3. Site Visit Process

1. The PDS Network director will work with the school principal or director and the BSU liaison to determine the date and time for the site review.
   
   
2. The PDS Network director will appoint a chair and team members. The team will include at least one administrator from the university, one PDS liaison, one PDS site council member and one school administrator from another PDS. The PDS Network director will facilitate the visit but will not be an official member of the team.
   
   
3. The PDS Network director will officially notify all team members, the school liaison, the principal, department chair(s) in Teachers College and the dean of Teachers College of the final schedule for the visit.
   
   
4. The following written information will be furnished to each team member prior to the visit:
   
   
   • Copy of the PDS proposal and the most recent annual report
   • Copy of the NCATE Standards
   • "Site Review Procedures"
   • Any other helpful information about the school
     
     
5. The school will make a room available to the team for the site review group activities and individual interviews.
   
   
6. The school principal will arrange for observations and interviews during the morning visit.
   
   
7. The principal and university liaison will select site council members, school staff members, other teachers, university students, school students, and one parent to be available for conversations with the site review team members. Fifteen minutes should be scheduled for each interview. If possible, 10 individuals plus the principal and adjunct faculty member(s) should be interviewed.
   
   
8. The site council should develop a list of supporting evidence for each NCATE Standard. They should make available any PDS related handbooks, minutes of meetings, brochures, communications, research, and class projects that would be evidence of PDS work.

Proposed schedule for the day:

8:00 a.m.

The visiting team arrives at the site to observe interaction of preservice teachers with students, school faculty, and staff. The principal and BSU liaison welcome the review team and make introductions. The PDS Network director explains the site visit process. The principal shares the morning schedule, a map of the building, times/names of individuals available for interviews, and any information that will be helpful to the team.

8:45 a.m.

Team members begin interviews. Interviews should be kept to 15 minutes.

10:30 a.m.

Team members gather in the conference room to discuss observations, interviews, artifacts, etc. The chair facilitates discussion following the outline of the annual review. Using the annual review rubrics, the team will determine the appropriate rubric for each PDS function. Conclusions for elements within each of the NCATE Standards with supporting evidence will be developed. The summary and recommendations should reflect the rubrics.

12:15 p.m.

Team chair shares the preliminary report verbally with the principal and any site council members available.

12:30 p.m.

Lunch is provided by the host site council.

The PDS Network director and the team chair complete the written report. The written report will be sent to the school principal and will be filed with the PDS Network director. Copies will be available for the Teachers College department chair(s) and the dean. The school principal is responsible for sharing the written report within his/her school corporation as appropriate.

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