YISS Commits to Continuous School Improvement
“You can try to explain your intentions,
but it is up to other people to judge your impact.”
- Adam Grant -
(Wharton Professor of Organizational Psychology)
The premise behind Dr. Grant’s statement above is that it simply is not possible for people or organizations to be completely unbiased or objective of their own performance and progress. If this is true, then external assessment and feedback is crucial to the growth and development of individuals and organizations. It is precisely for this reason that reflective schools like ours continue to rely on accrediting agencies like ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) and WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) for invaluable critique and consultation. It is not just for the sake of getting accredited which is absolutely necessary if we wish to continue to operate as an international school, but the more intrinsic value of it all is that a reflective review enables us to take a critical look at ourselves and ask the question, “how can we do and be better?”
For this very reason, every six years, we as a school engage in a comprehensive self-analysis where the entire staff would work collaboratively on a reflective review process called a Self Study Process. A Self Study is a formal process during which we critically examine our structure and substance, judge our educational program’s overall effectiveness relative to our goals and learning domains, identify specific strengths and deficiencies, and indicate a plan for necessary modifications and improvements. This process takes approximately 16 months.
At the end of the 16-month Self Study period, the culminating product will be an evidential Self Study Report document that will summarize the findings from our Self Study Process. This report will then pave the way for a visiting committee from two accreditation agencies to come in and verify that everything we have documented on the Self Study Report is verifiable and measurable. If the visiting committee is satisfied with what they read and see, they will accredit us for another six years.
Since the 2015-16 school year, we have focused on the four recommendations the last Accreditation Visitation Team has made as well as one self-selected goal. The following lists outline the progress we have made on each improvement goal. Our2022-2023 Self Study Report will be completed by December 2022, and it will be a grade report so to speak on how we believe we have progressed towards improvements we were asked to make by the last Visitation Team. As we engage in our Self Study Process during the 2021-22 and the 2022-2023 school year, we aim to not only “explain our intentions” but also evidence and substantiate our progress in the five goals, which are called the Continuous School Improvement Plans. We are a reflective community of learners, and we intend to continue to pursue and act upon constructive feedback and wise counsel.
Improvement Goal #1 Focus: Facilities to Support Programs
New makerspace (July 2017)
New adult guest bathrooms in parking garage (July 2017)
New concession stand (July 2018)
New HVAC and air purifiers installed (July 2018)
New adult guest bathrooms in lobby (December 2018)
Admissions & Community Relations Offices relocated to first floor (Dec. 2018)
Shelving installation for the kiln room (September 2019)
New viewing deck: large window panes replaced the wall on the second floor of the gym to create a new viewing deck (Spring 2021)
New gym floor, new floor tiles in gym lobby and second floor (Spring 2021)
New auditorium lighting with LED lights (Spring 2021)
New auditorium sound/control board (Spring 2021)
New boilers to improve the HVAC system (Spring 2021)
New hitting wall on the tennis court (Spring 2021)
New pottery wheels (4 of them) in the HS art room (Fall 2021)
Improvement Goal #2 Focus: Standards-Based Learning and Reporting
All school in-service training with Dr. Guskey & Dr. Jung (February 2017)
All school in-service training with Dr. Guskey (February 2018)
MS & HS in-service training with John Gaskell (March 2018)
Principal-led professional development (2016-2018)
Improved report card alignment for ES & MS (2017-2018)
Information shared with parents at Parent Coffees & Chats (Spring 2019)
SBL Focus Group met several times to discuss report cards (Spring 2020)
Drafted a SBL implementation timeline (Fall 2020)
Drafted a Schoolwide Assessment Policy (Fall 2020)
ES faculty worked on Math priority standards (Fall 2020)
MS faculty worked on proficiency scales for reporting (Fall 2020)
HS faculty worked on Math and English priority standards (Fall 2020)
All School book study using A Teachers’ Guide to SBL (Winter 2021)
Leadership book study using A School Leaders’ Guide to SBL (Spring 2021)
All School in-service training on SBL principles, unit planning, and assessment by the Director of Curriculum & Instruction (Fall 2021)
DCI met with each department and each faculty member to review and assess the teams’ current understanding and progress made towards SBL unit planning and assessment (Fall 2021)
Improvement Goal #3 Focus: Reviewing & Assessing Expected Student Learning Results (ESLRs)
Working committee of teachers and administrators formed (Jan. 2017)
Mission and vision statements analyzed (Jan. 2017)
YISS Graduate Profile draft initiated with descriptions of academic, spiritual, relational, and personal qualities of students (2016-2018)
Evaluated the alignment of current ESLRs with the graduate profile (Spring 2019)
New ESLRs finalized and assessments piloted (Spring 2020)
New ESLRs aligned to curriculum documents (Spring 2020)
Data continues to be generated through surveys and other informal methods on our use of ESLRs. (Fall 2020)
Some teachers are embedding the ESLRs in authentic learning experiences, but this is not pervasive or uniform throughout the school. (Fall 2021)
Improvement Goal #4 Focus: Increasing Tenure of Staff
Administrator training with Dr. Duane Jobe on factors that impact teacher tenure (Spring 2017)
Clear staff salary schedule established (Spring 2018)
Base salary increased for the next school year (Spring 2019)
Ongoing review and update of compensation structure (Spring 2020)
Create new avenues for staff input into decision-making (Spring 2020)
New school operated housing - creates greater stability for staff housing and increased opportunity for community building (Spring 2020)
Enhanced salary options for overseas-hired staff to receive salary in USD and KRW (Spring 2020)
Taxes paid by the school for overseas-hired faculty. (Fall 2020)
Met weekly on the topic of Recruitment and Retention with the Leadership Team and HR Manager. (Fall 2020)
Re-signing bonus introduced earlier in the recruitment season; Issued contracts earlier in the year. (Fall 2020)
Moved up the re-signing time frame earlier to better position the school for earlier recruitment opportunities. (Fall 2020)
Added a HS Instructional Coach position to support teachers in the HS. (Fall 2021)
Clarified the role of Member Care and HR for our community. (Fall 2021)
Began the search process for principal positions one year in advance (Spring 2021)
Participated early in additional recruiting fairs in order to access the best talent pool. (Fall 2021)
Self-Selected Improvement Goal #5 Focus: Schoolwide Curricular Alignment
Drafts of K-12 scope and sequence charts completed for the following subjects: English Language Arts, Math, Library/Media, PE, Performing Arts, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Visual Arts, and World Languages (Spring 2018)
Drafts of K-12 scope and sequence charts completed for the following subjects: Bible, English, Math, World Languages (Fall 2018)
Drafts of K-12 scope and sequence charts for all subjects continue to be reviewed and updated (Fall 2020 - Spring 2021)