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ACCREDITATION
Gifft Hill School was first accredited by the Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) in 1996. Since that time, the school has successfully maintained accreditation and earned accolades from visiting teams for our innovative programming and our commitment to meeting community needs.
While the cycle of affirming the School’s identity and purpose, gathering data, reflecting on our performance, and setting new goals is something we do every year at Gifft Hill School, this year we will invite a team of Middle States Association educators to join us. They will begin by reviewing the School’s foundation documents to understand who we are, and then they will use a variety of data to analyze the alignment of our goals and work plans.
This collaboration will culminate in a school visit by our MSA team in early December 2024. During the visit, team members will spend time on campus experiencing a “day in the life.” They will speak with students, faculty and staff, parents, and administrators, and ultimately they will draft a report of their impressions including their assessment of whether we continue to meet the standards of accreditation set forth by the Middle States Association.
We encourage all members of the Gifft Hill School community to participate in this process. This is your school, and your feelings and priorities matter! This page is designed to help make the school’s “self-study” process accessible and transparent. Below you will find additional information that can help you stay connected.
Re-Accreditation Timeline
SY 2022-2023
(August 2022-July 2023)
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Review and update of “foundation documents” including mission statement, diversity statement, description of core values, and the profile of a graduate
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Faculty and board committees work on collecting data and drafting the 2023-2028 strategic plan
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Foundation documents adopted June 2023
SY 2023-2024
(August 2023-June 2024)
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September 2023 parent focus group reviews draft strategic plan and feedback is incorporated
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2023-2028 strategic plan approved by unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees in October 2023
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November 2023 student performance data collected and analyzed by the steering committee and shared with BOT and faculty
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December 2023 students, parents, faculty/staff, and trustees participate in an MSA survey to share perceptions of Gifft Hill School
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January 2024 re-accreditation steering committee volunteers will share student performance and stakeholder perception data with GHS stakeholder groups
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January-March 2024 stakeholder focus groups meet with the steering committee to draft goals for the school’s plan for growth and improvement
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May 2024 GHS will submit school data analysis and a draft of the plan for growth and improvement to MSA for technical review
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June-July 2024 MSA provides feedback from their technical review
SY 2024-2025
(August 2024-June 2025)
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August-October 2024 MSA feedback is used to make final revisions to the GHS plan for growth and improvement
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November 2024 Final draft of the GHS plan for growth and improvement submitted to MSA along with all required evidence, plans finalized for on-site visit by MSA team
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December 2024 MSA team visits GHS, shares their initial findings in a draft report
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Spring 2025 MSA re-accreditation decision released