 | Minnesota School of Excellence Program
Standards for Effective Elementary and Middle Level Schools: The Minnesota School of Excellence Program is a school improvement process developed and sponsored by the Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association, and recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education. It assesses six standards (listed below) for quality elementary
and middle level communities. Research has shown that if these six
standards are evident in a school, best practices are being followed.
Leadership
Vision
Student Learning (curriculum)
Culture of Adult Learning
(staff development)
Data and Decision Making
Active Community Engagement
“In this time of high stakes testing, the quality of our school
communities can far too easily be misrepresented by the single-purposed
federal testing requirement,” said P.
Fred Storti, MESPA executive director. “High stakes
tests, such as the MCA II tests used to evaluate Minnesota schools for
Adequate Yearly Progress as required by the federal No Child Left
Behind Act, offer a snapshot in time with no context. One high stakes
test should not determine a school’s public stature and cannot
adequately assess its educational effectiveness. Elementary and middle
level schools provide the foundation for children’s lifelong learning,
and the Minnesota School of Excellence program clearly connects the education process to student learning."
Minnesota School of Excellence Timeline
The complete timeline is included in the Minnesota School of Excellence
Program template, which can be downloaded from this page. The timeline for completing the Minnesota SOE self-study and application for validation varies from one school community to another. For many it can be accomplished in one school year, but it may take up to two years. Once the applications are completed, the SOE program proceeds along the following timeline.
October 1: Letter of intent due in the MESPA office.
June 1: Completed paper and electronic Minnesota SOE self-studies and applications due in the MESPA office, along with the $100 application fee.
Mid-June: Minnesota SOE Review Committee (composed of a representative from each of the 12 MESPA divisions) conducts initial review of all applications. If additional work or revision is evident, the schools are notified by June 30 and asked to resubmit the application by late August.
Early September: Minnesota SOE Review Committee conducts final review of applications and endorses MESPA Minnesota Schools of Excellence.
November: Schools receiving MN SOE validation meet to plan school and community celebrations and the next step in their MN SOE processes.
February: Principals at schools receiving Minnesota SOE validation recognized during the annual MESPA Institute (statewide convention) with plaque presented by Minnesota Commissioner of Education.
Spring: Minnesota SOE celebrations take place, honoring the combined work toward excellence by the principals, teachers, staff, students, parents, and community.
Seven year renewal: The Minnesota School of Excellence validation remains in effect for
seven years. After that time has passed, MESPA encourages school
communities to re-initiate the process of self-study and submit a new
application.
Why should you take part in the Minnesota School of Excellence Program?
"The MESPA Minnesota School of Excellence Program takes schools on a meaningful analytical endeavor, engaging staff and community in purposeful conversations about their school. It is the premier way to identify current strengths and areas needing improvement for a school. The reward of the analysis is two-fold: first, it takes measure of where a school is at and reveals where it needs to go; second, is the wonderful celebration that happens  | | Members of the Minnesota School of Excellence Committee review applications, August 2007: L-R, Liz Heffernan, Matt Dorschner, Roz Robbins, P. Fred Storti. |
upon validation of becoming a Minnesota School of Excellence. It offers a great opportunity to celebrate with the community all the accomplishments of the school. I highly recommend the program!"
Matthew Dorschner, Chair, Minnesota School of Excellence Program; Principal, Chanhassen Elementary School (District 112, Schools of Eastern Carver County); previously Principal, Moose Lake Elementary School (Moose Lake School District) and endorsed as MN School of Excellence in 2004-2005
“Applying for and receiving endorsement as a Minnesota School of Excellence brought renewed excitement to our staff and parents, as others validated our commitment to educating each child to their full potential.”
Dr. Gail M. Swor, Principal, Poplar Bridge Elementary
(Bloomington Public Schools), endorsed as MN School of Excellence in 2003-2004
“In a small community, where the school is the hub of activity, everyone stands a little taller knowing they have somehow played a part in the school's success."
Jolene Landwer, Principal, Greenway Elementary Schools
(Greenway Public Schools), endorsed as MN School of Excellence in 2005-2006
“The school improvement process was rigorous, comprehensive and very valuable. The self-assessment helped us take an in depth look at how our school was meeting the needs of the children, staff, and community. We were able to clearly identify our strengths and areas for improvement. The process helped to solidify an already unified and collaborative staff.”
John Ahern, Principal, Edgerton Elementary School (Roseville Area Schools), endorsed as MN School of Excellence in 2006-2007
“We had always believed we offered our students quality programming, but our staff benefited greatly from the validation of the self-study. The community celebration was a joyous event that drew positive attention to the school!”
Lorene Force, Principal Cokato Elementary & D-C Curriculum Director (Dassel-Cokato School District), endorsed as MN School of Excellence in 2004-2005
“The Minnesota School of Excellence validation process is an extraordinary experience that has tremendous benefits to schools. The components of the application process highlight the following areas:
--expands positive communication and public relations,
--creates school and community pride,
--assists in the recruitment and retention of talented teachers and staff,
--enhances shared leadership,
--affirms high academic standards for students,
--focuses on quality coherent instruction and curriculum,
--provides reflection on the importance of professional development and its impact on student and adult learning,
--allows the review of effectiveness in the use of data to drive school and instructional decisions for continual improvement, and
--engages the community in the decision making process.
The MESPA office is amazing in their dedication and support through the entire School of Excellence application. The MESPA Minnesota School of Excellence validation process is meaningful and advantageous for students, employees, school, district and community.”
Kathy Carl, Principal, Northview Elementary School (Rosemount/Apple Valley/Eagan School District), endorsed as MN School of Excellence in 2006-2007
“The SOE process was a great validation of all the many wonderful things we were already doing at Plymouth Creek and helped us identify specific areas for school improvement. The involvement of staff, parents, students, and community was a real unifying experience. The celebration was talked about for months.”
Dr. Karla Thompson, Principal, Plymouth Creek Elementary School (Wayzata Public Schools), endorsed as MN School of Excellence in 2006-2007
SOE_Brochure_Sept07.pdf
SOE_Program_template_10_07.dot
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