School Improvement

Iowa’s model of accreditation and school improvement utilizes state and federal law and rule to position the Iowa Department of Education (Department), area education agencies (AEAs), local education agencies (LEAs) and other agencies and programs to engage in continuous improvement. Differentiated Accountability is the process developed in 2015-2016 to move schools and districts further in improvement efforts. For more information, see the Differentiated Accountability System webpage.

• Iowa Administrative Code 281-12 - General Accreditation Standards
• Chapter 12 Matrix: Technical Assistance for Meeting Accreditation Standards
• High School Education Program and Graduation Requirements Guidance
• Annual Notices and Deadlines Calendar
• Civil Rights Compliance

Iowa Code section 256.11 (10)(a)(3) directs the Iowa Department of Education (Department) to provide a public report annually of findings of noncompliance and required corrective actions for each accredited school and school district. Below is a summary and listing by district or school of the noncompliance items.

• State board report on noncompliance 22-23

School Improvement Team

The School Improvement Team assists accredited districts, accredited nonpublic schools and AEAs with school improvement efforts and accreditation standards.

The following tables show the team member's monitoring assignments for schools and districts within an AEA and for specific topics. Contact the team member assigned to the AEA or specific topic with questions.

AEA Assignments

Specific Topic Assignments