Tribal Accreditation:Self-Study Form

The legal status of the school is clearly defined and the school is approved for its operations by the tribal governing body within whose jurisdiction it is located. The school is adequately financed. Levels of income and expenditure are in reasonable balance. Overall financial resources are sufficient to assure the continuity and stability of services. Debt service or lines of credit are managed in such ways as to assure school governance/policy remains under the control of school authority.

The learning climate reflects a positive cultural image. Specific tribal culture, history, and language are integrated into the curriculum. Community members and tribal elders contribute to classroom instruction. Tribal language and customs are valued. School staff are given training to increase their understanding of tribal culture and values. The school offers cultural sensitivity professional development to staff.

The school accounts for the presence of its students and meets all local regulations for maintaining their health and safety. Unexplained absences are reported to parents/guardians and legal authority in a timely manner. A student code of conduct is in written form and consistently enforced. Procedures for the expulsion of any student for cause are known and consistently applied. Counseling is provided as needed. Exit counseling is conducted prior to final exit from school. Records of admission, progress, achievement, and recommendations for future study are safely and securely preserved. Occasional follow-up studies of former students are conducted.

Adults use a wide range of strategies for children to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate text. Children draw meaning from their prior knowledge and experience, their interactions with others, their knowledge of word meaning, and their word identification strategies.

Children combine, sort, count, or describe the characteristics of small objects. Active, hands-on strategies for problem-solving, exploration, and experimentation, and scaffolding previous knowledge and interactions to learn new information are being used. Children learn motor control, patterns, and concrete ways to understand abstract ideas.

Adults acknowledge and support children to extend their curiosity through the process of inquiry, observing, asking questions, forming hypothesis, investigating, gathering data, drawing conclusions, and building ideas that lead to new questions.

Children learn about themselves and their role in their family and community. Adults facilitate children’s social studies skill development by helping them engage in active investigations that build knowledge and understanding.

Adults support creative learning by providing concrete, process-oriented play experiences that encourage children to use their imagination and to experiment with new ideas and materials.

Adults model healthy and safe practices and promote healthy lifestyles for children. Adults provide opportunities to experience active indoor and outdoor play in which children use their bodies.