Ohio Catholic School Accrediting Association
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

OCSAA Resources

Listed below are publically available resources for Catholic schools as well as parents and teachers. Within the Accreditation Dashboard, member schools will find more resources, tips, and recommendations to help in the accreditation cycle.

On This Page:

  • "How to Write a Goal" video
  • EVT Chairperson Training Refresher
  • Resource Documents with vital information for schools and the public.
  • Annual Accreditation Schedule with ODE
  • Annual Due Dates for Schools
  • External Validation Team Visit Video for school staff orientation

How to Write a Goal

This video will help you write strong goals for your OCSAA School Improvement Plan

View "How to Write a Goal" on YouTube

EVT Chairperson Training Refresher Video

This video will help External Validation Team chairpersons prepare for their assignments.

View "EVT Chairperson Training Refresher" on YouTube

Download/View Resource Documents & Assets

For the Resource Documents: click a header name to sort by title, category or description. Click again to invert sort order.  

Many of these resources are links to 3rd party Websites, which we cannot continuously monitor. PLEASE REPORT DEAD LINKS HERE.

Resource Documents

 TitleCategoryDescription
OCSAA Standards The official OCSAA Standards document. (PDF)
OCSAA Writer's Guide The "manual" for accreditation for Catholic Schools in Ohio (PDF)
Battelle for Kids21st Century LearningChampions of the 4Cs – Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity.
10 Hallmarks of 21st Century Teaching and Learning | Edutopia21st Century SkillsTen experience based Hallmarks of 21st Century Teaching and Learning that can be used as touchstones in the educator's pedagogical approach to teaching and learning.
21st Century Learning - Videos, Articles, Resources, Experts - ASCD21st Century SkillsArticles, Videos, Webinars, Education Update ASCD Express resources
21st Century Learning Article21st Century SkillsThemes, Student Outcomes, Learning and Innovation Skills, Information, Media and Technology Skills, Life and Career Skills
21st Century Skills21st Century SkillsPartner for Successful Learning Website
21st Century Skills and Rubrics21st Century SkillsRubrics adapted from Tony Wagner's Seven Survival Skills (PDF)
4 Essential Rules of 21st Century Learning21st Century SkillsBy Jennifer Rita Nichols. The term “21st century” has become an integral part of educational thinking and planning for the future. Educators and administrators are actively searching for ways to prepare students for the future, and the educational syste
Partnership 21 (P21.org)21st Century SkillsP21 offers various tools and resources to assist educators in fusing the 3Rs and 4Cs. Our tools were developed through a comprehensive process involving hundreds of educators, researchers and employers across the country.
Teaching Strategies: 21st Century educator21st Century SkillsWhat does it mean to be a 21st century teacher? You may have heard the term “21st century” being tossed around in the media referring to what’s cutting edge in education. Here are teaching strategies for the 21st Century.
Tony Wagner's 7 Skills Students Need for the Future21st Century SkillsYou Tube Video (~30 min.)
Tony Wagner's The Global Achievement Gap21st Century SkillsPowerpoint Presentation
Catholic PBIS (Programs Affective and Moral BehaviorExample of a Positive Behavior Intervention Support matrix in a Catholic school.
12 Must-Read Articles about AssessmentAssessmentTeachThought.com
Education is Changing. It's Time Assessment Caught UpAssessmentStanford Social Innovation Review
Educational Leadership: Informative Assessment AssessmentASCD Article
Curriculum AssooicatesBlended LearningBlended learning with i-Ready
Catholic Family Faith Catholic TeachingsContains many interactive resources on Catholic Social Teachings, Catholic rituals, the church year and the sacraments.
Gospel Values Across the Curriculum - St. Mary's PressCatholilc IdentityThis article focuses on Catholic identity and asks how schools are fully living it out and celebrating it! Fr. Kevin Richter encourages a broader perspective in which Catholic identity is infused into every aspect of the school.
Critical Thinking RubricsCritical ThinkingStudent Leader Learning Outcomes (SLLO) Project from Texas A&M University
Critical Thinking Testing and Assessment (Online Test)Critical ThinkingCritical Thinking Foundation
Critical Thinking Testing and Assessment GuideCritical ThinkingA Guide for Educators to Critical Thinking Competency Standards from criticalthinking.org (PDF)
Critical Thinking: Barriers and OpportunitiesCritical ThinkingCritical Thinking article from The Alberta Teachers' Association
Foundation for Critical ThinkingCritical ThinkingThe purpose of this website is to integrate the Center’s research and theoretical developments, and to create events, courses, and resources designed to help educators improve their instruction.
Project ZeroCritical ThinkingThe mission of Project Zero is to understand and enhance learning, thinking and creativity for individuals and groups in the arts and other disciplines.
College and Work Readiness AssessmentCWRAGeared for Students
MatriciesDepth of KnowledgeThese matrices align DOK principles (which are embedded in ODE’s standards) and give examples of what teacher and student activities look like at each level. Good source for changes in instructional/assessment practices.
Differentiated Instruction in the Classroom at Mesquite Elementary SchoolDifferentiated InstructionYou Tube Video
Differentiation and The Brain: A Discussion with Carol-Ann TomlinsonDifferentiated InstructionYou Tube Video
Tips and Strategies for Effective Differentiation and InstructionDifferentiated InstructionYou Tube Video
Common Sense Education - Digital Citizenship InfoDigital CitizenshipUpdated version of a teaching curriculum on digital citizenship, organized by grade level. Topics cover digital footprint and how to respect the dignity of themselves and others online. There are resources for teachers, students and parents.
Common Sense Education - Digital Citizenship WebinarDigital CitizenshipAugust 2019 Webinar regarding a teaching curriculum on digital citizenship, organized by grade level. Topics cover digital footprint and how to respect the dignity of themselves and others online.
Ohio’s Evidence-Based ClearinghouseEvidence-Based Decision MakingProvides information and resources on how to use data and evidence within an improvement cycle. Use this to research programs in a wide variety of educational concerns.
The What Works ClearinghouseEvidence-Based Decision MakingReviews the existing research on different programs, products, practices, and policies in education. Provides educators with the information they need to make evidence-based decisions with focus on the results from high-quality-research.
Gravissimum Educationis: Declaration On Christian EducationFoundational Church Documents For Educators in a Catholic School
Lay Catholics in Schools: Witnesses To FaithFoundational Church Documents Vatican Website article
The Catholic SchoolFoundational Church Documents Vatican Website article
The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third MillenniumFoundational Church Documents Vatican Website article
The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic SchoolFoundational Church Documents Vatican Website article
The Growth Mindset: A Teacher's Month-by Month Handbook for Empowering Students to AchieveGrowth MindsetThis book outlines for teachers how to teach Growth Mindset month-by-month throughout the school year.
"How to Teach Thinking Skills"Higher Order Thinking SkillsBook by James A. Bellanca, Ribin J. Fogarty and Brian M. Pete address how to ensure your students develop higher-order thinking skills needed to thrive in a 21st century world. It details a 3-phase teaching process.
Ken O'ConnorLeading Educator WebsiteWebsite
Ken WillersLeading Educator Website21st Century Principal Website
Marazano ResearchLeading Educator WebsiteHigh Reliability Schools
Rick WormeliLeading Educator WebsiteWebsite
Sir Ken RobinsonLeading Educator WebsiteWebsite
Tony WagnerLeading Educator WebsiteWebsite
Assessing and Analyzing InformationProject Based LearningOnline resource for PBL
High Quality Project Based LearningProject Based LearningMore and more educators around the world, both in and out of the classroom, believe that PBL is an important instructional approach. However there is a lack of agreement about what makes for "high quality" PBL.
PBL WorksProject Based LearningThis is a great site for teachers and school leaders of any grade-level to spark ideas on how to incorporate more PBL into their classes and to evaluate existing or plan new projects that will motivate students.
Catholic Social Teaching DocumentsSocial Teachingsocial-spirituality.net
Catholic Social Teaching ResourcesSocial TeachingEducation for Justice, a project of Center of Concern, was created in 2001 to help teachers, social action directors, parish members, campus ministers, and others in leadership roles to meet the challenge of sharing Catholic social teaching and bring grea
Major Documents Catholic Social TeachingSocial TeachingFor over 145 years, Catholic Charities has served the poorest and most vulnerable members of our community. We continue to adapt and respond to the needs of the community and focus our attention where it is most needed.
Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching - USCCBSocial TeachingThe Gospel of Christ and the teachings of his Church guide the work of the USCCB. The work of the Conference is rooted in three general mission goals and organized into three key areas of responsibility.
Social Justice Resource Center - Church DocumentsSocial TeachingThe mission of the Social Justice Resource Center is to link faith to action by providing information & resources on the social issues of our time.
DefinedSTEMSTEMCase studies and research centered around STEM topics and projects
How to Integrate STREAM Curriculum into Religious EducationSTREAMAllie Johnson explains what STREAM is and provides resources for further exploration on how to integrate it into a school.
How Education and Technology are Evolving TogetherTechnology in EducationForbes magazine article
How Technology is Changing in the Education SectorTechnology in EducationCNBC Article
How Technology is Shaping the Future of EducationTechnology in EducationBusiness Insider Magazine article
ISTE - Int'l Society for Tech in EducationTechnology in EducationWelcome to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), home to a passionate community of global educators who believe in the power of technology to transform teaching and learning, accelerate innovation and solve tough problems in educat
Technology Topics - Education Week MagazineTechnology in EducationVarious articles - updated often
Use of technology in Teaching and LearningTechnology in EducationUSDOE - Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be integral to achieving significant improvements in productivity. Used to support both teaching and learning, technology infuses classrooms with digital learning tools, such as computer
Education in VirtueVirtue EducationThe Disciple of Christ, Education in Virtue® is a Christian curriculum structured on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas regarding the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It aims to provide a consistent structure and systematic instruction for youth to
Intellectual VirtuesVirtue EducationEducating for intellectual virtues is an approach to classroom teaching and other educational activities that is aimed at helping students grow in intellectual virtues, which are the deep personal qualities or character strengths of a good thinker or lear
The Virtues Project - EducationVirtue EducationThe Virtues Project™ is a grassroots, global movement that exists on the voluntary efforts and support of individuals and organizations and is primarily spread by word of mouth. This reality makes it essentially a local/regional initiative in spite of its
Virtue Education - Catholic Education Resource CenterVirtue EducationSince its inception, CERC has been compiling an Internet resource library and publishing a weekly E-Letter made up of the most compelling and convincing articles we can find on the big issues in the faith and culture category. CERC is educating a broad ra

Annual Accreditation Schedule with Ohio Department of Education

ANNUAL VERIFICATION OF STANDARDS (AVS) 

Each OCSAA member school shall electronically update the Annual Verification of Operating Standards (AVS) report on the Web Portal by October 31st and February 28th

October 31st and February 28th - Deadline for schools to update data for Annual Verification of Standards Reports 1 and 2 on the OCSAA web portal. 

November 1st and March 1st - Schools not in compliance with Operating Standards will be issued a penalty or fine of $1.75/student.  Schools will receive a letter indicating issues of non-compliance, for both AVS 1 and AVS 2, and an invoice from OCSAA.  Non-compliance payment is due by January 31st for the October 31st review and April 30th for the February 28th review.  Schools have until January 31st to correct any non-compliance issues noted from the October 31st review and April 30th to correct any non-compliance issues noted from the February 28th review.

January 31st and April 30th - Any school with out-of-compliance issues will have a temporary revocation of Accreditation until the process of re-instatement is complete.  Schools will be informed of that process (see Writer's Guide).  Any school that did not pay the out-of-comliance penalty payment will not be considered an accredited member of the OCSAA until the penalty is paid in full.

In order to be considered an accredited member in good standing of OCSAA, all schools are required to regularly enter, on an on-going basis, accurate data to the web portal.

NOTE:  Schools are responsible to be 100% in compliance with all Operating Standards at all times.  It is the school Principal's responsibility to monitor and and to address any expiration and/or non-compliance issues.

Please Note: In accordance with Ohio Administrative Code, failure to implement state-approved Operating Standards may result in the Ohio Department of Education initiating efforts to revoke the school’s charter.


Accreditation Due Dates for Schools

  • October 31 - Annual Verification of Standards (AVS)  and Standard School Survey (SSS) Due (All schools, every year)
  • February 28 - Annual Verification of Standards (AVS)
  • April 15 - Reports due for Action on Accreditation (Schools in Self Study or Verification phases)
    • Preliminary School Improvement Plan
    • EVT Suggested Actions
    • Response to Suggested Actions
    • Final School Improvement Plan
  • May 1 - Progress Report I or II from schools with reports due


External Validation Team Visit - Staff Orientation Video

Schools may use the video below to explain to staff how the EVT process works.

View "EVT Staff Orientation Video" on YouTube