Member districts receive triennial assessment visits by teams of "critical friends"--trained educators from within the Consortium who evaluate and report on district programs using eight "indicators" to measure the degree to which the district is utilizing student performance data as the basis for its planning.
The team also spends time developing responses to "essential questions" posed by the district to elicit the team's best thinking about issues of teaching and learning.
The evaluation report developed by the visit team opens with the team's responses to the district's essential questions.
The report takes note of the district's strengths, and it includes recommendations for the district's growth.
Finally, the report includes scores for district's approach for each of the indicators, the degree to which the approach has been implemented, and student performance results that are attributable to that approach.
The district then utilizes the assessment report as a planning tool for further growth.
The team returns for a follow-up visit two years later, focusing its attention on the actions taken by the district in response to the team's recommendations.
Through the Consortium's affiliation with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New York and New Jersey member districts receiving Tri-State visits are accorded Middle States accreditation. The Consortium also collaborates with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges to integrate their respective assessment processes for the Consortium's Connecticut member districts.
The Consortium provides opportunities for its members to identify and share examples of successful district planning and implementation, and to engage in staff development for faculty and administrators on topics related to its model of continuous improvement.