SUMMARY

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendations concerning the proposed second renewal charter for Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School (New York City)?

Background Information

We received a request from the Chancellor of the city school district of the City of New York (“the Chancellor”) to approve and issue a second renewal charter for the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School (HCZ or “the School”) for a term of five years to commence on August 11, 2009 and run through August 10, 2014.  An initial five-year charter was granted by the Board of Regents on February 23, 2004 and a short-term renewal was granted on February 23, 2009, which will expire on August 10, 2009.  

The School currently serves 734 students in grades K – 5 and 8 – 9 and will grow to serve 1,020 students in K-12.  The School will remain located in Community School District (CSD) 5, as per its approved charter.  The School’s ELA and math exam scores exceeded the scores of Community School District (CSD) 5 in 2007-2008.  The New York City Department of Education held a public hearing in CSD 5 on January 13, 2009 regarding the proposed renewal.  No comments were made or received.

Recommendation

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approves and issues the second renewal charter of the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the city school district of the City of New York, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term of five years up through and including August 10, 2014.

Reasons for Recommendation

(1) The charter school meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the charter school has demonstrated the ability to operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; and (3) approving the proposed renewal is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law. 

Timetable for Implementation

The Regents action for the renewal of the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School will become effective on August 11, 2009.

New York State Education Department

Summary of Charter School Renewal Information

Summary of Applicant Information

Name of Proposed Renewed Charter School:  Harlem Children’s Zone Promise

Academy Charter School (“HCZPA” or “the School”)

Address:  175 West 134th Street, New York, NY 10030 (Grades K – 5)

                     35 East 125th Street, New York, NY 10035 (Grades 8 – 9)

Board of Trustees President:  Geoffrey Canada

Renewal Period:  August 11, 2009 – August 10, 2014

District of Location:  New York City Community School District 5, Manhattan

Charter Entity:  Chancellor of the city school district of the City of New York

Institutional Partner(s):  Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc.

Management Partner(s):  None

Grades Served per Year:    K – 5, 8 – 9 (K – 12)

Projected Enrollment per Year:  734 (1,020)

Renewal Application Highlights

Evidence of Educational Soundness/ Attainment of Educational Objectives

• The student achievement results for HCZPA are shown in Tables 1 through 3.
• The School serves 73 percent low-income students; 11 percent special education students, and one and one-half percent limited English proficiency students.
• In 2007-2008, the School had a Performance Index (PI) of 150 on the New York State (NYS) exams in English language arts (ELA) and a PI of 192 on the NYS math exams. 
• The School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) from 2005 through 2008.  The School was deemed “In Good Standing” under New York State’s Accountability System during this same period.
• The School’s ELA and math exam scores exceeded the scores of Community School District (CSD) 5 in 2007-2008.  See Table 4.
• In 2007-2008, the School met its goal that “students who have completed at least two consecutive years at HCZPA will meet or exceed the performance of CSD 5 students on the NYS English language arts (ELA) and math tests.”  A total of 51.5 percent of HCZPA students achieved at Level 3 or 4 on the NYS ELA exam, as compared to 45.3 percent of students in CSD 5.  On the NYS math exam 92.5 percent of HCZPA students achieved a Level 3 or 4, as compared to 62.3 percent of students in CSD 5.
• In 2007-2008, the School did not meet its goal that “for each cohort of students who have completed at least two consecutive years at HCZPA the average score on the nationally normed reading test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) reading total score, will increase by one normal curve equivalent (NCE) a year until the average NCE of the cohort is at or above 50.” 
• In 2007-2008, the School did not meet its goal that “for each cohort of students who have completed at least two consecutive years at HCZPA, the average score on the nationally normed math test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) math score, will increase by one normal curve equivalent (NCE) a year until the average NCE of the cohort is at or above 50.”  The average NCE for students in grades one, three, and eight went down below a score of 50; the students in grade two met the goal (with a score of 55.5.  Students in grade seven improved, but did not meet the goal.
• In 2007-2008, the School met its goals that “at least 80 percent of students will score at least 65 percent on HCZPA year-end assessments, which measure mastery of the School’s grade-level standards” in ELA, math, social studies, art response papers, and physical education. 
• The year-end grade level mastery goal for science was not quite met with 77.7 percent, or 387 out of 461 students passing final exams.  The School has developed a comprehensive plan to address the goals not yet achieved. 
• A total of 495 students out of 499 completed the required art projects, just missing the goal of 100 percent completion.
• The School has proposed that the literacy coach and the data management team begin to monitor the use of Wordly Wise curriculum materials to increase students’ vocabulary achievement.  The literacy and math coaches will also provide professional development to teachers on the proper administration of the ITBS.
• The HCZPA will align the new internal science assessments with the year-end assessment to ensure that content is taught and assessed.
• The School curriculum addresses all 28 New York State learning standards.
• The School will analyze mid-year and end-of-unit assessments for student strengths and areas of concern.  Further plans will be developed for those individuals and class groups to stay current with science content standards.  Short and long term goals will be established based on baseline data gathered in the fall to guide attainment of proficiency in meeting science standards.
• The average daily attendance at HCZPA is 94.7 percent.
• The School has a 4.86 percent student attrition rate and a 14 percent teacher attrition rate for the 2007-2008 school year.
• HCZPA added two new school leaders in 2007-2008, one for the middle level grades and one for the high school grades. 
• There have been two different school leaders for the lower grades (kindergarten through fifth grade) since the School opened in 2004.  The current school leader for the lower grades was hired at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school term.
• A new superintendent was hired in 2008.

Table 1

2007-2008

Grade 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of HCZPA Students at Levels 1 – 4

* Due to statistical rounding, percentages may exceed 100.

Table 2

2006-2007

Grade 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of HCZPA Students at Levels 1 – 4

Table 3

2005-2006

Grade 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of HCZPA Students at Levels 1 – 4

Table 4

2006-2007 and 2007-2008

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of HCZPA and District 5 Students at Proficiency Level

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

• The School has had a positive fund balance in each year of the charter.
• The School has no long-term debt. 
• Grades eight and nine are housed in a facility leased from Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc.  Kindergarten through grade five are located in P.S. 175.
• The HCZPA Board of Trustees consists of nine members, holds 10 meetings each academic year, and has demonstrated sound fundraising capabilities.
• The School shows a positive change in its net assets for 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.  See Attachment 2.
• The potential fiscal impact upon the District is represented below.  Please note that these projections are based upon several assumptions, which may or may not occur: that all existing charter schools will also exist in the next five years and serve the same grade levels as they do now; that the charter schools will be able to meet their projected maximum enrollment; that all students will come from New York City and no other districts; that all students will attend every day for a 1.0 FTE; that the District’s budget will increase at the projected rate; that the per pupil payment will increase (and not decrease); and that the per pupil payment will increase at the projected rate.

Projected Fiscal Impact of the

Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School

(New York City – CSD 5 – MANHATTAN)

2009 through 2014

*Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $20.12 billion in 2007-2008; and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2007-2008 rate of $11,023.

Evidence of Parent and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

• A public hearing to solicit comments from the community in connection with the charter school’s proposed revision and short-term renewal was conducted by the New York City Department of Education on January 13, 2009.  No public comments were made or received.
• In the fall of 2007, 95.14 percent of students re-enrolled from the prior year.  In 2006, re-enrollment was 87.7 percent.  In 2005, re-enrollment was 85.03 percent.  
• In 2008, the parent survey rate was 71 percent, of which 99 percent expressed satisfaction with the School.

Summary of Charter Entity’s Findings and Recommendations

The Chancellor has recommended a five-year renewal.  The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) Office of Portfolio Development (charged with charter school oversight) issued a report that recommended renewal because students have made significant academic progress.  The School has gone from a position of underperforming CSD 5 in ELA to outperforming the district. The NYC DOE reports that the School’s progress in math has been impressive.  In its third year of testing, the School outperformed CSD 5 and the city school district and has done so for two years straight. 

At one time the learning environment of the middle level grades lagged behind that of the elementary grades.  This was largely because of behavioral issues.  The new middle level principal identified key areas for improvement upon being appointed and proceeded to work closely with the school community to resolve them.  The NYC DOE renewal report stated that the hard work of the principal and staff has succeeded in raising expectations.  This has led to an improvement in overall student attendance.  There has also been an improved environment of trust and respect in the middle level grades, which is now calm and orderly.  The principals and the entire school community have developed a positive learning environment.  This has resulted in improving student achievement.  

Parents are asked to sign in at every school function.  The NYC DOE reports that from this practice, the School has been able to determine that 73 percent of students in the elementary grades had at least one parent attend at least one school event, while 98 percent of the middle school students had at least one parent attend at least one school event during the school year.  The NYC DOE has also determined that the School is fiscally sound with liquid assets of more than $260,000.  The Chancellor has determined that the School has demonstrated evidence of educational soundness, fiscal soundness and parental satisfaction.

Attachment 1

Current Enrollment

Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School

2008-2009

Projected Enrollment

Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School

2009-2010 to 2013-2014

Attachment 2

Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy Charter School

Change in Net Assets for

2006-2007 through 2007-2008*

*Source: Audited Financial Statements provided as a part of each Annual Report.

Attachment 3

Performance on ELA and Math State Assessments

by all Charter Schools in New York State

with Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), Inc. as Institutional Partner