EMSC Committee

SUMMARY

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendations concerning the proposed renewal to the charter for Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York City)?

Background Information

We received a request from the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (“SUNY”) to renew the initial charter of the Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant (ECSBS or “the School”), formerly known as Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory Charter School for Excellence.  The initial charter was issued by the Board of Regents on June 17, 2003, with an effective date of June 17, 2004.  It currently serves 360 students in grades K through 6.  The School has an approved enrollment of 382 students.  The School seeks to serve 604 students in grades K through 10 by the end of this proposed renewal term.  The School’s mission is “to prepare its students to enter, succeed in, and graduate from outstanding college preparatory high schools and colleges.”

The initial application was returned for consideration because the School enrolled only boys and no substantially equivalent educational opportunity existed for girls at the time of the Regents vote.  SUNY submitted a renewal application on August 19, 2009, subsequent to the expiration of the charter on June 16, 2009.  SUNY has requested that the charter be renewed for five years, commencing immediately.  The School is not seeking the approval of the renewal charter by the Board of Regents.  For grades 6 through 10, the School did not submit an aligned curriculum for ELA, Mathematics, the Arts, Career Development and Occupational Studies, Health, Family and Consumer Sciences, Social Studies, and Languages Other than English.  The School provides instruction in ELA, math, science, social studies, music and physical education The submission did not include science curriculum for grades 6 through 9.

In December 2006, the Board of Regents approved a revision to the ECSBS charter allowing the School to contract with Uncommon Schools, Inc.  The School will continue to provide instruction from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for approximately 185 days per academic year.  The projected enrollment plan is attached (See Attachment 1).  The academic performance of schools managed by USI, including ECSBS, is also attached (See Attachment 2). 

The public hearing was held on November 4, 2009.  Eight comments were made in support of the School.  No comments were made opposing the renewal application.  Additionally, parents and community members submitted seven written comments in support of the renewal application. 

Information concerning this proposed renewal charter may also be found on the Board of Regents website at http://www.regents.nysed.gov/.

Recommendation

              VOTED: That the Board of Regents returns the proposed first renewal charter of the Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant as proposed by the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, with the following comments and recommendations:  That the curriculum be aligned to the New York State Learning Standards.

Timetable for Implementation

The Regents action for the Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant is effective immediately.

New York State Education Department

Summary of Charter School Renewal Information

Summary of Applicant Information

Name of Proposed Renewed Charter School: Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant (ECSBS or “the School”) formerly known as Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory Charter School for Excellence

Address: 221 Patchen Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11233

Board of Trustees President:  David Saltzman

Renewal Period:  November 17, 2009 – November 16, 2014

District of Location:  New York City Community School District (CSD) 16, Brooklyn

Charter Entity: Trustees of the State University of New York (SUNY)

Institutional Partner(s):  N/A

Management Partner(s): Uncommon Schools, Inc. (USI)

Grades Served per Year:    K-6 (K-10)

Projected Enrollment per Year: 357 (604)

Renewal Application Highlights

Evidence of Educational Soundness/ Attainment of Educational Objectives

• The School, serving all boys, opened in August 2004 and tested third grade students for the first time during the 2006-2007 school year.  The School’s ELA and mathematics exam scores exceeded the scores of CSD 16 during the 2008-2009 school year.  The student achievement results for the School are shown in Tables 1 through 6 (see Attachment 1).
• The School’s aggregate Performance Index (PI) of 188 on the New York State (NYS) English language arts (ELA) and 200 on the NYS mathematics exams met the Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) set forth in the NYS accountability system. A PI of 200 in mathematics means that 100 percent of students were proficient in mathematics during the 2008-2009 school year.
• The School will add grades 7 through 10 during the renewal period. ECSBS intends to serve 604 students during its renewal period (see Attachment 2).
• The curriculum submitted is not aligned to the 28 New York State (NYS) learning standards.  For grades 6 through 10, the School did not submit an aligned curriculum for ELA, Mathematics, the Arts, Career Development and Occupational Studies, Health, Family and Consumer Sciences, Social Studies, and Languages Other than English.  The submission did not include science curriculum for grades 6 through 9.
• The School offers instruction in ELA, math, science, social studies, music and physical education. 
• The School proposes to offer instruction in Spanish beginning in grade 9.
• The School is not seeking the approval of the Regents for renewal. 
• The School’s student population for the 2007-2008 school year is: 100 percent Black.
• For 2008-2009, 69 percent of students were eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunch.  Fifteen percent were students with disabilities.
• For 2008-2009, the School did not serve any students with limited English proficiency.  ECSBS, however, maintains records of general outreach and engagement efforts, including but not limited to: ads in English and Spanish-language newspapers, subway and bus ads, mailing lists in the CSD of location, and, visits to local Head Start programs and day care centers.
• In 2008-2009, the School met its goals that, “Each year, seventy-five percent of third through fifth graders who are enrolled in at least their second year will perform at or above Level 3 on the New York State ELA” and mathematics examination.
• The School modified its literacy curriculum based on observations from the charter entity concerning Open Court.  ECSBS students achieved significant literacy gains subsequent to a switch to the SRA Reading Mastery curriculum.
• The School originally intended to use Core Knowledge for instruction in science and social studies.  ECSBS presently uses the Scott Foresman curriculum for science and social studies.
• The School had a 1.8 percent student attrition rate and a 22 percent teacher attrition rate for the 2008-2009 school year.  The School has had the same school leader since opening in 2004. 

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

• The School maintained a positive fund balance in its net assets for the fiscal year ending 2009 and has had a positive fund balance in each year of the charter.
• The School shows a positive change in its net assets for the years 2005-2009 (see Attachment 3).
• The School has no long-term debt and is located in a newly-built facility that it leases from the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE). 
• The School partnered with USI through a revision to the charter in December 2006.  USI manages 11 other charter schools in New York State (see Attachment 4). 
• USI provides the following services: fundraising, payroll and purchasing, legal guidance, leadership training, special education management and human resources management. 
• The School has had consistent board membership.  The School is governed by fifteen trustees. 
• 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

Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant

(New York City – CSD 16 – Brooklyn)

2009-2010 through 2013-2014

*Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $17 billion in 2008-2009; and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2009-2010 rate of $12,443.

Evidence of Parent and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

• The public hearing was held on November 4, 2009.  Eight comments were made in support of the School.  No comments were made opposing the renewal application.  Additionally, parents and community members submitted seven written comments in support of the renewal application.  
• In the fall of 2008, 98.3 percent of students re-enrolled from the prior year. 
• The School reported a waiting list of 916 students for the 2009-2010 school year.
• According to the 2008-2009 Parent Satisfaction Survey, 50 percent of parents responded, of which 100 percent expressed satisfaction with the School.  Parents also strongly endorsed the math, reading and writing instruction in the School, with over 96 percent responding favorably.

Summary of Charter Entity’s Findings and Recommendations

The Institute finds that the School has both met its goals and has in place an educational program that is strong and effective.  Since the School began administering New York State ELA and math exams, the school has consistently met both goals by meeting each of the specific measures (absolute, value-added and comparative) that constitute the two goals.  Over the last two years, the School has demonstrated consistently strong achievement on the ELA and math exams and has also far-outperformed its local community school district and demographically similar schools statewide.  The School has also exceeded its targets for absolute proficiency and year-to-year growth. 

During regular evaluation visits, the School has demonstrated the use of well-developed curriculum, making regular adjustments to meet the needs of its students.  Staff, including teachers, review and revise the curriculum annually.  Based on concerns about student progress, the School made a significant change to the literacy curriculum in its second year of operation and then effectively implemented the changes.  While the Institute noted weaknesses in the School’s writing program at the beginning of the charter period, evaluations in the third year and at the time of the renewal inspection indicated progress in that area.

The School’s leadership team has focused on balancing structure, rigor and joy.  The charter entity noted that the School also placed a significant emphasis on classroom procedures and student compliance.  SUNY further notes that the School has made deliberate adjustments to pedagogy as it continues to add higher grades.

The School has a consistently effective and stable leadership team.  Evaluators found that teachers were provided with regular and extensive observations, informal feedback and coaching, as well as formal evaluations.  The School also provides considerable resources to support the professional development of new teachers.  The trustees demonstrated the skills and expertise to provide rigorous oversight of the school.  Trustees receive regular reports on academic performance, financial stability and organizational capacity.  The charter entity states, “The school board was aware of, and sensitive to, potential conflicts of interest stemming from two trustees’ affiliation with Uncommon Schools, Inc. and followed the provisions of its charter related thereto.”

High levels of student and parent satisfaction is evidenced by student retention, parent focus group and survey data.  The School has had a retention rate of no less than 97 percent for the past three years. 

Attachment I

Attachment 1

Table 1

2008-2009

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of ECSBS Students at Levels 1 – 4

Table 2

2008-2009

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of ECSBS and District 16 Students at Proficiency Level

Table 3

2007-2008

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of ECSBS Students at Levels 1 – 4

Table 4

2007-2008

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of ECSBS and District 16 Students at Proficiency Level

Attachment I (continued)

Table 5*

2006-2007

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of ECSBS Students at Levels 1 – 4

* Due to statistical rounding, percentages may exceed 100.

Table 6

2006-2007

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of ECSBS and District 16 Students at Proficiency Level

Attachment II

Attachment 2

Current Enrollment

Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant

2009-2010

Projected Enrollment

Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant

2009-2010 to 2013-2014

Attachment III

Attachment 3

Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant

Change in Unrestricted Net Assets for 2004-2005 through 2008-2009*

*Source: Renewal Application, Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant

Attachment IV

Attachment 4

Performance on ELA and Math State Assessments by Charter Schools

Managed by Uncommon Schools, Inc.

in comparison to the district of location in New York City

*Only includes USI managed schools that have administered the ELA and math state assessments. 

USI Schools which opened for instruction in fall 2009 include:

• Excellence for Girls CS (September 2009)
• Leadership Preparatory East New York CS (September 2009)
• Flatbush Collegiate CS (August 2009)

USI Schools scheduled to offer instruction in fall 2010 include: 

• Crown Heights Collegiate CS (August 2010)
• East New York Collegiate CS August 2010)
• Leadership Preparatory 3 CS (formerly known as Leadership Preparatory Brownsville CS (September 2010)
• Leadership Preparatory 4 CS (formerly known as Leadership Preparatory Flatbush CS) (September 2010)