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Meeting of the Board of Regents | April 2010

Monday, April 5, 2010 - 8:30am

sed seal                                                                                                 

 

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

                         

TO:

FROM:

John B. King, Jr.

SUBJECT:

Charter Schools: Proposed First  Renewal Charter for Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School

DATE:

April 5, 2010

STRATEGIC GOAL:

Goals 1 and 2

AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve and issue the proposed first renewal charter of Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School (New York City)?

Background Information

We have received a proposed renewal charter from the Chancellor of the city school district of the City of New York for Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School (“the School”).  The School’s charter was initially granted on March 15, 2005.  It currently serves 790 students in grades K – 9.  Upon renewal, it will serve 851 in grades K – 10, and grow to serve 966 students in grades K – 12 by the end of this proposed renewal term.  The School's mission is “to strengthen the academic and character skills needed for all students to meet and exceed their peers in city and state assessments, excel in top tier colleges, achieve success in a competitive world, and serve as the next generation of leaders in their communities.”  

              The School has a management partner, Achievement First, Inc. (AF, Inc.), a nonprofit charter management organization, authorized to conduct business in New York and in Connecticut (founded in 2003).  AF, Inc. currently manages six schools, five of which are operating currently in New York.  AF, Inc. was approved in 2008 to manage a seventh charter school that will open in Brooklyn in September 2010.  The School will provide instruction from 7:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday with dismissal at 1:50 p.m. each Friday for professional development and staff meetings. The School is in session 208 days per academic year. 

The New York City Department of Education held a public hearing in Community School District 17 on December 18, 2009 regarding this proposed renewal charter.  Two written comments were received in support of the charter renewal.

Complete copies of the above are available for your review by contacting Sally Bachofer at (518) 474-1762.  Additional information concerning this renewal application may also be found on the Board of Regents website at http://www.regents.nysed.gov/

Recommendation

              VOTED: That the Board of Regents approves and issues the first renewal charter of the Achievement First Crown Heights 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 up through and including March 14, 2015.

Reasons for Recommendation

               (1) The charter school described in the proposed charter meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the applicants can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; and (3) approving and issuing the proposed charter 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 Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School will be effective immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York State Education Department

Summary of Charter School Renewal Information

Summary of Applicant Information

 

Name of Proposed Renewed Charter School:  Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School (AFCH or “the School”)

 

Address:  790 East New York Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11203

Board of Trustees President:  L. Priscilla Hall

Renewal Period:  March 15, 2010 – March 14, 2015

District of Location:  New York City Community School District 17, Brooklyn

 

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

 

Institutional Partner:  N/A

Management Partner:  Achievement First, Inc.

Grades Served per Year:                2010 – 2011:  K – 10

                                                              2011 – 2012:  K – 11

                                                              2012 – 2013:  K – 12

                                                              2013 – 2014:  K – 12

                                                              2014 – 2015:  K – 12

Projected Enrollment per Year:  2010 – 2011:  851

 2011 – 2012:  910

 2012 – 2013:  966

 2013 – 2014:  966

 2014 – 2015:  966

 

Renewal Application Highlights

Evidence of Educational Soundness/ Attainment of Educational Objectives

 

  • The School opened in September 2005 and tested its fifth grade for the first time during the 2005-2006 academic year.  The student achievement results for the School are shown in Attachment 1, Tables 1 – 4.
  • The School scored higher than its district of location in the English language arts (ELA) and mathematics exams.  See Attachment 1, Table 4.
  • In 2008-2009, the School had a Performance Index (PI) of 178 on the New York State (NYS) exams in ELA and a PI of 195 on the NYS mathematics exams.
  • The School has been deemed “In Good Standing” under New York State’s Accountability System since the School opened in 2005.
  • The School’s aggregate Performance Index (PI) on the State ELA and mathematics exams met the Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) set forth in the NYS accountability system.
  • In 2008-2009, the School met most of its accountability goals for student performance on the ELA and math exam.
  • The School met its goal “for grade level cohorts that have been at the school for four years at least 80 percent of students will perform at the proficient level on the NYS state assessment in all subject areas” except in eighth grade ELA.
  • The School has developed and implemented an action plan to address the upper middle grades’ performance in ELA.
  • In 2008-2009, the School met most of its non-academic goals for student attrition of less than 5 percent (other than students moving out of the neighborhood or city), average attendance rates of 95 percent or higher and for parental response rates and satisfaction with the School’s academic program.
  • For 2008-2009, the School served 83 percent free/reduced lunch eligible students; and 12.1 percent special education students.
  • For 2008-2009, the School did not serve any limited English proficiency students.
  • The School has developed plans on the recommendation of its authorizer to attract and retain students with disabilities and English language learners at a comparable or greater enrollment rate as to Community School District (CSD) 17.
  • The School’s population for 2009-2010 is 97.3 percent Black, 2.3 percent Hispanic, and 0.3 percent Asian.
  • The School provides instruction in each subject in the seven general curriculum areas and the proposed curriculum is aligned to all 28 NYS learning standards.
  • For students scoring at Levels 1 and 2 on the State ELA test, the School uses, Reading Mania 2.0 and assess all students at regular intervals using Fountas and Pinnell to address deficiencies and ensure that appropriate interventions are scheduled.  The School provides students with independent reading material at the optimal level based on this assessment plan.
  • he School conducts periodic internal assessments in the core subject areas to assist in differentiating instruction and providing additional support to students as needed.
  • The School has developed a comprehensive data analysis plan to by which teachers inform and differentiate instruction.
  • The School has a 208-day school year from September to the end of June.
  • The School provides instruction from 7:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday with dismissal at 1:50 p.m. each Friday for professional development and staff meetings.
  • The teacher attrition rate for the 2008-2009 academic year was down to 17 percent. In 2007-2008 it was 26 percent, for 2006-2007 is was 18 percent and from 2005-2006 it was 22 percent.
  • The School has replaced the elementary grades principal twice since opening in 2005, and added a middle level and a high school level principal.

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

 

  • The School has maintained a positive fund balance in each year of the charter.
  • The School has no long-term debt and the School is located in a New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) facility. 
  • The School plans to move the ninth through twelfth grades into a newly constructed facility at the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year.
  • The Board of Trustees (BOT) has demonstrated sound fund-raising capabilities.
  • The management partner supports five Achievement First charter schools in the borough of Brooklyn.  See Attachment 3.
  • The School showed a positive change in its net assets for 2008-2009.  See Attachment 4.
  • The number of Trustees will not be fewer than seven and will not to exceed 17.
  • Trustees are elected to serve two-year terms.  Trustees may be elected to serve an unlimited number of terms.
  • Regular meetings of the BOT are held 10 times throughout the year.
  • The standing committees of the BOT are executive, finance, student achievement and evaluation.
  • The officers of the board of trustees are chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer.
  • 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

Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School

(New York City – CSD 17 – Brooklyn)

2010-2011 through 2014-2015

School Year

Number of Students

Projected Payment*

Projected Impact

2010-2011

851

$10,906,416

0.0605%

2011-2012

910

$12,012,437

0.0647%

2012-2013

966

$13,134,214

0.0686%

2013-2014

966

$13,528,240

0.0686%

2014-2015

966

$13,934,087

0.0686%

*Assumes no annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $21 billion in 2010-2011; and no increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2010-2011 rate of $12,443.

Evidence of Parent and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

 

  • A public hearing to solicit comments from the community in connection with the School’s proposed renewal was conducted by the NYCDOE on December 18, 2009 regarding this proposed renewal charter.  Two written comments were received in support of the charter renewal.
  • In the fall of 2006, 96.2 percent of students re-enrolled from the prior year.  In 2007, the re-enrollment level was 89.5 percent.  For 2008, the re-enrollment rate was 92.1 percent with 95 percent re-enrolling in 2009.
  • The waiting list had 1,904 students seeking to enroll in the School as of December 2009.
  • The 2008-2009 data showed that 89.4 percent of the parent rated the School “A/A+” on a grading scale.  The parental rate was 54.3 percent. 

Summary of Charter Entity’s Findings and Recommendations

 

              The New York City Department of Education Charter School Office finds the School to be an academically successful school.  It is organizationally viable and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations pertaining to its current charter.  The School is also an educationally and fiscally sound organization, likely to improve student learning and achievement.  The School administers a wide range of assessments to measure student levels and progress in key subject areas and skills.  Results from these assessments are tracked in the on-line data tracking system, “Athena,” created by Achievement First.  Teachers and administrators note the effectiveness of the new on-line tool and also note that while parts of the software are still in development, it provides useful student, class and school level data including item analysis and longitudinal reports.

              The School has developed systems and structures to support a standards-based curriculum that ensures rigor and consistency across all classes, teachers and grade levels.  It also provides an extended day, an extended year and opportunities for after-school and holiday instruction to maximize learning opportunities for students.  Likewise, class lessons are crafted to promote more time on task for students.  The school-wide curriculum provides consistency for all students and aims t ensure that all teachers, even the least experienced, have structures in place to deliver high quality instruction.

The Chancellor recommends that Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School be renewed for a period of five years consistent with the terms of the renewal application.


Attachment 1

Table 1

2008-2009

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of AFCH Students at Levels 1 – 4

3-8 ELA

3-8 Math

%L1

%L2

%L3

%L4

Proficiency

 

%L1

%L2

%L3

%L4

Proficiency

0.4

21.4

74.4

3.7

78.2

 

0.6

4.3

62.9

32.1

95.0

 

Table 2

2007-2008

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of AFCH Students at Levels 1 – 4

3-8 ELA

3-8 Math

%L1

%L2

%L3

%L4

Proficiency

 

%L1

%L2

%L3

%L4

Proficiency

0

28.3

65.8

5.8

71.7

 

1.2

5.9

62.1

30.7

92.9

 

Table 3

2006-2007

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of AFCH Students at Levels 1 – 4

3-8 ELA

3-8 Math

%L1

%L2

%L3

%L4

Proficiency

 

%L1

%L2

%L3

%L4

Proficiency

4.64

42.4

48.3

4.64

53.0

 

5.33

25.3

55.3

14.0

69.3

 

Table 4

2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009

Grades 3-8 State ELA and Math Assessments

Percent of AFCH and CSD 17 Students at Proficiency Level

ELA

Math

 

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

   

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

AFCH

53.0

71.7

78.2

 

AFCH

69.3

92.9

95.0

CSD 17

42.2

52.1

63.8

 

CSD 107

53.5

66.0

75.9

 

 

 

 


Attachment 2

Current Enrollment

Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School

2009-10

GRADE

2009-10

Kindergarten

88

First

88

Second

86

Third

80

Fourth

74

Fifth

85

Sixth

80

Seventh

75

Eighth

70

Ninth

64

TOTAL

790

 

Projected Enrollment

Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School

2010-11 to 2014-15

GRADE

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

Kindergarten

88

88

88

88

88

First

88

88

88

88

88

Second

86

86

86

86

86

Third

80

80

80

80

80

Fourth

74

74

74

74

74

Fifth

85

85

85

85

85

Sixth

80

80

80

80

80

Seventh

75

75

75

75

75

Eighth

70

70

70

70

70

Ninth

64

64

64

64

64

Tenth

61

61

61

61

61

Eleventh

-

59

59

59

59

Twelfth

-

-

56

56

56

Total

851

910

966

966

966


Attachment 3

Performance on ELA and Math State Assessments by all Charter Schools

in New York State Managed by Achievement First, Inc.

on the ELA and Math State Assessments compared to the school district of location

 

Percent of Students Scoring At or Above Level 3 on State Exams

Charter School

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

 

3-8

ELA

3-8

MATH

3-8

ELA

3-8

MATH

3-8

ELA

3-8

MATH

3-8

ELA

3-8

MATH

Achievement First Crown Heights

70

62

53

70

72

92

78

95

CSD 17

42

51

41

61

48

67

59

76

Achievement First East New York

NA

NA

NA

NA

78

99

87

98

CSD 19

38

42

37

51

47

63

60

75

Achievement First Endeavor

NA

NA

53

61

64

88

68

78

CSD 14

47

51

49

62

55

72

67

80

Achievement First Bushwick

NA

NA

NA

NA

60

88

72

92

CSD 32

41

44

42

54

52

66

64

76

Achievement First Brownsville

-

-

-

-

-

-

NA

NA

 CSD 23

-

-

-

-

-

-

63

80

Attachment 4

Achievement First Crown Heights Charter School

Change in Net Assets for 2005 through 2009*

Year

Change in Net Assets

2005-06

$468,863

2006-07

$183,535

2007-08

$255,330

2008-09

$1,033,803

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