Meeting of the Board of Regents | April 2010

Monday, April 5, 2010 - 8:30am

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 KIPP Infinity 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 KIPP Infinity 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 KIPP Infinity Charter School (“the School”). The School’s charter was initially granted on March 15, 2005. Revisions to the charter were approved by the Regents on July 28, 2009. It currently serves 375 students in grades 5-9. Upon renewal, the School will serve 508 students in grades K and 5-10, and grow to serve 949 students in grades K-12 by the end of this proposed renewal term. The School's mission is “to help students develop the academic and character skills necessary to achieve success in high school and college, be self-sufficient in the competitive world beyond and build a better tomorrow for themselves and us all.”

The School does not have a management partner. KIPP NYC, LLC, the institutional partner, provides instructional and operational support through a shared services agreement. The School provides instruction from 7:25 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for 210 days per academic year. The School provides a college preparatory program emphasizing students’ time on-task and intensive academic commitments. The School is one of several in New York City incorporating the Five Pillars model of the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP). The pillars (high expectations, more time on task, focus on results, power to lead, and choice and commitment) define its institutional culture. The School provides instruction to students in grade 9 at a co-located high school with students enrolled at three other schools: KIPP Academy Charter School; KIPP Always Mentally Prepared Academy Charter School; and, KIPP Success Through Teamwork, Achievement, and Responsibility College Preparatory Charter School (KIPP S.T.A.R.). The co-located high school will serve grades 9-12 during the proposed charter term.

The New York City Department of Education held a public hearing in Community School District 5 on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 regarding this proposed renewal charter. No comments were made or received.

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 KIPP Infinity 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 KIPP Infinity 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: KIPP Infinity Charter School (KICS or “the School”)

Address: 625 West 133rd Street, New York, New York 10027

Board of Trustees President: David Massey

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

Opening Date: July 2005

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: KIPP NYC, LLC.

Management Partner: N/A

Grades Served per Year: Renewal Year 1 – K, 5-10

Renewal Year 2 – K-1, 5-11

Renewal Year 3 – K-2, 5-12

Renewal Year 4 – K-3, 5-12

Renewal Year 5 – K-12

Projected Enrollment per Year:

Renewal Year 1 – 508

Renewal Year 2 – 638

Renewal Year 3 – 765

Renewal Year 4 – 857

Renewal Year 5 – 949

Renewal Application Highlights

Evidence of Educational Soundness/ Attainment of Educational Objectives

The School opened in July 2005. The School served students in grades 5-8 through the 2008-2009 school year. The student achievement results for the School are shown in Attachment 1 – Tables 1 through 4.
The School scored higher than its district of location in the English language arts (ELA) and math exams. See Attachment 1 – Table 5.
The School has been deemed “In Good Standing” under New York State’s (NYS) Accountability System.
For 2008-2009, the School’s aggregate Performance Index (PI) of 188 on the NYS ELA and 199 on the math exams met the Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) set forth in the NYS accountability system.
In 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, the School met its goal (aligned to the Chancellor’s Minimum Student Performance Objectives for “High Need” Schools) of having the sum of the percentage of students performing at or above Level 3 on the NYS ELA and math exams exceed 109.5 percent.
Using two-year cohort analysis, KICS reported a 24 percent increase in grade 6 student performance on the NYS ELA exam. Grade 7 students improved by seven percent. Grade 8 students declined from 100 percent proficiency to 97 percent proficiency.
Using two-year cohort analysis, KICS reported two percent increases in both grades 6 and 7 on the NYS math exam. Grade 8 students maintained 100 percent proficiency.
In 2008-2009, 89 percent of students in grades 5-8 were proficient on the NYS ELA examination; and 98 percent were proficient on the NYS math examination. See Attachment 1 – Table 1.
The School reported that for 2009-2010, it serves 83 percent of students who are eligible for free lunch and reduced lunch; seven percent are identified as students with disabilities (SWD); and four percent of students are identified as English language learners (ELL).
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) reports that the School’s population for 2009-2010 is: 27 percent Black, 71 percent Hispanic, and two percent students from other backgrounds.
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.
The School offers a balanced literacy curriculum integrating Core Knowledge with Open Court Reading and Writing; Saxon Math; and Delta Science Modules II for science. Social studies instruction will be provided using a school-developed curriculum.
In addition to the mandated state exams, the School administers norm-referenced assessments in reading and math.
The School assesses student progress towards achieving pre-determined goals through several school-developed interim assessments and the Early Childhood Literary Assessment System (ECLAS-2) for grades K-1; the Quarterly Writing Assessment (QWA) and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) for grades 5-8.
KICS educates SWD in the least restrictive environment. Special education services are provided by a certified special education coordinator.
The School employs a structured immersion strategy to help ELL students achieve proficiency in the English language.
The School has a 210-day school year from September to the end of June.
The School provides instruction from 7:25 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. from Monday through Thursday; from 7:25 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Friday; from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Saturday (two times per month); and from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. for three weeks during the summer.
For the past four years, the average daily attendance at the School has been 98 percent.
For 2008-2009, the teacher retention rate was 95 percent. The School reports that in four years, only two teachers have left KICS.
The School’s principal has been with KICS since its inception.

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

The School maintained a positive fund balance in each year of the charter.
KICS shows a positive change in its net assets for three of the past four fiscal years. See Attachment 3.
The School has no long term debt.
The School is co-located in an NYCDOE school building, which it has occupied since its inception. The School is located at 625 West 133rd Street, New York, New York 10027.
The School is governed by seven trustees.
The School proposes to have a balanced budget in each year of the charter term.
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

KIPP Infinity Charter School

(New York City – CSD 5 – Manhattan)

2010-11 through 2014-15

School Year	Number of Students	Projected Payment*	Projected Impact
2010-2011	508	$6,321,044	0.0301%
2011-2012	638	$7,938,634	0.0378%
2012-2013	765	$9,518,895	0.0453%
2013-2014	857	$10,663,651	0.0508%
2014-2015	949	$11,808,407	0.0562%

* Assumes no annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $21 billion in 2010-2011; and no annual 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 charter school’s proposed renewal was conducted by the New York City Department of Education on December 1, 2009. No public comments were received.
The rate of student attrition has been three percent for each of the past two years. In 2006-2007, the student attrition rate was seven percent.
NYCDOE reported an 79 percent response rate to the Learning Environment Survey. Ninety-three percent of students completed the survey.
Parent satisfaction rates were high. Ninety-nine percent of parents responding to the authorizer’s survey reported satisfaction with the overall quality of education.
NYCDOE reported that 98 percent of parents were satisfied with home-school communication and with the opportunities for engagement. Ninety-five percent of parents reported that KICS provided a safe learning environment for their child.

Summary of Charter Entity’s Findings and Recommendations

New York City Department of Education has recommended a full five-year renewal. NYCDOE finds that the School is an educationally and fiscally sound organization. The School has implemented a curriculum driven by clear performance standards for students. NYCDOE found “clear evidence that the School continuously communicates the skills and knowledge that they expect students to learn.” Teachers use assessments and provide regular reports to parents to monitor the academic progress of students. According to the State’s NCLB accountability system, the School is deemed in “good standing.”

The School has met the student academic outcome measures included in the key design elements and performance goals. NYCDOE found that the School made significant gains and sustained high achievement levels in math and ELA. NYCDOE reported the School was ranked number one among middle schools in 2007-2008, based on the Learning Environment Survey.

The School has been effectively governed since inception. The authorizer found that the trustees took pride in the progress made and challenges met during the first charter term. NYCDOE noted the trustees’ focus on board development and accountability. NYCDOE reports that the school’s budgeting process is collaborative and involves the principal, superintendent, KIPP NYC’s central team and KIPP Academy board members. The School will have an enrollment of 508 students in 2010-2011 and grow to 949 by 2014-2015.

Attachment 1

Table 1*

2008-2009