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

 

TO:

Full Board

FROM:

Jean C. Stevens

SUBJECT:

Charter School Renewal Charters

DATE:

April 19, 2006

STRATEGIC GOAL:

Goals 1 and 2

AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Issue for Decision

 

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendations regarding the proposed renewal charters and extension of provisional charters for the Beginning With Children Charter School and the Explore Charter School in New York City received from the Chancellor of the New York City public schools?

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

          Required by State statute, Education Law 2852.

 

Proposed Handling

 

This question will come before the full Board on April 25, 2006 for discussion and action. 

 

Procedural History

 

Under the New York Charter Schools Act of 1998, the Board of Regents is authorized to make recommendations regarding proposed charters submitted to it from another charter entity.  The Board is also authorized to make recommendations regarding the renewal of existing charters on applications submitted directly to it as a charter entity. Upon receipt of an application for renewal or for the establishment of a new charter school, the Board of Regents shall review such applications and proposed charters in accordance with the standards set forth in the Charter Schools Act.  Subsequent to its approval, the Board must then issue the initial charter or the renewal charter for each school, as applicable.

 

 

Background Information

 

We received two proposed renewal charters from the Chancellor of the New York City public schools.  The applications are for the renewal of:

 

§       Beginning With Children Charter School

§       Explore Charter School

 

The Beginning With Children Charter School is located in New York City, in the borough of Brooklyn.  The initial charter became effective in September 2001.  It is a conversion school serving 450 students enrolled in grades K-8.  The school began in 1992 serving only grades K through 1.  Currently, the school operates a lower level serving grades K through 5 at 11 Bartlett Street.  The upper level for students in grades 6 through 8 is located a few blocks away at P.S. 337.  The distance has posed some challenges for staff and students.  The school emphasizes strong school-family and community partnerships.  The school has met its academic achievement goals over the term of the charter.  The school has consistently outperformed City and community school district schools on State assessments.  Staff recommends that the proposed renewal to the charter and extension to the provisional charter be approved because the school has provided evidence of educational and fiscal soundness, evidence of parent and student satisfaction, and is likely to improve learning.

 

The Explore Charter School is located in New York City, in the borough of Brooklyn.  The initial charter became effective in June 2001.  The school has met most of its academic achievement goals over the term of the charter.  Initially designated to open on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the school was unable to secure an appropriate space in that area and instead began operations in downtown Brooklyn (Community School District 13) in the fall of 2002.  At the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, Explore Charter School relocated to central Brooklyn (Community School District 17).  The school has entered into a lease that will allow the school to remain at its present location through July 31, 2011.  The school presently serves 334 students in grades K through 6.  At the end of the renewal term, the school proposes to serve 424 students in grades K through 8.  The mission of the school is to cultivate the academic and critical-thinking skills needed for success in college preparatory high schools.  The applicant, in seeking to add grades 7 and 8, cited the academic need of middle school students attending neighborhood schools.  The school proposes to expand its arts program and incorporate “the rich visual resources of New York City’s museums and studios.”  Staff recommends that the proposed renewal to the charter and extension of the provisional charter be approved because the school has provided evidence of educational and fiscal soundness, evidence of parent and student satisfaction, and is likely to improve learning.

 

Copies of the above are available for your review by contacting Shelia Evans-Tranumn at 718-722-2796. 

 

Recommendation

 

          Staff recommends that the Board of Regents take the following action:

         

VOTED:  That the Board of Regents approve the proposed renewal charters and extend the provisional charters for five years for the following schools:

 

§       Beginning With Children Charter School, New York City

§       Explore Charter School, New York City

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

The Regents action will become effective for the Beginning With Children Charter School on September 1, 2006 and for the Explore Charter School on June 12, 2006.

         

 

Attachment

 

 


New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Charter School Renewal Application

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

Name of Proposed Renewed Charter School:  Beginning With Children Charter School (BWCCS)

 

Address: 11 Bartlett Street, Brooklyn, New York 11206

 

Board of Trustees President:  John Day

 

Renewal Period:  September 1, 2006 – September 1, 2011

 

District of Location:  New York City Community School District 14, Region 8

 

Charter Entity:  Chancellor, New York City Public Schools

 

Institutional Partner(s):  Beginning With Children Foundation

 

Management Partner(s):  None

 

Grades Served per Year:  K-8

 

Projected Enrollment per Year:  450 (450)

 

Renewal Application Highlights

 

Evidence of Educational Soundness/Attainment of Educational Objectives

 

·       For Beginning With Children Charter School (“BWCCS” or “the School”) performance on State assessments, see Attachment 1.

·       In 2004-2005, the School has achieved a Performance Index of 180 on grade 4 English Language Arts and 192 on grade 4 Math assessments.  The Performance Index is 136 on grade 8 English Language Arts and 182 on grade 8 Math assessments.  The School far exceeds the State standard of 150 on three of the indicators and is approaching the State standard on the fourth indicator.

·       In 2004-2005, the average performance on grades 3-8 State and City English Language Arts and Math assessments of students in the charter school exceeded the averages for New York City district and charter school students.

·       The educational program comprises direct instruction using core material from the McGraw Hill Mathematics series; balanced literacy employing combinations of text comprehension, phonemic awareness, systematic and explicit phonics and fluency and vocabulary instruction; a lab-based science curriculum for all grades; foreign language instruction in Spanish begins in grade 6; and experiential and project-based instruction in social studies.

·       For grades K through 5, instruction in visual arts and music is rotated on a monthly basis.  The arts are integrated, thematically, into classroom activities.

·       BWCCS receives Title I funds and is a school in good standing under the No Child Left Behind Act. 

 

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

 

·       Throughout the term of the charter, the School has been a fiscally sound educational institution.  The school does not carry any long-term debt.

·       For Beginning With Children Charter School (“BWCCS” or “the School”) changes in net assets, see Attachment 2.

·       The school projects a balanced budget and maintains a reserve fund of $100,000 and payroll contingency of $50,000 for each fiscal year.  At the end of the 2004-2005 school year, BWCCS had a positive fund balance of $773,861.

·       BWCCS provided regular financial reports and the Board upholds programmatic or fiscal oversight and governance responsibilities.

·       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 everyday 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.

 

Potential Fiscal Impact of the Renewal of the Charter for

Beginning With Children Charter School

School Year

Number of Students

Projected Payment*

Projected Impact

2006-2007

450

$4,271,850

.0244%

2007-2008

450

$4,464,083

.0248%

2008-2009

450

$4,664,967

.0251%

2009-2010

450

$4,874,891

.0255%

2010-2011

450

$5,094,261

.0258%

* Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $17 billion in 2004-2005 and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2004-2005 rate of $9,084.

 

Evidence of Parental and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

 

·       Student enrollment is at full capacity – 450 students.  The annual attrition rate is less than 10%.  The School has waiting lists for most grades, including more than 250 for kindergarten.

·       The school originally opened in 1992 as a New York City public school and converted to charter school status in 2001.  Enrollment has been stable at 450 in each year of the charter.

·       BWCCS has not been under-enrolled over the term of its charter.  Attendance over the term of the charter has averaged 94.8%.  The number exceeds New York City school attendance in each of the surrounding districts.

·       The school has an active Parent Teacher Association and three parent representatives on the Board of Trustees.  The Board reserves two seats for staff members, two seats for representatives of the Beginning With Children Foundation and five seats for community members. 

 

Summary of Charter Entity’s Findings and Recommendations

 

·       The English Language Arts performance of 8th graders lags behind that of other BWCCS students.  In 2005, 80.4% of fourth graders were proficient on State exams in English Language Arts; students in grades 5 through 8 each scored at decreasing rates of proficiency.  Eighth graders were least proficient (36.4%).  However, no eighth graders scored at Level 1 in English Language Arts.

·       BWCCS succeeded in meeting the academic goals it set in English Language Arts and Math.  Between 2002 and 2005, the percentage of proficient students in English Language Arts on City and State tests increased from 46% to 62.5%.

·       Over the same timeframe, the percentage of proficient Math students increased from 40.1% to 76.3%.

·       The School is continuing to improve its curricular scope and sequence in order to unify the instructional practice and introduce a greater degree of rigor within the Upper and Lower Levels.

·       Providing services and support to students at two sites has been a challenge in terms of maintaining a unified school culture for students and staff.  The Leadership Team has focused its efforts on developing coherent processes and policies.

·       The founding principal retired during the third year.  The next year, a new principal was hired but served for only one year.  The 2005-2006 school year is the first for the current leadership.  The current school principal, Cynthia Bailey, is a former Director of the Lower School and special education teacher. 

·       The School could benefit from increased communication within the School community about the delineation of responsibilities between the Foundation and the Board.  Parents and teachers noted there is considerable overlap in terms of management and governance.

·       The New York City Department of Education recommends renewing the School for a period of five years consistent with the terms of the renewal application.

 

Recommendation

 

Approve the proposed renewal charter and extend the provisional charter effective September 1, 2006 through September 1, 2011

 

Reason for Recommendation

 

(1)  the charter school described in the application meets the requirements set out in this article and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations;

(2)  the applicant can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; and

(3)  approving the proposed renewal charter and extending the provisional 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 this article.


Attachment 1

Beginning With Children Charter School

Performance on State Assessments

Assessment

Year

% Level 1

% Level 2

% Level 3

% Level 4

Performance Index

Grade 4 ELA

2001-2002

6

42

46

6

146

Grade 4 ELA

2002-2003

0

14.3

42.9

42.9

186

Grade 4 ELA

2003-2004

0

51

37.3

11.8

149

Grade 4 ELA

2004-2005

0

19.6

50

30.4

180

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade 4 Math

2001-2002

4

32

56

8

160

Grade 4 Math

2002-2003

0

6.1

65.3

28.6

194

Grade 4 Math

2003-2004

0

13.2

55.3

31.6

187

Grade 4 Math

2004-2005

0

8.2

67.3

24.5

192

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade 8 ELA

2001-2002

12

48

33

7

128

Grade 8 ELA

2002-2003

0

31.8

50

18.2

168

Grade 8 ELA

2003-2004

0

65.3

30.6

4.1

135

Grade 8 ELA

2004-2005

0

63.4

34.1

2.4

136

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade 8 Math

2001-2002

5

70

23

3

122

Grade 8 Math

2002-2003

0

43.2

50

6.8

157

Grade 8 Math

2003-2004

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Grade 8 Math

2004-2005

0

17.8

51.1

31.1

182

 

Attachment 2

Beginning With Children Charter School - Change in Net Assets

Year

Change in Net Assets

2001-2002

$389,308

2002-2003

$189,185

2003-2004

$356,856

2004-2005

($179,133)

New York State Education Department

 

Summary of Charter School Renewal Application

 

Summary of Applicant Information

 

 

Name of Proposed Renewed Charter School:  Explore Charter School (ECS)

 

Address: 15 Snyder Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11226

 

Board of Trustees President:  Ehud Houminer

 

Renewal Period:  June 12, 2006 – June 12, 2011

 

District of Location:  New York City Community School District 17, Region 6

 

Charter Entity:  Chancellor, New York City Public Schools

 

Institutional Partner(s):  None

 

Management Partner(s):  None

 

Grades Served per Year:  K-7 (K-8)

 

Projected Enrollment per Year:  380 (424)

2005-06: K-6, 334

2006-07: K-7, 380

2007-08: K-8, 416

2008-09: K-8, 423

2009-10: K-8, 426

2010-11: K-8, 424

 

Renewal Application Highlights

 

Evidence of Educational Soundness/Attainment of Educational Objectives

 

·       For Explore Charter School (“ECS” or “the School”) performance on State assessments, see Attachment 1.

·       The School has achieved a Performance Index of 159 on grade 4 English Language Arts and 185 on grade 4 Math assessments.  Fourth grade students were first tested in 2003-2004.  ECS has exceeded the State standard of 150 on both indicators.

·       During the first term of the charter, the School generally exceeded the goals it set for student performance in English Language Arts and math.  From 2003 to 2005, the percentage of proficient students in ELA on City and state tests increased from 25.6% to 57.6%.  Math scores, over the same timeframe, increased from 23.7% to 51.4%.

·       Some of the results have been uneven.  Students at ECS underperformed against City and region averages on grade 3 ELA, grade 3 Math and grade 5 Math.

·       The educational program utilizes Everyday Math. 2005-2006 was the third consecutive year ECS modified its math curriculum.  During staff visits to ECS, teachers and the academic dean reported a higher comfort level with the new curriculum, improved collaboration and improved use of interim assessments to guide instruction.

·       The ELA curriculum, primarily developed by teachers, emphasizes balanced literacy and has resulted in consistent academic performance by students.

·       The School has restructured the leadership by adding an academic dean to reinforce professional development, curricular alignment and the use of assessment data to inform instruction.  The School has a clear approach to improving performance.

·       ECS receives Title I funds and is a school in good standing under the No Child Left Behind Act. 

 

Evidence of Fiscal Soundness/Projected Fiscal Impact

 

·       Through the term of the charter, the School has been a fiscally sound educational institution.

·       For Explore Charter School (“ECS” or “the School”) changes in net assets, see Attachment 2.

·       The school is affiliated with The Friends of Explore Charter School, Inc.  The organization makes regular grants to support programs and has funds in excess of $300,000.

·       At the end of the 2004-2005 school year, ECS had a positive fund balance of $357,950. 

·       ECS provided regular financial reports and the Board upholds programmatic or fiscal oversight and governance responsibilities.

·       The School does not carry any long-term debt.

·       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.


 

Potential Fiscal Impact of the Renewal of the Charter for

Explore Charter School

School Year

Number of Students

Projected Payment*

Projected Impact

2006-2007

380

$3,607,256

.0203%

2007-2008

416

$4,126,701

.0222%

2008-2009

423

$4,384,967

.0226%

2009-2010

426

$4,614,789

.0228%

2010-2011

424

$4,799,814

.0227%

* Assumes a 3 percent annual increase in the District’s budget from the base of $17 billion in 2004-2005 and a 4.5 percent annual increase in the average expense per pupil per year from the 2004-2005 rate of $9,084.

 

Evidence of Parental and Student Satisfaction and Community Support

 

·       Student enrollment is currently at 334 students.  With the addition of grade 8, the enrollment for the fall of 2006 will be 380 students.  The annual attrition rate is less than 10%.  The School has a large wait list for most grades.

·       Two parent representatives serve on the Board of Trustees, including the President of the PTA.

·       The PTA and Executive Director have initiated a parent tutoring academy intended to align parent knowledge and understanding of changes in teaching methodologies in Math and Science with the tutoring support needed by students.

·       ECS has not been significantly under-enrolled over the term of its charter.  Attendance over the term of the charter has averaged 92.8%.

·       The School has relocated twice during the first term of the charter.  Initially, the school was to open on the Lower East Side.  The school is presently located in Brooklyn and receives students from diverse parts of the borough.

 

Summary of Charter Entity’s Findings and Recommendations

 

·       ECS succeeded in meeting the academic goals set in English Language Arts and Math.  Between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of students in grades 3 through 5 who were proficient in Math increased from 45.7% to 65.7%.

·       Over the same timeframe, the percentage of proficient English Language Arts students increased from 25.6% to 57.6%.

·       The School is continuing to strengthen its Math curriculum by reducing variability in instruction and streamlining professional development.

·       The School has moved to a large, spacious and comfortable location that accommodates the needs of instructional staff and students.

·       The School has been in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

·       The New York City Department of Education recommends (1) renewing the School for a period of five years consistent with the terms of the renewal application; and (2) allowing the School to expand by adding an 8th grade.

 

 

 

 

Recommendation

 

Approve the proposed renewal charter and extend the provisional charter effective June 12, 2006 through June 12, 2011

 

Reason for Recommendation

 

(1)  the charter school described in the application meets the requirements set out in this article and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations;

(2)  the applicant can demonstrate the ability to operate the school in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; and

(3)  approving the proposed renewal charter and extending the provisional charter is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision four of section twenty-eight hundred fifty one of this article.

 


Attachment 1

Explore Charter School

Performance on State Assessments

Assessment

Year

% Level 1

% Level 2

% Level 3

% Level 4

Performance Index

Grade 4 ELA

2001-2002

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Grade 4 ELA

2002-2003

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Grade 4 ELA

2003-2004

20.9

46.5

30.2

2.3

112

Grade 4 ELA

2004-2005

2.4

36.6

53.7

7.3

159

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grade 4 Math

2001-2002

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Grade 4 Math

2002-2003

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Grade 4 Math

2003-2004

7.1

52.4

40.5

0

133

Grade 4 Math

2004-2005

2.5

10

75

12.5

185

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attachment 2

Explore Charter School

Change in Net Assets

Year

Change in Net Assets

2001-2002

NA

2002-2003

($117,737)

2003-2004

($196,182)

2004-2005

$173,338