Application Evaluation Packet for New Charter Schools
An excellent proposal will demonstrate the following
qualities related to the Educational Program:
§ The
curriculum framework is clearly presented, aligned with the school’s mission,
and provides an appropriate level of detail for the objectives, content, and
skills for each subject and for all grades the school will serve.
§ The
curriculum is supported by research, by applicant experience, and/or by sound
reasoning behind its selection.
§ A clear
outline of how the school will monitor the implementation of the curriculum.
The plan identifies a timeline, a lead contact, and specific action steps.
§ A clear
outline of how the school will use information from the curriculum monitoring
process to facilitate professional development and continuous improvement in
the education program. The plan identifies a timeline, a lead contact, and
specific action steps
§ The
school day and school calendar are structured in ways that align with the
educational program.
§ A
convincing plan for ongoing curriculum development (e.g., revision of standards
and benchmarks, improvement of curriculum alignment, and assessment
development)
§ A plan for the development, mentorship, retention,
and regular evaluation of staff that is manageable and is clearly linked to the
school’s mission and educational program, including a
timeline, a lead contact, and specific action steps.
§ Evidence
that school staff will be held to high professional standards.
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Educational Program: Strengths and areas of concern. |
Reference |
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Evaluation of this section begins with an overview and
then addresses the above listed qualities in each of the bulleted sections
below.
Strengths The application replicates the proven High Tech High
model that has operated successfully in the San Diego area for seven years.
The educational program is almost an exact match with the HTH program and
includes the many educational innovations that have resulted in success for
HTH students. It is clear from studying the application that the applicants
have committed time and effort to research the HTH program and have chosen to
adopt the HTH program for their school. Concerns
and Additional Questions HTH was conceived in San Diego by a group of 40 civic and
high tech industry leaders under the auspices of the Economic Development
Corporation and Business Round Table. Their planning began in 1996 and the
first school opened its doors in 2000. The San Diego area is a thriving
metropolis with innumerable connections to local resources in business,
technology, education, telecommunications, biotechnology, software,
electronics, manufacturing, defense, tourism, agriculture, and other major
industries. There are 1.25 million residents making it the seventh largest city in
the country and the second largest in California. The San Diego Unified School
District serves nearly 133,000 students. It is the second largest district in
California, and eighth largest urban district in the United States. The
district's educational facilities include 114 elementary schools, 23 middle
schools, 27 high schools, 34 charter schools, and 18 atypical or alternative
schools. Although Durango is a much smaller community than San
Diego, the applicants are proposing a school of the same size as HTH. The
first HTH enrolled approximately 200 9th and 10th
graders when they opened in September 2000. Their first graduating class in
2003 had 50 graduates. This would indicate an attrition rate of 50%. The
applicants have estimated the attrition rate for Animas High at 8% annually.
These figures and the enrollment history of the other Durango Charter schools
should be considered. Because Animas High is not pulling from a comparable
resource base of students or business/community supports, the size of the
proposed school may be problematic. This is of particular concern in the area
of internships. Internships are required of all juniors. The applicants have
set a target of 125 students per grade level and estimate a possible
attrition rate of 8% per year. This would indicate a junior class size of 106
to 125 students each year. All of these students would be involved in
internships. Presently 24 community partners have indicated interest in
supervising an intern. The capacity of the Durango community to support this
number of internships is very different than San Diego. What modifications have been made from the HTH design
plan to address the difference between San Diego and Durango in terms of
student population and capacity of the community to support internships and
other school/community partnerships and expectations? What is the reasoning behind the size of the school and
how has viability in the Durango community been addressed? __________________________________________________________ § The curriculum framework is clearly presented,
aligned with the school’s mission, and provides an appropriate level of
detail for the objectives, content, and skills for each subject and for all
grades the school will serve. § The curriculum is supported by research, by
applicant experience, and/or by sound reasoning behind its selection. Strengths The educational program presented in the application is
the identical program that was created by the founders of High Tech High and
is implemented in their San Diego based schools. It is a sound educational
program when all of the complex components and intricacies of the design are
carried out with fidelity. Concerns
and Additional Questions When analyzed in isolation or in an environment with a
wide array of career, professional, and technical opportunities and support,
the program design is of excellent quality and a testimony to the HTH
developers. In the context of Durango and the Four Corner, the feasibility of
implementation of the written curriculum becomes increasingly
challenging. The success of HTH is dependent upon an environment that
is able to support the internship and technology requirements that are
fundamental to the curriculum. The application lacks specificity and detail
around core competencies and learning outcomes and the alignment of
curriculum to these ends. The Cross-Walking
Projects to Standards part of the application seems to start with the
project and find standards that relate to the project rather than starting
with the standard and developing relevant projects. What is the plan for identifying specific learning
outcomes and levels of proficiency for grade levels and/or courses? If the
teachers are being asked to do this work, will they have support and a
process to guide them? Will teachers match standards to projects or projects
to standards? __________________________________________________________ § A clear outline of how the school will monitor the
implementation of the curriculum. The plan identifies a timeline, a lead
contact, and specific action steps. Strengths Concerns
and Additional Questions The application does not specifically address how the
school will monitor the implementation of the curriculum. How will you scaffold the conceptual design of the school
into an action plan for curriculum implementation that includes learning
outcomes and subsequent activities/projects? __________________________________________________ § A clear outline of how the school will use
information from the curriculum monitoring process to facilitate professional
development and continuous improvement in the education program. The plan
identifies a timeline, a lead contact, and specific action steps Strengths The application has a well-designed plan for professional
development. It addressed the many and varied needs related to the pedagogy
of project-based learning and also acknowledges that individual teachers will
have specific learning needs. Concerns
and Additional Questions The application does not specifically address how the
school will monitor the implementation of the curriculum. Because there is
not a curriculum monitoring process, the professional development plan is not
aligned with a curriculum monitoring process. What is the plan and timeline for connecting learning
outcomes, evaluation of student work, and professional development? __________________________________________________________ § The school day and school calendar are structured
in ways that align with the educational program. Strengths The school day and school calendar are closely aligned
with the structure in place at HTH. Concerns
and Additional Questions __________________________________________________ § A convincing plan for ongoing curriculum
development (e.g., revision of standards and benchmarks, improvement of
curriculum alignment, and assessment development) Strengths Concerns
and Additional Questions The application does not specifically address revision of
standards and benchmarks and improvement of curriculum alignment. How will core competencies and learning outcomes be
identified in both knowledge and skill areas? How will the core competencies
be aligned with project-based learning activities? __________________________________________________ § A plan
for the development, mentorship, retention, and regular evaluation of staff
that is manageable and is clearly linked to the school’s mission and
educational program, including a timeline, a lead contact, and specific action steps. Strengths The professional development plan includes references to
school culture attributes that relate to collegial coaching and support. Teacher
and administrator evaluation and goal setting are
defined. Concerns
and Additional Questions The application lacks specificity regarding the content of the evaluation
process. The application states that collegial coaching and observations by
master teachers will be encouraged but does not indicate that they will be a
required part of the plan. _________________________________________________ § Evidence that school staff will be held to high
professional standards. Strengths The expectation that staff will be held to high standards
is implicit throughout the application. Concerns
and Additional Questions The application lacks detail in many areas and does not
explicitly set forward how teachers will be supported to create and implement
the myriad of details that need to be pulled together for the school to
operate according to the principles of HTH. The budget for the school could also prove problematic in
recruiting and retaining highly qualified staff. Master teachers in the
Durango system who could support and enhance the school would have to take
pay cuts in order to work there. Is there a willingness by the applicants to discuss a partnership with the district that would allow AHS the autonomy it seeks and the expertise and support that could be provided by the district? |
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Animas High Charter School Application, August
2007 ·
High Tech High Resource Center,
www.hightechhigh.org |
An excellent Pupil Performance Evaluation plan will include
the following characteristics:
§ alignment
with the school’s mission and clearly defined educational objectives
§ evaluation
that is sufficiently frequent and detailed to determine whether students are
making adequate progress
§ clear
description of the expected range of assessment tools including, but not
limited to, state-mandated assessments
§ strategies
to monitor all students at the school and to take appropriate corrective
action, including a timeline, a lead contact, and specific action steps.
§ clear
procedures for taking corrective action in the event that pupil performance
falls short of the goals.
§ Plan for
administering statewide assessments consistent with Title 22, Part 7, C.R.S.
§ Plan for
sharing CSAP results with each student’s parent or legal guardian.
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Excellent |
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Pupil Performance: Strengths and areas of concern |
Reference |
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§ alignment with the school’s mission and clearly
defined educational objectives Strengths The plan is aligned with the mission and objectives. Many
of the evaluations from HTH are performance assessments and are aligned with
project-based learning. Concerns
and Additional Questions _________________________________________________________ § evaluation that is sufficiently frequent and
detailed to determine whether students are making adequate progress Strengths A variety of evaluations are used by HTH. Portfolios,
projects, internships, and presentations are among the evaluations listed.
Required federal and state assessments and diagnostic and benchmark
assessments are also identified. Concerns
and Additional Questions Core competencies and learning outcomes have not been
clearly identified. Summative and formative course and grade level assessment
would need to be aligned with these. What is the plan and timeline for developing summative
and formative assessments? What are the learning outcomes upon which the
assessments will be based? What support will teachers be provided for
developing assessments and scoring guides? _________________________________________________________ § clear description of the expected range of
assessment tools including, but not limited to, state-mandated assessments Strengths The assessments used by HTH and adopted by Animas High School
are clearly defined in the application. Concerns
and Additional Questions ________________________________________________________ § strategies to monitor all students at the school
and to take appropriate corrective action, including a timeline, a lead
contact, and specific action steps. § clear procedures for taking corrective action in
the event that pupil performance falls short of the goals. Strengths The application states that students will be monitored
regularly through collaborative analysis of student performance data. Concerns
and Additional Questions The application does not state a plan for strategic
and/or intensive instructional interventions as required by the RTI process
before moving to Special Education referral. Is the school required to comply with Special Education
guidelines? If so, is there a plan for implementing RTI and providing the
teachers with training? _________________________________________________________ § Plan for administering statewide assessments
consistent with Title 22, Part 7, C.R.S. § Plan for sharing CSAP results with each student’s
parent or legal guardian. Strengths Concerns
and Additional Questions What is the plan for
administering statewide assessments
consistent with Title 22, Part 7, C.R.S. and for sharing CSAP results with
each student’s parent or legal guardian? |
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Concerns
and Additional Questions
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Reference |