BOARD ACADEMIC COMMITTEE MEETING Merit School of Music 38 S. Peoria, Chicago, IL MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2014 MINUTES OPEN SESSION 6:00 P.M.

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1 BOARD ACADEMIC COMMITTEE MEETING Merit School of Music 38 S. Peoria, Chicago, IL Elluminate Link: Conference Line: , passcode then # MONDAY, AUGUST 11, 2014 MINUTES Call to Order: OPEN SESSION 6:00 P.M. Time: 6:23 P.M. 1. ROLL CALL RENEE NASH COMMITTEE CHAIR ABSENT/PRESENT Board Members: Renee Nash, Chair Sabrina Boyle La Shone Kelly Michael Lucci Elizabeth Romero-Fuerte Alison White Alexander White Staff: Amy Biasbas Head of School Farland Jenkins Board Administrator 1. ROLL CALL 2. Introduce Guests:

2 3. Public Comments on Agenda Items None. & Action 2 nd : : & Action 4. Accept Agenda Sabrina Boyle Accept Agenda. Alison White None. 5. F.A.S.T. Academic Support Team Sabrina Boyle Include the family support liaison position as a line item for the next budget meeting. Elizabeth Romero-Fuerte Roll Call Vote - Elizabeth Romero-Fuerte; Aye, Alison White; Aye, La Shone Kelly; Aye, Renee Nash; Aye, Michael Lucci; Aye, Sabrina Boyle; Aye, Unanimous Aye; Motion Passes. Sabrina Boyle Take the family support liaison position to the full Board. Alison White : Course Performance is the key lever for both graduation and College Readiness. Students performance in their 9th grade year could predict who would graduate. Family Academic Support Team (FAST): o A school-based team focused exclusively on managing the cases of disengaged students who are referred by teachers/staff; FAST members work with Homeroom and content areas teachers and other essential staff/professionals to implement a plan for achieving engagement and academic success. FAST Team Leader Position (Learning Coach Coordinator position): o New parent orientation o Monitor Strong Start/Learning Coach University o Monitor teacher referrals o Distribute referrals to FAST team supports

3 o Meet weekly with academic administrators o Meet with learning coaches and FAST team support Family Support Liaison (new position): o Take in academic referrals o Send welcome calls and Kmails to learning coaches o Monitor referred students o Hold meetings for students who do not meet expected progress 25 out of 40 (88%) referrals remained at CVCS during the Progress Officer pilot programs. BOARD GOAL: Increase Academic Achievement o Increase student in-year Retention o Increase Attendance Rates o Increase Learning Coach Training & Supports o Increase HS Passing Rates recommendation for next steps: o CVCS has identified CVCS current staff roles and responsibilities to support FAST. o CVCS has enrolled in F.A.S.T. implementation training on August 20-21st o Obtain Board Approval to Hire Family Support Liaison: to be trained in time to support Strong Start implementation o Plan: Hire Family Support Liaison: Post position ASAP Hire position no later than September 19th Onboard/Training September 22th Proposed Start Date September 29 o Proposed Funding: Salary & Benefits: $45,245 Discretionary funds $78,000 Title 1 Funds (?) o Long-term funding beyond the school year can be manipulated in the budget to sustain the position. Management should be able to demonstrate where the funds would come from over a long term. The use of Board discretionary funds ($78 thousand) may or may not be appropriate to fund the position. The Board should have the opportunity to discuss the use of the discretionary funds prior to making a decision to use the funds for the position. This position is not a K12 funded position. It is a K12 initiative. The position would normally be funded by Title I. K12 is paying for the training for the position. Research says that a former or current learning coach relates to the families. The position does not require a certificated or degreed instructor.

4 The position could be a line item in the budget for next year. The next budget meeting may be as long as ten months away. Approval of the position would need to be made by the full Board. The K12 settlement funds have not yet been accepted. K12 should perhaps create the position with their resources since it is an integral part of the curriculum design. It is possible to begin the position with discretionary funds and then when Title I funding is approved use those funds for the position. Diligent efforts need to be made to secure Title I funding. Board Head of School reports should report Title I applications status at each meeting. Management should shoot for 100% return of Title I forms. The Board has voted to accept the K12 settlement but the letter has not been sent to them yet. The acceptance letter will be sent to K12 by the end of this month (August). The position funding could be discussed in the Budget (Finance Committee) meeting. The position itself should be brought to the full Board minus the budget. 6. Internet Service Provision (ISP) Policy A written grievance was sent to the Head of School with responses and rebuttals regarding internet service provision reimbursement. The policy was enacted in July, The reimbursement policy is also addressed in the K12 service contract. The Board attorney reviewed and approved the policy which states that students must meet certain academic and financial requirements to qualify for the reimbursement. It would cost approximately $135 thousand if all families qualified for reimbursement. There was approximately $43 thousand paid out this year and $14 thousand in additional costs that were denied based on not meeting eligibility requirements. The charter renewal document showed that providing internet reimbursement is a strong point. Several parents think that the free and reduced lunch form allows the school to receive funds. The policy should be reviewed to make sure that it is clear cut. The Head of School has followed up on the grievance letter. 7. Report Card vs new SQRP Strategic plan goals for the school year will be evaluated using the existing performance policy reports. The SQRP performance metrics have been adapted for the 2015 school year school year performance will be presented as the data becomes available from CPS. During the transition to SQRP, relative performance versus other schools can be determined.

5 8. Foreign Language Program Update K-2 Options World Language offering Offering now K-8th grades Parent messaging in handbooks and orientations NOTE: Members Sabrina Boyle and Elizabeth Romero-Fuerte are excused. Member Alexander White is now present. 9. CPS Mandate to become an Art Certified School Update Scale of 1 5, where 1 is a full implemented Arts program and 5 is nothing. Due to the size of our campus and staffing, the highest level we can achieve is a level 3. Based on a survey completed in March we are a level 3, which awards us a $500 grant to continue with our arts program. Current grant applications are now being accepted for up to $10K to expand our program. : 10. Assessment Update Scantron results are now available. NWEA tests were performed during the spring semester. ACT test results have been received. ISAT and PSAE results are pending The math percentage of scantron norm group mean gain achieved for grades 3 through 10 averaged 145% overall. The reading percentage of scantron norm group mean gain achieved for grades 3 through 10 averaged 167% overall. The assessment may not be valid this year because NWEA was taken at the learning center and scantron was taken all virtually. NWEA math and reading percentiles show some skill areas will require additional efforts and focus for the upcoming school year. Data instructional steps will be put into place for the next school year. Scores for the advanced learners program will be made available.

6 & Action: 11. Board Scholarship Fund Michael Lucci the two scholarship plan issues discussed to the full Board for vote at the next meeting. Alexander White : Second year college assistant school - $6,400 Summer programs - $1,800 Enrichment Programs - $1,800 Funds do not carryover. The first year of the scholarship funds must be used or lost. The 2.5 GPA requirements for the college fulfillment requirement may be low. Students will need to be contacted and notified for distribution and tracking. Scholarships will be awarded on graduation day. A wait list will be developed for the next in line recipients. The scholarship plan needs additional planning to insure that the funds will be distributed fairly. The summer program and enrichment programs are excellent. Management can refine the details and present to the Board for review. o It would include statements signed by the scholarship recipients. The Board should consider if the second year scholarship is the best way to go. The issue of whether the scholarships should be awarded for the first or second year should be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. The program implementation needs to be streamlined for clarity. There are 2 issues to present to the full Board: o Change from a second year scholarship to a first year scholarship. o If the Board votes for a second year scholarship do we want to award to current freshmen who will be entering their second year?

7 : 12. Public Comments None. & Action: 13. Adjournment La Shone Kelly -Adjourn the meeting. Alison White. Time 8:15P.M. Respectfully Submitted: These minutes have been posted on Chicago Virtual Charter School's Web Page -