Quick Facts. Growing Minds. Creating Innovative Pathways.

Transcription

1 Growing Minds. Creating Innovative Pathways. Quick Facts Science Technology Robotics Engineering Arts Mathematics 1800 E. Byberry Road, Philadelphia PA 19116

2 Mission Statement The MaST Community Charter School creates innovative pathways for students pursuing knowledge focused on Mathematics, Science, and Technology. Our underlying purpose is to create a charter school that Challenges our students to use their minds well Sets high world-class standards for student achievement Is a place where children and adults want to be Supports teachers in trying new methods and working with colleagues Reflects the goals of multicultural communities Brings teachers, students, families, and community together to better educate everyone Creates a consistent pathway for student learning and development Creates a school that focuses on integrative and constructivist curriculum Establishes multiple learning sites for high school students on college campuses

3 School Highlights Acknowledgements nd ranked school in PA out of close to 600 PA schools U.S. News and World Report 2013/ Highest School Performance Profile score (SPP) of any charter school in Philadelphia (90) #1 Charter School in Philadelphia as rated by Philadelphia Magazine Top 50 High Schools in Philadelphia in Philadelphia Magazine 34 th out of 579 schools in US News Top City School as rated by Philadelphia Magazine Two National Merit Scholar Students PennFuture Award as a Green Building Leader School District of Philadelphia Best Practice Partnership (with Parent Advisory Council) Tri-M Music Honor Society for Inspiring Music Participation and Leadership Philadelphia City Council for Providing State-of-the-Art Educational Opportunity National Charter School of the Year - U. S. Depart. of Education s Center for Education Reform Adequate Yearly Progress for 9 years in a row Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, House of Rep. Citation as an Outstanding Educational Facility School Statistics Current Enrollment: 1320 students Total Waitlist- Over 5600 applications last year Graduation Rate- 100% College rate- 94% Title I %/Free-Reduced- 38.6% this year 35 ELL Students SAT Scores- Math- 494/Reading-511/Writing-518 K-6 Classroom Assistants makes student/staff ratio- 14:1 Average Class Size Elementary- 27 students Over Clubs/Activities/Athletics Two parent groups- AMP (Fundraising) and Parent Liaison (Parent input/communication) Academic Highlights SAIL Students Achieving Independent Learning Curriculum Aligned to Common Core Standards and NETS Standards Professional Development schedule all year, includes Saturdays Danielson Model implemented within school HS one-to-one ipad Program Every student has an ipad and the program was built to create interaction through Apple TVs so that anything seen on any ipad can be presented wirelessly to the class through the Promethean Board. Asset Grant for Science K-12 continuum 7,000,000 million in scholarships 7 former students currently at University of Penn, Students have attended over 26 colleges that graduated. Average graduating class 96 students Admissions include the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), Drexel, MIT, Brown, Penn State, Temple, and Villanova.

4 School Highlights Technology Highlights 75 Promethean Boards/Interactive Boards in classrooms 13 sets of student response systems 1500 computers /ipads in school, ratio per student 1:1 Every teacher has a laptop or ipad that functions on the wireless network Apple TV infrastructure for digital streaming to each classroom High School grade ipad 1:1 program At least 5 computers per classroom 9 laptop carts of computers, 9 active computer labs, and 50 Elmo/document cameras Over 80 different software programs running educationally in our environment Live Broadcasting HD Video from HDTV Studio in all classrooms Floor Projection Screen Mac Lab and Promethean Interactive ActivTable in Media Center ipad Integration Google Apps for Education Implementation 3D Printer integration into multiple Technology and Engineering Classes Interactive Media Center Website for K-12 Multi-faceted Intranet Additional Highlights Astronomy Dome Telescope Night Outdoor Classroom with Edible Garden Participate in Bicentennial Athletic League (only charter to do so) Virtual Wii Fitness Center Project Lead the Way Engineering Program iphone/ipad/android App for communication Digital communication envelope for school to home communication Top Charter in Philly Philadelphia Magazine Visited by Superintendent William Hite, Secretary of Education, Ron Tomalis, as well as, Educational Experts from Egypt, University of Maryland Staff Members, Philadelphia School Partnership Staff

5 MaST History Math, Science, and Technology Community Charter School opened its doors in 1999 under the direction of Board President and Founder Karen DelGuercio. MaST has undergone several changes throughout the years. While MaST has grown tremendously, transitioned locations, and developed new projects, the vision has never changed: to create an educational environment focusing on the key areas of Math, Science, and Technology to develop a pathway for student learning and development. MaST has come a long way from its original locations, a shopping center and synagogue. After being at a variety of locations for a few years, Board President and Founder Karen DelGuercio, along with the CEO and a strong Board of Trustees, combined the different locations into one central place at 1800 East Byberry Road, in the Northeast area of Philadelphia. The building was an old steel factory, so it took teamwork and dedication by the staff and administration to get the organization off and running. At the end of the 2004 school year, MaST received a facelift in the form of a new outside façade. This façade gave the school the sharp appeal that helped to make the building feel like it was complete. MaST Community Charter School didn t stop there because the mission was to continue to grow and create the best possible environment for the students. In 2006, after a year of planning, the new Red building was constructed with state-of-the-art technology in each room, a large group instruction room with a ceiling projector, and every seat wired for Internet and video capabilities. The roof of the Red building has the largest telescope in the Greater Northeast sitting on it s top floor. In 2011, The Library/Media Center was added. The building is three levels and includes a K-12 library with a floor projection system for projecting e- books, an integrated computer lab, 2 Promethean Boards, a digital E-bar with touchscreen computers, and digital signage throughout for projecting the latest student achievements and work. The third level includes a High-Definition TV studio, two high school computer labs with dual-boot imacs, a 3D printer that is integrated across the technology curriculum, a technology infrastructure that includes wireless N internet access, a gigabit backbone, and a high school counseling center that helps students prepare for the college they wish to attend.

6 Why a Charter? 1. Charter schools are independent public schools - that receive public money (and like other schools, may also receive private donations). Charter schools are subject to most of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to traditional public schools but do have some flexibility. Charter schools are expected to produce certain results, set forth in each school's charter but also must adhere to the state testing standards and certain federal mandates. 2. Charter schools are attended by choice. 3. In exchange for flexibility, charter schools receive less funding than public schools in the same area - typically, they receive only 'head' funds (a certain amount per student) and do not receive any facilities funding which typically pays for a public school's maintenance and janitorial needs. Although charter schools provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition. Where enrollment in a charter school is oversubscribed, admission is allocated by lottery. However, the lottery is open to all students with a first preference to the resident children of the school district in which the charter is located. 4. Charter schools are founded by teachers, parents, activists and non-profits who feel restricted by traditional public schools. The schools themselves are non-profit entities. All parents should have the right to choose a school that best meets the needs of their child. Districts do not fit all. 5. Charter schools stress a personalized and flexible approach to education. This can include smaller class sizes, more individual attention to each student, strong parental involvement and innovation to improve student achievement. 6. Charter schools serve all children, not just those who learn best in a traditional classroom. These include non-traditional learners, dropouts, students with limited language proficiency, at-risk children, and children with learning disabilities. 7. Parents in Philadelphia choose charters schools for many reasons primarily to close the widening achievement gap. However, some of the other reasons include safer learning environments a child cannot learn if they do not feel safe - and those parents want more direct involvement in their children s education. 8. Public charter schools make choice possible for low-income families. Before charter schools, choice existed only for families who could afford to relocate to a different school district or pay private school tuition. 9. The innovation made possible in charter schools has resulted in increased innovation within traditional district schools due to competition.

7 Why MaST? 1. MaST believes parents are part of the educational process and encourages parents to volunteer and assist with activity planning. 2. MaST believes in the K-12 model because of collaboration and close relationships between teachers and students. 3. MaST offers best practices and opportunities in STEM education with a focus on integration of science, technology, and engineering as part of our mission. 4. MaST in Philadelphia shares the gym, large group instruction room, telescope, and media library with the community at different times for different events. A partnership or expansion would allow a school that does something really well to flourish, while offering district students and outside communities an opportunity to share those resources.

8 STREAM Overview STREAM Education means implementing strategies of all core subjects with creative ways to learn and think. Goal: To grow as a school model and to collaborate on the concept of implementing global opportunities through innovative, STEM education in Philadelphia. Taking that a step further, MaST has moved towards taking STEM and extending its function to STREAM education, which includes both robotics and the arts as focal points in the practice of education. MaST has seen its wait-list triple over the past two year and has recently been named 30 th in the state when compared with all school districts in Pennsylvania. Today, MaST has a wait-list over 5500 students and would like to grow its school model and enrollment by way of partnership or expansion. By focusing educationally as a STREAM school, our K-12 pathway can extend opportunities to collaborative learning in the future education of students in Philadelphia. STREAM Mission: In an ever-changing world and global landscape it is essential for schools to evolve in order to properly train students for future careers and opportunities. STREAM will provide students with even more hands-on and creative activities and lessons in order to prepare students for careers in any field but specifically in the fields of Math, Science, Technology, and Engineering. MaST incorporates elements of the STREAM curriculum in all levels K-12. Through STREAM students learn vital skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation along with essential technology skill sets.