Louisiana Charter School Experienced Operator Application:

Transcription

1 o Louisiana Charter School Experienced Operator Application: Submitted to: John White, Superintendent Louisiana Department of Education Submitted on: March 15, 2013

2 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Table of Contents SECTION I Executive Summary... 1 SECTION II Growth Plan Planned school openings in Louisiana New schools opening simultaneously in other states or submitted applications to open schools in new states Organization s vision after growth plan has been implemented and contribution of growth in Louisiana SECTION III Past School Performance CSUSA s success educating a similar demographic population to the intended target population in Louisiana SECTION IV Theory of Change Approach to education and the most fundamental features of a school that ensure successful student outcomes Fundamental features of the educational model that will drive educational outcomes Mechanisms by which the fundamental features described in 4.2 will dramatically influence student success SECTION V Scale Strategy Steps that will be taken to scale the model to new sites Comparison of efforts to scale operations to Louisiana to past scale efforts in other states Plans for embedding the fundamental features of theory of change model in proposed schools SECTION VI Risks and Associated Contingency Plans Results of past scale efforts. Including challenges encountered and how they were addressed b Lessons learned. Include particular challenges and how they were addressed Greatest new threats to success Changes to the leadership personnel / structure of the organization over the last two years Reflection on countermeasures to minimize the possibility of identified risks ATTACHMENT A Legal Disclosure ATTACHMENT B CSUSA Organizational Chart ATTACHMENT C CSUSA Network School Grades ATTACHMENT D Job Descriptions... 40

3 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation SECTION I Executive Summary The South Louisiana Charter Foundation ( the Foundation ) is partnering with Charter Schools USA ( CSUSA ) in proposing to open five schools in this response to the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) Call for Quality Options. CSUSA is an education service provider with a nationally proven track record of success, currently operating 48 schools in five states, including Louisiana. CSUSA offers students a high quality education to prepare them for success in future academic endeavors or professional skills training. It was the first education service provider to earn district accreditation from AdvancED. In Louisiana, CSUSA already works with the Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation and the Southwest Louisiana Charter Foundation in managing two schools in Lakes Charles. Moreover, it has also been approved to open two more schools in 2013, in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, with the Magnolia Charter Foundation and the South Louisiana Charter Foundation, respectively. As detailed herein, CSUSA is firmly committed to continue offering high quality education options to all students in Louisiana in years to come. After the schools are open, the Foundation s network of schools will be a change agent in Louisiana, offering high quality charter schools for traditionally underserved students. Each of the Foundation s schools will implement its mission through a learning environment where student safety and success is incorporated with individualized research based instruction, integrated character education, project based learning opportunities, and community engagement. The Foundation s anticipated network of schools will enroll student demographics very similar to those of several CSUSA network schools. Indeed, as the accompanying tables show, CSUSA has a proven track record of success in educating high percentages of high poverty and minority students. This success is largely because of CSUSA s Educational Model. The Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, the proven framework behind Robert J. Marzano s What Works in Schools, provides teachers the intended curriculum, sequenced and organized in a manner to ensure essential content is addressed, thereby creating the greatest opportunity for students to learn expected content at grade level. Moreover, the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum is designed to meet Louisiana s content standards, benchmarks, and grade level expectations. As detailed in the application, teachers use Marzano s nine high yield instructional categories to guide project based learning for optimal student growth. To achieve its goals of offering students a high quality charter school education, the Foundation s network of schools will use unique and innovative academic components to complement CSUSA s comprehensive data driven Educational Model. The nine components include the following: School Wide Goal Setting (at the year s onset, teachers and administrators analyze the previous year s data to set school wide improvement goals for the new year); Personalized Learning Plans (PLP) (designed to track individual students strengths and weaknesses, PLPs are collaboratively developed between students, parents and teachers to empower students to track their own progress); Progress Monitoring and Assessment (tracks specific and measurable goals regarding attendance, test scores, graduation rates and teacher retention to inform data driven decision making); Innovative Measurement Tools to Drive Research Based Instruction & Data Analysis (employs state of the art technology like the Student Information System, Teacher egrade Book, and Narrative Report Card); Technology to Support Student Engagement (using interactive white boards, interactive tablets, and document cameras, etc.); Character Education Program (promotes an increase in student motivation toward academic learning by incorporating student interest with real world experiences); Academic Intervention & Acceleration (using diagnostic assessments and benchmark data, students receive additional instruction and practice on identified areas, with teachers instructing before and after school, through content area integration); Supplemental Programing (collaboration and community integration through which character and academic education meet with engaged stakeholders in extracurricular and auxiliary activities). Meaningful parental engagement is an essential element of each school s culture. A Comprehensive Parental Involvement Program and Family School Community partnership model is planned for each school. 1 Page 1 of 40

4 In addition to the foregoing, CSUSA s successful educational model makes special considerations for turn around schools (Type 5 charters). Because the Foundation and CSUSA expect to serve students that are significantly below grade level and need intervention to close the achievement gap in both start up (Type 1) and Type 5 schools, it will be necessary to modify the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. Accordingly, with Type 5 schools, reading interventions along with mandatory before and after school tutoring may be necessary. Particularly, CSUSA s model is enhanced in the following ways: School Culture Creating student incentives tied to behavior, attendance and acts of kindness; ambassadors to be seen as leaders in the school and mentor others; and additional discipline structures and professional development to reinforce school rituals and routines, expectations, and effective responses to misbehavior Academic Excellence Expanded intervention, monitoring, credit recovery, and transition programs that target students at high risk of drop out, including programs such as Transition 9 and Helping Young People Excel (HYPE) Human Capital Leadership and regional support staff exclusively aligned to turnaround schools within CSUSA; deeper needs assessment of staff requirements for turnaround schools and rigorous recruiting; and expanded performance incentives to attract high performing staff to turnaround schools via higher compensation Partnerships Working with community stakeholders to identify needs/assets and expand the integration of social services in schools. The details of these turnaround strategies are further defined in the responses below. The South Louisiana Charter Foundation As indicated in this application, CSUSA s track record of success in Florida and the Mid West demonstrates its ability to scale and provide necessary support mechanisms to ensure quality. Moreover, CSUSA s academic performance has steadily improved each year, while growing its network of schools. CSUSA s New School Opening Team ( NSOT ), a multidisciplinary unit of professionals, leads CSUSA s new school opening operations. NSOT s success has provided CSUSA the invaluable experience of opening thirty (30) new schools over the past three (3) years and operating fortyeight (48) total schools (with twelve new schools planned for ). CSUSA s NSOT has refined the process for opening new schools and aligning the resources required to support growth. CSUSA has also expanded its regional support network to include Regional Curriculum Resource Teachers, Lead Principals, and Regional Business Operations Managers. Additionally, CSUSA has moved up its timeline for hiring school administrators (Principal, Business Operations Manager, and Registrar) and enhanced the level of mentorship and professional development new school leaders receive prior to school opening. CSUSA is currently replicating these concepts in Louisiana and plans to have all of the above referenced regional positions in place before the start of the school year. CSUSA will continue to monitor and evolve its support model as it scales. To mitigate any potential risks, CSUSA s growth model is strategically clustered to allow networks of schools to use necessary resources when they exist in a region. This scale approach allows schools to be a resource for one another, rather than occupying single sites without network proximity. 2 Page 2 of 40

5 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation SECTION II Growth Plan 2.1 Planned school openings in Louisiana. The South Louisiana Charter Foundation intends to partner with Charter Schools USA to develop, open and operate the schools in boldface on the table below. The additional schools on the table below represent CSUSA s vision for growth throughout the state of Louisiana. The opportunities provided in the table are based upon our current understanding of need and are certainly open to revision as additional opportunities from authorizers and communities evolve over time. CSUSA is committed to scaling its operations to support multiple new school openings every year in Louisiana. Parish(s)/District(s) Served Type Grades Served at Capacity Enrollment at Capacity Minority % FRL% ELL% SPED % Year Open Model City of Baker/East Baton Type 2 K % 78% <5% 10% 2015 Start Up Rouge Parish East Baton Rouge Parish Type 1 K % 83% <5% 10% 2014 Start Up South East Baton Rouge Parish Type 1 K % 83% <5% 10% 2015 Start Up North Iberville Parish Type 2 K % 81% <5% 10% 2015 Start Up St. Helena Middle Type % 100% <5% 13% 2014 Turnaround Lafayette Parish (North) Type 1 K % 61% <5% 8.9% 2014 Start Up Lafayette Parish (South) Type 1 K % 61% <5% 8.9% 2015 Start Up Lafayette Parish Type ,200 51% 61% <5% 8.9% 2017 Start Up Creswell Elementary Type 5 K 6 N/A 60% 94% <5% 15% 2014 Turnaround 2.2 New schools opening simultaneously in other states or submitted applications to open schools in new states. The Foundation chose to work with CSUSA not only because of CSUSA s commitment to building a network of high performing schools in Louisiana, but also because of CSUSA s extensive experience in replicating its high performing model on a national level. CSUSA s current plan for school openings in 2013 and 2014 is outlined below. This table represents current projects that have been approved or approval is pending. In all of the states in which it currently operates, CSUSA is engaged with stakeholders to identify opportunities for new school openings. As such, additional projects and opportunities may be added as formal applications are submitted. 3 Application Status Scheduled Opening School Name Location Authorizer FLORIDA Renaissance Charter School at Tradition Port St. Lucie, FL St. Lucie Approved ,145 Renaissance Charter School at Hunter's Orlando, FL Orange Approved ,145 Creek Renaissance Charter School at Palms West Royal Palm Beach, FL Palm Beach Approved ,145 Renaissance Charter School at Summit West Palm Beach, FL Palm Beach Approved ,145 Renaissance Charter School at Gardens Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Approved ,145 West FL Renaissance Charter High School of Broward County, FL Broward Approved ,200 Broward Renaissance at Osceola Osceola, FL Osceola Approved ,145 Pasco Charter School Pasco, FL Pasco Approved Renaissance Charter School #5050 Broward County, FL Broward Approved ,145 LOUISIANA Magnolia School of Excellence Shreveport, LA Caddo Parish Approved ,745 Page 3 of 40 Capacity

6 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Lake Charles Charter High School Calcasieu Parish, LA BESE Approved ,200 NORTH CAROLINA Langtree Charter Academy Mooresville, NC NC Dept. of Approved ,345 Public Instruction Cabarrus Charter Academy Concord, NC NC Dept. of Approved ,345 Public Instruction Union Preparatory Charter School Union County, NC NC Dept. of Submitted ,345 Public Instruction 3/1/13 Catawba Valley Charter Academy Gaston County, NC NC Dept. of Submitted ,345 Public Instruction 3/1/13 Lake Norman Preparatory Mecklenburg, NC NC Dept. of Submitted ,345 Public Instruction 3/1/13 Cardinal Charter Academy Wake County, NC NC Dept. of Submitted ,345 Public Instruction 3/1/13 MICHIGAN Success Mile Charter Academy Warren, MI Grand Valley State University Approved , Organization s vision after growth plan has been implemented and contribution of growth in Louisiana. After the growth plan has been implemented, CSUSA s vision is to operate high performing systems of K 12 schools with an unwavering dedication to student achievement and an unyielding commitment to ethical and sound business practices. In implementing this vision, CSUSA seeks to create K 12 education systems in partnership with state and local school districts that will serve as powerful platforms for change by establishing schools of choice that will instill academic rigor along with character and leadership development thereby ensuring that each student is college and career ready. CSUSA was the first education service provider to earn District Accreditation from AdvancED and as the organization grows it is committed to continuous improvement and to maintaining the quality of its schools, curriculum and instruction. The state of Louisiana is a high priority region for CSUSA as we have formed strong relationships with state legislators, local governments (e.g., Caddo Parish) and leaders at the LDOE in pursuit of improving education in Louisiana and enhancing student outcomes in some of the most challenging school environments (with both start up and turnaround schools). Charter Schools USA currently manages two K 8 schools in Lake Charles and intends to make a substantial investment in the state in the years ahead to bring quality charter schools to communities desiring choice. In the academic year, South Louisiana Charter Foundation will open Baton Rouge Charter Academy at Mid City. With this charter application, South Louisiana Charter Foundation has submitted letters of intent to open six additional schools and has selected Charter Schools USA as its partner and education service provider to help it realize its vision and mission. After implementation of the growth plan, the Foundation s vision is to create a network of high performing charter schools that will target traditionally underserved students and ensure that every student realizes his or her academic and personal potential. The mission of the proposed schools is to ensure that each student actualizes his or her potential to become a self motivated life long learner, a responsible citizen, and a productive member of the global 21st century workforce, by ensuring that each graduate is prepared to enter, compete, and succeed in secondary and postsecondary educational opportunities and careers of choice. The proposed schools will implement this mission by creating a learning environment of student safety and success that incorporate individualized, research based instruction, integrated character education, project based learning opportunities, and community engagement. The Foundation is focused on southern Louisiana as the members are local residents with strong personal and professional ties to a region where they see the need for high performing schools of choice. The Foundation recognizes that education is one of the most important investments a community can make in its children and that it is crucial to breaking cycles of poverty and inequality. 4 Page 4 of 40

7 SECTION III Past School Performance The South Louisiana Charter Foundation 3.1 CSUSA s success educating a similar demographic population to the intended target population in Louisiana. There have never been any performance deficiencies or compliance violations that have led to authorizer intervention of a CSUSA managed school. There have been no material audit findings for schools operated by the Foundation or by CSUSA. Please see Attachment A for the requested litigation disclosure. The four schools profiled below are the most similar to the demographic population the Foundation intends to educate in Louisiana. School Name Acronym % Free and Reduced Lunch % Minority School Grade Downtown Miami Charter School DMCS 87.7% 97.9% A North Broward Academy of Excellence Elementary NBAE E 77.5% 93.9% A North Broward Academy of Excellence Middle NBAE M 71.7% 94.3% A P.M. Wells Charter Academy PMWCA 82.6% 91.7% B Downtown Miami Charter School ( DMCS ) In a five year period, DMCS s school grade went from an F in to an A in Even in , which was a year of increased rigor and higher proficiency targets, DMCS made year over year gains in almost every category (e.g., % proficient in reading, % proficient in math, % proficient in writing, % making learning gains in reading, % of lowest 25% making learning gains in reading and math) In , nearly 90% of the Lowest 25% made learning gains in reading (89%) and math (86%) In , DMCS had greater success than Dade County Public School District in the percentage of students making learning gains in reading and math. Seventy seven percent of DMCS students made learning gains in reading, compared to 68% at the district. Seventy four percent of DMCS students made learning gains in math, compared to 68% at the district. % Proficient % Making Learning Gains % of Lowest 25% Making Learning DMCS * 2012* Inclusion of Math Learing Gains for the lowest 25% and Science for the first time in school year. Algebra 1 participation and performance now included, writing rigor also increases for School Grade F C C F C C D B A Reading Math Writing Science Reading Math Reading Math Transition to Next Generation State Standards & FCAT 2.0 in New Florida School Grade Calculations & FCAT 2.0 Scale Score standards increase in Page 5 of 40

8 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation North Broward Academy of Excellence Elementary (NBAE E) For reading and math, in , a year of increased rigor and higher proficiency targets, NBAE E made yearover year gains in every category (e.g., % proficient, % making learning gains, and % of lowest 25% making learning gains) NBAE E has earned the FL DOE s designation of High Performing School Since , NBAE E has moved the portion of Lowest 25% making learning gains in math from 60% to 85% In every year since , NBAE E has had greater success than the Broward County Public School District in the percentage of students making learning gains in reading. In the most recent year, , 77% of NBAE E students made learning gains in reading, compared to 67% at the district. % Proficient % Making Learning Gains % of Lowest 25% Making Learning NBAE * 2012* Inclusion of Math Learing Gains for the lowest 25% and Science for the first time in school year. Algebra 1 participation and performance now included, writing rigor also increases for School Grade B A C A B B A A A Reading Math Writing Science Reading Math Reading Math Transition to Next Generation State Standards & FCAT 2.0 in New Florida School Grade Calculations & FCAT 2.0 Scale Score standards increase in North Broward Academy of Excellence Middle (NBAE M) Even in , a year of increased rigor, NBAE M made gains in almost every category below NBAE M has earned the FL DOE designation of High Performing School In every year since , NBAE M had greater success than Broward County Public School District in the percentage of students making learning gains in reading and math. In the most recent year, , 68% of NBAE M students made learning gains in reading, compared to 67% at the district. Eighty five percent of NBAE M students made learning gains in math, compared to 68% at the district in % Proficient % Making Learning Gains % of Lowest 25% Making Learning NBAE Middle * 2012* Inclusion of Math Learing Gains for the lowest 25% and Science for the first time in school year. Algebra 1 participation and performance now included, writing rigor also increases for School Grade A B B A A A A Reading Math Writing Science Reading Math Reading Math Transition to Next Generation State Standards & FCAT 2.0 in New Florida School Grade Calculations & FCAT 2.0 Scale Score standards increase in Page 6 of 40

9 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation P.M. Wells Charter Academy ( PMWCA ) CSUSA began operating P.M. Wells Charter Academy in Prior to 2009, P.M. Wells was operated by Imagine Schools. Since CSUSA began operating PMWCA, the school has maintained its B grade. For the school year, PMWCA increased reading and math proficiency, even in a year of increased rigor. PMWCA also achieved significant learning gains in math and reading for the lowest 25% of students in each subject. Over 70% of the Lowest 25% made learning gains in reading and math in the academic year In every year since , PMWCA has had greater success than the Osceola County Public School District in the percentage of students making learning gains in both reading and math. In , the most recent year, 70% of PMWCA students made learning gains in reading, compared to 67% at the district. Sixty seven percent of PMWCA students made learning gains in math, compared to 66% at the district in % Proficient % Making Learning Gains % of Lowest 25% Making Learning PMWCA * 2012* School Grade C C A D B B B B B Reading Math Writing Inclusion of Math Learing Gains for the lowest 25% and Science for the first time in school year. Algebra 1 participation and performance now included, writing rigor also increases for Science Reading Math Reading Math Transition to Next Generation State Standards & FCAT 2.0 in New Florida School Grade Calculations & FCAT 2.0 Scale Score standards increase in Page 7 of 40

10 SECTION IV Theory of Change At both Type 1 and Type 5 schools, the Foundation will implement Charter Schools USA s Guaranteed and Viable Educational Model. The groundwork of this educational model lies CSUSA s and the Foundation s shared philosophy that every child can learn given appropriate learning tools and a variety of teaching strategies that match the student's learning style. Our theory of change is presented below at three levels: the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, which is the theory of change and serves as the foundation of every school CSUSA managed school. However in question 4.2 below, we discuss the elements that differentiate this education model at a Type 5 turnaround school. 4.1 Approach to education and the most fundamental features of a school that ensure successful student outcomes. Our approach to education is based on the philosophy that every child can learn given appropriate learning tools and a variety of teaching strategies that match the student s learning style. Successful implementation of the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, which is a research based instructional strategy and model developed by Charter Schools USA, ensures successful student outcomes. The Educational Model; Instructional Method; and Teacher Planning and Effective Curriculum Design are described below as these features ensure successful student outcomes. The Foundation and CSUSA believe that most fundamental features of a successful school, described in detail in Section 4.2 below, are: Goal setting on a school wide, classroom, and individual student basis Implementation of personalized learning plans for every student On going progress monitoring and assessment Use of innovative measurement tools to drive research based instruction and data analysis Utilization of technology to drive student engagement Integrated character education programming Academic Intervention and Acceleration programs Supplemental/extra curricular programs offered Emphasis on college readiness Parent engagement The Educational Model The Educational Model is innovative in its approach to data analysis for individual student learning. A 21st Century Curriculum will be delivered to meet the needs of Louisiana s students through the Educational Model. The Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, the proven framework behind Marzano s What Works in Schools, provides for teachers the intended curriculum sequenced and organized in a manner to ensure the essential content is addressed in the instructional time available, thereby creating for students, the greatest opportunity to learn the content expected of them at that grade level or subject. This process is supported by Personalized Learning Plans to reach each student s educational needs. Component 1: Baseline Assessment and Data is used to identify students strengths and weaknesses, to effectively target instruction, and to set school level, classroom level, and individual student level goals. Component 2: Data Driven Instruction is the end result of collaboration of analyzing data from the Student Information System within professional learning communities. Component 3: Assessment is determined prior to instruction and used after data driven instruction to determine areas of growth, identification of instructional priorities, and measurement of instructional effectiveness. Timely and specific feedback is given to 8 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 8 of 40

11 students to help them gain mastery of standards. The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Component 4: Grading is accomplished through the Teacher egrade Book on the Student Information System and graded at the most specific level of the state standards to facilitate data collection. As the data is collected, it is displayed within the Teacher egrade Book in various formats for straightforward data analysis. Component 5: Reporting in the Student Information System offers the school the capability of disaggregating data by individual student, by individual class, by grade level and by school. It also offers teachers, parents, and students online web access to student data. Component 6: Decision is the final action. Teachers and administrators, based on the data, will make the decision to either move on to a new standard and begin with a baseline assessment, or revisit the same standard through datadriven instruction, reaching students who need remediation or acceleration through differentiated instruction. The Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum is designed to meet the Louisiana Content Standards, Benchmarks, and Grade Level Expectations (GLE) where applicable through the process outlined in Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998). Curriculum should lay out the most effective ways of achieving specific results. (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998). The Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum outlines the specific learnings within the Common Core State Standards and the GLEs and is created and revised in three stages: 1) identify desired results; 2) determine acceptable evidence; and 3) plan learning experiences and instruction. Through professional development, teachers continue this process. The educator s critical role is to be the designer of student learning, and Understanding by Design supports teachers working within the standards driven curriculum, to clarify learning goals, devise assessments revealing student understanding, and crafting effective and engaging learning activities, aligned with real world experiences. When planning, teachers will use the nine high yield instructional categories identified by Robert Marzano (listed below) to guide project based learning for optimal student growth. The schools will be supported through professional development to be able to successfully apply the innovative learning methods within the nine high yield categories. Categories of Instructional Strategies That Affect Student Achievement Category Specific Learning Methods Identifying similarities and differences Assigning in class and homework tasks that involve comparison and classification and metaphors and analogies Summarizing and note taking Developing student skills so they can: generate verbal summaries generate written summaries take notes revise their notes, correcting errors and adding information Reinforcing effort and providing Expanding student learning through: recognition recognizing and celebrating progress toward learning goals throughout a unit recognizing and reinforcing the importance of effort recognizing and celebrating progress toward learning goals at the end of a unit Homework and practice Teacher demonstrating method through: providing specific feedback on all assigned homework assigning homework for the purpose of students practicing skills and procedures that have been the focus of instruction 9 Page 9 of 40

12 Nonlinguistic representations Cooperative learning Setting objectives and providing feedback Generating and testing hypotheses Questions, cues and advance organizers The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Guiding students to: generate mental images representing content draw pictures or pictographs representing content construct graphic organizers representing content act out content make physical models of content make revisions in their mental images, pictures, pictographs, graphic organizers, and physical models Organizing students in cooperative groups when appropriate and ability groups when appropriate Creating a systematic way in which to: set specific learning goals at the beginning of a unit and lead students in setting their own learning goals provide feedback on learning goals and lead students in keeping track of their own progress on learning goals ask students to assess themselves at the end of a unit and provide summative feedback at the end of a unit Engaging students in projects that involve generating and testing hypotheses through, problem solving tasks, decision making tasks, investigation tasks, experimental inquiry tasks, system analysis tasks, and invention tasks Prior to presenting new content, asking questions that help students recall what they might already know about the content, provide providing students with direct links with what they have studied previously, and provide ways for students to organize or think about the content Teacher Planning & Effective Curriculum Design When planning, teachers will also prepare for differentiated instruction to meet every student s need. Based on the instructional implications of diagnostic screening as well as progress monitoring throughout the year, students are provided instruction to meet their individual needs. Cooperative groups are flexible based on progress monitoring of reading skills. Teachers utilize resources such as those from Empowering Teachers, and Read, Write, Think to engage students in activities to deepen their understanding of skills through hands on activities, the use of manipulatives (i.e., word sorts, letter tiles, dry erase boards, and bean counting), and integration of technology (i.e. listening centers, Study Island, Starfall, and TumbleBooks). Having teachers reflect on classroom practices, procedures and the instructional strategies they implement in their classroom is a technique that can assist them in raising the quality of their classroom instruction. Teachers will use the four framing questions below to provide a guide for effective classroom curriculum design: The Four Planning Questions and Corresponding Instructional Strategies Planning Questions Instructional Strategies 1. What will students learn? Setting objectives 2. Which strategies will provide evidence of student learning? Providing feedback Providing recognition 3. Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate learning? Cues, questions, and advanced organizers Nonlinguistic representation Summarizing and note taking Cooperative learning Reinforcing effort 4. Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply learning? Identifying similarities and differences Homework and practice Generating and testing hypothesis 10 Page 10 of 40

13 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation The effective and systematic use of the nine research based instructional strategies in correlation with the research of Jay McTighe, provides students a unique opportunity for their learning to be academically rigorous and challenging, yet innovative and focused on individual student learning needs. 4.2 Fundamental features of the educational model that will drive educational outcomes The proposed schools will have several unique and innovative academic components that will complement the comprehensive data driven instructional delivery of the Educational Model, to foster the development of well rounded student citizens and provide experiential learning opportunities. These components include: ONE: School wide goal setting Goal setting is viewed as a catalyst for the cohesion of the school as a team working toward the same goals. At the beginning of each year, the school improvement process begins with analyzing the previous year s data for the creation of school wide and classroom level goals. Throughout the year, after each benchmark, these are reviewed and revised. Also, teachers meet with students to set and review personal goals within the students Personalized Learning Plans after each benchmark. The Personalized Learning Plan is designed to track an individual student's strengths and weaknesses, and cumulative progress in attaining a year's worth of learning at a specific grade level. The plan's development is a collaborative effort between the teacher, parent, student, and other staff involved with the student's academic achievement. The following information is considered when assessing the student s strengths and weaknesses: The student s academic performance prior to his/her enrollment The results of any achievement testing and classroom assessments Non assessed student work Reports and observations from the student s teachers Information and suggestions from the student and his/her parents School Level Teacher Level Student Level Student Information System: Progress Monitoring Goal Setting The school sets strategic goals to achieve overall success according to State Standards. School leaders within Charter Schools USA set collaborative instructional and achievement goals annually as part of the culture of continuous improvement. Goal Setting Proficiency and learning gain goals are broken down into grade level and classroom level targets. Goal Setting Student data from ileap, LEAP, academic grades, Benchmarks and other formative assessments are compiled on the Personalized Learning Plan. With guidance from teachers and parents, students generate goals for each academic area as well as conduct and effort. Teachers explain defined Learning Gain targets to support student goal setting for ileap, LEAP. Monitoring The Education Team holds individual data chats quarterly to review areas of strength and opportunity based on Benchmark results. Data from SIS supports creation of school action plans. Monitoring School leadership holds bi monthly data chats with teachers to analyze overall classroom strengths and opportunities, identify students or standards in need of remediation, and develop classroom action plans. Monitoring In quarterly data chats, teachers analyze the data within the PLP with students and set goals for each academic area as well as conduct and effort. Goals and progress monitoring data are visible to parents, students, and teachers through the Student Information System. TWO: Personalized Learning Plans The Personalized Learning Plan empowers students to track their own progress, which initiates student ownership of learning goals. Through analysis and evaluation of data, administrators, teachers, parents, and students are able to devise an academic plan for each student to achieve learning gains. As a reference, baseline achievement levels are 11 Page 11 of 40

14 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation incorporated into each student s Personalized Learning Plan which is visible on the student, parent, and teacher view within the Student Information System as a starting point for determining future rates of academic progress. Students and parents are able to consider areas of mastery and deficiency, and set personal goals each quarter, which are confirmed by parents and teachers. Teachers post formative data, such as writing prompt scores and reading diagnostic assessments, to support student goal setting. Each student s Personalized Learning Plan will serve as the foundation from which to measure student outcomes. The outcomes will be congruent with Common Core State Standards (fully implemented in 2014) and the GLEs within the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. THREE: Progress Monitoring and Assessment On going monitoring will be the mark of success for the proposed schools. Therefore, the Foundation is committed to the on going academic reporting to the authorizer, parents, and students. The Foundation and CSUSA will ensure that all reporting measures in the charter contract with the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) all followed. The schools will track specific and measurable goals regarding attendance, matriculation, individual and sub group scores, graduation rates, and teacher retention. The proposed schools will also align school structures and processes through data driven decision making. Academic performance will be measured by making yearly academic progress by increasing the percentage of students performing Basic or Above on LEAP/iLEAP assessments, as averaged by subject. Academic performance will also be measured by decreasing the students performing Unsatisfactory on LEAP/iLEAP assessments, as averaged by subject. Listed below are measurement tools that will be used for assessment purposes. The listed assessment tools do not preclude the schools from incorporating other measures that may be determined necessary to support the mission of the schools. Performance tests, which include both pre and post testing measurements, administered in the areas of reading, science, social studies and mathematics. These performance tests include the LEAP/iLEAP+, ECA, NWEA MAP and the Benchmark Tests. NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP): tests present students with engaging, age appropriate content. As a student responds to questions, the test responds to the student, adjusting in difficulty. NWEA MAP for Science: Test items for MAP for Science are helpful for assessing students up to and including 10th grade, prior to more specialized science curriculum in upper high school, and measures the following two critical areas: o General Science, which covers specific science concepts within the three major domains of science: Life sciences, earth and space sciences, and physical sciences. o Concepts and Processes, which measures a student's performance in both the processes used in science and the major themes underlying the science disciplines. Instructional Focus Program (IFP) Assessments: Tests aligned to specifications of LEAP/iLEAP and ECA that measure mastery of competencies within the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, given minimally every two weeks. Scholastic Reading Inventory: A research based, computer adaptive reading assessment program that measures reading comprehension on the Lexile Framework for Reading. The schools will outline specific goals from the broad academic goals and objectives found in this application. All the goals and objectives of the proposed charters will align with the stated purposes of Louisiana's state model content standards and meet Louisiana state standards for school accountability. The schools plan to accomplish this by: 1) accountability for student learning, utilizing our Student Information System to track and monitor student performance data in order to meet or exceed the local and statewide proficiency averages; 2) the proposed curriculum is fully aligned with Louisiana state content standards and our goals provide guidance towards specific outcomes; and 3) our specific student expectations meet requirements for annual growth, growth of student subgroups, attendance requirements and measure all students under the state's accountability plan. 12 Page 12 of 40

15 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Benchmark Testing The use of student assessment and performance data is vital to the Educational Model, a continuous improvement process that is not only used to improve student learning and achievement, but also used to evaluate and inform instruction. With the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum at its core, The Educational Model begins with a baseline assessment and analysis of all the available student performance data. The first administration of the Benchmark Test is one of the primary ways the school will activate students background knowledge, establish current baseline levels of mastery of specific skills and identify specific areas of need for all students. Teachers use the data from the Benchmark Test to differentiate instruction of specific skills through various instructional and regrouping strategies to ensure that individual student needs are addressed; this is data driven instruction. For the Benchmark Test, mastery, partial mastery and non mastery in each of the tested clusters are as follows: Mastery: 85% 100% Partial Mastery: 70% 84% Non Mastery: 0 69% Ultimately, the effectiveness of the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum will be evaluated by the attained curriculum, primarily measured by students performance on LEAP, ileap and End of Course (EOC) Assessments. The schools will focus on meeting and exceeding the rigorous goals outlined in this application, particularly those that articulate that students make annual learning gains. FOUR: Innovative Measurement Tools to Drive Research Based Instruction & Data Analysis The proposed schools have designed innovative reporting tools the proprietary Student Information System, including the teacher egrade Book, and the Narrative Report Card to assist in analyzing student assessment data and in monitoring student progress to ensure academic improvement. Described below, these tools also assist the proposed schools in monitoring progress towards meeting and exceeding the school wide goals and objectives. Student Information System (SIS) Parents of students who attend the proposed schools will be able to utilize the school s SIS to login any time, day or night, entering a confidential user name and password to gain real time access to various pieces of information regarding their children and events happening at the school. SIS is also used in the tracking of individual student data. SIS offers the proposed schools the capability of disaggregating data by individual student, by individual class, by grade level and by school. It also offers teachers, parents, and students online Web access to student data. Student achievement data will be included in each student s file and will make yearto year evaluation and tracking of mastery of the Louisiana Grade Level Expectations more efficient. Teacher egrade Book The Teacher egrade Book was created to assist teachers in creating and recording daily assignments that are aligned to the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, the Common Core State Standards and Louisiana Grade Level Expectations. The Student Information System guides teachers in creating lessons based on proven best practices. The lesson plan template suggests research based instructional strategies to use in the classroom and provides learning strategies for students based on the content segment being taught. When an assignment is created for a specific subject, the teacher assigns points to the most specific element of the Common Core State Standards and Louisiana Grade Level Expectations covered in that particular lesson. When the assignment is completed by the students, the grades are then logged into the egrade book by the teacher, creating a running record of the level of mastery each student has achieved on the related standards and benchmarks. Grades are automatically calculated and various individual and class reports can be generated. The egrade Book is an integral reporting tool that empowers parents to monitor and participate in the student s academic progress and improvement, as well as empowers students to monitor and take responsibility for their own learning. The egrade Book also enables the principal to monitor coverage of the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, 13 Page 13 of 40

16 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation state, and Common Core State Standards by each teacher, subject, or grade level and then verify the effectiveness of teacher lesson plans. Narrative Report Card The Narrative Report Card is a school reporting tool used to identify and evaluate the educational strengths and needs of students. It provides students, parents, and teachers detailed academic information about the various objectives and skills the student has or has not mastered. The Narrative Report Card provides a higher level of comprehensive student assessment than traditional report cards, by aligning a student s evaluation with state standards and the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum for each specific grade level. This format allows parents to see that their student is not only passing in a specific subject or earning a specific letter grade, but also has attained specific skills within a learning standard throughout the year. Through the collection of data on each student and the inclusion of parents in the overall academic endeavor of their child, we believe that each student will recognize their individual potential and strive to meet and exceed the academic goals he or she has participated in setting. FIVE: Technology to Support Student Engagement Using technology within learning is essential to real world application. The goal of technology usage within a classroom is to take it out of the hands of the teachers and place it within the hands of students, for an optimal experiential learning environment. Teachers and students will have technology integrated in the classroom through a variety of modalities such as: Laptop Computer Interactive White Boards Interactive Tablets Learner Response Devices Document Cameras Audio Stations o Computers o Headphones o Microphones As stated by Marzano, in his work, Teaching with Interactive White Boards, using learner response devices, graphics and other visuals to represent information, and using applications that allow teachers to present information in an unusual context, have a statistically significant relationship with student achievement. In particular, the use of interactive white boards in the classroom has been shown to have a 16 percentile point gain in student achievement (Marzano, 2009). The use of interactive white boards not only prepares students with 21st century technology skills, but also increases students achievement. SIX: Character Education Program The Community of Character program provides teachers and students the opportunity to apply character values in a real community environment set up within and external to the proposed schools. Teachers oversee students who are practicing their content skills and knowledge (i.e. education curriculum) in a mock community environment where each student has a responsibility to function within the group, through the project based learning process. Students will create, govern and support the daily operation of their Community of Character, known as a learning team. The goal of this program is to teach, practice and instill good citizenship within each person through use of the entire educational environment. Learning Groups will study and practice explicit character traits through a program such as Stephen Covey s The Leader in Me. This program requires thinking and believing that every child is capable and every child is a leader. It works from the inside out and it begins with the staff. Every staff member needs to speak a common language, teach the core values, and model the character principles that they want students to possess. A strong culture is built among the staff so that they transform the students within their learning team. 14 Page 14 of 40

17 Community of Character promotes an increase in student motivation toward academic learning by incorporating students interest in real world experiences. This is congruent with research that guides educators toward student engagement methods to increase student achievement. Students interests are utilized to fuse the data driven curriculum with real world application of principles giving students an opportunity to grow in the safe environment of the smaller learning groups. The proposed schools will achieve this by creating small group settings where the students may receive differentiated instruction, as well as activities to be completed outside of the classroom. Small group settings are determined by diagnostic and formative data, and then targeted to students skill deficiencies. A model of a learning team that allows every child to be a leader is the Media/News learning team, which will be responsible for disseminating all school news and community news to the students through a monthly school newspaper and/or by producing the news for the school via closed circuit television. Another example is the Student Government learning team which will be the governing body of the smaller learning groups and will advise the principal regarding the procedures and regulations that the student body should follow by researching prominent government leaders and understanding the role of the leader within a community. Investors and Entrepreneurs learning team is designed for students to discover how to create a business plan for an innovative idea. They will also be responsible for the daily operations and budget of the school store. In the Community Changer learning team, the students will focus on reaching out to the community to help those in need, including small community outreach projects, as well as developing an annual all student outreach project. SEVEN: Academic Intervention and Acceleration Supplemental Intervention Reading Program Based on diagnostic assessments and benchmark data, students will receive additional instruction and practice on identified skills. Teachers will provide additional instruction in times such as before and after school, through content area integration, during enrichment activities or lunch, and any other opportunity to support student achievement of individual learning goals. Some research based programs that the teacher may utilize are: Research Based Center Activities Elements of Vocabulary Accelerated Reader Study Island Ticket to Read Reading Plus Words Their Way Systematic Sequential Phonics To enhance learning throughout the school, all classrooms will create a print rich environment through word walls. A word wall is a systematically organized collection of words displayed in large letters on a wall in the classroom (Cunningham, 1995). Words on walls serve as visual scaffolds that temporarily assist students with independent reading and writing. Most word walls include the following characteristics (Brabham & Villaume, 1991): A collection of developmentally appropriate words selected for specific instructional purposes. Words are selected for specific instructional purposes. Collections are cumulative as new words are introduced, familiar words remain for further study. Activities and discussion about word walls provide conversational scaffolds that structure the ways that students study, think about, and use words. Comprehensive Intervention Reading Programs The proposed schools will meet the individual needs of students who, based on diagnostic data, have been identified to have significant skill deficiencies, and/or read two or more years below grade level through additional instructional minutes using a research based intervention program. Students will receive additional instruction in a small group setting with more frequent progress monitoring to ensure accelerated progress toward the Louisiana Content Standards and grade level expectations where applicable. Some research based programs that the teacher may utilize are: Reading Mastery (K 2) Early Success (K 2) Soar to Success (3 8) Voyager Passport (K 8) 15 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 15 of 40

18 The following table describes a progressive plan to increase instructional minutes in reading to ensure that students achieve mastery of grade level expectations. K 5 On grade level Instructional Plan K 5 Strategic Instructional Plan K 5 Intensive Instructional Plan 90 minute uninterrupted reading block 90 minute uninterrupted reading block 90 minute uninterrupted reading block 30 minute language arts block 30 minute language arts block 30 minute language arts block 30 minute differentiated RtI block 30 minute differentiated RtI block 30 minute differentiated RtI block 30 minute intervention session 3x per week 30 minute intervention session daily 60 minute tutoring session 6 8 Instructional Plan 6 8 Strategic Instructional Plan 6 8 Intensive Instructional Plan 60 minute language arts class 60 minute language arts class 60 minute language arts class 60 minute reading class 60 minute reading class 30 minute intervention session 3x per week 30 minute intervention session daily 60 minute tutoring session Response to Intervention Between diagnostic assessment periods, teachers will administer a variety of assessments to students in need of intervention. Fluency assessments such as oral reading fluency checks and high frequency word checks to determine fluency progress. Running Records periodic administration allows teachers to track instructional reading level progress. Phonics & Phonemic Awareness assessments administration of spelling assessments such as Words Their Way to determine mastery of phonics skills. Standards Assessments used to measure mastery of Performance Standards. Standards assessments are formative assessments that are designed to evaluate whether a student has or has not mastered a specific standard at the lowest level that was taught. The schools will provide each grade level with standards assessments that are aligned to the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. Each standards assessment measures the academic performance of each student on a particular standard that has been introduced and practiced multiple times. Benchmarks administered to provide data regarding progress toward Performance Standards, reading stamina, and reading level. All elements of progress monitoring will be shared with parents through the Narrative Report Card and data conferences. This connection between home and school will enhance students ability to achieve annual progress. The schools Student Support Team/Response to Intervention/504 models are aligned with all federal and state laws to ensure all students, including students with disabilities, receive a free appropriate public education using a guaranteed and viable curriculum to ensure learning gains. Response to Intervention (RtI) correlates with the Louisiana Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions. The RtI model includes: Tier 1 Standards Based Classroom Learning: all students participate in general education learning that includes: universal screenings to target groups in need of specific instructional and/or behavioral support, implementation of the Common Core State Standards and Louisiana Performance Standards through a standards based classroom structure, differentiation of instruction including flexible grouping, multiple means of learning, and demonstration of learning, progress monitoring of learning through multiple formative assessments, and positive behavior supports. Tier 2 Needs Based Learning: In addition to Tier 1, targeted students participate in learning that is different by including: standard intervention protocol process for identifying and providing research based interventions based on student need, on going progress monitoring to measure student response to intervention and guided decision making. Tier 3 SST Driven Learning: in addition to Tier 1 and Tier 2, targeted students participate in learning that is different by including: intensive, formalized problem solving to identify individual student needs, targeted 16 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 16 of 40

19 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation research based interventions tailored to individual needs, frequent progress monitoring and analysis of student response to intervention(s). Tier 4 Specially Designed Learning: In addition to Tiers 1 through 3, targeted students participate in: specialized programs, methodologies, or instructional deliveries, and greater frequency of progress monitoring of student response to intervention(s). The proposed schools curriculum resources for reading, mathematics, writing, and science are embedded with differentiated instructional lessons, strategies, and assessments that are associated with each RtI Tier Model. Tutoring When student learning gains are not progressing at an agreed upon rate for all stakeholders, there are additional resources available. Help with schoolwork is offered during specific office hours throughout the week to assist students in need of extra practice. For students requiring additional intervention, tutoring will also be available at the proposed schools. These sessions are derived from the operating budget and are applied to those students requiring extra intervention to bring them up to grade level expectations. Teachers use a set curriculum in small group setting, targeted to students skill deficiencies, as determined by diagnostic and formative data. This plan for assisting remedial students involves continuous collaboration between all stakeholders. Initiating and strengthening collaboration between school, home, and communities provides the basis for support and reinforcement of student learning. Involving parents and students and engaging them in a collaborative manner is critical to academic success. Classroom teachers remain in continual contact with all stakeholders by updating the Personalized Learning Plans, using data derived from reading diagnostic ongoing progress monitoring, Student Information System Narrative Report Cards, and NWEA testing results. Teachers regularly administer diagnostic assessments before beginning a unit of instruction. This practice reveals students prior knowledge, and enables differentiation. When students demonstrate basic mastery of a concept, they deepen their knowledge of the Louisiana Grade Level Expectations through higher level thinking tasks such as; Generating and Testing Hypothesis Activities Technology based projects Inquiry Experiences Flipped Learning EIGHT: Supplemental Programming At the heart of the proposed schools is collaboration and community integration. The schools will emphasize a culture of student safety and success while focusing on academic rigor, citizenship, and experiential learning where teachers and students apply character education, civic responsibility, and community engagement within the school and across the community. 17 Page 17 of 40

20 The table below represents a snapshot of some of the proposed programs, activities, and potential partnerships that align to the aforementioned areas of extracurricular or auxiliary programs as identified by stakeholders. Extracurricular and Auxiliary Programs Component Program Potential Partnership/Collaboration Opportunities Integrated Character Education and Citizenship Community of Character Facilitate partnership opportunities with local Chambers of Commerce and its members, local and state governmental entities, local businesses, and local service clubs and organizations for volunteer/mentoring opportunities as well as demonstration, internship, career exploration, and citizenship opportunities. Structure opportunities for local and regional Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) where students, faculty, and staff are involved in both curricular and mentoring/volunteering components of Community of Character Programs. Identify other partners through stakeholder input and feedback. Increased Cultural Competency and Foreign Language Options. Enhanced Academic and Enrichment Activities Foreign Language Curriculum/Offerings at all grade levels Enhanced after school and connections offerings Community of Character committed to cultural competency Rosetta Stone Identify and foster a network of community based partners essential to the foreign language and cultural studies options to be outlined by the South Louisiana Charter Foundation, the Community Advisory Board, and other key stakeholders. This would include employment of qualified staff and the development of relationships with area postsecondary partners for foreign language/cultural education partnerships. Comprehensive Career Exploration through Community Partnerships The school envisions, over the course of its initial 3 5 years, working with partners such as the local technical colleges, career academies, chambers of commerce, and major local business and industry during and afterschool to develop a comprehensive career exploration and planning experience for students with an emphasis on self knowledge through personal and career exploration and investigation. The goal is empower students to discover for themselves the relevance of self, education, and the world of employment. Club and Activity Days: These are planned to foster the academic and social growth of the students. Clubs will be organized by interest of the teacher as well as the students. Concepts for clubs include: Ecology/Science, Peer Counseling, Math, Student Council, Art, Sign Language, Reading/Literature, Ambassadors, Robotics, Yearbook, and others as identified by stakeholders. Interscholastic Competitions: As a component of the academic health of the students, an exhibition component of their daily academic program will be added to each subject area. When students are required to demonstrate their knowledge in an exhibition or presentation format, the level of the work produced by the student increases to a much higher level. The students will be required to participate in at least two of the academic games/exhibitions in one of the following areas: Social Studies and Literary Fair, Newspaper, Literary Magazine, Science Fair, Math Olympics, Spanish Games, Spelling Bee, and others as identified by stakeholders. Interscholastic Athletics: As identified by stakeholder opportunities and partnerships will be created to develop athletic programming to meet the needs of the students. NINE: Meaningful Parental Involvement The school will engage 100% of parents, because it is vital that every parent is engaged in his or her child s education. Parents who enroll their children at the proposed schools will be required to sign a parent agreement to reinforce their commitment to being involved in the school community. All parents are required to attend the parent orientation where they will learn more about the school s expectations. Parents agree to volunteer a minimum of twenty (20) hours per school year. When two or more children from the same family are enrolled, parents agree to volunteer a total of thirty (30) hours per school year. Volunteer opportunities are individualized to meet the needs, demands, and capabilities of individual student/family as it pertains to required 18 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 18 of 40

21 volunteer hours. Parental involvement is also fostered through access to student information and communication provided by the school s student information system (SIS). Parents receive real time updates on their child s status and are able to engage in two way communication with school administrators and teachers. A Comprehensive Parental Involvement Program and Family School Community partnership model is planned for the School. The school will utilize the framework of Joyce Epstein. Epstein s model includes six types of cooperation between families, schools, and other community organizations: 1. Parenting; 2. Communicating; 3. Volunteering; 4. Learning at home; 5. Collaborating with the community; and, 6. Decision making (Epstein 1995; Epstein 1997). Although the proposed charter school will use the framework of six types of involvement as a guide, parents, the Board of Trustees, and school staff will select practices that best fit the needs of each individual circumstance and help achieve important academic and personal goals. Modifying the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum Educational Model for a Type 5 Turnaround School Operating St. Helena Middle School as a Type 5 charter would involve the Foundation serving an existing school population and attempting to turnaround historically low performance. The Foundation and CSUSA expect that both Type 1 and Type 5 schools will both serve populations that are significantly below grade level and in need of interventions and additional resources to close the achievement gap. Therefore, programs such as Community of Character, supplemental intervention reading programs, mandatory before and after school tutoring will serve to meet the needs of students at Type 1, Type 2 and Type 5 schools. The following five key elements of CSUSA s Educational Model are critical to the success of either a Type 1, Type 2 or Type 5 school: Research Based Framework: An educational model that uses baseline data to develop distinct action plans and differentiated instruction School wide goal setting and Personalized Learning Plans Innovative measurement tools to drive research based instruction and data analysis Technology to support student engagement Instructional methods of highly effective teachers and leaders While the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum will be fully implemented at the Type 5 campus, there are educational elements that will either be enhanced or will differ from the Type 1 or Type 2 start up schools that the Foundation has proposed. CSUSA will utilize several successful school based elements in the Type 5 schools. For example, an action plan will be fully developed that will include the following elements: School Culture at a Type 5 School Safe and Orderly Environment (a) Student Incentive Program: CSUSA will utilize a Student Incentive Program at the Type 5 schools for behavior and attendance. Student activities are a concept that includes achievement for academics, but is not limited to this type of focus. Students will be rewarded for daily and random acts of kindness (in the community and in school) and going above and beyond the routine as recognized by staff. These programs are made possible via community partnerships that are established with local vendors, corporate vendors, and community entities. A variety of clubs would be initiated to meet the interests of students, which will serve as both a focus group for student interests as well as a type of incentive (i.e., creation of special clubs for best behaved and limitation of membership to exclude students who misbehave). (b) Ambassador Program and Ambassador in Training Program: Programs such as the Ambassador Program are important in a turnaround school where specific programs are necessary to help establish a culture of excellence. The Ambassador Program was established to provide students of outstanding character and academic performance an opportunity to lead. The core program will include 8 th grade students in the Ambassador in Training Program. The students will participate in service and leadership opportunities in the school and out in the community. They will serve as mentors and will assist in giving school tours to prospective students and community visitors. They will also participate in community 19 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 19 of 40

22 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation service opportunities such as neighborhood clean ups and Relay for Life for example. The students must maintain excellent academic standing and behavior to remain in the program. (c) School Wide Discipline Plan: An essential step towards moving schools toward cultures of excellence and high performance is the implementation of effective discipline policies. Teachers and school leaders are provided with and trained on policies that include: school rituals and routines; classroom rules; detention rules and expectations; identification of misbehaviors and effective responses; a discipline grid with four levels of discipline to modify student behavior. Academic Excellence at Type 5 Schools In the Assessment phase (six to eight months prior to opening a Type 5 school); CSUSA will collect data on critical leading indicators impacting student achievement, lagging indicators, and demonstrations of student achievement. CSUSA uses the data to set short term and long term goals and to measure effectiveness of the action plan components for the turnaround. The following lists components of the academic program that are enhanced or altogether different at a Type 5 school: Improved Intervention (College Prep aligned to Response to Intervention) Leadership team monitors achievement regularly (Daily Walk throughs) Focus on credit recovery Transition 9 Program ( T9 Program ) The T9 Program is a graduation focused agenda based on the research of SEDL (an Austin, Texas based think tank) showing that dropout rates could be attributed to a few factors and that these factors, if not targeted early enough, had a significantly negative effect on students by the age of 15, or as they were entering 9th Grade. T 9 seeks to dramatically lower the dropout rates by having a select group of at risk 7th and 8th grade students sign a commitment contract that will incorporate one hour of elective counseling per week (which will focus on social skills), quarterly home visits by counselors and core teachers, and quarterly parent workshops (a minimum attendance of two required for parents). Key elements of the T9 Program include: o Students and parents sign a commitment contract o One hour of counseling per week during electives to include social skill development and academic progress o Follow up home visits by counselor and core teacher once per quarter o Parent workshops quarterly with a commitment from parents to attend a minimum of two during the year Helping Young People Excel ( HYPE ) HYPE is a program for students who have experienced behavior issues in the traditional classroom setting and need additional structure and monitoring. The program will be individualized and last for a minimum of 4 weeks. Students who demonstrate improved behavior, successfully complete a character development program and improve academic performance will meet the criterion to exit the program. Students will continue their educational curriculum and will receive work daily from their teachers as well as a computerized curriculum to keep them on track. The students will work in a cohort and complete all activities together, including lunch, specials and others. The dean, program coordinator and principal will meet to determine whether the student is ready to exit the program and rejoin the traditional student population. Human Capital at a Type 5 School A significant way in which human capital is different at a Type 5 school is the manner in which Type 5 turnaround schools are integrated into the overall organization of the CSUSA s Education team. While Type 1 and Type 2 schools, principals and teachers ultimately report to the Vice President of Education at CSUSA, Type 5 schools are supported by a separate Turnaround division of the CSUSA Education team. This Turnaround division has its own set of Regional Directors and HR Generalists that will support the leaders and teachers at Type 5 turnaround schools and ensure that they have the resources necessary to achieve the school wide goals. Please see Attachment B for an organizational chart of the Chief Academic Officer division of CSUSA. 20 Page 20 of 40

23 Four to six months prior to opening St. Helena Middle, CSUSA will analyze the existing staffing resources at the school and begin to recruit high quality leaders and teachers to the school. Using informal and formal classroom walkthroughs, existing high quality teachers will be identified and recruited to stay at the school under its new management. Recruitment strategies will include: accepting applications from current employees; advertising vacancies on CSUSA s website and national recruitment websites; nationwide searches from high performing schools; recruiting at universities and colleges; recruiting transfer candidates from within CSUSA; and conducting CSUSA job fairs and Leadership Assessment Centers. In a challenging environment like a Type 5 turnaround, the Foundation believes it is important for staff members and school leaders to participate in a strong incentive program for performance. At CSUSA schools, performance based compensation is used to compensate leaders and teachers according to performance. This incentive program is one of the three core tenets of CSUSA s People First Plan (further described in Section 6.4 of this document). Partnerships with Community and Stakeholders at a Type 5 School The Foundation believes enhanced integration of social services to support students and families is necessary in a Type 5 turnaround environment. This can be facilitated in part by connecting St. Helena Middle to resources, support and involvement with the surrounding community. In a Type 1, Type 2 or Type 5 school, parents are the most important stakeholders (aside from the students). However, in a turnaround environment where parents are faced with significant changes in their child s school it is even more important to engage parents in the improvements and changes that are imminent once a turnaround is announced. It is also important to ensure that parents feel welcomed to participate in the transition and understand that their participation on campus is integral to the success of the turnaround. From an operational standpoint, CSUSA will conduct a series of focus group meetings and administer a series of parent surveys to assess the level of parent involvement and areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. This feedback enables the Foundation and CSUSA to create action plans and build relationships with stakeholders. Just as with the proposed Type 1 and Type 2 schools, parents at Type 5 schools will be required to volunteer 30 hours per school year. Prior to opening St. Helena Middle, CSUSA will also conduct focus groups and administer community surveys to assess the current level of community involvement, determine areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction in order to build strong relationships with community partners and implement programs like Community Sponsored Student of the Month where local businesses such as the Rotary, Chamber, Kiwanis, Lions, etc. will sponsor a student of the month program. The business will invite the student to be honored at a monthly meeting. 4.3 Mechanisms by which the fundamental features described in 4.2 will dramatically influence student success. Ongoing monitoring and performance feedback will serve as the primary mechanism for ensuring the factors described in 4.2 will dramatically influence student success. Performance is monitored throughout the year and feedback is provided to support continued improvements and high performance. Therefore, the proposed schools are committed to the on going academic reporting to the authorizer, parents, students and the Foundation of the school. The schools will ensure that all reporting measures in the charter contract with BESE are followed. Monitoring methods include: Semiannual school site visits Staff surveys conducted in November and April Parent surveys conducted in November and April Monthly principal meetings Monthly principal reports Benchmark tests Regular conversations and visits with Regional Lead, Vice President of Education, and other members of the Education Team The schools will be supported by the CSUSA Education Team for its development and implementation of professional 21 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 21 of 40

24 development at the school and will be provided by CSUSA as a component of their management fee. The budget reflects only additional funds for external training. As the instructional leader within the proposed schools, the principal will be accountable for the quality and duration of professional development within the schools. In conjunction with the CSUSA Education Team, the leadership team of the proposed schools will develop an Academic Plan that will include professional development based on the teachers needs according to the data gathered at the school, staff surveys, walk throughs and site visits. Professional development will then be monitored by assessing student learning and teacher implementation after the professional development sessions have occurred. When gaps are found, teachers will be re taught until mastery of key research based concepts is achieved. Teachers attend summer professional development sessions provided by CSUSA and designed with a focus on understanding and identifying a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, aligning instruction with the grade level expectations, data driven instructional planning, and the use of effective assessment feedback. These sessions, combined with the needs assessment and student data analysis are the basis for professional development throughout the year. Throughout the school year, our CSUSA Education Team provides training sessions called Curriculum Cadres on research based instructional methods, legislative updates that impact their teaching, and data driven instruction. During the school year, staff training needs and opportunities are identified according to analysis of student performance data, classroom observations, and teacher requests. The school will design or select professional development programs based on needs with input from administrators, staff, and the community. Below is a sampling of professional development offerings: Charter Schools USA Educational Model & Student Information System Project Based Learning Process within Understanding by Design Collection and Interpretation of Student Performance and Achievement Data Theory of Multiple Intelligences Assessment and Evaluation What Great Teachers Do Differently: 14 Things that Matter Most Classroom Instruction that Works: 9 High Yield Strategies Safe and Civil Schools CHAMPs: A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management Centers in the Classroom Technology in the Classroom Response to Intervention English for Speakers of Other Languages Regulations and Procedures Exceptional Student Education Regulations and Procedures Positive Behavior Support Models Professional Development provided by Subject Area or Content Professional Development will be held at least twice and up to four times per month in addition to the New Teacher Induction training. The professional development offerings will be based upon the needs of the teachers as demonstrated by the administrator classroom walk through, site visit data, benchmark data, and standards assessments. Training will also be held to broaden the teachers knowledge and understanding regarding Exceptional Student Education, Response to Intervention, LEP, and Behavior Management training. Professional development will be for all teachers, including the special education teachers. Special education teachers will take part in all researched based training as well as specialized training outside of the general education trainings so that they receive unique training regarding instruction and legislative requirements for the specific student population they serve. The professional development within the school is delivered based on the needs of the teachers as they develop an understanding of the Educational Model, and its support from the Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. The initial 22 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 22 of 40

25 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation trainings are differentiated based on the expertise of the teachers, beginning with instruction on What Works in Schools followed by the nine high yield instructional strategies as identified by Robert J. Marzano. These trainings, along with specific programmatic training (ESE, LEP, RtI, etc.), the student goal setting and data analysis training provide the basic structure for all training that is built upon the needs of the teachers as they implement the Educational Model. In addition to the formal review of student data, staff surveys, and bi annual parent surveys and student surveys, teachers will be surveyed after each professional development training to better understand their grasp of the material as well as their self identified gaps within their learning. This data will be used to revise the Academic Plan to meet the needs of the teachers as they work to meet their individual students needs. 23 Page 23 of 40

26 SECTION V Scale Strategy The South Louisiana Charter Foundation 5.1 Steps that will be taken to scale the model to new sites. Resources from Charter Schools USA s corporate support center have enabled the company to scale its model to new sites in an efficient and effective manner. Our first step in scaling our model is the creation of the New School Opening Team (NSOT). The NSOT is a team of people, representing each functional area within the company (finance, education, human resources, technology, operations, facilities, marketing, enrollment, development, and governance), focused on ensuring all tasks that are required to open a brand new school are completed on time and correctly. The team then works to complete the following tasks: Facilitate weekly or bi weekly (depending on time of year) meetings for the purpose of identifying issues, developing recommendations, and oversight of project status Implement systems for quality assurance, support, oversight and accountability Develop full scale project plans Track project deliverables using appropriate tools Consistent monitoring and reporting on the progress of the projects to department heads and the CSUSA Executive Team Meetings are attended by all departments and the new school leadership team, once hired (Principal, Assistant Principal, Business Operations Manager, etc.). Meetings are tailored to the corresponding timeline in the project plan; each department is responsible for providing updates/information on their respective tasks and alerting the team of any potential issues. Any deficiencies or delays noticed by the project manager will also be addressed in these meetings. Next, the NSOT team takes responsibility for the full range of tasks required to get a new school open. This includes recruiting, hiring and training school staff; marketing and enrollment of students; facility planning, acquisition, and construction; school operations infrastructure (food service, uniforms, FF&E, etc.), establishing financial processes; managing board relations; and compliance with authorizer requirements. A school operations manual has been developed and is continually refined and is provided to new schools as an additional resource for understanding key processes and systems. A screen shot from our proprietary school opening project plan is provided below: As the team is completing the above tasks, CSUSA, with input from the NSOT, identifies the additional resources and staffing required in each functional department based on planned growth and acquires these resources with the expectation to be able to continually support our growing network of schools. In addition, as CSUSA scales, the company hires regional support positions that reside in the geographic regions around the schools so that they can provide direct support to the schools, yet report to the functional departments at the corporate support center. Over the past three years, the number of corporate support staff has increased from 50 to 168 to accommodate growth. Attachment B provides the organization chart for our corporate support center and regional staff. 24 Page 24 of 40

27 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Once the prep work is done and the staff is hired, the staff development process begins. Our staff development process significantly contributes to our ability to scale our model to new sites. CSUSA has moved up the hiring timeline for school leadership positions (Principal, Business Operations Manager, and School Registrar) to four months prior to school opening so that the school leadership team can participate in the new school opening process. The school leadership team participates in professional development by working with their assigned mentors from others schools and attending functional meetings across the company to learn CSUSA s standard operating procedures and to learn the CSUSA culture. All of our new teacher hires attend New Teacher Induction for two weeks prior to the opening of a new school. For one week teachers are trained in CSUSA s philosophy and instructional mindset. Teachers are taken through professional development on data analysis, classroom management, lesson planning and instruction in the use of the Student Information System. This training allows all new educators to be on the same page, with the same mindset as the veteran educators. When you walk into a CSUSA school anywhere in the country, the same instructional concepts are evident. Then, in addition to formal training, new school staff hired prior to school opening are paired with mentors from sister schools to guide them, not only in their pre opening responsibilities, but also to serve as a resource throughout their entire first year. The mentors do this through QUEST visits, e mail contact and additional school visits when needed. Finally, our CSUSA corporate team gears up to provide our new schools with continual support through the first day opening processes and throughout the school year. Scaling our mindset through strong educational and philosophical training, as well as long term teamwork between new and existing schools, assures a much greater level of success in our new school endeavors. 5.2 Comparison of efforts to scale operations to Louisiana to past scale efforts in other states. Given that 37 of 48 schools in the CSUSA network are in Florida, the experience in scaling that state are the most relevant for comparison to our plan to scale in Louisiana. CSUSA has incrementally grown its network of schools in Florida over the past 15 years. As the number of schools has grown and its geographic dispersion throughout the state expanded, CSUSA increased its staff and the support center and also implemented regional support roles. Three main regional support systems that have been established are: Regional Curriculum Resource Teachers These specialists are part of the corporate support center but assigned to support schools full time in analyzing program effectiveness, conducting professional development, and monitoring performance. They are in schools meeting with leadership and visiting classrooms on a routine basis. They support the development of Instructional Focus Calendars with school leadership to create project plans for academic success, conduct data chats with instructors on their student data to refine instructional strategies and differentiated instructional techniques, and participate in QUEST site visits to schools to evaluate the fidelity of implementation of the CSUSA Educational Model. Regional Directors Regional Directors are each assigned an area of the country or state and oversee the schools in that region. These directors oversee school principals and serve as the key point person for troubleshooting, mentoring, and accountability. They serve as the link between school principals and the Vice President of Education. Regional Business Operations Managers (RBOMs) RBOMs are assigned schools based on geographic region and focus on supporting school based business operations managers in performing all of the operational/financial components that are performed at the school level. This includes managing employee paperwork such as timesheets and offer letters, cash collections, purchase ordering, and inventory control. The corporate support center maintains responsibility for accounts payable and financial statement/budgeting. Please see Attachment D for clear delineation of local implementers and CSUSA corporate job descriptions. CSUSA s track record of success in Florida demonstrates our ability to scale and provide necessary support mechanisms to ensure quality. CSUSA s academic performance has steadily improved each year while also growing its network of schools. In fact, CSUSA had its best overall academic performance for its network of schools in school year and it was also the biggest growth year for the company to date. 25 Page 25 of 40

28 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation In addition, CSUSA was hired to turnaround seven schools in the Midwest (3 in Indianapolis, 4 in Chicago) for the school year and this most recent experience is also relevant to our strategic plan for scaling in Louisiana. We have hired Regional Directors of Education in both Indianapolis and Chicago, have several full time Curriculum Resource Teachers that serve this region and an RBOM to serve the region. We continue to evolve our infrastructure to support scale, but to date our model has been effective at providing the support resources necessary to accommodate the growth in schools. We are currently replicating these concepts in Louisiana and plan to have all of the above referenced regional positions in place before the start of the school year. We will continue to monitor and evolve our support model as we scale. 5.3 Plans for embedding the fundamental features of theory of change model in proposed schools. To embed the fundamental features described in Section 4.2 into the proposed schools, the Foundation will work with CSUSA s Education and Operations teams to oversee the school start up process and ensure that school leaders and teachers have the resources, training and structure they need in order to get their schools off to a strong start. CSUSA and the Foundation will also ensure that all the schools have the necessary support needed on a regular basis throughout the school year to ensure that the fundamental features of the school design are carried out in a manner which leads to student success and achievement. In order to ensure the fidelity of CSUSA s Education Model and the correct implementation of the model at new schools, the following plan elements are in place: New Teacher Induction Prior to the beginning of the school year, all new teachers participate in an annual New Teacher Induction (NTI) for 3 weeks as well as sessions throughout the school year. NTI includes several modules that cover various topics ranging from grading policies to ethical practices to classroom management. These modules are presented by a Curriculum Specialist on the CSUSA Education Team, or by a school based leader who has been trained directly by a Curriculum Specialist. These sessions include orientation to and training for What Works in Schools, The Art and Science of Teaching, Understanding by Design and the Student Information System. Throughout the year, new teachers have a network of support through Teacher Learning Communities. A mentor teacher leads the Teacher Learning Communities at the school. The new teachers meet at least once a month with the mentor teacher to receive support and training as well as to have the opportunity to share best practices. In addition, both the Teacher Learning Communities mentor teacher and new teachers receive support from CSUSA s Education Team through quarterly training sessions and monthly web based video training sessions. The Principal, Business Operations Manager and a Charter Schools USA Human Resource team member participate in school based new teacher orientations. The first two weeks are led by CSUSA s corporate team and the last week of New Teacher Induction is led by the school principal and school leaders. Sample New Teacher Induction Week 1 Topics CSUSA: Philosophy, Vision and Mission The Leadership Tree Team Building Intro Research Base: Marzano What Works in CSUSA Schools Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum High Expectations Most Important Factor in the Classroom Code of Ethics: Policies, Procedures, Employee Handbook Student Procedures and Routines Summary of Backwards Design: Planning with the End in Mind Student Information System High Yield Instructional Strategies Board Configuration Classroom Management The Power of Expectations Differentiated Instruction Building Trust with Students, Parents and Colleagues 26 Sample New Teacher Induction Week 2 Topics Developing Minute by Minute Plans Exploring Textbook Resources Grading, Lesson Planning Philosophy Classroom Setup, Board Configuration Procedures: Cafeteria, Arrival, Dismissal and Hallway Positive Behavior Systems Writing Across the Curriculum CSUSA Reading Challenge School Wide Goals Literacy in the Context Area Common Grading and Planning Practices Discipline and Positive Behavior Support *Escalation Process *Documentation Expectations *Communication Expectations *Code of Conduct Page 26 of 40

29 Use of Student Data, Tracking Progress, RTI, Centers Red Carpet: Communication with Parents Investing in and Empowering Parents The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Hiring and Recruiting In order for students to succeed and reach their maximum potential, it is paramount that they work with highly effective teachers. The Foundation and CSUSA are committed to recruiting, selecting, inducting and retaining highly effective teachers, recognizing that high performing educators are the proposed schools most important asset. Recruitment: All employees must be committed to the high academic standards of the proposed schools. Faculty must have the ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with fellow faculty, parents, community organizations, and the business community. Quality teaching requires energetic, creative, knowledgeable persons who possess a desire to make education exciting and to make a difference in the educational experience of each student. All teachers must possess a passion for diligently working to mitigate and eliminate the achievement gap. Teachers must have a mindset that all students can learn and their mission as educators must match that of the proposed schools. It is recognized that hiring talented people who continue to develop skills and increase their value to the school and to students is critical and that high performing educators are schools most important asset. The purpose of the employment procedures and policies is to recruit employees who contribute to the proposed schools in a way that aligns with the organization s mission, and behave in a way that is consistent with the organization s values. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 simplifies the process of identifying and hiring highly qualified teachers. CSUSA provides procedural guidelines and support that enhances the likelihood of recruiting highly effective staff. The comprehensive recruitment effort is focused on identifying certified teachers who come from diverse backgrounds and uses a system of intensive screening designed to hire the most qualified applicants. The Foundation and CSUSA are equal opportunity employers and recruit quality staff throughout the year for job openings using a progressive and innovative recruiting plan. Recruitment will occur locally, state wide, and nationally through resources that include: School s website Student Information System to post all vacant positions internally Employee Referral Program Search Resume Databases and Scan Social Networks Job Fairs College Campus Recruiting On line Job Posting Boards Minority Organizations Charter Schools USA will manage job advertising, conduct applicant screening, and refer qualified applicants to the principal and administration to ensure the school s staffing needs are met. A consistent process of screening, interviewing and selecting employees is essential to the Foundation s ability to recruit qualified staff and also ensures that candidates have been provided an equal opportunity to demonstrate and/or articulate their skills and abilities. Screening: CSUSA will employ a systematic approach to screen applicants to ensure that final candidates meet the qualifications for the position. Screeners ask questions of applicants that focus on their abilities, skills and experiences in an initial screening interview. As the applicant pool is narrowed, successful applicants advance toward a more indepth building level interview with the principal and/or interview team. Selection: The selection process is informed by factors identified in applied psychology, such as interview structure and the phrasing of question prompts, and it draws on effective teacher research. Interview protocol focuses on job related questions and thus is within the legal bounds of interviewing guidelines. The following information is used to guide the process of paper screening applications, analyzing oral interviews, and teaching demonstrations. 27 Page 27 of 40

30 Teacher Selection Process Evaluation Criteria Prerequisites of Effective Teaching *Verbal ability *Content knowledge *Education coursework *Teacher certification *Teacher experience Teacher as a Person: Mission Mindset *Caring *Fairness and respect *Interaction with students *Enthusiasm *Motivation *Dedication to teaching *Reflective practice Classroom Management and Organization *Classroom Management *Organization *Student Discipline Planning for Instruction *Importance of instruction *Time allocation *Teacher expectation *Instructional planning The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Instructional Delivery *Instructional strategies *Content and expectations *Complexity *Questioning *Student engagement Assessment *Homework *Monitoring of student progress *Response to student needs and abilities Leadership Assessment Center: Select the school leaders Charter Schools USA uses a robust recruiting process called the Leadership Assessment Center. This process is used to determine if a candidate would be a good building leader and is an important component of the interview process. All candidates for Dean of Students, Assistant Principal and Principal participate in the one day event. Leadership Assessment Center activities consist of: Technology Activity Desegregating Data (60 Minutes) This activity evaluates a candidate s ability to access raw data through the state s department of education (Internet), compile it into a useable spreadsheet, and convert it into a graph (Excel). Finally, the candidates transfer the graphs into a presentation (Power Point). Each technology component is intended to gauge the level of basic computer skills. Assessors of this activity look for mastery of a cohesive and complete data analysis presentation. Essay Writing Sample (60 Minutes) This activity is used to assess the candidate s writing ability as well as his/her overall philosophy of education. The subject of the essay forces the candidate to read an education article, reviewing the subject and asserting a personal view point. Assessors of this activity look for congruence with the Educational Model as well as the candidate s ability to articulate his/her viewpoint in writing. Interview (60 Minutes) Each candidate is interviewed by CSUSA. Interview templates are prepared in advance and include the following topics: The candidate s philosophy of education The candidate s understanding of his/her role The candidate s use of data including understanding of state assessments. The candidate s familiarity with charter schools, knowledge of and accountability to governing boards and other key information relevant to being a building leader in a charter school environment. The candidate s grasp of specific responsibilities relevant to his/her role such as: interviewing, creating a schoolwide culture, discipline, outreach, instructional leadership, supervision, etc. Each question is scored; a minimum score must be achieved to be considered a serious candidate. Candidates who participate in the event may be invited into the company s pool of approved candidates. As the organizational demand for talented leaders grows, candidates in the pre approved pool are offered positions within their preferred regional areas. Care is also given to match each school leader to the school environment that best matches their leadership strengths. 28 Page 28 of 40

31 The Foundation is also consulted regarding serious leadership candidates in an effort to support a positive working relationship between the principal and the Foundation. Monitoring and Evaluation School administrators and the CSUSA Education Team monitor the effectiveness of the implemented curriculum throughout the year by conducting weekly informal walk throughs as well as up to four CSUSA school site visits where every teacher is formally observed and coverage of the curriculum is examined. This creates a continuous feedback loop where each teacher and administrator is provided specific feedback on the all the elements of What Works in Schools, specifically on ensuring a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. Performance is monitored throughout the year and feedback is provided to support continued improvements and high performance. The proposed schools will participate in the Quality Education for Student and Teachers (QUEST) School Site Visits, conducted at least two times per year, which provides opportunities for instructional dialog, as well as continuous feedback and improvement. The site visit observation is a one day, in depth process, in which members of the EMO network support each school by observing teachers and providing feedback on instruction. The purpose of site visit observation process is to support schools with the implementation and monitoring of the Educational Model, which supports student engagement. In addition to site visits, principals within the CSUSA network of schools clearly articulate their dedication to teacher support by their initiation of the Walk Through Challenge. This challenge states that the principal has determined that each teacher will be visited by an administrative team member each week. The walk through form will be used as a nonevaluative way to communicate areas of strength that the teacher possesses as well as possible opportunities for growth. School Site Visit Observation: The site visit observation process occurs, at a minimum, twice a school year in order to support the implementation and monitoring of high yield instructional strategies. Each teacher is reviewed and observed to ensure exemplary use of data to drive instruction, evidence of consistent and routine parent communication, classroom curriculum design and student motivation. The observer will participate in the class for minutes and shares with the teacher strengths and opportunities for growth. The data compiled is presented to the staff and used within the school improvement process including professional development selections. Classroom Walk Through: The CSUSA principals have clearly articulated their dedication to teacher support by their initiation of the CSUSA Walk Through challenge that clearly articulates that each teacher will be visited by an administrative team member each week. The walk through form will be used as a non evaluative way to communicate a teacher s areas of strength, as well as possible opportunities for growth. Teacher Performance Evaluation: The Teacher Performance Evaluation (TPE) supports the monitoring of the Educational Model by evaluating the use of evidence based research strategies that the teacher has been exposed to through professional development and provided feedback during the site visit observation process. In addition, the leadership team visits each classroom at least once a week to provide supportive feedback to teachers. All new teachers receive a Midyear TPE in the fall to prepare them for the spring TPE. School Review: After each site visit and each benchmark test, the Education Team meets with the School Leadership Team to discuss strengths and opportunities for growth for the school, as well as each grade level and subject area. Based on these discussions and the data collected, the Education Team makes recommendations to guide professional development training, individualized professional development, opportunities, targeted mentoring, and possible increased observations. Annually, during the fourth quarter, feedback is solicited from teachers and principals to ensure continuous improvement of the process. Two Way Feedback and Communication Pathways Effective and efficient communication and feedback are necessary to embed the fundamental features of the theory of 29 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 29 of 40

32 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation change in the proposed schools. CSUSA has clear pathways for two way feedback and communication. Monthly Meetings School principals, assistant principals and Regional Business Operation Managers meet on a monthly basis with their respective leaders (VP of Education and VP of Operations) to allow for two way communication on operational updates, emerging issues and professional development. These monthly meetings are one of many structured and formal opportunities for school leaders and business operations managers to communicate in a group setting with their peers and supervisors. On an individual, one on one basis, the organizational culture at CSUSA is such that school based staff and field based regional staff are encouraged to reach out to their school leaders, regional leaders or corporate team for support at any time. Site Visits As described above (see Monitoring and Evaluation ), CSUSA school site visits, QUEST visits and walk throughs all serve as opportunities for two way feedback between the school leader and staff or two way feedback between the corporate/regional team and the school leader and staff. This creates a continuous feedback loop where each teachers and administrators are provided specific feedback on the all the elements of instruction and classroom environment, but also an opportunity for teachers and administrators to communicate their need for additional support. Annual Surveys Bi annual student surveys are designed to offer students an opportunity to provide feedback on the school s academic environment and school culture. The Dean of Students would be responsible for implementing, reporting results to administration, and making the proper adjustments if survey results do not meet internal goals. Bi annual parent surveys are conducted in November and April of each academic year. This is one way in which the Foundation and CSUSA are deliberate about engaging parents in the school community. Parents are an important stakeholder group and action plans are developed and implemented based upon survey results. Staff surveys also serve as an important data point for the principal as he or she is largely responsible for ensuring that the environment at the school is one where teachers and staff want to work and feel they have adequate resources and the opportunity to perform their jobs at the level expected of them. 30 Page 30 of 40

33 SECTION VI Risks and Associated Contingency Plans The South Louisiana Charter Foundation 6.1 Results of past scale efforts. Including challenges encountered and how they were addressed (P) Total CSUSA Schools Total CSUSA Enrollment 15,911 18,101 24,316 37,180 51,000 States in Operation As summarized in the table above, over the past four years Charter Schools USA s scale efforts have taken the organization from only operating charter schools in the state of Florida to operating both charter and turnaround schools in five states and serving nearly 40,000 students. CSUSA has scaled its infrastructure to support its growth and created necessary systems and tools to ensure successful school development and operations. CSUSA has grown its number of schools in Florida from 20 to 37 since and has continued to improve the overall academic results of the network of schools. As a whole, CSUSA schools in Florida have been an A rated system for the past three years and the most recent year ( ) was its highest performing year to date. CSUSA s first expansion outside of the state of Florida was to Georgia in 2010, with the opening of Coweta Charter Academy at Senoia. Currently, CSUSA operates two charter schools in Georgia; both are high performing and have been recently renewed with five year charter contracts. In the state of Georgia, the political climate for school choice has been volatile and that has hampered CSUSA s ability to expand beyond the two existing schools. However, with the recent passage of a constitutional amendment to allow for a statewide authorizer, CSUSA has plans to open multiple new schools each year in Georgia. Growth in the academic year led operations to a different part of the country; Charter Schools USA s network developed a significant focus on the Midwest with three turnaround schools in Indianapolis and four charter schools in Chicago. CSUSA entered the Indianapolis market with the Indiana State Department of Education s announcement that CSUSA was selected to be one of three turnaround school operators. While the current school year is CSUSA s first year managing the turnaround schools in Indianapolis and performance results are not yet available there is anecdotal evidence that improvement, progress and turnaround is well underway at the schools. Bobby King is an education reporter for the Indianapolis Star and has embedded himself at one of the turnaround schools, Emma Donnan Middle School for the past two years. In , prior to CSUSA taking over, Bobby King s stories had a recurring theme of violence in the schools, students running in packs, and a stifling culture of low expectations. In the current academic year, in which CSUSA is the new operator, Bobby King has written three articles. Each one of his articles tells of a new culture of high expectations for students who seem to have a renewed desire to excel. Research demonstrates that these factors are leading indicators of long term academic success. Bobby King s articles can be accessed here. In Chicago, CSUSA partnered with Chicago International Charter Schools to operate four charter schools that were previously managed by Edison Schools. An important component of CSUSA s strategic plan is the growth of our network, however, quality rests at the foundation of our growth initiatives. In , even though Charter Schools USA added eight (8) schools to its network; that year was the most successful year in CSUSA s history for academic performance. See Attachment C for complete list of all schools managed by CSUSA including their most recent grade. CSUSA s past scale efforts include our entry into Louisiana as well, as the state is viewed as a high priority area for the organization. Lake Charles Charter Academy (LCCA) is the first school that CSUSA managed in Louisiana. The school opened in August 2011 serving a student population that is 83% free and reduced lunch and 88% minority, and exceeded the required performance targets established by BESE in order to open a second school in The LCCA first year performance allowed approval to be granted for CSUSA s second school in Louisiana, Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy, which opened in August 2012 in Lake Charles. In the academic year, the Foundation will partner with CSUSA to open Baton Rouge Charter Academy at Mid City. In addition CSUSA will work with another Louisiana based governing board, the Shreveport Charter Foundation, to open Magnolia School of Excellence, a K 8 charter school in Shreveport. 31 Page 31 of 40

34 While past scale efforts include entry to new states, a significant part of scaling involves growth in those states in which CSUSA already operates. CSUSA remains focused on growth in Florida, where the company is based. CSUSA s typical start up model is a K 8 school, however, the long term view of scaling includes the development of full K 12 systems with K 8 feeder schools to ensure that students who leave our eighth grade can continue their education at high schools that integrate a research based curriculum; culture of student safety and success; and concentration on academic rigor while focusing on citizenship and learning through community engagement. 6.1b Lessons learned. Include particular challenges and how they were addressed. Experience, by way of growth and expansion, has provided many important lessons. Each year after new schools have opened and are in progress, the corporate team, regional staff and school leaders perform an after action analysis where strengths and weaknesses are evaluated throughout the most recent new school opening process. Areas for improvement are documented and incorporated into the project plan and Standard Operating Procedures are refined to better support effective operations. Three key lessons CSUSA has learned from past scale efforts are described below: Key Lesson 1: Importance of scaling quickly, which allows us to get to critical mass faster than we might with a slower growth trajectory where only one new school is opened in a region per year. This is why the Foundation in partnership with CSUSA has laid out a multi year growth plan for multiple school openings in South Louisiana. CSUSA understands that it is more efficient to support a network of schools and deploy the appropriate resources when schools are clustered in a region. This also enables schools to be resources to one another as opposed to having single sites that may not have network schools within close proximity. Key Lesson 2: Regional support structures are necessary. Historically, CSUSA has been a very centralized organization from an operations and implementation standpoint. However, growth has shown us the importance of having resources both in the field and at the corporate headquarters. The recent reorganization at the corporate level includes enhanced regional supports across the education, business operations, development, and human resource verticals. Key Lesson 3: Hiring leadership teams (Principal, Asst. Principal, Deans, Curriculum Resource Teachers, Business Operations Managers and Registrars) earlier so that they can participate and fully engage in the new school opening process. Charter Schools USA has addressed this challenge by moving the hiring timelines up to achieve this goal of earlier onboarding. In addition, to hiring earlier, building a talent pipeline to hire the most capable school leaders has become increasingly important as we grow. One way we have addressed this challenge is by continuing to refine our Leading Edge program. The Leading Edge program is used to prepare internal candidates for advancement to the next level on their career path. As we grow, there is tremendous value in having people familiar with the organization, processes and support systems; it allows CSUSA to scale more effectively. A brief description of the Leading Edge program is provided below. Leading Edge ( LE ) is a rigorous internal professional development program infused with the culture, vision and mission of CSUSA. It is designed to develop and promote the highest performing school based educators and administrators and to prepare them for leadership opportunities throughout the network. This program is offered annually and is facilitated through the CSUSA corporate office. Leading Edge candidates must have performed in the top quartile of their school based on the previous year s final performance evaluation. Candidates follow an application and recommendation process and have met the criteria required for each level of training in order to be eligible to participate. The participants are selected by corporate office staff with final approval by the Vice President of Education and Chief Academic Officer. Currently, the Leading Edge program consists of three succession levels of training which are Level 1: Curriculum Resource Teacher (CRT), Level 2: Assistant Principal (AP)/Dean, and Level 3: Principal. The LE program offers a multifaceted professional training experience including classroom sessions led by current CSUSA leadership team members, webinars, development of an individualized professional growth plan, on the job training outside of regular responsibilities and participation in events supporting the overall growth of the organization. Upon successful completion of an annual LE program, the participants receive a certificate of completion and may apply to participate in the next level of training the following school year. Participants at Levels 2 and 3 become eligible to 32 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Page 32 of 40

35 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation interview through CSUSA s Leadership Assessment Centers (LAC) and to be considered for available leadership opportunities within the network. 6.2 Greatest new threats to success. The Foundation and Charter Schools USA both recognize that the single greatest threat to the organization and success of the schools is human capital. Without talented teachers and leaders, the proposed schools will not succeed in ensuring that students are college ready and meet Louisiana state standards. Another threat would be anything that hinders or limits CSUSA s ability to support regional growth. Finally, the ever changing political environment will always be a threat to charter operators across the country. Budget cuts and changes to charter law that negatively impact autonomy and the ability to implement our theory of change are realistic threats to the success of CSUSA s model. 6.3 Changes to the leadership personnel / structure of the organization over the last two years. CSUSA s leadership team has been remarkably stable throughout the recent waves of growth the company has experienced; the individuals comprising the core Senior Executive team have been in place for the past 7 years. However, CSUSA s leadership and organizational structure changed significantly over the past few years to enable the company to provide the appropriate regional levels of support as growth shifted beyond the state of Florida. To accommodate our growth we have increased our leadership team by adding new positions to the organizational structure: Vice President of Human Resources; Vice President of Operations; Executive Vice President of Strategy; a Turnaround leadership position to manage the portfolio of schools that include turnarounds and any underperforming start up schools; Director of Education Innovation; as well as implanting an organizational structure that includes more Regional roles in the field (as described below in Section 6.4). 6.4 Reflection on countermeasures to minimize the possibility of identified risks. While Charter School s USA recognizes the area of human capital as a significant operational threat, CSUSA has conducted extensive internal and external research to determine the most important elements in designing a work environment and culture to support employee performance, build morale, and promote student achievement. CSUSA developed a People First Plan and has implemented the plan at all of its schools; which serves as the framework for all employment policies and procedures. There are three components that create the framework of the plan: Performance Based Compensation In addition to competitive base salaries, compensates leaders and teachers according to performance based upon pre determined goals. For example, in the Foundation s Baton Rouge Charter Academy at Mid City (opening in August 2013), teachers will be eligible to participate in a bonus program that is structured as follows: a $250,000 bonus pool in year two, $300,000 in year three, $400,000 in year four and $500,000 in year five. A similar bonus structure would be implemented at the schools the Foundation proposes with this application Unparalleled Opportunity Recruit, induct, support and provide professional development and career opportunities Superior Culture Provide a Culture of Excellence CSUSA s ability to attract the highest quality leaders is evidenced by the March 7 th, 2013, announcement that Jacqueline Smith has joined the organization and will serve as the Co Principal at Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy. Jacqueline is the Louisiana 2012 Principal of the Year and she will serve as Co Principal at SWLA alongside Lorette Marie Bass. Bass has been an educator and leader in Lake Charles schools since In addition, the Principal at Lake Charles Charter Academy, Pamela Quebodeaux, was the Louisiana 2004 Principal of the Year as well as a 2005 National Distinguished Principal. To ensure that the schools have high quality teachers and leaders, CSUSA has built strong partnerships with organizations like Teach for America that can support the human capital needs. Especially as CSUSA focuses in lowincome communities, organizations like Teach for America provide additional training, support and career development to help teachers increase their impact and deepen their understanding of what it takes to eliminate educational inequity. 33 Page 33 of 40

36 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation In order to ensure that the appropriate regional support structure is in place, the organizational structure was recently reconfigured to ensure proper leadership and oversight in the field. The regional model includes the following roles: Regional Directors of Education Regional Directors of Education Turnaround Regional Business Operations Managers Regional SPED Compliance Coordinators Regional Directors of Development Regional Grant Compliance Specialists VP of Curriculum & Instruction In addition to the new positions above, a separate vertical has been created on the Chief Academic Officer s organization chart. In addition to the VP of Education and the VP of Curriculum & Instruction, there is a new Turnaround leadership role that will report directly to the Chief Academic Officer. This new Turnaround position will oversee the Regional Directors of Education, Principals, Assistant Principals and Human Resource staff that serve turnaround schools (e.g., Type 5 schools in Louisiana or underperforming start up schools that require the same level of intervention and structure that traditional turnarounds require. See Attachment B for organizational charts. CSUSA works closely with policy experts around the country to (a) help us understand where proposed legislation may pose a threat to our model and goals and (b) to educate lawmakers about school choice and the impact it can have on increasing educational outcomes in their communities. We remain accessible to work with leaders in executive and legislative branches of state governments in the states in which we operate. Relationship building and forming partnerships with national alliances that can speak on behalf of school choice and charter schools with a unified voice are some of the ways in which we mitigate the threat of a hostile political environment. Budget cuts are always a reality; however, proper financial management of our schools ensures that schools have positive fund balances, which can offset the impact of state or federal budget cuts. 34 Page 34 of 40

37 ATTACHMENT A Legal Disclosure The South Louisiana Charter Foundation CSUSA is currently involved in litigation which arose in the ordinary course of business. Except as described below, there is no litigation pending or, to the knowledge of management of CSUSA, threatened against, it or any affiliate which, if determined adversely to it or such affiliate, would individually or in the aggregate (after taking into account CSUSA s liability insurance program), have a material adverse effect on the financial position of CSUSA. For the school year, CSUSA maintained educator s professional liability coverage with a deductible of $25,000 per claim (applies to expense and indemnity). The Professional Liability Policy covered claims in the amount of $5,000,000 per occurrence and $5,000,000 in the aggregate. The base policy (General Liability) covered claims in the amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in the aggregate. Additionally, CSUSA maintained an umbrella policy in the amount of $10,000,000. As of July 1, 2011, CSUSA had zero outstanding professional liability claims, 3 open employment practices claims, and 6 open other claims. For the school year, CSUSA maintained educator s professional liability coverage with a deductible of $1,000 per claim (applies to indemnity only). The Professional Liability Policy covers claims in the amount of $2,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in the aggregate. The base policy (General Liability) covers claims in the amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in the aggregate. Additionally, CSUSA maintains an umbrella policy in the amount of $10,000,000 and an educator s legal liability policy in the amount of $2,000,000. As of July 1, 2012, CSUSA had an addition to the claim described in the second following paragraph, zero outstanding professional liability claims, zero unemployment practices claims and zero other claims. For the school year, CSUSA maintained educator s professional liability coverage with a deductible of $1, per claim (applies to indemnity only). The Professional Liability Policy covers claims in the amount of $2,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in the aggregate. The base policy (General Liability) covers claims in the amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $3,000,000 in the aggregate. Additionally, CSUSA maintains an umbrella policy in the amount of $10,000,000 and an educator s legal liability policy in the amount $2,000,000. As of October 15, 2012, CSUSA had an addition to the claim described in the following paragraph, zero outstanding professional liability claims, one employment practices claim and zero other claims. On July 2, 2012, CSUSA, a CSUSA management affiliate, a Miami Dade County charter school managed by such CSUSA management affiliate and a bus transportation service (collectively, the Defendants ) were named defendants in a civil lawsuit alleging negligence by the Defendants in connection with an alleged student on student sexual assault. The plaintiffs are seeking damages in an amount not less than $5,000,000. CSUSA disputes certain alleged facts in the complaint and intends to vigorously defend itself and its management affiliate. There can be no assurance what the outcome of this litigation will be, including the amount of any liability of CSUSA or its management affiliate. Such litigation, if determined adversely to CSUSA, could have a material adverse impact on CSUSA s financial condition and its ability to provide management service to the Schools through the Managers. 35 Page 35 of 40

38 CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER ORG CHART The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Chief Academic Officer Project Manager/ Executive Assistant VP of Education Turnaround VP of Curriculum & Instruction l Regional Directors HR Generalist Regional Directors MidWest HR Generalists Director of C & I Director of SPED Principals Education Quality Coordinator Principals Curriculum Specialists Data Analyst Regional SPED Compliance Coordinator Mid West Assistant Principals Assistant Principals Director of Innovation Curriculum Specialists Sr. Manager of Instructional Technology Virtual Page 36 of 40

39 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Regional Structure Corporate Departments/Functions Chief Operating Officer Regional Operations Director of Business Development Consultants Regional Business Op. Manager Director of Education Principals CRT s Other Department Team members located in Region: IT Facilities Grants Page 37 of 40

40 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation CEO Council President & CEO General Counsel Resident Counsel Strategic Issues Red Apple Development President Chief Academic Officer Chief Operating Officer Chief Financial Officer Strategic Issues Administrative Issues Administrative Issues VP of Finance EVP Strategic Planning VP of School Operations VP of Human Resources EVP Business Development Executive Council Page 38 of 40

41 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation LA IN IL GA FL School School Code Year Opened Grades Served Address City State Zip Phone Building Capacity Enrollment Capacity Enrollment Charter Authorizer Governing Board School Grade 1 1 Renaissance Elementary Charter School RECS 1999 K N.W. 19 Street Doral FL (305) Miami Dade Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A FL City of Coral Springs Charter School 2 Coral Springs Charter School CSCS North University Drive Coral Springs (954) Broward County Public Schools Advisory Board A 2 3 Four Corners Charter School FCCS 2000 K Teacher Lane Davenport FL (407) Osceola County Public Schools Four Corners Charter School, Inc. A 4 North Broward Academy of Excellence NBAE 2001 K SW 17th Street North Lauderdale FL (954) Broward County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 5 Bonita Springs Charter School BSCS 2002 K Bernwood Drive Bonita Springs FL (239) Lee County Public Schools Lee Charter Foundation, Inc. A FL Downtown Miami Charter School, 6 Downtown Miami Charter School DMCS 2002 K NW 3rd Avenue Miami (305) Miami Dade Public Schools Inc. A FL Aventura City of Excellence School 7 Aventura City of Excellence School ACES 2003 K NE 188th St Aventura (305) Miami Dade Public Schools Advisory Board A 8 Gateway Charter School GCS 2003 K Commonwealth Drive Fort Myers FL (239) Lee County Public Schools Lee Charter Foundation, Inc. A 9 Gateway Intermediate Charter School GICS Commonwealth Drive Fort Myers FL (239) Lee County Public Schools Lee Charter Foundation, Inc. A 10 Cape Coral Charter School CCCS 2003 K 8 76 Mid Cape Terrace Cape Coral FL (239) Lee County Public Schools Lee Charter Foundation, Inc. B FL Florida Charter Educational 11 Keys Gate Charter School KGCS 2003 K SE 28 Avenue Homestead (305) Miami Dade Public Schools Foundation, Inc. B 12 Gateway Charter High School GCHS Gateway Blvd. Fort Myers FL (239) Lee County Public Schools Lee Charter Foundation, Inc. A 2 13 Hollywood Academy of Arts & Science HAAS 2005 K Harrison Street Hollywood FL (954) Broward County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 14 Hollywood Academy of Arts & Science Middle HAASM Harrison Street Hollywood FL (954) Broward County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 15 North Broward Academy of Excellence Middle NBAEM SW 17th Street North Lauderdale FL (954) Broward County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 16 Renaissance Middle Charter School RMCS NW 33 St. Miami FL (305) Miami Dade Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 17 Six Mile Charter Academy SMCA 2005 K Lancer Ave Ft. Myers FL (239) Lee County Public Schools Lee Charter Foundation, Inc. A FL Education Foundation of Osceola 18 Canoe Creek Charter Academy CCCA 2009 K Canoe Creek Road St. Cloud (407) Osceola County Public Schools County, Inc. B FL Education Foundation of Osceola 19 P.M. Wells Charter Academy PMWCA 2009 K Remington Blvd. Kissimmee (321) Osceola County Public Schools County, Inc. B 20 Renaissance Charter School of St. Lucie RCSSL 2009 K NW Cashmere Blvd Port St. Lucie FL (772) St. Lucie County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. B 21 Duval Charter School at Arlington DCSA 2010 K Bell Tel Way Jacksonville FL (904) Duval County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. C 22 Duval Charter High School at Bay Meadows DCSH Baymeadows Way Jacksonville FL (904) Duval County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 23 Duval Charter School at Bay Meadows DCSB 2011 K Baymeadows Way Jacksonville FL (904) Duval County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 24 Keys Gate Charter High School KGCHS SE 28th Avenue Homestead FL (786) Miami Dade Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 25 Renaissance Charter School at Coral Springs RCSCS 2011 K W Sample Road Coral Springs FL (954) Broward County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. A 26 Renaissance Charter School of Plantation RCSP 2011 K West Sunrise Blvd. Plantation FL (954) Broward County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. B 27 Winthrop Charter School WIN 2011 K Scholars Hill Lane Riverview FL (813) Hillsborough County Public Schools Bay Area Charter Foundation, Inc. C 28 Woodmont Charter School WOOD 2011 K N 56th St Temple Terrace FL (813) Hillsborough County Public Schools Bay Area Charter Foundation, Inc. D 29 Renaissance Charter School at Cooper City COOP 2012 K North Palm Ave. Cooper City FL (954) Broward County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. 30 Governors Charter Academy GOV 2012 K Mahan Dr. Tallahassee FL (850) School Board of Leon County Renaissance Charter School, Inc. FL Florida Charter Educational 31 Henderson Hammock Charter School HEND 2012 K Henderson Rd Tampa (813) Hillsborough County Public Schools Foundation, Inc. 32 Renaissance Charter School at Chickasaw Trail CHIC 2012 K Valencia College Lane Orlando FL (321) School Board of Orange County Renaissance Charter School, Inc. 33 Renaissance Charter School at Poinciana POIN 2012 K Robert McLane Blvd. Kissimmee FL (407) Osceola County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. 34 Renaissance Charter School at West Palm Beach WEST 2012 K Palm Beach Lakes Blvd West Palm Beach FL (561) School Board of Palm Beach County Renaissance Charter School, Inc. 35 Renaissance Charter School at University UNIV 2012 K North University Drive Tamarac FL (954) Broward County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. 36 Manatee Charter School MANA 2012 K th Street East Bradenton FL (941) School Board of Manatee County Lee Charter Foundation, Inc. 37 ivirtual League Academy IVLA Business Center Lane Kissimmee FL (407) Osceola County Public Schools Renaissance Charter School, Inc. GA Georgia Charter Educational 38 Coweta Charter Academy at Senoia CCAS 2010 K East Highway 16 Senoia (770) Georgia Department of Education Foundation, Inc. N/A 3 GA Georgia Charter Educational 39 Cherokee Charter Academy CHER 2011 K Sixes Road Canton (678) Georgia Department of Education Foundation, Inc. N/A 3 40 CICS Larry Hawkins HAWK E 133rd Place Chicago IL (773) Chicago International Charter Schools 41 CICS Lloyd Bond BOND 2012 K S Langley Chicago IL (773) Chicago International Charter Schools 42 CICIS Longwood LONG W. 95th Street Chicago IL (773) Chicago International Charter Schools 43 CICS Loomis Primary LOOM 2012 K S. Loomis Avenue Chicago IL (773) Chicago International Charter Schools 44 Emma Donnan Middle School EMMA East Troy Avenue Indianapolis IN (317) Indiana Department of Education 45 Emmerich Manual High School EMAN Madison Avenue Indianapolis IN (317) Indiana Department of Education 46 TC Howe High School HOWE Julian Avenue Indianapolis IN (317) Indiana Department of Education LA Lake Charles Charter Academy 47 Lake Charles Charter Academy LCCA 2011 K Power Center Parkway Lake Charles (337) Louisiana Department of Education Foundation, Inc. SPS 83 LA Southwest Louisiana Charter 48 Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy SWLCA 2012 K Power Center Parkway Lake Charles (337) Louisiana Department of Education Foundation, Inc. Notes: is the most recent school year for which grades are available. Charter Schools USA opened 18 schools in ; new schools will not yet have a school grade or fund balance. 2. FL school grades for high schools are preliminary. 3. The state of Georgia does not have a school grading system. 4. The state of Louisiana does not have a school grading system. Page 39 of 40

42 The South Louisiana Charter Foundation Local Implementers ATTACHMENT D Job Descriptions CSUSA Corporate Regional Curriculum Resource Teachers assigned to schools to support in analyzing program effectiveness, conduct professional development, and monitor performance. They work with instructors to refine instructional strategies and differentiated instructional techniques, and ensure implementation of the CSUSA Educational Model. Regional SPED Compliance Coordinator supervise and coordinate with all Midwest employees in the Special Education Department. Assist in overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of Special Education Department. Regional Business Operation Managers (RBOM) manage overall business related activities within a designated geographical area or cluster of schools; hire and trains school based BOMs in their region; ensure school based BOMs are trained in financial policies and procedures. VP of Curriculum & Instruction oversee curriculum implementation technology, and Special Education while providing curriculum training and support to teachers. Conducts ongoing staff development, performs periodic classroom visitations, collects and reports quarterly student data, and monitors curriculum and tutoring programs. VP of School Operations Develops, implements, monitors and continuously improves school level, system wide processes. Ensures corporate business and operational support services are properly executed at the school level. Maximizes safe, efficient and effective school operations. School Principal serves as educational leader of the school; develops and coordinates educational programs in accordance with CSUSA and state standards; supervises the school s instructional programs. Regional Directors of Education oversee school principals in a given region and serve as the key point person for troubleshooting, mentoring, and accountability. VP of Education provides leadership and support for the Education team. Manages Directors of Education, Managers, Curriculum Specialists. Coordinates staff development. Represents the Education Team at various meetings. CSUSA s organizational structure ensures that school operations are supported by a combination of field based regional staff and staff members based at the corporate headquarters in Florida. Page 40 of 40