2012-2013 Charter Schools Office AAA Report

2012-2013 Charter Schools Office AAA Report Academic Achievement Analysis Shaping Their Future: Choice Quality Achievement

2012-2013 CHARTER SCHOOLS OFFICE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT ANALYSIS 2012 MEAP Performance Rankings Michigan s Top 50 Charter Schools... 2 2012 MEAP Performance Rankings Detroit s Top 20 Charter Schools... 3 Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) MAP Data... 4 Learning Initiatives...5 Photo on cover courtesy of Daymon J. Hartley. Colleagues, This year the Michigan State Board of Education found Grand Valley State University to be the top charter school authorizer in the state. Data shows that GVSU charter school students perform at higher proficiency levels than students in non-gvsu charter schools. In the 2012-2013 Academic Achievement Analysis (AAA) report, we present the academic performance of our entire portfolio of schools, bringing light to the high level of success found in our schools. As an authorizer, we are often evaluated by the academic performance of the schools within our portfolio. Subsequently, we view our schools as our partners in education and attempt to assist them in the teaching and learning process. We believe this approach is vital and work with charter school board members, administrators, and teachers to ensure students are provided with exceptional opportunities for educational maturation. We offer professional development workshops that focus on student learning in areas of differentiated instruction, reading, formative assessment, college readiness, administrative, technological learning instruction, and the use of data to drive instruction. Additionally, GVSU funds the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test to annually assess a student s fall-to-spring academic growth. We also fund the Curriculum Crafter program, which aligns a school curriculum with the Michigan Performance Standards. We pay the annual fee should a school decide to engage in the North Central Association School Accreditation process, and we offer a 50 percent tuition reimbursement to our member schools faculty willing to pursue a graduate study program in GVSU s College of Education. Grand Valley also has worked to solidify its presence in Detroit. This spring marked the opening of the GVSU Detroit Center, located in downtown Detroit. The building will allow GVSU to work in close proximity with its 31 charter schools on the East side of the state, strengthening the partnerships that have already been developed. Furthermore, it will provide professional development sessions and graduate courses to the 900 Detroit-area charter school teachers. We feel strongly about such partnerships and the opportunities we have created to enhance student learning. The embedded programs offered by the Grand Valley staff have tremendously enriched those partnerships. Staff members assist teachers with reading development, classroom management, data-driven instruction, and instructional technology training. We strive to continue these programs, which have been instrumental to the improved student performance in our schools and the catalyst to our state-wide growth and success. Sincerely, Timothy H. Wood, Ph.D. Special Assistant to the President for Charter Schools 1

2012 MEAP PERFORMANCE RANKINGS Michigan s Top 50 Charter Schools Rank School Name % Proficient Authorizer 1 Canton Charter Academy 84.8% 2 Achieve Charter Academy 79.7% 3 South Arbor Charter Academy 79.4% 4 Cross Creek Charter Academy 76.0% 5 Plymouth Scholars Charter Academy 73.6% 6 Holly Academy 73.5% 7 South Canton Scholars Charter Academy 73.5% 8 Black River Public School 73.0% 9 Chandler Woods Charter Academy 73.0% 10 11 Eagle Crest Charter Academy Mt. Clemens Montessori Academy 72.5% 70.9% 12 West MI Academy of Arts and Academics 70.1% 13 Vanguard Charter Academy 69.5% 14 Charyl Stockwell Academy - High School 69.0% 15 Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy 68.2% Northern Michigan University 16 Chatfield School 68.0% Saginaw Valley State University 17 Honey Creek Community School 67.6% Washtenaw ISD 18 Keystone Academy 66.1% 19 Innocademy 65.4% Lake Superior State University 20 21 Oakland Academy Charyl Stockwell Academy 64.6% 63.2% 22 AGBU Alex-Marie Manoogian School 63.0% 23 Walker Charter Academy 62.4% 24 Noor International Academy 62.2% 25 Midland Academy of Advanced and Creative Studies 62.1% 26 West MI Academy of Environmental Science 62.1% 27 Excel Charter Academy 62.0% 28 Island City Academy 61.5% 29 Martin Luther King, Jr. Education Center Academy 60.7% Detroit City School District 30 31 Grand Traverse Academy Vanderbilt Charter Academy 60.1% 59.5% Lake Superior State University 32 Triumph Academy 59.2% 33 Hamtramck Academy 59.0% 34 Woodland School 58.8% Saginaw Valley State University 35 Merritt Academy 58.8% Saginaw Valley State University 36 Paramount Charter Academy 58.7% 37 Creative Montessori Academy 58.4% Wayne RESA 38 Knapp Charter Academy 58.4% 39 Concord Academy-Petoskey 57.4% Lake Superior State University 40 41 Marshall Academy Byron Center Charter School 57.3% 57.0% Ferris State University 42 Huron Academy 56.4% Ferris State University 43 Four Corners Montessori Academy 55.8% Oakland University 44 American Montessori Academy Upper Elementary 55.7% 45 Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center 55.2% Grand Rapids Public Schools 46 Ann Arbor Learning Community 55.1% Eastern Michigan University 47 The Greenspire School 55.0% Traverse City Area Public Schools 48 East Arbor Charter Academy 54.7% 49 Windemere Park Charter Academy 54.6% 50 Detroit Merit Charter Academy 54.4% Top charter schools by authorizer: At Achieve Academy, we consistently evaluate and adjust our instructional practice to meet GVSU 15 (30%) SVSU 3 (6%) NMU 1 (2%) the needs of our students. We believe through our focus on results, using our data to drive CMU 12 (24%) FSU 2 (4%) OU 1 (2%) instruction, and continually defining what high quality teacher and learning means to us, BMCC 7 (14%) DPS 1 (2%) TCAPS 1 (2%) LSSU 3 (6%) EMU 1 (2%) WISD 1 (2%) our students succeed. We work collaboratively to create an environment that our students, GRPS 1 (2%) WRESA 1 (2%) staff and families can be proud to be a part of. Notes: JENNIFER CONLEY PRINCIPAL, AChIEvE ChARTER ACADEMy 1. Tests weighted by N valid tests 2. MEAP math and reading only 3. MDE Public MEAP Results downloaded 8/8/2013 2

2012 MEAP PERFORMANCE RANKINGS Detroit s Top 20 Charter Schools Eight of the top 20 charter schools in Detroit are authorized by, the most of any authorizer in the state. Rank School Name % Proficient Authorizer 1 Martin Luther King, Jr. Education Center Academy 60.7% Detroit City School District 2 Detroit Merit Charter Academy 54.4% 3 Detroit Edison Public School Academy 54.1% Oakland University 4 Ross-Hill Academy-Elementary 54.0% Detroit City School District 5 University Preparatory Science and Math (PSAD) Middle 53.7% 6 University Preparatory Academy (PSAD) Elementary - Mark Murray 47.1% 7 Detroit Service Learning Academy 41.5% Lake Superior State University 8 Oakland International Academy - Elementary 41.4% Saginaw Valley State University 9 Detroit Premier Academy 38.1% 10 Madison-Carver Academy 37.1% 11 Oakland International Academy - Intermediate 37.1% Saginaw Valley State University 12 University Preparatory Academy (PSAD) - Middle 36.9% 13 Dove Academy of Detroit 35.7% Oakland University 14 Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit 34.0% 15 Bridge Academy West 33.3% Ferris State University 16 University Preparatory Academy (PSAD) - Elementary - Ellen Thompson 32.6% 17 Warrendale Charter Academy 32.1% 18 Hope of Detroit Academy 32.0% Ferris State University 19 Flagship Charter Academy 32.0% 20 George Crockett Academy 32.0% Ferris State University Top charter schools by authorizer: Notes: GVSU 8 (40%) DPS 2 (10%) LSSU 1 (5%) 1. Tests weighted by N valid tests FSU 3 (15%) OU 2 (10%) 2. MEAP math and reading only CMU 2 (10%) SVSU 2 (10%) 3. MDE Public MEAP Results downloaded 8/8/2013 Grand valley charter schools are neighborhood partners. Their results are built on foundations developed by a deep understanding of community need. From application to charter renewal, Grand valley s Detroit-area charter schools exemplify what it means to be neighborhood schools. ROB KIMBALL SENIoR DIRECToR of operations AND PoLICy, GvSu ChARTER SChooLS office 3

MEASuRING PERFORMANCE: GROwTH DATA GVSU charter schools students in grades 2-8 use the Northwest Evaluation Association s computer adaptive Measure of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) to measure instructional growth in reading, language usage, and math. When used multiple times each school year, the test provides a remarkably accurate measure of student growth relative to the nearly 7 million students across the nation who also take this innovative test. The graph below displays the median gain percentile rank for all GVSU charter schools. NWEA MAP provides teachers an opportunity to individualize instruction offering academic support and challenging enrichment opportunities to all students. Amanda Dickens, Principal, Forest Academy I feel that NWEA MAP does a great job pinpointing the areas of concern with each and every student. I find the information useful when designing small group lessons. Laura Becklar, 3rd Grade Teacher, Oakland Academy 2012-2013 Fall-to-Spring NwEA MAP Median Gains Percentile for GVSu Portfolio of Schools Grade language usage math reading 2 60 th percentile 84 th percentile 75 th percentile 3 75 th percentile 71 st percentile 66 th percentile 4 54 th percentile 76 th percentile 80 th percentile 5 57.5 th percentile 78.5 th percentile 79 th percentile 6 82.5 th percentile 68.5 th percentile 78.5 th percentile 7 71 st percentile 76 th percentile 77 th percentile 8 81 st percentile 81 st percentile 80 th percentile Percentile 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 99 4

LEARNING INITIATIVES Evidence Based Literacy Instruction (EBLI): Developing Skilled Readers wendy Miller Jill weber E-learning in the Classroom: Engaging Students Through Technology Dan warren Wendy Miller and Jill Weber, both reading intervention specialists, are also official trainers of Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction (EBLI), a highly effective model of reading instruction that has shown to increase reading proficiency, fluency, and comprehension. In the 2013-14 school year, they will train 80 GVSU teachers in 21 schools EBLI methods that focus on the context of words and breaking each word down to its phonetic make-up. The goal is to teach students the process of segmenting, blending, and manipulating the English language, allowing them to use these strategies independently on their way to becoming fluent, skilled readers and writers. Jill and Wendy also provide many workshops and in-school trainings in Guided Reading, DIBELS Next, Common Core Resources, Five Essential Components of Reading, RtI, and Book Studies. Technology advancement creates opportunities for classroom teachers to enhance instruction through various e-learning tools. We live in an age of digital learning. Students are engaged in technology use at a much younger age and have grown more comfortable pursuing interests, collecting information, and communicating through easily accessible Web-based systems. Dan Warren assists teachers with integrating e-learning in their classrooms by providing teachers with easy to implement and safe to use Web-based learning opportunities that complement classroom instruction. Dan brings 38 years of education experience to the GVSU Charter Schools Office. He served as a school administrator for 25 years most recently as a middle school principal for Rockford Public Schools. Dan also has several years experience serving on state committees associated with school improvement, accreditation, and recognition. Classroom Management Best Practices: Student Engagement Clinical Observations Dan Matthews Challenging students can often dismiss their responsibility as learners and become disengaged in the classroom. Dan Matthews has 38 years of classroom management and behavioral management experience and offers student engagement clinical observations to all of GVSU s charter schools. Dan works with instructors to investigate teaching characteristics that improve levels of student engagement with entire classrooms as well as individual students. Dan s observations focus on six specific classroom aspects: student engagement, classroom dialogue, activity sampling, male/female student engagement, pre-lesson student engagement, and lesson engagement. From the observations in these focus areas, he provides a reflective conversation about the instructor s strengths and areas of improvement related to student engagement levels. Each instructor is provided an opportunity to have three clinical observation sessions during the school year. In the 2012-2013 school year, Dan observed more than 2,000 students in an active learning setting. understanding NwEA/MAP Data Helps Drive Instruction Assessment Specialist Lissa Brunan helps teachers and administrators understand Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) data and how to apply it to classroom instruction. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments adapt to individual students and identify their instructional level so teachers know what skills and concepts they are ready to learn. Lissa Brunan Lissa discusses how to use the data to focus instruction on students unique learning needs. She identifies valuable resources, such as DesCartes: A Continuum of Learning and the Lexile Framework for Reading to increase student growth. She talks about how to effectively use NWEA reports such as the Teacher Report, Class by RIT Report, Student Progress Report, and the ASG Report, among others, as well as how to successfully navigate the NWEA website to locate key resources. By modeling good teaching strategies, delivering content in manageable and logical pieces, and sharing helpful resources, Lissa creates an engaging, honest, and productive environment for those who want to utilize NWEA data. 5

Leadership Coaching Gregory Dale, Ph.D. The Charter Schools Office (CSO) is inviting deans, principals, and assistant principals from GVSU-authorized charter schools to the Leadership Coaching seminar featuring keynote speaker Gregory Dale, Ph.D. Dale is a professor of Sport Psychology and Sport Ethics at Duke University and the director of the Sport Psychology and Leadership Programs for Duke Athletics. As an expert on leadership and performance, he has written four books and the scripts for 13 videos related to the subject. Dale also has worked as a consultant for organizations and corporations around the world including The World Bank, Habitat for Humanity International, Airports Council International, Pfizer, and SKANSKA International. He has been featured on numerous radio and television programs including Good Morning America and MSNBC. The Charter Schools Office is proud to present the Leadership Coaching seminars featuring Gregory Dale, Ph.D. The seminar will be held twice during the 2013-2014 school year: once in September and again in March. The Learning Network Enters Fourth Year of Operation We believe that high-quality education to students of all backgrounds starts with strong leadership in our charter schools. The Charter Schools Office introduced an effective leadership development program, the Learning Network, in the 2010-2011 school year and is continuing into the 2013-2014 school year. To develop the Learning Network, the CSO partnered with The Education Trust, which promotes high academic achievement for all students at all levels, from prekindergarten through college. Its goal is to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement that hold young people back especially those from low-income families and minority groups. The Learning Network program develops and supports leadership teams to improve overall achievement and to close achievement gaps through the targeted improvement of learning and teaching. Over the past three years, leaders from each GVSU-authorized charter school have participated in a series of workshops and ongoing discussions focused on improving the practice of teaching. Under the leadership of Richard Lemons, Ph.D, the Learning Network has been instrumental in building the capacity and improving the performance of GVSU s portfolio of charter schools. Within the Learning Network, leaders develop an understanding of effective teaching; design strategic school improvement strategies with the support of their colleagues and Grand Valley staff members; network with peer school leadership teams; and collaborate on shared operational issues. The Learning Network s precision focus on improving teaching, learning, and sustainable leadership has been praised by staff members and participants. As the program enters its fourth year of operation, the Learning Network, led by Richard Lemons, Ph.D., of LeadingEdPractice, LLC, hopes to maintain momentum and further the excellence of Grand Valley s portfolio of charter schools. Improving schools is complex, challenging work that demands the best of us as educational leaders. unfortunately, in America many principals and teachers toil in isolation, separated from others struggling with common problems. The purpose of the Learning Network is to create a community of leaders across the participating schools in an effort of providing much-needed leadership support and development a place where we can refine and enhance our capacity to improve schools and classrooms in order to improve student outcomes. RICHARD LEMONS, PH.D. PRINCIPAL, LEADINGEDPRACTICE, LLC 6

Knows Education Grand Valley is recognized as one of America s Top Colleges by Forbes. For the 17th year in a row, Grand Valley was named one of America s 100 Best College Buys by Institutional Research and Evaluation, Inc. GVSU s Seidman College of Business named one of the nation s best business schools by The Princeton Review 2013. GVSU was awarded the gold medal in the AASHE assessment and rating system in 2013. s Seidman College of Business is named one of The Best 296 Business Schools for 2013 by The Princeton Review. Grand Valley is a good investment for the state. Nearly 85 percent of recent graduates are employed or pursuing advanced degrees; of those working, 90 percent are employed in Michigan. Grand Valley is ranked 13th among U.S. master s degree-granting institutions for total number of study abroad students, according to the Institute of International Education in New York. During the 2012-2013 academic year Grand Valley had nearly 700 students study abroad. Grand Valley attracts the best and the brightest. The middle 50 percent of Grand Valley s Fall 2012 entering class earned high school GPAs ranging from 3.2 to 3.8 and ACT scores of 21 to 26. Charter Schools Office Bicycle Factory 201 Front Avenue SW Suite 310 Grand Rapids, MI 49504 Phone: (616) 331-2240 Fax: (616) 331-2085 Website: www.gvsucso.org Timothy H. Wood, Ph.D. Special Assistant to the President for Charter Schools Printed on paper manufactured with electricity in the form of renewable energy (wind, hydro, and biogas), and includes 10% postconsumer recovered fiber. is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. It encourages diversity and provides equal opportunity in education, employment, all of its programs, and the use of its facilities. It is committed to protecting the constitutional and statutory civil rights of persons connected with the university. 9/13 2013. 6743