High School Transformation Goals

1
High School Transformation Goals

• Open up to 24 new secondary schools over 4 years
• 1. College-prep programs
• Ensure college readiness, acceptance and success
  
• 2. School-to-career education programs
• Academic and Career focused options that link
  closely with
• community employment needs and opportunities for
  young people
• 3. Alternative/ dropout prevention specialty
  programs
• Alternative education options that particularly
  address the issues of over age students and
  students at risk

2
Implementation Plan for New Schools

• Two grades of students (beginning with 6 and 9,
  80 students per grade) and 1 school leader
• Plan builds on the macro-level scaffolding being
  created in the district
• Key autonomy required for success of new schools
• Financial (Per Pupil Funding and start up funds)
• Operational (Relationship with Operator)
• Programmatic (Choose staff, build team, choose
  focus)
• Staffing (under constraints of contract)

3
Implementation Plan for New Schools

• SY 2008 -09
• Five new Transformation Schools opened
  Friendship Academy of Science and Technology,
  Friendship Academy of Engineering and Technology,
  REACH Partnership, Baltimore Civitas, and KASA
• One conversion school Baltimore Freedom Academy,
  a charter high school, added middle grades

4
Overview of Transformation School Process Cycle
II

• RFI issued for 2009 and 2010 applicants on
  January 4th
• Received 14 applications for 2009
• 14 interviews held with applicants
• Site visits completed
• 7 applicants recommended (to open 9 schools)

5
Evaluation Methodology

• Rubric for evaluation of written application
  focused on three key metrics
• Organizational Capacity/ Readiness
• Organizational experience, efficacy of model, and
  demonstrated track record in implementation
• Organizational expertise working in Baltimore or
  with youth in similar cities

6
Transformation School Recommendations

• For School Year 2009 10
• 3 Alternative Schools
• 6 College Preparatory Schools
• Next year will focus on the cultivation of
  partnerships with local industry/organizations
  for the development of additional career pathway
  school options

7
Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women

• Recommendation Open 1 school in Fall 2009
• Type of school College Prep
• Theme of school All girls school focused on
  STEM and female adolescent and leadership
  development
• Prior experience Modeled on the New York
  Foundation which runs 4 schools
• Results in NYC
• East Harlem Site
• 1 graduation rate in NYC (100 in 2006 and 97
  in 2007)
• 100 of the June 2007 graduates accepted to
  college
• 79 of girls are first generation college
  students.
• 100 of 7th graders passed the 2007 state ELA and
  Math exams
• January 2008 - one of only 25 high schools that
  received the Chancellor award for top-performing
  schools (top 5 of high schools in city).
• 2 Queens sites
• Both schools outperformed their peers in the
  region by 20 and 13 respectively on the 2007
  ELA and Math exams.

8
Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women

• Instructional Strengths of proposal
• Early College and AP level courses
• Inquiry based instruction
• Full integration of technology
• Experience with CTE programming 3 CTE strands -
  Engineering Technology Academy, Environmental
  Science Academy and Bioscience and Medical
  Science Academy.
• PD program with time built into their day and
  proposed calendar for assessment data review

9
Institute for Student Achievement and Success for
All

• Recommendation Open 1 school in Fall 2009
• Type of program College Prep
• Experience ISA currently has 57 partner schools
  in NYC, NJ, Atlanta and East Baton Rouge. SFA
  works with school curriculum all over the US and
  internationally.
• Partnerships Institute for Student Achievement
  and Success for All will be the instructional
  partners with this school. There will not be a
  school operator.

10
Institute for Student Achievement and Success for
All

• Instructional Strengths
• Intensive school supports provided by partners
• On- site expert coaching a minimum of one day per
  week
• Customized professional development including
  content area coaching
• Annual three day residential summer institute for
  instructional teams along with other ISA schools
• Multi day winter institutes for teachers,
  counselor and school leaders
• Formative student assessments and training for
  staff
• Dynamic leadership network who meet bi-monthly
• Strong focus on inquiry based instruction to
  engage students
• Strong focus on helping teachers use data to
  support their instruction
• Extended school day and year
• Daily PD with teachers together staff becomes
  members in a national network of schools and
  teachers.

11
College Board

• Recommendation Open 2 schools in Fall 2009
• Type of School College Prep
• Theme of school College Prep
• Prior experience
• Opened 1st 2 schools in 2004 in NY. As of
  SY08-09, 15 schools in NY
• By 11th grade 60 of students had passed 3 or
  more Regents Exams.
• Over 80 of students at both high schools with
  seniors applied to 2 year or 4 year colleges.
• Working with high risk populations, College Board
  middle schools in general outperformed state
  average in ELA and Math in all but one cohort.

12
College Board

• Instructional strengths
• Extensive curriculum map and plan to develop a
  college-going culture for all students.
• Strong experience in and a very good
  understanding of what is needed to create a
  college bound culture.
• Collaborative leadership training with principals
  and school staff.
• Learning environment with clear focus on
  maintaining high expectations and rigorous
  instruction.
• Commitment to offering Advanced Placement
  programs.
• Strong college counseling and individual advisory
  program including school tours etc.
• Advisory, Peer Mentoring, Conflict Resolution and
  Peer Mediation programs

13
One Bright Ray

• Recommendation Open 1 school in Fall 2009
• Type of school Alternative
• Specialty area Specialized needs of over-age,
  under-credited students
• Prior Experience
• 4 schools in Philadelphia
• Over 20 of operators employees are graduates of
  their programs/schools.
• 80 graduation rate.
• 100 of students have transition plan when
  exiting schools.

14
One Bright Ray

• Instructional Strengths
• One of the few alternative programs that does not
  use a computer program as the primary tool for
  credit recovery.
• Teacher recruitment is mission-focused.
• Individualized education for all students.
• Project-based learning.
• Courses that go beyond the core credits,
  including art and music.

15
Diploma Plus

• Recommendation Open 2 schools in Fall 2009
• Type of school Alternative
• Specialty area Specialized needs of over-age,
  under-credited students
• Prior Experience
• Combined, East Coast DP sites had a graduation
  rate (from the Plus Phase) of 90.2.
• 82 of DP graduates across all sites were
  accepted into and planning to attend college
  (equal numbers for 2 4 yr. schools)
• In the sites with the infrastructure to track
  students, 70 of DP graduates entered college
  within a year after graduation.
• 75 of students earn a C or better in college
  level courses taken in the Plus Phase.

16
Diploma Plus

• Instructional Strengths
• Flexible instructional model can work with new
  and conversion schools.
• Principal participation in early school planning
  and implementation of the instructional model is
  a pre-requisite.
• Experience and success with rapid expansion.
• Plus year ensures that 100 of students leave
  school with a transition plan i.e. college or
  career connections.

17
NACA

• Recommendation Open 1 school in Fall 2009
• Type of School College Prep
• Theme of school Freedom and Democracy
• Prior experience
• Opened 1 charter school in 2005. School made AYP
  in 2008 and overall performance has been rising
  since the schools inception.

18
NACA

• Instructional Strengths
• The Freedom and Democracy curriculum being
  developed by NACA is very strong. The connections
  to civil rights leaders and institutions are
  compelling. The kind of coursework being proposed
  would be a strong addition to our portfolio of
  school options.
• NACA has already identified their proposed school
  leader, who will lead the efforts to plan the
  school over the next year.
• Track record of success in Baltimore and intimate
  knowledge of operating a school within BCPS.

19
Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy

• Recommendation Open 1 school in Fall 2009
• Type of School College Prep
• Theme of school Science, Technology,
  Engineering and Math for all boys
• Prior experience
• Opened 1st charter school in Baltimore in 2007.
  School made AYP in Year one (one of only three
  middle schools in Baltimore to achieve this
  standard).

20
Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy

• Instructional Strengths
• Plan for all 8th graders to take Algebra and 12th
  graders to take Calculus and Physics
• Partnerships with Morgan State University, and
  UMBC for professional development for teachers
• School made AYP in first year of operation
• Track record of success in Baltimore and intimate
  knowledge of operating a school within BCPS.