1.SPCSA Charter Proposal Cover Sheet

STATEPUBLICCHARTERSCHOOLAUTHORITY

2018CALLFORQUALITYCHARTERSCHOOLSWINTERCYCLEREQUESTFORPROPOSALS

SchoolsOpeningFall2019andBeyond

MS WordApplicationTemplate

ApplicationTrackD:ExperiencedNon-ProfitCMOApplicant

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1.SPCSA Charter Proposal Cover Sheet

Identify the primary point of contact for your team. Barring a change in the makeup of the founding group, this will likely be the liaison identified in the Notice of Intent. This individual will serve as the contact for all communications, scheduling, and notices regarding your application. The Primary Contact is expected to ensure that your team receives all general communications promptly.Please note that, as with all aspects of your application, names and contact information of the Primary Contact will become public information. Please note that neither the Primary Contact nor any other member of the Committee to Form may be an employee of a proposed vendor, including an educational management organization.

Primary contact person:
Mailing address:
Street/PO Box:
City: / State / Zip
Phone Number: / day / evening
Fax Number: / Email:
Name of team or entity applying:

Track A

Track B

Track C

Track D

Provide a brief description of your school that includes the name, the mission, grades served and other information you would like to include in a brief communication of this type. Your description will be used by the sponsor to provide information to the public about applicants and, for approved schools, new charter schools.

Names, roles, and current employment of all persons on applicant team (add lines as needed):

Full Name / Current Job Title and Employer / Position with Proposed School

Does this applicant team, charter management organization, or education management organization have charter school applications under consideration by any other authorizer(s) in the United States? Yes No

If yes, complete the table below, adding lines as needed.

State / Authorizer / Proposed School Name / Application Due Date / Decision Date

Does this applicant team, charter management organization, or education management organization have new schools scheduled to open elsewhere in the United States in the 2015-16 or 2016-17 school years? Yes No

If yes, complete the table below, adding lines as needed.

Proposed School Name / City / State / Opening Date

School Name (add lines as needed):

Proposed School Name(s)* / Opening Year / Grades served Year 1 / Grades served at capacity

(a)Planned Enrollment (Must Correspond to Budget Worksheet Assumptions)

2019-20 / 2020-21 / 2021-22 / 2022-23 / 2023-24 / 2024-25
K
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Total

Nevada law currently permits an operator to contract with for-profit and non-profit education management organizations and education service providers.

Does the proposed school intend to contract or partner with an education management organization (EMO) or education service provider (ESP) or other organization to provide school management services? Yes No
If yes, identify the EMO/ESP:

Effective January 1, 2016, Nevada law permits authorizers to enter into charter contracts to nonprofit charter management organizations which directly hold a charter in another state as well as to Nevada non-profit corporations formed for the purpose of applying for a charter in conjunction with such a CMO.

Is the applicant for the proposed school a charter management organization (CMO) or a Nevada non-profit corporation formed for the purpose of applying for a charter in conjunction with a CMO? Yes No
If yes, identify the CMO and any affiliated NV non-profit:

Applicant Certification:

SignatureDate

Printed Name:

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2.Executive Summary

4 Page Limit

Provide a brief overviewof your proposed school, including:

• Anoverviewof themissionand visionfor the school
• Proposed model and target community
• Theoutcomesyouexpectto achieve
• The keycomponents of your educational model
• The values, approach, andleadership accomplishments of yourschool leaderor leadershipteam

Keysupporters, partners,or resourcesthat willcontribute to your school’ssuccess

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3.Meeting the Need

TARGETED PLAN

(1)Identifythe communityyou wish toserve and describe your interest inservingthis specificcommunity.

(2)Explainhowyour model,and the commitment toserve this population,includingthe gradelevels you have chosen, wouldmeet the district andcommunityneeds and alignwith themissionof the SPCSA.

PARENT AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

(1)Describe the role to dateof anyparents, neighborhood, and/or communitymembers involvedinthe development of theproposed school.

(2)Describe howyou will engage parents, neighborhood, and communitymembers from the timethat the applicationis approved through the openingof the school. What specific strategieswill be implemented to establish buy-inand to learnparent priorities and concerns duringthetransitionprocess and post opening?

(3)Describe howyou will engage parents inthe lifeofthe school (inadditiontoanyproposedgovernance roles).Explain the planfor buildingfamily-school partnerships that strengthensupport for learningand encourage parental involvement.Describe anycommitments orvolunteer activities theschool will seekfrom, offerto, or require of parents.

(4)Discuss thecommunityresources that will be available to students and parents.Describe anystrategic partnerships theschool will have with communityorganizations, businesses, or othereducational institutions that are part of the school’s core mission, vision, andprogram otherthandual-credit partnersdiscussed insubsequent sections.Specifythe nature, purposes,terms, and scope of services of anysuch partnerships, includinganyfee-based or in-kindcommitments from communityorganizations orindividuals that will enrich student-learningopportunities.Include, asAttachment 1, existingevidence of support from communitypartnerssuch as letters ofintent/commitment,memoranda of understanding, and/orcontracts.

(5)Describe the group’s ties to and/or knowledge of the target community.What initiativesand/or strategies will youimplement to learnfromand engage the neighborhood, community,and broader city?

(6)Identifyanyorganizations, agencies, orconsultantsthat are partners inplanningandestablishingtheschool, alongwith a brief descriptionof their current and planned role andanyresources theyhave contributedor planto contribute to the school’s development. If thegroup is new to Nevada, describe howyour previous workhas prepared you to establishrelationships and supports inthis newcommunity.

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4.Academic Plan

MISSION& VISION

The missionof yourschoolshould describe thepurposeof yourschool,includingthe students andcommunityto be served and the values to whichyouwilladhere while achieving thatpurpose.Thevisionof yourschoolshould describe whatsuccesslooks like forstudents,forthe schoolas awhole,andforanyotherentities thatare critical to your mission.The missionand visionstatementshould alignwith the purposesoftheNevadacharterschool lawandthe missionofthe StatePublicCharterSchoolAuthorityand serves as the foundationforthe entireproposal.

(1)Provide the missionof your proposedschool and describe howthatmissionwill inform yourschool’s dailyactivities and students’classroom experience.

(2)Describe the visionfor your school, clearlyillustratingwhat success will looklike in terms oflife outcomes for studentsand the impactonthe local communityand/or larger society.

(a)Articulate clear guidingpurposes and priorities that are meaningful,measurable, andattainable.

(3)Acharterschool must have as its stated purposeat least oneof the goalsset forth inNRS386.520.Please identifythe statutorypurpose(s) of the school and how these alignto themissionand visionof the school.The sixstatutorypurposes are:

(a)Improvingthe academicachievement of pupils;

(b)Encouragingthe use ofeffectiveand innovativemethods of teaching;

(c)Providinganaccuratemeasurement of the educational achievement ofpupils;

(d)Establishingaccountabilityand transparencyof publicschools;

(e)Providingamethod for publicschoolstomeasureachievement based upontheperformance of the schools;and

(f)Creatingnewprofessionalopportunities for teachers.

TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE

TheSPCSAis committed toauthorizing applicants thatseektransformationalchange forthecommunities theyserve,meaning that theoperator:

• Puts forth a modelthatwillresult indouble-digitacademic gains,and
• Hasasolid plantomove schools toward the top25%inNevada.Schoolprogressis evaluatedbased ontheSPCSA’s CharterSchoolPerformance Framework(CSPF) and the NevadaSchoolPerformance Framework(NSPF) adopted bytheNevada Department of Education.

(1)Articulate yourapproachto education.Describe the most essential featuresof your school thatensureit willmeet the SPCSA’s ambitious academicgoals. Specificallydescribe howyourstudents,manyof whomwill not be proficient initially, will experience and practice academicrigor duringthe first yearand subsequent years inwhich yourschool is progressingtoward theSPCSA’s academic goals.

(2)Describe the fundamentalfeaturesof your educational model that will driveoutcomesinyourproposed school.Keyfeaturesmayinclude:

• Programs(e.g.,curriculum, PD, afterschool program, parent program, etc.)
• Principles(e.g., no excuses, individualized learning,learnat your ownpace, etc.)
• Structures(e.g., blended learning, small learningcommunities, smallclasssizes, etc.)

(3)Describe themechanismsbywhich the fundamentalfeatures you described in(2) willdramaticallyinfluence student success.Please provide evidence from your ownexperienceand/or valid research.

(4)Howwill you drive growth amongstudents at all achievement levels, acceleratingtheachievement of those whoare most behind?

(5)Provide, as Attachment 18, academic performancedata for the CMO andcontact informationfor each campus, school, and charterschool authorizer inthe appropriate tabs of thespreadsheet.

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

The frameworkproposed forinstructionaldesignmustbothreflect the needsofthe anticipatedpopulationand ensure allstudents willmeetorexceed the expectations of the NevadaAcademicContentStandards.

(1)Describe the proposed academic program and howit complies with the requirements ofNRS386.550 and NRS389.018.

(2)Describe the instructionalstrategies that you willimplement tosupport theeducationplanand whytheyare wellsuited for the anticipated student population.Outline the data,methods, and systems teachers will use to providedifferentiated instructionto all students.Please note that SPCSAschools typicallystart withstudents performingacross a broadspectrum from years belowgrade level to advancedlearners. Include theprofessionaldevelopment teachers will receive to ensure high levels ofimplementation.

(3)Describe the school’s approach to helpremediate students’academic underperformance.Detail the identificationstrategy, interventions, andremediationto be implemented.Cite theresearch/rationale for thechosenmethods.Whatstudent academic support resourcesshouldyour school expectfrom the EMO orCMO (if applicable)? Howwill you measure thesuccess ofyour academic remediationefforts (inyear 1, year 3, year 5, and beyond? Howwill youcommunicate the need forremediationto parents?Howwill staffingbe structured to ensurethat giftedstudents are adequatelysupported?

(4)Describe howyou will identifythe needs of all students.Identifythe research-based programs,strategies andsupports you will utilize to provide abroad continuum ofservices, ensurestudents’access to the general educationcurriculum inthe least restrictive environment,andfulfill NV’s required Response to Interventionmodel.

(5)Explainhowthe school will identifyand differentiate to meet the needs ofintellectuallygiftedstudents ina waythat extends their learningand offers themunique, tailoredopportunities.Please note thatNevada lawclassifiesintellectuallygifted students as eligiblefor specificsupportservices. How will staffingbe structured to ensure that gifted students are adequatelysupported?

(6)Describe the enrichment opportunities that will beavailable to students performingat orabove grade level as partof theschool’s comprehensivestrategyto ensure that all pupils aremakingaccelerated academic progress.

(7)Explainhowstudents willmatriculate through the school (i.e., promotion/retentionpolicies)and howstakeholders will be informed of these standards.

PROGRAMS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION(DistanceEducation Applicants Only)

A charterschoolthatwishes to provide distance education(online,virtual,cyber,etc.) courses and/orprograms (NRS388.820-388.874and NAC388.800-388.860) mustsubmit adistance educationapplicationto theNevada Department of Educationpriorto orinconjunctionwith its applicationtotheSPCSA.

Forapplicants who donotpropose to offeraprogramof distance education,please provide abriefstatementexplaining that the questions inthissection are notapplicable.

(1)Describe the system ofcoursecredits that theschool will use.

(2)Describe howthe schoolwill monitor and verifythe participationinandcompletionof coursesbypupils.

(3)Describe howthe schoolwill ensure students participate inassessments andsubmitcoursework.

(4)Describe howthe schoolwill conduct parent-teacher conferences.

(5)Describe howthe schoolwill administer all tests, examinations or assessments required bystate or federal law or integral to the performance goals of the charterschool ina proctoredsetting.

PRE-KINDERGARTENPROGRAMS

A charterschoolthatwishes to provide pre-kindergartenservices to students whowilllaterenroll in itsK-12programs mustapplyseparatelyto the Nevada Department of Educationtooffereducationbelowthekindergartenlevelfollowing charterapproval.Approval to offerpre-kindergartencannot beguaranteed.Consequently,revenues and expenditures related to pre-kindergartenshould not beincluded inthe initialcharterapplicationbudget. Please note thatstate-funded pre-kindergartenprograms arenotdirected throughthe state Distributive Schools AccountforK-12education.Inadditionto alimited amount of state pre-kindergarten funding available through theDepartment ofEducation,theSPCSAis also asub-recipient ofafederalgrant to expand earlychildhood services incertainhigh-need communities throughprogramsapprovedbyNDE.Applicants are encouraged toreview resources availableatForapplicantswho donotpropose tooffer pre-kindergarten,please provide abrief statementexplaining thatthequestions inthis sectionare notapplicable.

(1)Identifywhether the school plans to offer pre-kindergarteninthe first yearofoperationor anysubsequent year of thecharter term.

(2)Identifywhether the school will offer fee-based pre-kindergartenservices.Ifthe school doesplanto offer fee-based pre-kindergarten, explainhowthe school willensurethat parents willbe informed bothinitiallyand onanongoingbasis that both state and federallawpreclude a K-12 charter school from givingadmissions preference to students to whom ithas previouslycharged tuition.

(3)Describe the school’s plans for ensuringthat the pre-kindergartenprogramaligns with themission, vision, and program of the school’sother grades andmeets allotherstaterequirements.

(4)Explainhowthe school’sproposed pre-kindergartenprogram maymeet the federal pre-kindergartenexpansion grant criteria.

HIGH SCHOOLGRADUATION REQUIREMENTS AND POSTSECONDARYREADINESS (HighSchool ApplicantsOnly)

High schools approvedbythe SPCSA will be expected to meet orexceedNevadagraduationrequirements.Forapplicants who donotproposetooperate ahighschoolprogram during the initialcharterterm,please provide abrief statementexplaining that the questions inthis sectionare notapplicable.

(1)Explainhowthe school will meetstate requirements.Describe howstudentswill earncredithours, howgrade-point averages will be calculated,what informationwill be ontranscripts,and what electivecourseswill be offered.If graduationrequirements for theschool willexceed those required bythe Stateof Nevada, explainthe additional requirements.

(2)Explainhowthe graduationrequirements will ensure student readiness for collegeor otherpostsecondaryopportunities (e.g., tradeschool, militaryservice, or enteringthe workforce).

(3)Explainwhatsystems andstructures theschool willimplement for students at riskfordroppingout and/or not meetingthe proposed graduationrequirements,includingplans toaddressstudents who areoverage for grade, thoseneedingto accesscredit recoveryoptions,and those performingsignificantlybelowgrade level.

DRIVINGFOR RESULTS

TheSPCSAwillevaluate the performance of everycharterschoolannually,and forrenewal,replication,and replacement(restart orreconstitution) purposes according to aset of academic,financial,and organizationalperformance standards thatwill be incorporatedinto thecharteragreementand measuredbytheSPCSA CharterSchoolPerformance Framework,the NevadaSchoolPerformance Frameworkadopted bythe Nevada Department of Education,and applicable law andregulation.The academic performance standards considerstatus,growth,and comparativeperformance based onfederal,state,and school-specific measures. The financialperformancestandards are based onstandard accounting and industrystandards forsound financialoperation.The organizationalperformance standards are based primarilyoncompliance withlegalobligationsand state law and regulationand SPCSA policies,including fulfillmentofthegoverning board’sfiduciaryobligations related to sound governance.

Applicants are expected topropose additionalmission-specific goalsto complement orsupplement,butnotreplace,the SPCSA’s performance standardswith school-specific,mission-drivenacademic,financial,ororganizationalgoals.Allsuchindicators, measures,and metrics are expected to berigorous,valid,and reliable.

(1)Describe themission-specific academic goals and targets that the school willhave.State goalsclearlyinterms of the measures or assessments you planto use and describethe process bywhich you will determineand set targets.

(2)Inthe table below,outlinethe clearlymeasurable annual performance and growth goals thatthe school willset in order to meet or exceed SPCSAexpectations for the Charter SchoolPerformance Frameworkindicators and tomeetstate expectations for student academicgrowth inaccordance with the Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) adopted bytheNevada Department of Education. Youmayadd or delete rows as needed.Also:

(a)Describe your presumedbaseline and explainhowit wasset.

(b)Articulate howthe organizationwill measure and evaluate academic progress –ofindividualstudents,student cohorts,sub-groups, campuses (for invitedmulti-siteapplicants), and the entire school – throughout theschool year, at the endof the academicyear, and for the first three years of operation.

Goal / Evaluation Tooland Frequency / Baseline / 2019-20 / 2020-21 / 2021-22

(3)Inadditionto mandatorystate testing, identifythe primaryinterim academicassessments theschool will use to assess student-learningneeds and ensure progresstowardsSPCSA and stateproficiencytargets and describe howtheywill be used.

(a)Howwill yousupport teachers indevelopingembedded assessments and checks forunderstandinginorder toensure that instructionmeetsstudent needs?

(b)Explainhowyou will knowthat your proposed interim assessments are validand reliableindicators of progress.Explainhowthese interimassessments alignwith the school’scurriculum, performance goals for the school and the SPCSA, and state standards.

(c)Describe the corrective actions the school will take if it falls short ofstudent academicachievement expectationsor goals at the school-wide and classroom level.Explainwhatwould triggersuch corrective actions and who would be responsible for implementingthem.

(d)Articulate howinterim assessments will be used toinform instruction. Howwill teachersand school leaders be trained intheir use?

(e)Regardless of grade levelsserved, newcharter schools will not receive anNSPFor CSPFratinguntil after thecompletionof their first full year. Therefore, inthe table below,identifyspecific interim performance goals and assessments that you will use to confirmthat theschoolis on-trackto meet ambitious academic goals throughout theschool’s firstyear withstudents. Youmayadd or delete rows as needed.

Goal / Assessment / Quarter1 / Quarter2 / Quarter3 / Quarter4

(4)Describe the process for collectingand storingdata,includingthe informationsystem(s)usedbeyond the statewide Infinite Campus system.

(5)Describe the process for collectingand reportingdata across the networkof schools.

AT-RISK STUDENTS AND SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Pursuant to State and federal law, SPCSA schools are required to serve the needs of all students in special populations. Beginning in the 2016-17 school year, the State of Nevada will switch to a weighted formula for special education. For the first time, this will provide for equitable special education funding across all Nevada public schools. Over time, this will necessitate current SPCSA- sponsored charter schools moving from a defined continuum of service to a broader continuum of services. All applicants submitting proposals to the SPCSA after the conclusion of the 2015 Legislative Session should plan on offering students a broad continuum of services.

The SPCSA operates under the following principles with regards to special populations of students:

SPCSA schools serve all eligible students. SPCSA schools do not deny the enrollment of any student based on needs or disability.

1.SPCSA schools are to ensure streamlined access for all students requiring special programs.

2.SPCSA schools develop programs to support the needs of their students.

3.SPCSA schools do not counsel or kick any students out.

4.SPCSA schools utilize best practices to expose students to the most inclusive environments appropriate.

5.If needed, an SPCSA school is responsible for developing more restrictive placements to meet the needs of the highest needs students, including but not limited to clustered placements in consortium with other charter schools.