Department of Education
Charter School Accountability Meeting
November 4, 2009
Family Foundations Academy
Attending Committee Members:
Dan Cruce, Jim Hertzog, Mike Jackson, Mike Stetter, Cliff Coleman, Paul Harrell
Ex-officio Members:
Terry Whittaker, Jim Wilson
Mr. Cruce called the meeting to order. The purpose of the meeting was to have the initial discussion regarding the renewal application from Family Foundations Academy and to meet with representatives from the school to discuss the renewal application. For the purpose of the record introductions were made:
Dan Cruce, Associate Secretary/Chief of Staff, Chair of Accountability Committee
Jim Hertzog, Education Associate, Student Assessment
Mike Jackson, Associate Secretary, Finances and Services
Mike Stetter, Director, Curriculum Development
Cliff Coleman, Member of Accountability Committee
Paul Harrell, Education Associate, Private/Public Partnerships
John Hindman, Deputy Attorney General, counsel to the committee
Julia Webster, Education Associate, Charter Schools Office
Scott Kessel, Education Associate, DOE
Judi Coffield, Policy Analyst, State Board of Education
Terry Whittaker, State Board of Education
Jim Wilson, State Board of Education
Wayne Barton, Director, Professional Accountability
Rebecca Van Pelt, ISDC
Debbie Doordan, ISDC
Suzi Harris
Elijah Wilson, Family Foundations
Tennell Brewington, Family Foundations
Sean Moore, Board Chairman, Family Foundations
Donna Guretsky, Family Foundations
Dawn Ryan
Dr. Webster gave a brief overview of the school. Family Foundations Academy opened in 2006 in New Castle County, Delaware with 260 students in grades 1-4. Through a modification application the school added grade 5 in 2008. At this time the school is seeking approval to have their charter renewed for five years.
Dr. Stetter said the curriculum department appreciated the level of detail in the on-line application. He said they asked for clarification on the way in which the units of instruction that were submitted fitted into the overall scope of teaching for the grade cluster. Dr. Stetter said the school endorsed the concept of high quality professional development without defining what activities they would have for the teachers. He hoped that would be clarified. Dr. Stetter suggested to help the on-line application process in the future it may be helpful to give an example of the nature of the response or give a link to acceptable responses.
Dr. Wilson asked what role the objectives contained in the performance agreements will play in whether the charter schools will be renewed. Mr. Cruce said the burden is on the respondent in their renewal application to demonstrate that they effectuated the elements in their performance agreement.
Mr. Coleman said he would like more information about the school’s board. He said it appears an employee is also a member of the board, and he had concerns about the size of the board which had been reduced over the years.
Dr. Stetter said he would be interested to hear what the school representatives have to say about moving into the next period of their charter renewal term.
Dr. Webster said she would be asking about corrective action and students that do not meet or exceed DSTP standards. She said there is limited information about the RTI program and how it would be implemented.
Dr. Wilson asked if the application contains an assurance that the school maintains the required contingency.
Mr. Cruce called for a recess.
Meeting was restarted.
This portion of the meeting was to meet with representatives from the school.
Dr. Stetter asked what the school had learned during the current term of the charter and how they will move forward.
Dr. Brewington said the experience has been daunting and challenging for several reasons. One reason is the staff is smaller than what is available in a district. She said there are challenges with policies, receiving technical assistance from the state, getting funding, and managing staff. Dr. Brewington said the school has a responsibility to help students become successful and use data to target student weaknesses. She said it has been a learning process from year to year.
Mr. Moore said the school has evolved since the year the school opened and that it has been a continuous learning process.
Mr. Wilson said the administration has been trying to get things right and had been receptive to outside consultants. He said the school’s scores and other indicators have shown that the program is effective.
Mr. Coleman commented about the size of the board getting smaller therefore making the power more concentrated among the board members. Mr. Wilson said some board members had resigned and that they are currently looking to replace them. He said they are looking to add a lawyer, a higher education person, and a community business leader as board members. Mr. Hindman commented that when the original charter application was submitted a copy of the corporation’s by-laws would have been included. He asked how many directors are required by the by-laws and whether a parent of a student attending the school and a certified teacher from the school are on the board. Mr. Moore said the by-laws states there must be at least 3 board members. The certified teacher on the board is Donna Guretsky.
Dr. Webster asked about corrective action and how the school would help students that did not meet or exceed the DSTP. She asked the school to explain their vision for implementing RTI and any milestones they wish to reach. Mrs. Guretsky, a first grade teacher at Family, said there was a teacher planning meeting and it was decided that they would divide the students at risk into groups and give them extra time outside the 90 minutes language arts program. She said this process would likely be applied throughout the grades. Dr. Webster asked how the team determined which students would be getting the extra time. Mrs. Guretsky said through the MAPS test which was done approximately a month ago. She said they are focusing on reading comprehension.
Dr. Webster asked how the masters schedule is effected. Dr. Brewington said the school has incorporated reading specialists and specialists teachers to help with the small groups; in addition, the teachers work with the director of curriculum instruction to help address many of the corrective actions. The school has considered a Saturday academy to help with implementing RTI. At this time they are doing this during regular hours and have extended hours on Fridays.
Dr. Stetter asked if students in the tiered interventions are missing time from other core subjects because they are participating in the extra instruction. Mrs. Guretsky said the students are not missing time from major content instruction. There is time built into all students’ schedules for either the tiered interventions or self directed centers.
Dr. Webster commented that the school’s renewal application stated that if students do not meet course requirements or not making progress on the DSTP they would not be promoted to the next grade. She asked if the school held back students who did not meet performance on the DSTP during the last years. Dr. Brewington said if a student scored a 1 or 2 on the DSTP they went to summer school. If they scored above a 2 on the re-test date they were promoted.
Dr. Barton asked who at the school does staff evaluations. Dr. Brewington said she does along with the board. Dr. Brewington stated she had been trained in DPAS II.
Dr. Brewington asked about a clarifying question that was included in the renewal application. The question was to provide the continuum of services for students of special needs. Dr. Brewington said the school is required to provide services on a daily basis for special needs students but she was not sure exactly was being requested. Dr. Brewington also said there was a clarifying question about the visual and performing arts program and how it was going to be implemented. Dr. Stetter said there was concern about the qualifications of the teachers for the programs, and what the school was identifying as unit of instruction for music. He said for a number of different grade levels the same unit of instruction is being used, and that there was no scaffolding over the grades. Dr. Brewington asked about the clarifying question regarding the career pathway program.
Dr. Stetter asked about the challenges the school has getting teachers trained in the Science Coalition. Dr. Brewington said she had spoken with Kellie Martin and the school works with the staff to accommodate training. Dr. Stetter asked if the charter school had any dialogue with other charter schools about the possibility of regional science training for teachers. Dr. Brewington said she tried to talk to one of the districts about training.
No further discussion. Meeting was adjourned.
1