GradeLevelChangetoContractAmendmentRequest

TheGradeLevelChange toCharterAmendmentRequestisused toincreaseor decreasethegradelevelstheschoolisapprovedto serve under its contract.Therequestmustbesubmittedtimely so thatitmay beprocessedwithinthetimeframeprovided inthe PEC policy and implemented starting at thebeginning ofthe next fiscalyear (consideration at the June meeting is the latest possible consideration for an amendment to become effective in the next fiscal year).Ifthefiscalyearhasstartedorwillstartpriorto therequestbeingconsidered bythePEC,an amendmentrequestwill be effective only in the subsequent fiscalyear, if it is approved. A changein gradesserved is noteffectiveuntilapprovedbythePEC.

Todeterminewhetheryourcharter schooliseligibleto expand(increasegradesserved)using theAmendmentProcess,reviewtheacademicperformanceoftheschool.Theexpansion processisopentoanycharterschool ifthe school has:

  • Received no lower than a “C” letter grade in any of the past three years;
  • Met each of its mission specific goals in each of the last three years;
  • Has not had any multi-year repeat findings in any of the past three years;
  • Has received an unmodified audit opinion in each of the past three years;
  • Is not currently on monthly reporting with the School Budget and Financial Analysis Bureau that has been required for more than 1 year;
  • Has not had its board of finance revoked within the last three years; and
  • Has maintained at least75% student retention within and between school years in each of the last three years.

Anycharter schooliseligibletosubmitaGradeLevelChangeto CharterAmendmentRequesttodecreasethegradelevelstheCharter schoolisapprovedto serve.

Grade Level Change Requests may only be submitted for consideration at the February through June PEC meetings to go into effect in the subsequent fiscal year.

A substantively completeamendmentrequestsubmitted byacharterschoolthatmeetstheeligibility criteriashallbeplacedontheagenda of aregularPECmeeting.

Requests to decrease the grade levels served will be placed on the consent agenda of a regular PEC meeting.Any request may be removed from the consent agenda either before the scheduled PEC meeting or during the scheduled PEC meeting. If an item is removed from the consent agenda and school representatives are not available, the item will be added for consideration at the next scheduled PEC meeting.

A finding thattheCharterSchoolisnotincomplianceinoneormoreoperationalareas(seepage5ofTheGuide)may resultin a delayin considerationof therequest.Themostcurrentacademicdatawillbeprovided to thePEC foritsconsiderationof theamendmentrequest.

A recommendation for approval from the CSD does not guarantee the request will be approved by the PEC. The PEC is the final decision maker and is not obligated to accept the recommendations of the CSD.

***Please note, approval of this request may require negotiation of additional performance goals.***

A GradeLevelChange to Charter AmendmentRequestforan increasein gradesservedwillreceivea staffrecommendation fortheexpansion iftheCharter school’scurrentdataand performancedemonstratesallofthefollowing criteria.

Charter schoolhasbeen inoperation forthreeyears;
Received no lower than a “C” letter grade in any of the past three years;
Met each of its mission specific goals in each of the last three years;
Has not had any multi-year repeat findings in any of the past three years;
Has received an unmodified audit opinion in each of the past three years;
Is not currently on monthly reporting with the School Budget and Financial Analysis Bureau that has been required for more than 1 year;
Has not had its board of finance revoked within the last three years;
Has maintained at least75% student retention within and between school years in each of the last three years;
Previousgradelevelcohort(s)is/areatcapacity and/orcould fillenrollmentfor newgrade(s)requested;
The membership reported at the last reporting dateiswithin 85%of currentenrollmentcap;
The school has fully addressed all narrative prompts;
The schoolperformsatorabovetheaverageperformanceof amajority ofschoolswithin the school’s feeder pattern based on location; and
The school has provided curriculum samples that are aligned to New Mexico Common Core State Standards and New Mexico Content Standards and to the methods of instruction described in the charter or amendment request. Curriculum samples must be evaluated as administratively and substantively complete.

Ifyou have questions aboutcompletingtheformoruploading documents,contact the Charter Schools Division by emailing .Workthrough theform,filling in allrequired fieldsand attachments(denoted by"*").Besuretosaveyourwork,even ifyou aren'tprepared to submityourform,so thatyoudonotloseyourdata.

FormFields

Field / Instructions
CurrentGrade LevelsServed / IdentifytheCurrentGradeLevelsServedaccuratelybased on the gradelevelsapproved forthechartercontract and currently served.
New Grade LevelsServed* / Identifythegradesto beserved afterapprovaloftherequest.Thisincludesthecurrentgradesserved,andthenewgradesthatarerequested.
Effective Date* / Entertheproposedfirstdayofschoolforthenewgradeconfiguration.

Attachments

For furtherinformation regarding specificdocumentation requirements,seepages6–15ofTheGuideand theadministrativeand substantive completenessrequirementsstarting onpage3oftheseinstructions.

Curriculum Samples

Chartersinwhich theschool has received an “A” letter grade in the current year willnotberequired to submitcurriculumsamples.

Chartersthat havereceived a “C”or “B” letter grade willberequiredtoprovidea completesetofcurriculumsamplesforeach gradetobeadded.

Attach curriculumsamplesforeach gradelevelbeingrequested,asdescribed intheinstructionsontheCurriculumSampleInstructionsand Templatebeginning on page7of theseinstructions.

Approved Board Minutes*

Attach evidencethattheproposed changehasbeen approved bytheCharter school board.

OccupancyDocumentation(IncreaseOnly)

For theproposed facility,clearlylabeland providethefollowing documents:

  • Documentation of the capacityload ofthefacilityto documentcapacity that can sustain projected growth in enrollment based on grade level growth.Hand-drawn imageswillnotbeaccepted.

Narrative*

Attacha narrativethatrespondstothefollowing prompts:

□(Decreaseand Increase)Describetherationaleforthisrequest.

□(IncreaseOnly)Providea detailed staffing plan consistentwith each Staffing Chartsubmittedwiththisrequest.Describehowthe staffing (administrative,instructional,and non-instructional),enrollment,andtargetpopulation needswillbeaddressed by thefollowing processes:

  • Recruitment;
  • Hiring;and
  • Training.

□Ifchangesto staffing arenotneeded,provideanexplanation.

□(IncreaseOnly)Providea detailed descriptionofhowtheCharter schoolwillmeettheenrollmenttargetsidentified in each EnrollmentMatrixsubmitted.Includethefollowing:

  • A plan formeeting targets;
  • Necessaryadvertising and/orpromotion to meetthetargets;
  • Numberof returning students;and
  • Anticipated newstudentenrollment

□(IncreaseOnly)Identifytheconcreteresources,ifany,needed forimplementation.Considerthechangesneeded tocurriculum,assessment,and instructionto implementthisrequest.Providetherationaleforyourresponse.Iftheresponseindicatesthatresourcesarenotneededto implementtherequest,explain why.

□(Adding GradesK–8 Only)Presentclearcriteriaforpromotion from onegradelevelto thenext,to includethelevelof proficiency thatstudentsmustobtain todemonstratemastery ofacademiccorecontent.

□(Adding Grades9–12 Only)Describethefollowing:

  • Courseofferings;
  • Processand criteriaforawarding coursecredit;
  • Policy on acceptanceof transfercredit;and
  • Graduation requirementsthatidentify thenumberofcreditsineach contentareaandelectivesconsistentwithStaterequirements.

□(DecreaseOnly)Identifythenumberofstudentsdisplaced bythedecrease in gradelevels.

□(DecreaseOnly)Describetheplanto communicatethedecreasein gradesto theschoolcommunity.

□(DecreaseOnly)Describetheplanto providedisplaced studentsassistancewith:

  • Identifying othereducationaloptions; and
  • Enrolling in anotherschool.

AdditionalInformation

Attach each ofthefollowing documents:

  • (IncreaseOnly)EnrollmentMatrix
  • Detail thecurrentand targeted numberof studentsserved pergradeforthesubsequentthreeFiscalYears.
  • (IncreaseOnly)Staffing Chart
  • Identifythecurrentand anticipatedstaffing information forthesubsequentthreeFiscalYears.

An administrativelycompleterequestis submitted by a school that meets all eligibility criteria and includesthefollowing:

□Narrative,addressingall requiredprompts

□Completed EnrollmentMatrix(Increaseonly)

□Completed Staffing Chart (Increaseonly)

SubstantiveCompletenessReview

Thefollowing checklistwillbeused todeterminesubstantivecompletenessforthisrequest.Each criterion (ifapplicable)willeitherbedeemed acceptableornotacceptable.

Evaluation / Criteria
Approved Board Minutes / Approved BoardMinutesthat:
☐Indicatethattherequesthasbeen approved by the appropriateboard and isconsistentwith thesubmitted form
Rationale (Narrative—IncreaseandDecrease) / Description includesthefollowing:
☐Rationaleforincreaseordecreasein gradelevels;and
☐Rationaleisconsistentwith information contained in allapplicablenarrativepromptresponsesand accompanying attachments.
OccupancyDocumentation(Increase Only) / ☐ Documentation todemonstrate sufficient capacity for requested enrollment cap.
StaffingChart(Increase Only) / ☐CompletedStaffing Chartis provided fortheschool
☐Staffing Chartincludes a leadership section
☐Staffing Chartisconsistentwith informationcontained in allapplicablenarrativepromptresponsesand accompanying attachments.
StaffingPlan(Narrative—IncreaseOnly) / ☐Plan describeschangestoadministrative,instructional,and non-instructional
staffin theStaffing Chart.
☐Staffing,enrollment,andtargetpopulation needs areaddressed bythefollowing processes:
☐Recruitment;
☐Hiring;and
☐Training.
☐Ifno changestostaffing,theplan describeswhy therearenoneeded changes.
☐Staffing Plan isconsistentwiththeinformationcontained in allapplicablenarrativepromptresponsesand accompanying attachments.
EnrollmentMatrix(Increase Only) / ☐An EnrollmentMatrixiscompleted forthe currentand subsequentthreeFiscal
Yearsforeach schooloperated by theCharter school.
☐Each EnrollmentMatrixisconsistentwithinformation contained in allapplicablenarrativepromptsand accompanying attachments.
EnrollmentTarget(Narrative—IncreaseOnly) / Description foreach EnrollmentMatrixincludesthefollowing:
□A plan formeeting targets;
□Necessary advertising and/orpromotionto meetthetargets;
□Numberofreturning students
□Anticipatednewstudentenrollment
☐Enrollmentnarrativeisconsistentwith informationcontained inallapplicablenarrativepromptsand accompanying attachments.
Resources(Narrative—IncreaseOnly) / Concreteresourcesareidentified forthefollowing areas:
☐Curriculum; and/or
☐Assessment;and/or
☐Instruction.
☐Rationaleincludeswhy theseresourcesareneeded, orwhy additionalresourcesarenotneeded toimplementtherequest.
☐Identified resourcesareconsistentwith informationcontained inallapplicablenarrativepromptsand accompanying attachments.
ClearCriteria forPromotion(Narrative—AddingGradesK–8) / ☐Clearcriteriaforpromotion from onegradelevelto thenext
☐Levelof proficiencystudentsmustobtain todemonstratemastery ofacademiccorecontent.
Courses(Narrative—Adding Grades 9–12) / Narrativedescribesthefollowing:
☐CourseOfferings;
☐Processand criteriaforawarding coursecredit;
☐Policy on acceptanceof transfercredit;and
☐Graduation requirementsthatidentify thenumberof creditsineach contentareaand electivesconsistentwith Staterequirements.
StudentDisplacement(Narrative—DecreaseOnly) / ☐Narrativeidentifiesthe numberof studentsdisplaced bythedecreasein gradelevels.
Communication Plan(Narrative—DecreaseOnly) / ☐Narrativeincludes adescriptionof theCharter school’splan tocommunicate
thedecreasein gradelevels to theschoolcommunity.
Assistance forDisplaced Students(Narrative—DecreaseOnly) / Narrativeincludes a descriptionof howtheCharter schoolwillassistdisplacedstudentswith thefollowing:
☐Identifyingotheroptions;and
☐Enrolling in anotherschool.
CurriculumSamples(Increase Only) / SeeCriteriaforSubstantiveCompletenessintheCurriculumSampleInstructionsand Templateonpage10 oftheseinstructions.

CurriculumSample Instructions and Template

Whoneedsto use thisform?

Charter schoolswith a current letter grade lower than an “A”.

Why?

Curriculumsamplesprovidea representationofaEducational Program alignedtothe New Mexico Common Core State Standards and the New Mexico Content Standardsandto themethodsof instruction described in thechartercontract,and asamended.ThecurriculumsamplesallowtheCharter schoolto demonstrateitscapacity todevelop acurriculumalignedto thesestandardsand designedtoimprovepupilacademicachievement.

Directions

For each gradelevelbeingadded,providecurriculum samplesforReading,Writing,and Math using theCurriculumSampleTemplate.Reading and Writing standards may beaddressed ina singleEnglish LanguageArts (ELA)curriculumsample.Ifrequesting 4th, 7th, and/or 11thgrade,providea Sciencecurriculumsample.

Howmany pagescana curriculum sample have?

Each curriculum sampleaddressing a singlecontentareamaynotexceed8pages.IftheReading and Writingcurriculumsamplesfora gradelevelaresubmittedasa singleELAcurriculum sample,theELAcurriculumsamplemaynotexceed 12 pages.The8pagelimitation (or12 pagelimitation foran integratedELAsample)includesthecompleted curriculumsampletemplatefields,summativeassessmentitems,andscoringinformation includedforreview.

Which standardsmay beused?

Each curriculum samplemustaddressatleastonestandard from a contentarea(Reading,Writing,Math,orScience)forthegradelevelrequested.Ifmorethanonestandard isaddressed ina curriculum sample,indicateonestandard thatisinstructed and assessedto masterytobethe focusofreview byputting(M)beforethestandard number.

Reading—EachReading/ELAcurriculumsamplemustidentifyasthefocusofreviewonestandard fromtheReading strand (eitherReading forLiteratureorReading for InformationalText),not toincludeRL.10 or RI.10, OR one of the additional 15% of state-specific standards in ELA which focus on cultural responsiveness.

Writing—EachWriting/ELAcurriculumsamplemustidentifyasthefocusofreviewonestandard fromtheWriting strand (TextTypesand Purposesonly—W.1,W.2,orW.3) OR one of the additional 15% of state-specific standards in ELA which focus on cultural responsiveness.

Mathematics—EachMathematicscurriculumsamplemustidentify onestandardfrom Mathematicstobethefocusof review,alongwith theStandard(s)forMathematicalPracticeaddressed by theinstructionalstrategiesandstudentactivitiesinthecurriculumsample.Standards forMathematicalPracticemaynotbethefocus of review,butshould beidentified by numberwhen addressed in theinstructionalstrategiesandstudentactivities.Ifanyhighschoolgrade(9–12)istobeadded,theCharter schoolwillprovidefourcurriculumsamplesrepresenting thefourStaterequired high schoolcoursesin Mathematics(Algebra,Geometry,AlgebraII or itsequivalent,andan additionalcoursewithsignificantmath content).

Science—A Sciencecurriculumsamplemustbesubmitted forchartersrequestingaddition of4th, 7th, and/or 11thgrade.Each Sciencecurriculumsamplemustidentify oneperformancestandard(PS)fromaSciencestrand (Strands2–3only).Strand 1(Scientific thinking and practice)maynotbethefocusof review,butshould beidentified bynumberwhen addressed in theinstructionalstrategiesand studentactivities.

Whataboutstandardswith several components?

Each curriculum samplemustprovideinstructionand studentactivitiessufficienttoallowastudenttheopportunityto masterthestandard identified forreview,with assessmentitemsand scoring sufficienttoallowthatstudentto clearlydemonstratemastery.Certain standardsincludemultiplecomponentsthatdescribean amountof contentand/orskillknowledgethatmightbedifficulttofullyaddresswithin thepagelimitationsdescribed above.

Ifthestandardhastwo orfewer componentsidentified bylower-caseletter(e.g.3.NF.2below),thesamplemustaddressthecompletestandard including theoverallbroad standard description (doubleunderlinedbelow)and allcomponents.

Ifthestandard includesmore than twocomponentsidentified bylower-caseletter(e.g.4.W.1 below),theCharter schoolisrequiredtoaddresstheoverallbroad standard description (doubleunderlined below)andnotfewerthan two components(e.g.4.W.1,b.and d.,underlinedbelow).Thecomponentsidentified forreviewmustaddressgrade-levelrigor(seeWhatisrigor?below).

What isrigor?

For theReading and Writingcurriculumsamples,therequirementsincludeaddressing thegrade-levelrigordefined bythelisted standard. For thepurposesof thisrequest,grade-level rigor istheexpectation setbyNew Mexico’s Common Core State Standards and New Mexico’s Content Standardsthatincludes a levelofcontentand/orskillsthestudentmustmasteratthatgradelevel.Theincreased rigorateachgradelevelcan beidentified bythechangesin thestandard description from thesamestandard atthepriorgradelevel.

For theMathematics curriculumsamples,therequirementsincludeaddressing thegrade-levelrigordefinedbythelisted standard. Forthepurposesof thisrequest,grade-level rigoristheexpectation setbyNew Mexico’s Common Core State Standards and New Mexico’s Content Standardsthatincludesa levelof conceptualunderstanding,proceduralskillandfluency,and applicationthestudentmustmasteratthatgradelevel,asdefinedbythestandard description.

Administrative Completeness Checklist

Anadministrativelycompletecurriculumsampleincludesthefollowing:

☐ / PageLimits
  • Each curriculum samplemustbeno morethan8pagestotal.Thepagelimitincreasesto 12pagestotalwhen combining Reading and Writing into oneintegratedELAcurriculumsample.

☐ / Template
  • Theattached CurriculumSample Templatemustbeused forallcurriculumsamplesubmissions.

☐ / Fonts
  • Fontsmustbeno lessthan10point.

☐ / GradeLevel
  • Thecurriculumsamplemustidentifythegradelevelofthatsample.

☐ / ContentArea
  • Thecurriculumsamplemustidentifythecontentareaofthatsample.

☐ / CourseTitle(ifrequestinganygrade(s)between9–12)
  • Thecoursetitlemustbeprovided.

☐ / Alignmentto Educational Program
  • Describehowtheinstructionalmethodsfound in thelesson(s)align tothe Educational Program described inthechartercontractand asamended.

☐ / Standard identified tobethefocusofreview
  • IncludeStandard number.
  • Iflesson(s)address(es)morethanonestandard orstandard includesmultiplecomponents,refertoWhatstandardsmaybe used?orWhataboutstandards with several components?above.
  • Thefocusof reviewisdesignated withthebolded(M).
  • Reading: onestandard fromtheReading strand (eitherReading forLiteratureorReading forInformationalText),nottoincludeRL.10 or RI.10, OR one of the additional 15% of state-specific standards in ELA which focus on cultural responsiveness.
  • Writing: onestandard fromtheWriting strand (Text Typesand Purposesonly—W.1,W.2,orW.3), OR one of the additional 15% of state-specific standards in ELA which focus on cultural responsiveness.
  • Mathematics: onestandard fromMathematicstobethefocusof review,alongwith theStandard(s) forMathematicalPracticeaddressed by theinstructionalstrategiesand studentactivitiesinthecurriculum sample.Standards forMathematicalPracticemaynotbethefocusof review,butshould beidentified by numberwhen addressed in theinstructionalstrategiesand studentactivities.Ifanyhigh schoolgrade(9–12)is to beadded,theCharter schoolwillprovidefourcurriculum samplesrepresenting thefourStaterequired high schoolcoursesinMathematics(Algebra,Geometry,AlgebraIIor itsequivalent,and an additionalcoursewithsignificantmath content).
  • Science:oneperformanceobjective(PO)froma Sciencestrand(Strands3–6only)

☐ / Fulldescriptionof standard identified asthefocusof review
☐ / ListofMaterialsand Resourcesrequired
☐ / Descriptionof InstructionalStrategiesand Student Activitiesbylesson
☐ / A minimum ofthreeSummativeAssessmentItemsforeach ofthefollowing contentareas—Reading,Writing,Mathematics,andScience(ifapplicable)
☐ / Theanswerkey orscoring rubric(whicheverapplicable) foreach SummativeAssessmentItemincludingpointvaluesand howpointswillbeawarded
☐ / An acceptablescoreindicating mastery ofthestandard for review

Substantive Completeness Checklist

A substantively completecurriculumsampletemplatewilldo thefollowing:

☐ / InstructionalStrategies
  • DescribetheInstructionalStrategies,lesson bylesson,thatwould clearlyprovidestudentswithopportunitiesto engageinthegrade-levelrigordefined in thestandard identifiedasthefocusof review.

☐ / StudentActivities
  • DescribetheStudentActivities,lessonbylesson,thatwould clearlyprovidestudentswithopportunitiesto engageinthegrade-levelrigor,defined in thestandard identified asthefocusof review.

☐ / SummativeAssessmentItems
  • Provideanopportunity forstudentsto completetheSummativeAssessmentItems.TheseSummativeAssessmentItemsareassessedindependentlyand areseparatefrom instructionand guided or independentpractice.

☐ / SummativeAssessmentItems
  • ProvideatleastthreeSummativeAssessmentItemsforeach contentarea—Reading,Writing,Mathematics,and Science (ifapplicable)
  • Answerkey(s)and/orscoring rubric(s),clearlydescribing, for each SummativeAssessmentItem,componentstobescored andhowpointswillbeawarded,thattakentogetheraccuratelymeasurestudentmastery of theapplication ofthecontentand/orskillsasdefined bythe
grade-levelrigorin thestandard identified forreview.
  • Mastery oftheapplicationof thecontentand/orskillsasdefinedbythegrade-levelrigorin thestandard identified forreviewisclearlydemonstratedbyan identified acceptablescoreorcombinationof identified acceptablescores.

☐ / Educational Program
  • ProvideInstruction,StudentActivities,and SummativeAssessmentItemsthatare clearlyconsistentwithEducational Programoutlined in thechartercontractand asamended.

CurriculumSampleTemplate—8PagesMax.(12pagesforintegratedELAsample).InstructionPagesaboveshouldbedeletedbeforesubmission.

GradeLevel / ContentArea
CourseTitle(grades9–12Only)
AlignmenttoEducational Program
Describehowthemethodsofinstruction foundin thissequenceoflessonsalign totheEducational Program described in the chartercontractandasamended.
StandardNumberandDescription
Thestandard number anddescription(see instructions)ofthestandard beinginstructed andassessed tomasteryinthecurriculumsample.IfmorethanoneStandard islistedfora contentarea,oneis clearlyidentified asthe focus ofreviewbyhaving(M)beforethestandard number.
Materials/ResourcesNeeded
Listallitemstheteacher and studentswillneed fortheentiresequenceofinstruction (excluding commonconsumables).
Lesson
(add asneeded) / InstructionalStrategies—DescribetheInstructionalStrategies,lesson bylesson,thatwould clearlyprovidestudentswith opportunitiestoengagein thegrade-levelrigordefined bytheStandard identified asthefocusofreview. / StudentActivities—DescribetheStudentActivities,lesson bylesson,thatwould clearlyprovidestudentswith opportunitiesto engagein ormasterthegrade-levelrigordefined bythestandard identified asthefocusofreview.
IndicatealignmentofStudentActivitiesto thestandard/componentidentified asthefocusofreviewandspecificStandard(s)ofMathematicalPractice.
1
2
3
4
S.A. / Providean opportunityfor studentsto completetheSummativeAssessmentItems.TheseSummativeAssessmentItemsareassessedindependentlyand are separatefrominstructionandguided orindependentpractice.In theStudentActivitiescolumn,describetheSummativeAssessmentItemsthatwillallowstudentsto demonstratemasteryoftherigorofthestandard/componentsidentified asthefocusofreview,andthecontextin which theitemswillbeadministered.

SummativeAssessmentItemsand Scoring:

Providebelow,atleastthreeSummativeAssessmentItemsfor eachcontentarea,with answer key(s)and/orscoring rubric(s),clearlydescribing,foreachSummativeAssessmentItem,componentsto bescored andhowpointswillbeawarded,thattogetheraccuratelymeasurestudentmasteryoftheapplication ofthecontentand/or skillsasdefined bythegrade-levelrigorinthestandard identified for review.Masteryoftheapplication ofthecontentand/or skillsasdefined bythegrade-levelrigorin thestandard identifiedforreviewisclearlydemonstrated byan identified acceptablescoreorcombination ofidentified acceptablescores.