Section II - Educational Plan
(Please complete all applicable items in Sections II through VII. Descriptions of your school organization and education plans should be as detailed as possible. Avoid using generic curricula and descriptions of other schools or programs. Be specific in describing your plans. Applications should be typed double-spaced and organized by sections with items numbered accordingly.)
Provide a mission statement for the proposed charter school. The mission statement should describe the purpose of the proposed charter school, i.e., who will do what for whom, and by what means it will be accomplished. It should also describe the key initiatives of the charter school that distinguish it from other public schools. Please limit the statement to one-half page.
Provide an overall summary of what the proposed charter school hopes to accomplish. Elaborate on the mission statement. Include a theoretical and philosophical overview, highlighting the charter school’s vision, how it relates to the mission statement, the nature of the community and the population(s) of students to be served, and its role in that community. Summarize the strengths of the proposed charter school, as you see them. Describe what makes this proposed charter school a unique place, worthy of being chartered. Emphasize the key initiatives that distinguish this proposed charter school from other public schools and other charter schools. Please limit this summary to no more than two pages.
Describe the scope and content of the educational program that you propose to implement in your charter school. The description must explain how the educational program will address each of the following required questions. The optional questions may be addressed as well.
Required:
How will the educational program increase learning opportunities for all students? If the charter school is created to serve students who are "at risk" of academic failure, describe the expanded learning experiences that will be provided for these students. Provide a definition of "at-risk" for admission purposes that includes measurable academic criteria and does not rely solely or primarily upon demographic criteria.
How will the educational program improve student learning and achievement?
How will the educational program provide schools with a method to change from rule-based to performance-based accountability systems by holding the charter school accountable for meeting measurable student achievement results?
Optional:
How will the educational program provide parents and students with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system?
What different and innovative teaching methods will the educational program use? What makes them different and/or innovative?
How will the educational program create new professional opportunities for teachers, school administrators and other school personnel? Describe some of these opportunities.
The description of the educational program of the proposed charter school must also address each of the following questions:
What is the educational focus and philosophy of the school, and what population(s) of students will the school serve? What will be the focus of the curriculum, and how will each grade of the school program address the eleven subject areas embraced by the seven New York State learning standard areas? How will the proposed educational program enable students to meet or exceed the performance standards set by the Board of Regents for all public schools in New York State? Provide a copy of all curricula to be used, by subject areas and grade levels, including resource lists, if applicable. Provide evidence that coursework in each subject area and grade is aligned with all of the State learning standards.
What are the student achievement goals for the school’s educational program? Goals must contain a desired academic state, the degree/level at which it must be attained, the number/percent of students who must attain that level, and the time frames for meeting such student achievement goals.
What methods will be used to assess student achievement (including the proposed assessment measures) to determine whether or not the students have attained those goals, and to what degree? How do you know that these assessments measure what is being taught? Note that charter schools must administer all State assessments required for the grades served by the charter school. List all State assessments that will be administered to all students, by grade.
For students with disabilities who cannot participate in regular State assessments as determined by their Committee(s) on Special Education, describe how the students’ progress toward meeting the State learning standards and their Individual Education Program (IEP) goals/objectives will be measured.
How will the school provide teachers with meaningful and sustained professional development opportunities to promote higher levels of student achievement? Describe some of these opportunities.
Provide a copy of the proposed school year calendar showing the days that school will be in session, and a school day schedule for each level of schooling (i.e., elementary, intermediate, and commencement levels).
State the projected date (month/day/year) the school will open for instruction.