1. education
2. school

APPLICATION COVER SHEET NAME OF PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL: Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. NAME OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION/MUNICIPALITY UNDER WHICH CHARTER WILL BE ORGANIZED OR OPERATED: Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. Provide the name of the person who will serve as the primary contact for this Application. The primary contact should serve as the contact for follow­up, interviews, and notices regarding this Application. NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Dr. Lois Smith TITLE/RELATIONSHIP TO NONPROFIT: Executive Director/President/CEO th
MAILING ADDRESS: 122 NW 8 Ave. Boynton Beach, FL 33435 PRIMARY TELEPHONE: (561) 732­4139 ALTERNATE TELEPHONE: (561) 459­6708 E­MAIL ADDRESS: LSmith_3@excite.com NAME OF EDUCATION SERVICE PROVIDER (if any): None (professional contracted service) NAME OF PARTNER/PARENT ORGANIZATION (if any): FLVS (online platform/K12 Alternative) Mentors: Allied Health Institute, Foundations Academy. Projected School Opening: FY2014 School Year Grade Levels Total Projected Student Student Enrollment Enrollment Capacity (if known) First Year 9 450 500 Second Year 9, 10 900 1000 Third Year 9, 10, 11 1350 1400 Fourth Year 9, 10, 11, 12 1800 1800 Fifth Year 9, 10, 11, 12 1800 1800 I certify that I have the authority to submit this application and that all information contained herein is complete and accurate, realizing that any misrepresentation could result in disqualification from the application process or revocation after award. I understand that incomplete applications will not be considered. The person named as the contact person for the application is so authorized to serve as the primary contact for this application on behalf of the applicant. _____________________________________________ __________ Signature Title ______________________________________________ ____________________ Printed Name Date Cornerstone Academy for High Standards TABLE OF CONTENTS APPLICATION COVER SHEET­1 I. EDUCATIONAL PLAN Section 1: Mission, Guiding Principles and Purpose­­3 Section 2: Target Population and Student Body­­12 Section 3: Educational Program Design­­14 Section 4: Curriculum Plan­­17 Section 5: Student Performance, Assessment and Evaluation­­32 Section 6: Exceptional Students­­45 Section 7: English Language Learners­­56 Section 8: School Climate and Discipline­­63 II. ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN Section 9: Governance­­70 Section 10: Management­­83 Section 11: Education Service Providers­­91 Section 12: Human Resources and Employment­­93 Section 13: Student Recruitment and Enrollment­­ 99 III. BUSINESS PLAN Section 14: Budget­­ 104 Section 15: Financial Management and Oversight ­­113 Section 16: Action Plan­­119 Exhibit A­ Course Codes­122 Exhibit B­ Student Progression Plan­123 Exhibit C­ Letters of Support­123 IV. STATEMENT OF ASSURANCES­124 2 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section I: Mission, Guiding Principles and Purpose A. Provide the mission statement for the proposed charter school. The mission statement should, in a few concise sentences, indicate what the school intends to do, for whom and to what degree. A school's mission statement provides the foundation for the entire application. The mission of Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. (Hereafter CAHS) is to provide rigorous Common core standards­based courses, through online curriculum, leading to a high school diploma. Computer instruction unique towards earning high grade level mastery with varied learning styles for ninth through twelfth grade students, including students abroad. CAHS will be different from other full­time online programs available in Florida by offering academic grade level mastery online. Some of the experiences include assimilated IMAX traveling experiences in 3­D; learning how to make personal investments to secure financial future, as well as stimulating travel to science and cultural exhibits. CAHS’s mission is to equip students however necessary with hands­on high grade level mastery skills needed to be globally competitive for college and career success. B. Describe how the school will utilize the guiding principles found in section 1002.33(2)(a), F.S. In accordance with the law, charter schools shall be guided by the following principles: Meet high standards of student achievement while providing parents flexibility to choose among diverse educational opportunities within the state's public school system. CAHS is committed to meeting high standards in student achievement while providing parents flexibility to choose among diverse education opportunities with the state’s public school system. By offering online learning, CAHS can provide individual support and educational empowerment to encourage students to set high goals for their futures. With the Common core standards being implemented for best practices in online study, the flexibility and breadth of online education gives students the advantage through our state of the art learning environment (it has been said that it takes a village to raise a child, well CAHS believes that it takes every staff member and stakeholder working together towards the common goal of student academic success) which includes academic, individual, personal, social instruction and career counseling. Also, the parent liaison component that will provide a holistic approach to communicating as the involvement of the parents increase thereby reduces the student disengagement that contributes to the dropout rates. Additionally, CAHS offers the flexible schedule and relational learning environment that will meet each student’s individual needs and that are customized to remove the barriers to student achievement. The parents will have choices of enrolling their children in a school that will strive to offer individually­paced, technology­based, flexibly scheduled programs that will lead to the goal of every student receiving a high school diploma. Online learning offers solutions to cost savings in personnel, facility, and textbook costs, with equal or improved academic results. The growth of online learning in higher education has taken off. About 10 percent of students in 2007 took at least one online course. At the end of 2011, that number had grown to about 30%. More than half of all postsecondary students will take at least one class online by 2013. This dramatic change is influencing the way in which K­12 programs are teaching students to prepare for success in college. Promote enhanced academic success and financial efficiency by aligning responsibility and accountability. CAHS’s innovative model ensures that it can effectively promote enhanced academic success. At the CAHS campus, students will experience interactive and applied learning in co­curricular activities. CAHS will provide an organized knowledge and skills through the online curriculum, the development of 3 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards intellectual skills of learning by teaching online and onsite, and CAHS will expand upon understanding through performance, technological applications, and community service. The responsibility for CAHS’s finances will be with the governing board, which includes members with expertise in financial management and guiding by the back­office business manager. CAHS will enlist reputable affiliates and consultants with extensive experience with financial management relating to charter school success. The fiscal processes in the school will respond to ongoing district and state data collection requirements, including software systems that manage financial reporting aspects of the school, which will produce data that can be disaggregated to allow analysis of financial operations within the school. CAHS will also provide opportunities for teachers to assess students regularly through placement, diagnostic, benchmark and state assessments. CAHS’s learning environment will provide additional support, if appropriate, for students who are performing below grade level or who receive special services. Under the supervision of certified teachers and staff, CAHS will have teacher’s aides providing tutoring services. CAHS’s governing board is to effectively manage and align CAHS's financial resources to support student achievement, as assisted with the school administration. CAHS and the Board Chair and Members will provide the District with an Annual Accountability report, after the audits have be conducted. As a means for aligning responsibility for student academic success to financial efficiency, and after an appropriate implementation time frame, the academic programs will be re­evaluated, and the School’s administration will discuss with the Governing Board their findings as to whether or not there exists a positive yield of student achievement for the respective investment. Thus, by designing and communicating specific educational goals and financial responsibilities to its stakeholders (governing board, staff, students, and parents), the School will promote continuous academic success and financial efficiency by aligning responsibility with accountability. All Florida Statute 1002.33(2)(a,b,c) and 1002.3(6)(a)(1) and FS 1002.33(7)(a)(1) will be upheld and monitored throughout the school year. The progress reports, audit reports, as well as the testing scores will increase financial efficiency, academic success, and responsibility to parents. The academic success and efficiency will be assessed in our State grade, meeting “AYP,” and in our various operating reviews, financial reports, and audits. To achieve this, we will put in place a budgeting and allocation system that provides for student and teacher needs, yet includes continuous oversight of financial operations with numerous checks and balances in combination with clear delineation of each employee’s responsibility. An independent audit review at the end of each school year provides the assurance that employees made proper decisions in the use of public dollars. As a charter school, responsibility and accountability are closely aligned with annual accountability reports to the District, since the School is subject to reauthorization. In addition to the above, the School will align financial accountability with its responsibility for students’ academic success in the following ways: CAHS’s principal will hire highly­qualified teachers and administrators who are experienced in working with all types of students in the targeted student population. Research continues to show that experienced and highly­qualified teachers are one of the primary contributors to student achievement and success, as well as parent involvement with the school and progress monitoring of the students. By integrating the most appropriate instructional software that meets the needs of the target student population. CAHS will take special notice of the accountability Reports provided to the District annually. Using a cost­benefit analysis process to ensure that school funding is effective in achieving the mission and goals of CAHS. Provide parents with sufficient information on whether their child is reading at grade level and whether the child gains at least a year's worth of learning for every year spent in the charter school. CAHS’s system provides parents and guardians with daily feedback on a student’s performance. Parents are able to log in and review their child’s performance, as well as log into their child’s online courses to view daily lessons and attendance, and access planning and progress tools. Parents will also be able to communicate with teachers on a regular basis through email, phone, or online chat rooms to monitor their child’s progress. 4 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Each parent/guardian will also be given access to their child’s progress reports, which are updated as students complete assessments to show real time benchmark results in core subjects, such as reading, math and language arts so that parents have a complete understanding of their student’s performance levels. Students will also be given a reading assessment, see the Assessment section for more detail, to measure students’ reading grade levels and progress twice a year. The results of these assessments will be made available to parents and students on the student’s online progress report. CAHS’s administration and staff will be accountable to parents and responsible to students through daily assessments of measurable goals and objectives that continuously monitor academic progress and the pace of learning in every academic area including reading. An Individual Success Plan (ISP) will be created for each student based upon the results of a baseline assessment using the TABE, past academic performance as measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) data and previous school records, a career interests inventory and career plan, social/personal needs inventory, disciplinary records, and parent and student input. The ISP will outline all academic, social, and career needs and goals for each student, including graduation requirements. Administrators and highly­qualified certified teachers, along with support staff, will collaborate to develop the ISP on the student's behalf. Years’ Worth of Learning: Student progress will be measured by tracking academic growth over time using the TABE, which will be administered for each student in the fall and spring. This will allow the teachers and staff to determine, based upon that student's test results, where a student is academically at the beginning of the school year, and the student's predicted academic growth over the time between the fall and spring test administrations. An annual comparison of pre­and post­test results will determine if each student has demonstrated requisite growth, or in which areas the student did not meet expectations. Formative assessments will be used to measure where students are in the process of demonstrating a year's worth of learning. In addition to these test results, FCAT success, the passing of grade­appropriate high school courses and progression to the next grade level will determine if the student is gaining at least a year's worth of learning for every year spent at CAHS. Students, parents, and staff will be able to access student progress data through the achievement data that will be reported in Annual Reports to parents and the school district sponsor, and will include the School's progress as indicated by the School Improvement Rating (SIR), as well as reporting requirements related to the No Child Left Behind Act report on Adequate Yearly Progress. In addition, CAHS will communicate with parents through a parent liaison, by home visits, phone calls, e­mails, and mailings that describe their child's progress and success. The program will offer parents and students another tuition­free, public school choice that will meet students' different needs in a multi­facet approach. For example, CAHS will provide: Achievement Gap Learning Programs: A partnership with Hope World­wide’s Saturday’s Children’s, Positive Choice and Literacy Coalition of The School District will keep the year round learning consistent with the regular schedule 180 days of the school’s regular learning. By hosting reading contests and supplemental educational activities to bridge the literacy gaps for all students including below level learners. Teacher­Directed Education: A team of highly­qualified, certified teachers and other professional educators will support, encourage, and facilitate students' ongoing success by teaching core academics and strategizing solutions to help alleviate external circumstances that hinder learning success. Interactive and Relational Learning Environment: A teacher­directed, mastery­based, individualized, and technology­enhanced curriculum that focuses on removing social/personal barriers to success, building foundational skills, and meeting academic goals, will be delivered in an integrated approach by caring and passionate adults to ensure individual academic progress and ongoing student success. Social support and crisis intervention services are provided to students who need these services. College and Career Readiness: All students will be provided with a challenging, engaging, and align high school/college curriculum that adequately prepares students for postsecondary success and st acquisition of 21 century skills. Individual Transition Plans will guide students in selecting the most appropriate courses and career pathways based on each student's personal goals, interests, ambitions, and aspirations for success after high school. Together with Workforce Alliance Programs, CAHS will identify those individuals who need on the job training, while taking their academics to the mastery level. 5 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards C. Describe how the school will meet the prescribed purposes for charter schools found in section 1002.33(2)(b), F.S. In accordance with the law, charter schools shall fulfill the following purposes: Improve student learning and academic achievement. CAHS’s goal is to improve student learning and academic achievement using the innovative virtual courses of instruction to achieve mastery level skills, as well as the use of modern tools to prepare students for a technologically advanced workforce. According to our officials in FLDOE and Government, one of the critical components of creating jobs and turning Florida’s economy around is to make sure our st
state has the best educated workforce, ready to work in this 21 century economy. CAHS’s instructional program contains: an education model that is individualized, and flexible; a safe environment; an emphasis on parent involvement through the parent liaison monitoring student progress, integrating technology to enhance teaching and learning; and addressing the social and personal aspects of learning with the counselors. CAHS’s program design of individualized school environment within the model that implements online learning teacher support, works well for all students, but is especially a good design to help the most at­
risk, gifted, or diversified ELL. The online curriculum and considerable amount of individualized support that our students receive promotes achievement and improves students’ motivation and self­confidence in a private academic setting. CAHS will provide a rigorous academic environment for students to use their talents to enhance their academic learning, such as students who love music, but are poor readers can develop music projects that will teach them the basics, such as rewriting classical, poetic rap songs that children sing in school. In addition, CAHS’ virtual curriculum model offers students a flexible schedule to further support their needs while encouraging them to achieve their academic goals. The flexible schedule allows students to work at library, home, or workforce alliance with staff support and then work from any other setting where the student can have access to the internet. The online model also gives families and students an opportunity to pursue interests outside of cyber online sessions and serves families where parents and students have to work within a unique schedule. CAHS’ model provides an academic alternative for students who have not succeeded under the traditional methods of instruction and the schedules of traditional schools. Those students leaving traditional schools will be given educational opportunity to select a smaller, more individualized, self­
paced school setting to prepare them for high school, post­secondary education and career opportunities, while mastering the Common core State Standards, which will enable them to succeed in any cyber­class environment. CAHS’s online live support as well as home, library as offsite­based tutoring and small group instruction will provide necessary assistance to students who are not performing at grade level; example, Saturday’s children. Overall, our individualized approach, cyber­online session­based support, and all the other methods and approaches indicated herein will provide a solid framework and the tools to support at­risk students who will be attracted to CAHS’s programs. According to recent research on the effectiveness of online courses, the following are benefits found in schools and programs that utilize online learning: ­Students in online courses spend significant time working independently with concepts and digital resources. Courses that are designed to require more time actively practicing and applying the course content through writing and speaking generally lead to higher achievements, as do simulations, manipulative, and tutorials that offer student feedback. ­Online courses increase equitable access to quality educational opportunities by bringing flexibility to the course calendar, expanding the course catalog and offering individualized instruction. ­The amount of individualized and personalized instruction a student receives increases in an online learning environment. Teachers of online courses are able to focus entirely on student accomplishment of 6 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards course objectives, primarily through individual communication about student work within a mastery framework. ­Virtual schools have helped students who are performing below basic level on prior state tests get back on track, moving from basic to proficient or advanced levels. ­Virtual school participation has been shown to narrow the state testing achievement gap for those in economically disadvantaged subgroups. Purpose: Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. has an educational program, online teaching and learning model that are based upon the premise that high­need students have specialized needs, who learn at different rates, and have kinesthetic learning styles; like left brain and right brain cyber­online session learners; girls are usually left brain and males are right brain which cause many of these high need students to struggle in high school, under perform, and potentially drop out. We believe that everyone deserves a quality education that meets his or her individual needs. These students need an effective choice at success. As such, the purpose of CAHS is to serve students by giving them an effective choice at achieving a quality education, employability training and career preparation, and access to postsecondary opportunities; thereby guiding them on a path to success. CAHS’s students will be provided with an individually­paced program set in a flexible scheduling environment that is responsive to students' needs, and provides an educational experience that leads to a high school diploma and college and career readiness. Increase learning opportunities for all students, with a special emphasis on low­performing students and reading. CAHS’s small, individualized, self­paced school will increase learning opportunities for those students who are not performing well, are considered at­risk, or who are not comfortable in a traditional setting. For those students, CAHS offers an alternative academic setting and a second chance at academic success. Many of our students will be those who are behind in credits, those who want to graduate earlier than they could in a traditional school setting. One of the emphases of our curriculum is to re­teach concepts the student is not mastering. The online component gives students an opportunity to work at their pace until they master the standard. Literacy is implemented throughout the curriculum with an emphasis on comprehension. All courses are specifically written with grade­level reading skills in mind since a significant amount of online coursework requires the student to read. Once the instructional team identifies a struggling reader through the team will create a specialized plan for the student. By making the struggling students highly visible amongst the instructional team, CAHS can devise a plan for specific interventions. The plan will include monitoring student progress on a regular basis as well as weekly team meetings to evaluate and adjust the student’s progress report. The plan may require ongoing assessments in reading throughout the year to determine the student’s reading grade level and progress and to inform the student’s instructor on a weekly, or daily, basis as needed. Students who score low on reading are supported through remedial reading courses, tutoring, and onsite reading instruction. Students who are low­performing readers can use their music ability to create a poem that sounds like their rap, or classical mainstream music. Reading at Grade Level CAHS will use the Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE) or the Stanford Achievement Test­4 (SAT­4) to measure grade­equivalent reading levels. If a student is not reading on grade level, he/she will be placed into foundational skills courses and a targeted reading program to build reading skills to grade­appropriate levels. This is when the work force alliance teacher interns will assist in the online sessions and computer rooms with the highly certified teachers to allow for teacher­directed individualized­paced reading assistance to each student. The course content is based on the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards and aligned to state standards. 7 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Encourage the use of innovative learning methods. CAHS’s unique model, which includes the use of modern technology and virtual learning, demonstrates its commitment to innovative learning methods. Online classes offer students flexible and individualized learning. Through the applications of new technologies, such as iPads, Wii exercise programs, and Web­
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based tools, CAHS is prepared to equip students with necessary skills for the 21 century. Online curriculum with interactive video and frequent communication with credentialed teachers through email, Skype, or online chat rooms helps motivate students and hold them accountable for their education. The different stimuli, such as video, animation, and auditory cues found in online courses provide variation to meet the needs of students with varied learning styles. CAHS acknowledges that today’s youth are technologically ready to stay current on the trends developing in the electronics world. To help empower and motivate today’s students, CAHS has found a way to incorporate the latest technology, such as the Wii and iPad, to capture student’s attention and help engage, or re­engage, them in their education. Every student that enrolls in CAHS will be assigned a laptop or tablet, such as an iPad, which will serve to enhance student’s learning. CAHS will take advantage of the many free educational apps available on the market today. For example, there are apps that offer 3D cell and stain manipulation, 3D brain simulation, and maps of the world that are annotated with historical events. CAHS’s online component is a natural extension of student’s daily lives, providing a learning environment equipped with tools that they are familiar with. CAHS’s unique multimedia online sessions also will simulate an office setting, where students work independently and collaborative with others on projects, and meet in small groups with teachers, which helps prepare them for future work environments. CAHS’ students will utilize the latest, state­of­ the­art technology available. Each student will receive technology, such as an iPad to check out for their personal use. Some of the current downloadable apps: book publishing; PowerPoint presentations; lessons on African American History, World History, Geography, Math, Reading, Social Studies, Sciences, Foreign Languages, Exercises (PE), and much more. Students can attempt to write a commercial jingle for their favorite food or place to eat or does a book report on all the things learned as a group project about a favorite Country in the World, like China, Singapore, Japan, or Paris. Require the measurement of learning outcomes. CAHS is dedicated to the use of effective research­based methods to measure learning outcomes. To ensure student success and promote increased learning, CAHS has developed clear, measurable, and specific goals for students. The Web­based technology platform, and the protocols built around it, enable close tracking and monitoring of all online activity, and will generate alerts when students fall behind the expected pace of the course. In this blended program, students cannot fall through the cracks, unnoticed by teaching staff and parents. CAHS is committed to tracking student outcomes, analyzing data, and recognizing trends that tell us whether we are succeeding in our mission. Our analysis combines traditional, charter and virtual school performance indicators, such as, ­Specific individualized plan ­Course completion rates ­Graduation rates ­Statewide testing performance (measured against state averages) and Adequate Yearly Progress ­Averages in GPA’s ­SAT and ACT scores and trends by subtest/subject area ­Evaluations by Administration, Staff, Parents, and Students surveys. Each individual student also develops, with their teachers and counselor, educational, career and lifelong goals cited in their specific academic plan, which is updated on an ongoing basis and includes students’ major areas of interests. Students will take the opportunity to critique each other and the teacher will provide the rubric for the class to be very fair in the process. The foundational skills courses will help struggling readers develop mastery in the areas of reading comprehension, vocabulary building, study skills, and media literacy, which are the course's primary content strands. Using these strands, the student will develop the skills 8 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards necessary to be successful in the academic world and beyond. The reading comprehension strand will focus on introducing the student to the varied purposes of reading (e.g., information to complete a task or to analyze). In the vocabulary strand, the student will learn specific strategies for understanding and remembering new vocabulary. In the study skills strand, the student will learn effective study and test­
taking strategies. In the media literacy strand, the student will learn to recognize and evaluate persuasive techniques, purposes, design choices, and effects of media. Initial assessment of reading and math skills levels Reading and math skills levels will be assessed upon student initial enrollment in the School. Foundational reading and math skills levels are essential in the development of each student's ISP and placing students in appropriate content. Summative and formative evaluations of content mastery Student mastery of content will be measured continuously through achievement of learning benchmarks and upon successful completion of each course. Ongoing performance analysis of student­level data to drive needed interventions. Benchmarking and analysis of performance results to modify instruction Instructional strategies will be modified based on pre­determined benchmarks of acceptable progress and student success. CAHS will provide high quality instruction and intervention matched to student needs. CAHS will use student’s learning progress and level of performance to create informed instructional decisions, including decisions regarding promotion, acceleration, retention and remediation. Response to instruction and intervention is a data­based decision making process applied to education. A problem­solving method and the systematic use of assessment data, at the District, school, class grade, and individual levels will guide decisions about the allocation of resources and the intensity of instruction and intervention needed to improve learning and/or achievement. (State Board of Education Rule 6A­6.03018; 34 C.F.R. § 300.307 (a)(2)); School Board Policy 5.725; SP & P at 22 and 80) The principal of a school is responsible for making and maintaining the required records and reports while providing leadership for instruction that meets the needs of all students. [Florida Statute §§1001.54; 1012.28] The goal is to incorporate the Common Core Sunshine State Standards, Sunshine State Standards for Special Diploma or Common core Sunshine State Standards found herein this School District Student Progression Plan. (State Board of Education Rule 6A­1.09401(2)) Teachers are responsible for providing effective instruction and remediation and documenting the results of instruction as to the student’s mastery of the above Standards. CAHS’s goal is to improve student learning and academic achievement using the innovative online model, which combines virtual courses with teacher support instruction, as well as the use of modern tools to prepare students for a technologically advanced workforce. According to our officials in FLDOE and Government, one of the critical components of creating jobs and turning Florida’s economy st
around is to make sure our State has the best educated workforce, ready to work in this 21 century economy. CAHS’s instructional program contains: best practices of an online education model that is individualized, and flexible; a safe environment; an emphasis on parent involvement through the parent liaison monitoring student progress, integrating technology to enhance teaching and learning; and counselors addressing the social and personal aspects of learning. CAHS’s program design has and individualized school environment within the best practices model that implements online and through technology teacher support, that works well for all students, as well as a good design to help all students, especially the most gifted, or diversified ELL. The online curriculum and considerable amount of individualized support that our students receive promotes achievement and improves students’ motivation and self­confidence in a private academic setting. D. Describe how the charter school will fulfill, if applicable, the optional purposes of charter schools found in section 1002.33(2)(c), F.S. In accordance with the law, charter schools may fulfill the following purposes: Create innovative measurement tools. 9 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Online courses provide instant feedback to every student’s individual progress. CAHS assessments are not only designed to determine how well the students are meeting the specific goals, but also to help evaluate and improve learning and how well CAHS’ staff is performing. Assessments help the parent, instructional staff and student to see that the student is achieving important learning objectives, and flag areas in which the student might need extra work. The School will use a variety of assessments and evaluation tools, including placement tools, benchmark assessments, assessments built into the curriculum, and State Exam. Comprehensive assessments, such as TABE will be used for pre­and post­assessments, and AAS Software will be used for analyzing our data, leading to instructional decisions for individual students, and also to help identify where to focus interventions and professional staff development in our refinement efforts. Some of the current measuring tools are testing scores and observational training. There are diagnostic tests that are different from State exams. The individual student however has specific needs in order to learn those skills that merely testing a student does not provide what the student needs for academic successful, therefore the student must be given strategies in reading used to build critical thinking, or build the reading comprehension, vocabulary, study skills, and media literacy, which are areas of primary content strands. Provide rigorous competition within the public school district to stimulate continual improvement in all public schools. CAHS believes that its unique blended model of virtual learning combined with emphasis on left and right brain online sessions, as preparation for college level course structure with online flexibility serves as a model of innovative education in the district, thus providing rigorous competition and cause for improvement within the public school district. CAHS’ multi­faceted focus is to offer online online session st
learning, to use cutting­edge 21 Century learning tools, and to allow students to create a flexible, self­
paced schedule, is a unique and effective combination of educational programs that serve a diverse student population. While the district’s public schools have some online sessions that provide one of these focus points, none is providing all aspects of this concept in one school and that is open for all student diversity. These programs, combined with the one­on­one support for students, will provide a model for success for students who need an alternative to the traditional online sessions. Overall, CAHS is a unique blend of proven educational models not currently available in Florida that will expand educational choices, will better serve at­risk students, will add positive competitive forces for all methods of delivering education, will offer research­based learning and support, and will be led by an experienced and committed team. Currently, the public schools are experimenting with the African American History curriculum being added to each subject area, such as math, science, reading, and social studies, however the charter schools are at a greater advantage with the small class size to implement and make improvements in the overall learning of the students. Expand the capacity of the public school system. CAHS’s flexible and individual student focus will build a strong portfolio for each students’ academic success. By taking this one subject area and making it adaptable to all the other subject areas taught will not only be efficiently done, but it will be ahead of those public schools that have not currently decided to present the African American History, as a much needed learning tool that will help shape all other meaningful knowledge a student has acquired over the course of a year’s worth of learning. Mitigate the educational impact created by the development of new residential dwelling units. In the School District, there are City Redevelopment projects building homes for families who can afford it, therefore it is a given that more families impact the increase population of students in a particular area. 10 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including ownership of the learning program at the school site. Teachers are usually given bad reports regarding their flexibility and eagerness to try new things, CAHS hopes to employ teachers who are known for their desire for students to achieve the success, all students deserves. All instructional staff will be encouraged to participate in professional development programs, conferences, or workshops in order to progress academically, enhance their skills, and network amongst other professionals who share their same curricular expertise and have the ability to stay current in their areas of curriculum. CAHS also promotes communication amongst colleagues, for example, regarding effective techniques used in the online setting, can be learned in the Common core standards professional development setting. In addition, teachers will receive training to improve their technology skills and learn effective ways to integrate technology throughout the curriculum. 11 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 2: Target Population and Student Body A. Describe the anticipated target population to be served. If applicable, applicants should describe if they will target, in accordance with the law, certain populations defined in section 1002.33(10)(e), F.S. Cornerstone Academy for High Standards will serve High needs students Grades 9­12; ages 15­21 (including students with special needs, students with disabilities, and English Language Learner (ELL) students) will be eligible to enroll in CAHS. These will include all students including those who are low­
performing, under­credited, or have dropped out (or are dangerously close to dropping out) of their traditional public schools, and students desiring an alternative approach to high school graduation. The School is expected to have a racial/ethnic population as well as an English Language Learner (ELL) and Exceptional Education Student population representative of the surrounding schools and community it will serve. Our target student population includes all Grades 9­12 students who are perhaps looking for internship employment through our partnership with workforce alliance, foster care, and over­age for their current grade level. CAHS will integrate and adhere to all state and local requirements for successful high school graduation of all students. An open admissions policy will be implemented wherein the school will be open to any student residing in the County. Any eligible student, as described in Fla. Stat. 1002.33(10), who submits a timely application and whose parents accept the conditions of the parental involvement contract shall be considered, unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of the program, class, grade level, or building. In such case, all applicants shall have an equal chance of being admitted through a random selection process. If the number of applications falls short of the established capacity, supplemental registration periods may be held for the purpose of reaching student capacity. The Board of Directors is committed to establishing programs to help high school students who desire to earn a high school diploma and transition successfully to postsecondary opportunities and who meet one or more of the following criteria: all ages between 15 to 21; struggling academics of dropping out or have dropped out of school. Below grade level learner: Performing two or more years below their age­appropriate grade level in reading and math No success with NCLB on state competency exams Retained in­grade one or more years Failing two or more subjects­need credit recovery Pattern of poor attendance Frequently changing schools­ Foster Care Unsuccessful in traditional school settings Desiring an alternative approach to high school graduation The challenges of keeping students in school and graduating can be found in every high school in the USA and in the local areas mapped out with the enrollment projection reports showing increases among high schools in the south SAC areas. In a Florida County School: 6,096 high school students repeated their grade during the 2010­2011 school year. th th 14,555 students (60%) in the 9 and 10 grades scored at Level I or II on FCAT Reading in 2010­2011. th th 7,882 students (30%) in the 9 and 10 grades scored at Level I or II on FCAT Math in 2010­2011. th
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4,993 high school students in the 11 and 12 grades were absent thirty (30) or more days in 2010­2011. A preventative proposal is needed to address this issue, in­depth graduation data and projections for local counties, because the dropout potential numbers are staggering. Enrollment will not be denied to any eligible applicants based upon sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability. The School will also not discriminate in its student admissions policies or practices whether on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or any other basis that would be discriminatory if used by any public school. 12 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards B. Provide the following projection for each year of proposed operation: the grades that the school will serve, the projected number of students to be served in each grade, the number of students expected in each class, and the total number of students enrolled. The table below shows the grades that the School will serve each year, the predicted number of students to be served in each grade, the number of students predicted in each class, and the maximum student enrollment. The student enrollment projections are as follows: the number of students expected in each class is a maximum of 50 students (with a stipulation to adjust grade levels as needed to meet overcrowding demands of grades (9 to 12). Projected School Opening: FY2014 School Year Grade Levels Total Projected Student Student Enrollment Enrollment Capacity (if known) First Year 9 450 500 2014­2015 Second Year 9, 10 900 1000 2015­2016 Third Year 9, 10, 11 1350 1400 2016­2017 Fourth Year 9, 10, 11, 12 1800 1800 2017­2018 Fifth Year 9, 10, 11, 12 1800 1800 2018­2019 C. Provide the projection for the percentage and number of students who will qualify for free equipment pursuant to section 1002.45(3)(d), Florida Statutes. The projection of students who will qualify for free equipment is 90% for each of the five years CAHS will be in operation. Low income demographic areas of each school district like this county specifically in high density areas make it possible for the projections to be high. D. Provide a description of how the student population projections were developed. In determining how student population projected, CAHS looked at the demographic areas of the 9­12 grade student population, making survey analysis by communicating with existing schools (charter, and traditional), Juveniles in the court system, expelled, drop­outs, and at some point we needed to start with a number, therefore, the projections were developed by incrementally taking the student enrollment of the first year students who enroll in the school for the ninth and tenth grades with a projected enrollment of 900 students, then we organize by grade level those who will potentially matriculate after meeting academic requirements for those grades. Some of the demographic reports is taking the October FTE enrollment; the high school five­year enrollment projections by school; SSC 3016 October 2011 enrollment by school, by grade; SSC 3017 total number of students living with each SAC (SACs are geographic areas); high school attendance maps, and the maps show SAC areas. One way to access the files path to maps­ of over utilization schools, click departments, select boundaries, GIS Maps, then click th
th
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Map catalog, and scroll down to 5 , 6 , or 7 maps on list. In the South area high schools % percentage of difference in October grew by 367 or 1%. The high school FTE (FISH) report shows 423 increases in enrollments. 13 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 3: Educational Program Design A. Explain how the educational program aligns with the school's mission. CAHS’s online live support as well as site­based tutoring and small group instruction will provide necessary supplemental assistance to students who are not performing at grade level. Overall, our individualized approach, online session­based support, and all the other methods and approaches indicated herein will provide a solid framework and the tools to support struggling students who will be attracted to CAHS’s programs. The mission of Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. (Hereafter CAHS) is to provide a standard­ based, rigorous online curriculum to students, coupled with site­based instruction in a unique learning environment for grades 9­12 students and those struggling, expelled or dropping out. CAHS will be different from other full­time online programs available in Florida by offering a blend of both online and face­to face, or online session forum learning. CAHS’s mission is also to equip students with the necessary skills for college and career success through learning styles of boys and girls; right­brain and left­brain individually paced, technology driven, flexible scheduling program leading to a high school diploma and post­secondary transition. According to recent research on the effectiveness of online courses, the following are benefits found in schools and programs that utilize online learning: ­Students in online courses spend significant time working independently with concepts and digital resources. Courses that are designed to require more time actively practicing and applying the course content through writing and speaking generally lead to higher achievements, as do simulations, manipulative, and tutorials that offer student feedback. ­Online courses increase equitable access to quality educational opportunities by bringing flexibility to the course calendar, expanding the course catalog and offering individualized instruction. ­The amount of individualized and personalized instruction a student receives increases in an online learning environment. Teachers of online courses are able to focus entirely on student accomplishment of course objectives, primarily through individual communication about student work within a mastery framework. Your Teacher is a web­based tutoring program that builds student competencies in pre­Algebra, Algebra 1 and 2, and Geometry. It is aligned to state­standards and provides over 1,000 online math lessons for homework help, tutoring, and standardized test preparation. A student has access to videos with certified math teachers demonstrating key concepts, practice activities, and self­tests. A Saturday’s children’s program (Hope Worldwide) school will be provided on an as needed basis with volunteers or interns from workforce alliance. The School is dedicated to prepare students to be college ready and college bound, setting the stage for career path pursuits, and concomitantly producing students who are contributing members to the community where they live and to society at large. In doing so, the School recognizes that each student is capable of learning and achieving academic success and therefore commits to helping students explore and develop their intellectual potential while reinforcing personal character, while kindling that desire to be a lifelong learner. This is in perfect concert with the School’s mission, which is to provide a college preparatory educational environment that furthers the philosophy of respect and high expectations for all, enabling students to become confident, self­directed and responsible life­long learners. The School’s educational philosophy is grounded on the expectation of increasing learning opportunities and raising the academic achievement of its students through high expectations and character development. Therefore, the School’s educational philosophy, values, and beliefs, are in direct alignment with the school’s mission and moreover support and facilitate implementation of the school’s mission. B. Describe the process the school will use to ensure that students eligible to receive a computer, monitor, printer(if necessary) and /or internet access, pursuant to Section 14 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards 1002.45(3)(d), Florida Statutes, receive such equipment and internet service, and how the school will provide, track, and retrieve the necessary equipment(this information should be reflected in the budget section as well). District Equipment are allocated for ensuring that students eligible will receive access to a computer, monitor, internet use, and by enrolling them into the Comcast/Xfinity computer equipment and internet access program, and purchase a computer and get one free through the programs. Each CAHS student in the District family with one or more 9­12 students eligible for low income demographics will be eligible for a loaned computer and printer for the duration of their student(s)’ enrollment in the school. CAHS’s student in the District high school who is eligible for free and reduced price meals will also be eligible for a loaned computer and a printer/fax/scanner for the duration of their enrollment in the school. The school will establish a set rate to assist families of these students with the cost of their Internet service. All students may also access the school’s web­based curriculum via local publicly available Internet access WiFi such as in public libraries, colleges, Institutes, universities, boys and girls club, and workforce alliance. The budget will reflect the costs that are incurred to purchase the FLVS Franchise platform that is needed. Learning Management System (LMS) The LMS is an intuitive, FLVS web­based software platform. It provides access to more than 22,000 online lessons and courses; lesson/unit/term assessments; hands­on activities; alternative learning approaches; online session collaboration tools; and optional and supplemental lessons and activities, as well as lesson planning and scheduling tools and progress tracking tools. Students, parents and teachers can access the LMS with an Internet connection at any time. Lesson Planning and Scheduling Tools The FLVS lesson planning and scheduling tools enable 9­12 teachers and parents to establish a schedule for completing lessons. These tools are designed to update the plan as a 9­12 student progresses through each lesson and course, allowing flexibility to increase or decrease the pace the student moves through the curriculum while ensuring that the student progresses towards completion in the desired time frame. Changes can be made to the schedule at any point and the remainder of the student’s schedule will automatically adjust. For grades 9­12 students, teachers use these tools to establish assignment dates. They are designed to provide student and parent visibility into upcoming assignments and course progress. (An example of schedule plan follows.) Progress Tracking Tools Once a master schedule has been established for 9­12 students, the LMS delivers lessons based upon the schedule. Each day, a student is initially directed to a screen listing the syllabus for that day and selects one of the listed lessons. As each lesson is completed, the student returns to the day’s syllabus to proceed to the next subject. If a student does not complete a lesson during the session, the lesson will be rescheduled to the next day resuming at the point where the student left off. The progress tracking tool allows students, parents and teachers to monitor student progress. In addition, information collected by the progress tracking tool regarding student performance, attendance and other data is transferred to the management system for use in providing administrative support services. Once a master course schedule has been established by a high school teacher in the LMS, content units and assignments are delivered to students based upon the schedule. Each day, a student is initially directed to a screen listing the upcoming assignments for the course, as well as specific teacher­created announcements that assist in guiding the student’s activities for the day and/or week. As each lesson is completed, the student returns to the day’s assignment list to proceed to the next activity. The progress tracking tools allow students, parents and teachers to monitor student progress in each course. (For example KanAcademy.com) FLVS HISTORY During the 1996 school year, Orange County, Florida, piloted a “Web School” with five online courses. The Florida Department of Education (DOE) acted as the catalyst in initially encouraging a partnership between Orange and Alachua Counties. In November 1996, the DOE provided the two districts with a $200,000 “Break the Mold” school grant to develop the Florida High School (FHS) project. Following an intensive six­month period of planning and development, FHS officially launched with seven staff members in August of 1997. 15 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Following the original grant, FLVS operated from a recurring line­item in Florida’s legislative budget until the school year 2003­04, when FLVS became fully funded as a statewide virtual school and became part of the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). From the $200,000 grant in 1996, FLVS continues to grow and has recently become a statewide school district with five schools, serving both full­time and part­time students. FLVS is affiliated with all 67 Florida school districts and has become the model for distance learning initiatives across the globe. The graph below shows the exponential growth FLVS enrollments have experienced over the last 15 years. For the 2011‐12 school year, students completed 314,593 half credits. If the school intends to replicate an existing school design: N/A A. Provide evidence that the existing design has been effective and successful in raising student achievement. The effectiveness of an existing school design can be demonstrated by providing evidence of organizational viability and the success of the academic program, including compliance with legal requirements, as well as a direct relationship between program elements and student achievement. B. Describe the applicant's capacity to replicate an existing school design. The capacity to replicate can be demonstrated by providing credible and well­defined strategies for replication, including the financial and human resources necessary to replicate the design. 16 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 4: Curriculum A. Provide evidence that reading is a primary focus of the school. Reading is a primary focus of CAHS’s curriculum base, because reading is a critical portion of the education system, and literacy and reading for information create the basic foundation for all areas of learning, more importantly reading. Therefore, CAHS's educational program will utilize curriculum that has substantial focus in the reading curriculum. CAHS will adhere to the specifications set forth by, and take full advantage of, Reading Comprehension. Initial Professional Development a myriad of resources available from the Just Read, Florida! Initiative. For example, CAHS will utilize the framework described in the Reading Program Specification for developing a highly effective reading program for its students. Upon entering CAHS's program, students will be tested and placed in an appropriate initial reading level. To accomplish this, the CAHS will incorporate screening and diagnostic assessment tools such as the TABE. This process of screening and creating an individualized learning strategy for each student, combined with the daily monitoring and assessment that will be rigorously performed by the staff, directly align with the Just Read, Florida! Initiative's goals. CAHS will employ at least one certified teacher with a reading endorsement all teachers at the School will be trained so they understand instructional assessments and each of the major reading components. The School's program will address the above specifications in several ways. Staff training and ongoing election will be into CAHS’s extensive of correct above from section B. Development opportunities will be provided to School administrators to build an effective, ongoing professional development program. Additionally, the school's ample curriculum offerings will provide a wide range of instructional materials that support efficient use of instructional time, differentiated reading instruction, and appropriate integration. Supplemental learning techniques like multimedia tutorials will be provided giving students the opportunity to discover and explore new concepts. images, sound tracks, short movies, animations, charts, and graphs integrated throughout the text provide alternative representations and address different learning styles. Courses include a variety of activities that challenge students to explore further, extend their understanding, think critically, apply skills and concepts to new situations, and develop and express their points of view. Students are actively engaged in learning as they read, watch, listen, inquire, write, discuss, explore, and manipulate objects and data. Using Word games students are eager to learn such as Music Trivia (Name that tune and Video Blogs), Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, jeopardy, Family Feud and Wii sports to excite the student towards effective learning. Research shows that Jamestown reading navigator is among the most effective reading tools, because it has a dual purpose in that it is print based and online program used to help the struggling readers, as well as providing a challenge to the advanced or gifted learners. Jamestown Reading Navigator Jamestown Reading Navigator may be one of the primary reading intervention curricula used by the school. It is a research­based, field­tested program developed specifically to raise reading competencies and test scores of struggling middle­school and high­school students. This highly innovative program is targeted at middle school and high school students reading at least two levels below grade level or two levels above readers. Jamestown Reading Navigator is an online and print­based program built upon the latest research in adolescent literacy, Reading Next (2004). The online component of Jamestown Reading Navigator will improve students' comprehension by utilizing direct, explicit instruction and modeling of good reading practices. Students will practice and apply these reading strategies and skills by reading highly engaging content, viewing interactive multimedia, and writing in response to reading. 17 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards However, the print­based readings from the in­Time magazines and the in­Class Reader anthologies will give students an opportunity to extend their learning beyond the computer and encourage collaborative or independent learning. Teachers will be able to monitor student progress utilizing the online Learner Management System where scores from formative and summative assessments are recorded. Research shows that Reading Plus is another option that is highly effective for developing the comprehensive goal in helping students learn to read successfully. Reading Plus Reading Plus picks up where phonics and oral reading instruction leave off, providing rapid and sustainable comprehension and silent reading fluency gains. The system's assessments, individualized dynamic intervention, and progress monitoring provide the solutions needed to effectively identify and remediate struggling students, as well as others who could benefit from silent reading fluency development. By using 21st century technology, the Reading Plus system provides a unique, independent practice environment designed to ensure immediate and frequent success. Readers build independent reading skills and confidence to prepare them for high­stakes tests, academic success, and challenges beyond secondary school. CAHS’s curriculum and instructional strategies are designed to meet the needs of all our students and provide a rigorous and relevant curriculum that is technology­enhanced, mastery­based, and individualized for success. Effectiveness with our target population. All of these curricula have documented evidence demonstrating student success as elucidated below. Prescott High School in Prescott, AZ, is one of nine schools involved in the longitudinal component of the national research project being conducted by Dr. John Shelley­Tremblay of the University of South Alabama (2007). This portion of the study includes students ranging from Grade 9 through Grade 11. Over 70% of the students reported on thus far exceeded the expected Lexile growth for the period covered in this lay analysis, with the vast majority doubling and tripling the expected increase. The expected increase for the period is approximately 44 Lexile points; the average increase among the students reviewed was 105 Lexile points. Lexile points are equal­unit measures and, therefore, can be used for comparison. Within the Reading Plus programs, the students increased their Guided Reading rate by an average of 115 words per minute while maintaining reasonable comprehension. The students also increased how efficiently they read overall. A collaborative study was conducted between August 2003 and December 2003 and involved 82 students in the ninth and tenth grades who were defined as struggling readers [Neucumber, Evelyn, M.] Reading Plus Research Study at Dixie High School in Cross City, FL, 2003­2004. Unpublished study conducted by North East Florida Educational Consortium's Foundation for Rural Excellence (NEFEC and Educational Learning Systems, Inc. Cited by Florida Center for Reading Research in review of Reading Plus, www.fcrr.org, January 2006]. Forty­four treatment­group students were assigned to Reading Plus and Lexia S.O.S. programs (average time 541.6 minutes), and thirty­eight control­group students were assigned to intervention reading classes (average time 747.4 minutes). Pre­and post­tests used to determine student gains were from the Gates MacGinitie Reading Test, Lexia Comprehension Reading Test, Visa­graph Reading Rate Grade Level Equivalent (GLE), and Visa­graph Reading Rate with Comprehension. 18 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards While the control group showed no significant gains on the Gates Test, the treatment group made statistically significant gains (p<.05) from pre­test scores of 22.5 to post­test scores of 25.8. through both groups showed improvement at the significant level on the Lexia Test, the treatment group having access to Reading Plus made significant gains on the Visa­graph GLE (5.1 to 6.5) and Reading Rate (168.4 to 182), while the control group made no measurable gain. A total of 182 high school students from Golden West High School in Visalia, CA, participated as part of a national study evaluating the effectiveness of Reading Plus (Shelley­Tremblay & Authelet, 2007). Those in the treatment group considered in the final analysis received at least 40 sessions of Reading Plus, which included PAVE, Word Memory, Cloze Plus, Reading Around Words, and Comprehension Power, and at least 30 lessons in Guided Reading. The control group used a literature book by McDougal Littell and both groups spent equal time in reading instruction. The results show that the treatment­group students, who were shown to be low achievers, made a significant improvement in reading (p=.012) over the control group after pre­and post­testing on the Gates­MacGinitie Reading Tests. The treatment group also showed substantial improvement in visual/functional and perceptual skills after pre­and post­testing with the Visa­graph, with an average two­
year grade­level gain and fewer fluctuation and regressions. Reading rate was also shown to have substantially increased in both Visa­graph recordings and in Part B of Guided Reading. The control group's gain was slight, with an average half­year grade­level gain and little improvement in reading rate, fluctuation, and regressions. Research continues to show Jamestown Navigator is another option for improving reading scores to increase as students are engaged in high performing evaluation. Reading is a critical portion of the education system, and literacy and reading for information create the basic foundation for all areas of learning. CAHS's educational program will utilize curriculum that has substantial focus in these areas. The School will adhere to the specifications set forth by, and take full advantage of, the Comprehensive. Initial Professional Development a myriad resources available from the Just Read, Florida! Initiative. For example, CAHS will utilize the framework described in the Reading Program Specification for developing a highly effective reading program for the school of technology. CAHS will provide: Achievement Gap Learning Programs: A partnership with Hope World­wide’s Saturday’s Children’s, Positive Choice and Literacy Coalition of District School will keep the learning consistent with the regular schedule 180 days of the school’s regular learning. By hosting reading contests and supplemental educational activities to bridge the literacy gaps for all students including below level learners. With the FLVS’s platform, and the alternative is k12 platform, CAHS will use the English­language arts and mathematics standards for grades 9­12 to prepare students to achieve the Common Core Standards. The CCS was developed in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders including content experts, states, teachers, school administrators and parents. By establishing the standards with clear and consistent goals for learning will prepare America’s children for success in college and work. American competitiveness relies on an education system that can adequately prepare our youth for college and the workforce; when American students have the skills and knowledge needed in today’s jobs, our communities will be positioned to compete successfully in the global economy, strong schools are the surest path to our nation’s long­term economic success. America’s students are now competing with children around the globe for jobs and opportunities after graduation. We need to maintain a national focus to ensure our kids are ready to compete and ready to win, and by creating a common set of high expectations for CAHS’s students across the school district. 19 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) reflect what can come from cooperation to improve student achievement. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents have a roadmap for what they need to do to help them. Further, these standards provide appropriate benchmarks for all students, regardless of where they live, and allow states to more effectively help all students to succeed. A good place to begin is with the free resources you'll find inside VCM programs. Content from NASA, Smithsonian Education, Khan Academy and many others is always free — as are thousands of peer reviewed, user­generated lessons and activities. The FLVCM not only includes hundreds of standards­aligned digital curriculum products, but it also gives you easy­to­use tools to set up classes, make assignments to whole classes, groups or individual students, and even track their progress. To access support resources, including video tutorials, user guides, live chat, and more, click on the "?" Help button on the upper right­hand corner of the Marketplace. We've included an FAQ for your reference below. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions, requests for specific content or products that you'd like to see in the VCM, or any other feedback you might have at flvcm@learning.com. CAHS’s teachers will train and utilize the Florida VCM Team FAQ: Q: What is available in the VCM? A: We are always adding new content and partners to the VCM. It's the place for searchable, standards­
aligned, peer­reviewed content. And, VCM makes it easy for you to sift through all the possibilities so you can find and use the perfect digital content with your students. • • • • Find and assign curriculum that fits your students’ needs quickly and easily Browse from thousands of content items produced by teachers for teachers Find free and fee­based, professionally produced content from premier providers Search by standard and subject Q: Is the Florida VCM free? A: Yes. Access to the Florida VCM is free for all Florida educators. Within the VCM you will find a wide variety of both free and fee­based content. Q: My district licenses resources that I'd like to access through the VCM so my students only have to go one place and log­in with a single username and password. Is this possible? A: Yes. There are two types of accounts in the VCM. The first is an e­Florida account, which means that you only have access to what you have personally licensed. The second is a district account, which means you can connect with other teachers in your district, upload student rosters, and access district or school­licensed resources. District accounts must be set up by a district or school administrator. Please contact your school district’s technology administrator if you would like to explore setting up a district solution. Provides custom virtual solutions to all 67 Florida districts, remaining 49 states, and more than 65 countries • Serves Kindergarten–12 public, private, charter, and home school students • Offers 120+ online courses, including core academics, credit recovery, electives, world languages, ® honors, and Advanced Placement 20 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards • Provides flexibility and personalized instruction to all Florida students • Receives FEFP funding based on successful student performance and course completion • Is fully accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/AdvancEd and courses are accepted for credit and are transferable • Courses meet or exceed Florida Sunshine State and National Standards and are being converted to Common Core Although CAHS will mention many research based applications, to show that the blended model is helping students achieve their academic goals; our budget will show that funds have been allocated for the FLVS platforms, and along with some of the free applications, like Kan academy.com. The curriculum specialist will work closely with staff to develop state of the art learning opportunities, so that the students will receive a high quality education. Reading Plus and Jamestown Navigator are some of the Platforms mentioned that we will look into bringing on board, as budget will allow. In other words, we are keeping an open mind as to what would constitute best practices and allow our staff focused flexibility. By no means will we limit our staff in only two possibilities, as we grow from year to year. The first illustration of how the school curriculum will prepare students to achieve the next generation sunshine state­common core standards is that Reading and math skill levels will be assessed upon student initial enrollment in the School, because foundational reading and math skill levels are essential in the development of each student's ISP and placing students in appropriate content. English, Social studies and Science will be offered to prepare students to achieve CCS while technology is what CAHS is committed to in meeting high standards of student achievement while providing parents flexibility to choose among diverse educational opportunities within the State’s public school system. The second illustration of how the school curriculum in the core academic areas will prepare students to achieve CCS by offering styles of a blend of both online and face­to­face instruction, or campus­based learning. The third illustration of how the school’s curriculum in the core academic areas is that CAHS will provide individual support and educational empowerment to encourage students to set high goals for their future. In this blended program, students cannot fall through the cracks, unnoticed by teaching staff and parents. Using measurable methods such as FCAT, standards based (EOC) exam and other methods like ISP portfolios including accumulated pre and post test results, and quizzes (oral and written). Also, the fourth illustration of how school’s curriculum in the core academic areas by preparing students to achieve student teachers will focus their efforts on teaching students "how to" process information is a key factor in teaching students how to strategically organize, store, retrieve, and apply information presented. Such strategies will include memorization, KWL, reciprocal teaching, graphic organizing, scaffolding, or webbing. As an incentive to innovative techniques, the teachers will use Word games students are eager to learn such as Music Trivia (Name that tune and Video Blogs), Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, jeopardy, Family Feud and Wii sports to excite the student towards effective learning. Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. (CAHS) has an educational program, teaching and learning model that are based upon the premise that high­needs students have specialized needs, learn at different rates, and have kinesthetic learning styles; like left brain and right brain online session learners; girls are usually left brain and males are right brain which cause many of these high needs students to struggle in high school, under perform, and potentially drop out. We believe that every student deserves a quality education that meets his or her individual needs. CAHS will make sure that all online session learning meets the needs of both the male and female style of learning. These students need an effective choice at success. The curriculum plan of CAHS will use a comprehensive and evidence­based model of teaching and learning that will address core academics along with the social, personal, career, and academic goals of students. This educational program will be characterized by a strong curriculum plan, rich learning experiences, and technology enhanced teaching and learning opportunities leading to achievement of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and a standard high school diploma. We believe that students learn best in a personalized small group setting: 21 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Using measurable methods such as FCAT standards based (EOC) and other methods like ISP portfolios including accumulated pre and post test results, and quizzes (oral and written). Teaching students "how to" process information is a key factor in teaching students how to strategically organize, store, retrieve, and apply information presented. Such strategies will include memorization, KWL, reciprocal teaching, graphic organizing, scaffolding, or webbing. The following components will be integrated into learning activities, lessons, modules, and units: Teacher­directed, tutored, mentored, and coached Mastery­based and self­paced learning Technology­enhanced learning Accelerated accumulation of credit (FLVS/k12) Focused and relevant learning connected to students' lives Foundational skills development Formative and summative assessment Social skills development (Positive Choice) Employability skills development (Workforce Alliance) Career assessment and college preparation Successful transition to next steps in Individual Transition Plan Strong Curriculum Plan The academic objectives for CAHS are: Provide a relevant and rigorous core academic curriculum that meets all students' needs; Provide ongoing opportunities for students to accelerate their learning in a variety of ways; Use myriad assessment methods that are mastery­based and performance­based; Integrate technology to enhance the teaching and learning environment; Offer ongoing support for students through tutoring sessions; and Provide FCAT preparation so that all students demonstrate mastery at Level 3 and above. The School will give each student a first­rate, quality education aligned with the Common Core Standards, while also; counseling the student in regards to personal and social issues that might be prohibiting that student from learning. Teaching the student valuable life management skills. Training the student for, and placing the student in, gainful employment. Preparing the student to pursue postsecondary opportunities by teaching him/her how to learn, and by equipping each student with career employability skills and career opportunities, thereby empowering him/her along the path to success. CAHS will provide high quality instruction and intervention matched to the student needs and their learning level of performance to provide informed instructional decisions, including decisions regarding promotion, acceleration, retention and remediation. Response to Instruction/intervention is a data­based decision making process applied to education. A problem­solving method and the systematic use of assessment data, at the District, school, grade class, and individual level will guide decisions about the allocation of resources and intensity of instruction/intervention needed to improve learning and/or achievement. (State Board of Education Rule 6A­6.03018; 34 C.F.R. § 300.307 (a)(2)); School Board Policy 5.725; SP & P at 22 and 80) The principal of a school is responsible for making and maintaining required records and reports and providing leadership for instruction that meets the needs of all students. [Florida Statute §§1001.54; 1012.28] CAHS will incorporate Common Core State Standards for Special Diploma. State Standards found herein this School District Student Progression Plan. (State Board of Education Rule 6A­1.09401(2)) Teachers 22 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards are responsible for providing effective instruction and remediation and documenting instruction in and students’ mastery of the above Standards. Enriched Learning Experiences The instructional software that will be used by CAHS will deliver a broad curriculum to support teachers in creating rich, in­depth learning experiences for all students. Each course will provide a complete scope and sequence with original instructional content that will not only guide students in mastering critical skills and developing an understanding of key concepts but will also encourage them to extend their learning beyond required content. Multimedia tutorials will provide students with opportunities to explore and discover new concepts. Images, sound tracks, short movies, animations, charts, maps, and graphs integrated throughout the text and among the largest players in the credit recovery area is E2020, NovaNet, a subsidiary of Pearson, the British media company. In addition to Apex, another company CAHS considered is Plato Learning. Houghton/Mifflin online text will provide alternative representations and address different learning styles. Varied activities will challenge students to explore further, extend their understanding, think critically, apply skills and concepts to new situations, and develop and express their points of view. Students will be actively engaged in learning as they read, watch, listen, inquire, write, discuss, explore, and manipulate objects and data. The curriculum will go beyond asking students to memorize facts; instead, it will focus on requiring students to identify causes, changes, and trends. In addition, CAHS will integrate district­
adopted textbooks and supporting resources to enhance each student's learning experience. Technology­Enhanced Core Academics The School understands that "one size does not fit all" and high need students require a plethora of learning activities and opportunities. As such, the School will use a variety of technology­enhanced courses and research­based learning programs aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Courses offered by CAHS will help students achieve the CCSS and prepare them to be college and career ready. These educational programs will be considered as supplemental resources like Kan Academy.com; Plato learning, NovaNet, VCM Learning, Carnegie Learning, Jamestown Reading Navigator, Reading Plus, Bridges, and School Connect. By using content from multiple providers, we will be able to offer standards­
based courses in mathematics, science, English, social studies, foreign languages, electives, Honors, and Advanced Placement for grades 9 through 12. As the growth continues, some of those programs CAHS will consider are Plato, NovaNet, E2020, VCM Learning courses and serve as the School's primary considered curriculum choices that will be determined by school personnel along with curriculum specialist, as decisions are being made to establish the most effective program that will provide foundational, comprehensive, honors, and Advanced Placement courses. Apex Learning courses and instruction may be supplemented with curriculum lessons from Your Teacher, Jamestown Reading Navigator, Reading Plus, Bridges, and School Connect will also be considered. Other considered programs will be the program from Your Teacher that will provide focused instruction in high school math courses, including pre­Algebra, Algebra, and Geometry. Reading programs from Jamestown Reading Navigator and Reading Plus will help students achieve proficiency in reading. Bridges will be used for career planning and preparation and School Connect help students develop social/personal skills. These self­paced online online sessions provide a solution for budget­constrained schools that are under pressure to raise their graduation rates but cannot afford to hold additional classes. FLVS Learning and K12 Learning (accredited by the Commission on Schools of the Northwest Association of accredited Schools) provide comprehensive online instructional content and assessments that help teachers individualize instruction, ensuring each student has the opportunity to achieve to his or her potential. Online diagnostic assessments pinpoint student strengths and weaknesses. Detailed reports provide teachers with performance information for an entire class and individual students. Study plans help teachers guide students to relevant instructional content that engages them in active learning 23 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards experiences to master skills and develop conceptual understanding. VCM Learning gives teachers the flexibility to determine how to most effectively use these online curriculum resources to enhance online session instruction. Based on relevant national standards and aligned to the CCSS, FLVS Learning helps teachers create active learning experiences that keep students alert and engaged. Interactive, original subject material is presented in a step­by­step fashion that is designed specifically to appeal to students. Multi­media tutorials provide opportunities to explore and discover new material. Manipulative tools encourage hands­
on interaction to master concepts. Interactive exercises and self­checks give frequent opportunities to confirm understanding and apply new concepts. Multiple representations help teachers reach each student. VCM Learning provides teachers with online content based on time­tested, research­based pedagogical principles. Teachers can use introductory material to create an anticipatory set. Guided­instruction and direct instruction activities help teachers engage students in focused instruction. Practice and application exercises can be assigned to reinforce skills and deepen conceptual understanding. Progress can be assessed throughout the instructional phase with formative assessments that provide feedback to both students and teachers. Assessment opportunities including formative, summative, and diagnostic assessments are integrated throughout VCM Learning's digital curriculum. Each lesson begins with the learning objectives for the lesson. Assessments address each learning objective and are designed specifically to test students at various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Formative and diagnostic assessments provide opportunities to gauge student progress on an ongoing basis. Summative assessments require students to demonstrate content mastery at the end of each unit and semester. Each VCM Learning online course provides a complete scope and sequence based on state and national standards. Courses are organized into semesters, units, lessons, and activities. A typical semester includes 5­6 units, each with 5­6 lessons. A typical lesson comprises a number of activities including studies, practices, readings, journals, labs, discussions, projects, web explorations, reviews, and both computer­and teacher scored assessments, including unit diagnostics. Each semester has an average of 750 pages, 1,000 images, 250 multimedia tutorials, 250 interactive exercises, 50 computer­graded assessments, and 85 vetted web links. B. Explain how students who enter the school below grade level will be engaged in and benefit from the curriculum. CAHS will engage in and benefit from the curriculum students who enter school below grade level by providing all Students in need of remediation or not making adequate progress towards mastery of the CCSS/CCS and/or students with special learning needs (e.g. ELL students and SPED students) will have access to supervised study time and tutoring services during non­school hours to accelerate and/or remediate student achievement. Students who are low­performing readers can use their music ability to create a poem that sounds like their rap, or classical mainstream music. Teachers will be required to document instruction of the CCSS/CCS, such as ELL and SPED strategies in their lesson plans. Lesson plans will identify specific objectives taught and benchmarks met as listed in the curriculum. The principal will check lesson plans weekly and conduct daily online session walk­
through’s (CWT) to ensure that curricular objectives are being documented and taught accordingly. In order to support delivery of a high quality program that implements research–based strategies and innovations to raise student achievement, the School will have the following processes in place: The components are as follows: 24 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Professional Development for All Staff Ongoing Professional Development Professional Development to Impact Change Professional Development Lead by School­site Expertise Reading as a School­wide Priority In­service and Evaluation Processes Focus on Reading Resource Focus on Reading Achievement Student Learning in Essential Reading Components Efficient Use of Instructional Time Systematic Set of Assessment Practices Differentiated Instruction Materials and Resources Aligned with Student Reading Levels Comprehensive Instructional Materials Wide Assortment of Diverse Text Flexible Use of Text Appropriate Integration of Technology Upon entering CAHS's program, students will be tested and placed in an appropriate initial reading level. To accomplish this, the School will incorporate screening and diagnostic assessment tools such as the TABE. This process of screening and creating an individualized learning strategy for each student, combined with the daily monitoring and assessment that will be rigorously performed by the staff, directly align with the Just Read, Florida! Initiative's goals. The School will employ at least one certified teacher with a reading endorsement. All teachers at the School will be trained so they understand instructional assessments and each of the major reading components. The School's program will address the above specifications in several ways. Staff training and ongoing election will be into CAHS’s extensive of correct above from section B. Development opportunities will be provided to School administrators to build an effective, ongoing professional development program. Additionally, the school's ample curriculum offerings will provide a wide range of instructional materials that support efficient use of instructional time, differentiated instruction, and appropriate integration. CAHS's curriculum options will address a comprehensive array of reading skills at different levels. By combining various research­based curriculum options, the School will provide the building double blocks intensive time reading for systematic and explicit teaching of reading skill components; will be offering courses that target a wide array of skill levels necessary to accommodate all students. Students Reading Below Grade Level CAHS will implement a separate reading curriculum and strategy set for those students who read below grade level to increase their reading ability. Intervention for struggling readers will occur for students scoring at Level l or Level 2 on the FCAT. These students will receive intensive instruction in the scientifically­based researched reading elements of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The instruction will be provided in addition to the core, required subjects in a face­to­
face environment by certified teachers with a reading endorsement. The intervention for the students will be flexible depending on the needs of the students with time for whole group and individualized reading instruction that provide opportunities to develop both expressive and receptive language. (a)Primary Reading Students in need of remediation or not making adequate progress towards mastery of the CCSS/CCS and/or students with special learning needs (e.g. ELL students and SPED students) will have access to supervised study time and tutoring services during non­school hours to accelerate and/or remediate student achievement. Students who are low­performing readers can use their music ability to create a 25 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards poem that sounds like their rap, or classical mainstream music. Students with low performance on the Broad Screening measures will be further assessed using the Targeted Diagnostic Inventory. This Inventory includes Maze and word Analysis. Progress monitoring tools are available to assess student progress between administrations of the Broad Screening measures in Letter Sounds, Word Analysis, Word Building, and Oral Reading Fluency. Teachers may also use the formative assessments in the Diagnostic Toolkit such as the Phonics and Sight Word Inventory, a Comprehension Strategy Inventory, and Teacher Guides for Scaffolding Comprehension in order to probe for deeper understanding of the passage. Teachers will be required to document instruction of the CCSS/CCS, ELL and SPED strategies in their lesson plans. Lesson plans will identify specific objectives taught and benchmarks met as listed in the curriculum. The principal will check lesson plans weekly and conduct daily online session walk­through’s (CWT) to ensure that curricular objectives are being documented and taught accordingly. In order to support delivery of a high quality program that implements research–based strategies and innovations to raise student achievement, the School will have the following processes in place: Intervention Curricula Jamestown Reading Navigator will be one option that CAHS’s curriculum specialist will have an opportunity to implement the primary reading intervention curricula used by the school. This program is included on the list of State Adopted Instructional Materials as an appropriate 9­12 Comprehensive Intervention Reading Program. It is a research­based, field­tested program developed specifically to raise reading competencies and test scores of struggling middle­school and high­school students reading at least two levels below grade level. The program is designed to be used by all teachers, regardless of their training. Jamestown Reading Navigator is an online and print­based program built upon the latest research in adolescent literacy, Reading Next (2004). The online component of Jamestown Reading Navigator will improve students' comprehension by utilizing direct, explicit instruction and modeling of good reading practices. Students will practice and apply these reading strategies and skills by reading highly engaging content, viewing interactive multimedia, and writing in response to reading. The print­based readings from the in­Time magazines and the in­Class Reader anthologies will give students an opportunity to extend their learning beyond the computer and encourage collaborative or independent learning. Teachers will be able to monitor student progress utilizing the online Learner Management System where scores from formative and summative assessments are recorded. (b) Reading Plus Reading Plus is a web­enabled reading intervention system that uses innovative technology to provide individualized scaffold silent reading practice for students in third grade and higher. This system develops sustained attention, word recognition automaticity, grade­appropriate reading rates, enhanced vocabulary, and improved reading comprehension. The Reading Plus system, designed in alignment with current reading research, develops and improves reading proficiency in students who are not responding to core interventions, and provides effective practice for students who are established readers. The seven component programs of Reading Plus provide extensive engagement in high­success, differentiated reading activities. Reading Plus provides essential structure to silent reading by scaffolding content difficulty, duration of reading activities, reading rate, and text presentation parameters based on continuous formative assessments. The system's approach to silent reading instruction engages students in individualized reading experiences that ensure the development of fluency in silent reading, so students can better comprehend the meaning of text as they read. (c) Through programs like Skype, it is made possible to have Face­to­Face Instruction and Progress Monitoring Face­to­face instruction that will be provided by reading endorsed, certified teachers to students who are not proficient in reading. This instruction may be individual, small group, or whole class depending on the specific needs of the student. Being that assessments and instruction go hand in hand, the School will also use the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR) to help teachers with 26 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards screening, progress monitoring, and diagnostic information that are essential to guiding instruction. The Broad Screen will be used to identify students most likely to be on or above grade level in reading by the end of the school year. The Screening tasks include an adaptive reading comprehension measure. This Reading Comprehension Screen will predict student success on the FCAT and will also provide a Lexile score for each student. Students with low performance on the Broad Screening measures will be further assessed using the Targeted Diagnostic Inventory. This Inventory includes Maze and word Analysis. Progress monitoring tools are available to assess student progress between administrations of the Broad Screening measures in Letter Sounds, Word Analysis, Word Building, and Oral Reading Fluency. Teachers may also use the formative assessments in the Diagnostic Toolkit such as the Phonics and Sight Word Inventory, a Comprehension Strategy Inventory, and Teacher Guides for Scaffolding Comprehension in order to probe for deeper understanding of the passage. All progress monitoring assessment data will be automatically reported to the Progress Monitoring Reporting Network (PMRN). Results from progress monitoring assessments will be reported three times per year (Fall, Spring, and winter). The School will align its diagnostic assessments with those in state­approved Comprehensive Reading Plans. Just Read, Florida! recommends online session instruction that is aligned with Guthrie research which allocates 40% of the time for guided instruction, 20% for engaged reading, and 20% on strategies, with the remainder addressing motivation and format. Below is a Just Read, Florida! suggested sample reading class for Level 1 students who require instruction in all five elements of reading. The School will use this format for students who demonstrate need in all five areas. Level l Reading Class Sample Format ­100 minutes The school will use this format for the Level 2 student with demonstrated need. Additional comprehension and vocabulary instruction will be received in the content area classes. (2) Students Reading At or Above Grade Level Students scoring at Level 3 and above on the FCAT will also receive reading instruction. The instructional focus will be vocabulary and comprehension strategies that prepare the students for rigorous college coursework. These students will receive their focused reading strategy instruction within the content area online session with the exception of those classes specifically designed to enhance preparation for the PSAT/SAT assessments. While they read, students will connect the new knowledge with prior knowledge and verify their predictions. Teachers will model active reading comprehension strategies for the students. After students have finished reading, they will learn to summarize and organize what they have learned. The School's teachers will receive professional development in scientifically­based reading research through participation in the School District's reading endorsement classes as well as other trainings offered to all public school teachers. Upon entering CAHS's program, students will be tested and placed in an appropriate initial reading level. To accomplish this, the School will incorporate screening and diagnostic assessment tools such as the TABE. This process of screening and creating an individualized learning strategy for each student, combined with the daily monitoring and assessment that will be rigorously performed by the staff, directly align with the Just Read, Florida! Initiative's goals. The School will employ at least one certified teacher with a reading endorsement All teachers at the School will be trained so they understand instructional assessments and each of the major reading components. The School's program will address the above specifications in several ways. Staff training and ongoing election will be into CAHS’s extensive of correct above from section B. 27 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Development opportunities will be provided to School administrators to build an effective, ongoing professional development program. Additionally, the school's ample curriculum offerings will provide a wide range of instructional materials that support efficient use of instructional time, differentiated instruction, and appropriate integration. (3) Reading Program Summary As the Reading Program Specifications are implemented in the School, both a firm foundation and a strong framework will be built in our reading program using the curriculum options described above. The School will assure that there is a commitment to improving reading and writing skills so that students meet the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. The School will strive to achieve the goals outlined by Florida's reading initiative, Just Read, Florida!, and the nation's reading improvement initiative, Reading First. Furthermore, the School will base this framework on current and relevant research findings by the National Reading Panel (NRP), International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). ESE (1) ESE students upon entrance to the School, a baseline academic assessment 'will be administered to each student using the nationally recognized, standards­based Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE). An Individual Success Plan (ISP) will be developed detailing courses offered at the school that emphasizes students attending the school for completion of credits to meet high school graduation and pursue career and postsecondary options. New students' transcripts will be obtained from the school district or the student's last school attended, and analyzed for student past performance and credits earned. For exceptional students, appropriate teaching and learning, resources, and materials are critical to ensure their success. Teachers, under the guidance of the ESE teacher, will provide accommodations in compliance with the student's individual educational plan (IEP) to allow the student greater access to the information to be taught. These accommodations may involve changing the format of the materials, the learning environment, or scheduling. For students with mild disabilities, most accommodations will be a bridge to skill development, not a substitute for intensive instruction in the skills and strategies that students will need to become independent learners. Accommodations will be approached as a strategy to increase access to the curriculum and to increase the probability that the students will be able to complete an academic task. The School uses the following process to ensure that all exceptional students are engaged in and benefit from our curriculum. Create a Plan Effective accommodations require sustained development and support. They must be made within the framework of a larger plan that includes consideration of (a) basic and strategic skills instruction and (b) the roles of people involved in the instructional process. As much as possible, students, parents, paraprofessionals, and others will be involved in developing the plan. Identify and Evaluate the Standards that Students Are Not Meeting The problem to be addressed by the accommodation will be defined. Teachers will observe students' performance when they use typical instructional materials. They may have difficulty acquiring or getting the important information from written materials, storing or remembering the information presented in the materials, or expressing the information or demonstrating competence on written tests. If students have difficulty with a given task, different solutions may be required depending on the level of difficulty. Develop Goals for Teaching Strategies and Making Accommodations Some problems can be solved by accommodations; other problems may require intensive instruction in skills or strategies. Often, teachers may need to provide accommodations while simultaneously teaching the student the learning strategies he or she needs in order to perform the work. Before any accommodation is 28 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards made for an individual student, teachers will carefully consider the best approach to addressing the student's disability and promoting success. Accommodations will be approached as short­term solutions within a long­term plan for teaching skills and strategies that will promote the student's independence as a learner. Determine whether content modifications or format accommodations are needed content modifications will be made only when the student's IEP notes that the general curriculum is inappropriate for this student. Content modifications will also meet local and state education standards. In some cases, the IEP may address the degree to which the requirements associated with meeting state standards and taking assessments may be modified. The teacher will decide which parts of the curriculum the student will be required to learn and will constitute mastery of the course content. When the curriculum is considered appropriate for the student, accommodations will focus on format rather than content. The teacher will identify the critical elements of course content that students must learn. First, the teachers will identify the critical course ideas or concepts. Then, the information that must be mastered in each unit to ensure that the critical course ideas are mastered will be identified. Finally, how students will demonstrate their mastery at the end of each unit and at the end of the course will be determined. Format accommodations will be made to compensate for mismatches between the presentation or design of the materials and the skills and strategies of the student. In format accommodations, the content will not be altered. Identify the features of the materials and resources that need accommodations teachers providing accommodations will examine each curricular unit for features that might cause a learning problem. For example, the content may be very abstract, complex, or poorly organized, or it might present too much information. It may not be relevant to students or it may be boring. Further, it may call for skills or strategies or background information that the student does not possess. It may present activities that do not lead to mastery, or it may fail to give students cues about how to think about or study the information. Materials also may not provide a variety of flexible options through which students can demonstrate competence. Determine the Type of Accommodation That will enable the student to meet the demand once the materials have been evaluated and possible problem areas identified, the type of format accommodation will be selected. Format accommodations may be made by: Altering existing materials through rewriting, reorganizing, adding to, or recasting the information. So that the student can access the regular curriculum material independently. Enhancing existing materials by providing additional instructional support, Guidance and direction to the student in the use of the materials. Communicate the accommodation to Students and Parents Accommodations are more successful when they are offered and introduced to students at the beginning of the year. Parents will also be informed about tl1em at the beginning of the year. Students will be taught explicit strategies to use any accommodation effectively and educated on how to process the information received through the accommodation. As students’ progress, they will be taught how to recognize the need for and request accommodation. Implement, Evaluate, and Adjust the Accommodation As the accommodation is in1plemented, the teacher will evaluate its effects to determine whether the desired outcomes are being achieved. If not, adjustments will need to be made either in the accommodation or the instructions to the student in its use. Accommodation should significantly reduce failure and learning difficulties. Fade the accommodation when possible accommodations usually are short­term solutions to allow online session learning and participation until the needed skills and strategies can be taught. Once the accommodation is in place, the teacher will begin to plan with other teachers how to teach me needed 29 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards skills and strategies. Once the student has learned the necessary skills and strategies, the accommodation will be faded. The accommodation will not be removed until the student possesses the skills and strategies to learn and complete tasks independently, and the IEP team is convened to review the student's IEP. For some students, an accommodation may be required for several months, while for others, it may be maintained indefinitely. Non­ESE Students All students who enroll in the School will be administered the TABE to assess their foundational skills in reading, mathematics, and writing. Students who perform below grade­equivalent skills levels appropriate for success in high school curriculum will be assigned to Foundations courses and targeted intervention programs in reading and math. Upon successful completion of these courses and programs, students will be enrolled in high school courses. An Individual Success Plan (ISP) will be developed for each student that prescribes high school courses appropriate to the student's prior and current performance levels. The School's curriculum will provide scaffold modules and learning activities that develop foundational and content­level skills and assists students in mastering high school content and acquisition of course credits. The instructional software used by the School will deliver a broad curriculum to support teachers in creating rich, in­depth learning experiences for their students. Each course will provide a complete scope and sequence with original instructional content that will not only guide students in mastering critical skills and developing an understanding of key concepts but also encourage them to extend their learning beyond required content. Multimedia tutorials will provide students with opportunities to explore and discover new concepts. Images, sound tracks, short movies, animations, charts, maps, and graphs integrated throughout the text will provide alternative representations, address different learning styles, and engage students in the curriculum. Varied activities will challenge students to explore further, extend their understanding, think critically, apply skills and concepts to new situations, and develop and express their points of view. Students will be actively engaged in learning as they read, watch, listen, inquire, write, discuss, explore, and manipulate objects and data. The curriculum will go beyond asking students to memorize facts; instead, it will focus on requiring students to identify causes, changes, and trends. In addition, the school will integrate district adopted textbooks and supporting resources to enhance each student's learning experience. C. Describe proposed curriculum areas to be included other than the core academic areas. Social/personal skills development programs, such as School Connect or Positive Choice and Career planning and preparation program such as Bridges. CAHS will also offer all required instruction for high school graduation described in the District Student Progression Plan. This will include a minimum number of hours of instruction in health education and substance abuse prevention appropriate for each grade level (9­12) for students selecting the 24­credit option. In addition, the school will provide required instruction on teen dating violence and abuse as defined by the Florida DOE. The health education curriculum for students in grades 9 through 12 shall include a teen dating violence and abuse component that includes, but is not limited to, the definition of dating violence and abuse, the warning signs of dating violence and abusive behavior, the characteristics of healthy relationships, measures to prevent and stop dating violence and abuse, and community resources available to victims of dating violence and abuse. D. Describe how the effectiveness of the curriculum will be evaluated. The specific learning results obtained through instruction will be directly correlated with the effectiveness of the curriculum used in the CAHS School. As such, it is critical that this effectiveness be evaluated in a variety of ways. 30 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Performance evaluation designed to assess the extent to which the intended outcomes of the teaching and learning are achieved and the levels of interference from other, unintended outcomes are evaluated in the following ways: Curriculum objectives measured through a variety of assessments, including authentic and local assessments. Effectiveness of instruction is evaluated through direct impact on student achievement, performance, and FCAT results. Trend analysis of student learning results, including course completions and FCAT results is conducted to identify potential gaps in curriculum. An annual comparison of pre­and post­test results using the TABE is conducted to determine if each student has met or exceeded his/her statistical expectancy, or to indicate in which areas the student did meet the expected standard. These test results, which measure progress in specific areas; including reading, mathematics, and overall academic achievement, also determines if that student is gaining at least a year's worth of learning for every year spent in the School. Any deficiencies in statistical expectancy and annual learning gains are correlated to gaps in CAHS's curriculum. Identified targets and components of each student's ISP are evaluated to determine if milestones have been met and to correlate any gaps in the ISP with gaps in the School's curriculum. 31 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 5: Student’s Performance and Evaluation A. State the school s educational goals and objectives for improving student achievement. Indicate how much academic improvement students are expected to show each year, how student progress and performance will be evaluated, and the specific results to be attained. The following are CAHS's academic goals. The goals include the recently updated End­of­Course (EOC) exams required by the Florida DOE. CAHS’s administration and staff will be accountable to parents and responsible to students through daily assessments of measurable goals and objectives which will continuously monitor academic progress and the pace of learning in every academic area including reading. An Individual Success Plan (ISP) will be created for each student based upon the results of a baseline assessment using the TABE, past academic performance as measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) data and previous school records, a career interests inventory and career plan, social/personal needs inventory, disciplinary records, and parent and student input. The ISP will outline all academic, social, and career needs and goals for each student, including graduation requirements. Administrators and highly­qualified certified teachers, along with support staff, will collaborate to develop the ISP on the student's behalf. Year’s Worth of Learning: Student progress will be measured by tracking academic growth over time using the TABE, which will be administered for each student in the fall and spring. This will allow the teachers and staff to determine, based upon that student's test results, where a student is academically at the beginning of the school year, and the student's predicted academic growth over the time between the fall and spring test administrations. An annual comparison of pre­and post­test results will determine if each student has demonstrated requisite growth, or in which areas the student did not meet expectations. Formative assessments will be used to measure where students are in the process of demonstrating a year's worth of learning. In addition to these test results, FCAT success, the passing of grade­appropriate high school courses and progression to the next grade level will determine if the student is gaining at least a year's worth of learning for every year spent at CAHS. Students, parents, and staff will be able to access student progress data through the achievement data that will be reported in Annual Reports to parents and the school district sponsor, and will include the School's progress as indicated by the School Improvement Rating (SIR), as well as reporting requirements related to the No Child Left Behind Act report on Adequate Yearly Progress. In addition, CAHS will communicate with parents through a parent liaison, by home visits, phone calls, e­mails, and mailings that describe their child's progress and success. An alternative school may choose to receive a school grade or a school improvement rating under s. 1008.341, FS. For charter schools that meet the definition of an alternative school pursuant to State Board of Education rule, the decision to receive a school grade is the decision of the charter school governing board. As such, the School's Board will determine how the proposed school will be evaluated. CAHS improvement rating shall identify schools as having one of the following ratings defined according to rules of the State Board of Education: "Improving" means schools with students making more academic progress than when the students were served in their home schools. "Maintaining" means schools with students making progress equivalent to the progress made when the students were served in their home schools. "Declining" means schools with students making less academic progress than when the students were served in their home schools. In addition to the ratings referenced above, the School and student subgroups will make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) every year in all subject areas as defined by the goals from the current State of Florida Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook. B. Describe the school's student placement procedures and promotion standards, including any procedures regarding acceleration. The School will comply with the requirements for student placement and promotion as noted in the school district student progression plan. 32 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards (1)Placement The principal and staff of each school determine promotion and retention of a student unless it conflicts with the Student Progression Plan. (2) Promotion a. Promotion from ninth grade to tenth grade occurs when a student has completed one full year and has earned at least five credits. b. Promotion from tenth grade to eleventh grade occurs when a student has completed two full years and has earned at least eleven credits. The student must also fulfill the graduation requirement on the FCAT/CCState Standards Tests for Reading and Mathematics. c. For 24­credit option students, promotion from eleventh grade to twelfth grade occurs when a student has completed three full years and has earned at least seventeen credits. d. Students electing the 18­credit graduation option are promoted to grade 12 immediately following FTE survey period 3 in February of their third year. e. Students electing to graduate with 24 credits in three years are promoted to grade 12 on May 1 of their third year if they are on track to graduate. f. Three of the four required mathematics credits must be earned in grades 9­12. However, students who score a minimum of 550 on the mathematics portion of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or a minimum of 24 on the mathematics portion of the American College Test (ACT) may be exempt from the requirement that the 3 credits be earned in grades 9­12 and may use high school credits earned at the middle school toward the four credit graduation requirement. High school courses taken at the middle school and the grades earned in those courses will remain as part of the student's academic record. g. Approved credits earned in other districts are accepted at face value. Promotion from grade to grade will be in accordance with the requirements set forth in the School District Student Progression Plan, as wherein grade designation for high school students will be determined as follows: Classification from 9th to 10th grade: at least 5 credits Classification from 10th to 11th grade: at least 11 credits OR fulfillment of the graduation requirement on the FCAT SSS Tests for reading and mathematics Classification from 11th to 12th grade for students enrolled in the 24 credit option: at least 17 credits The School will adhere to the School District policies and will classify and/or reclassify students as th
10th, 11th or 12 graders two (2) times each year: 1.) following the completion of the final grading period 2.) following completion of the first semester for students who have been previously retained in high school, in order to move to the grade level of their cohort class. Immunizations Prior to admittance, students must produce or have on file documentation on the prescribed Florida HRS 680 form (certificate of immunization) for immunizations as required by the Florida Department of Health. C. If the school will serve high school students, describe the methods used to determine if a student has satisfied the requirements specified in section 1003.428, F.S., and any proposed additional requirements. In order to graduate and receive a standard diploma from the School, students must meet all the graduation requirements specified by the state of Florida including: earn a qualifying score on the Reading, Math, and Writing Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests (FCAT) (and /or achieve an approved concordant score as allowed by State); complete 20 hours of service learning hours; and earn an un­weighted, cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0. The table that follows represents requirements for the High School Graduation Program Offerings for the 24 credit, 18 credit college preparatory, and 18 credit career preparatory programs for students who will t
enter 9 th grade in 2010­2011 and thereafter. 33 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Graduation Options/Requirements for Students who enter Grade 9 in 2012­2013, and thereafter. Students are required to satisfy the graduation requirements in effect at the time the student first enters the ninth grade regardless of the date the student graduates, unless the requirements change for the entire class, or unless requirements are changed for all students by Florida Statute, or unless the student is scheduled to graduate more than two years after the student's original class. Graduation requirements prescribed by Florida Statute may not be waived. The School will provide parents of ninth graders with information concerning the 3­year and 4­year high school graduation options listed in Florida Statute §1003.429 (1),including the respective curriculum requirements for those options, so that the students and their parents may select the program that best fits their needs. The information includes a timeframe for achieving each graduation option. [Florida Statute§1003.429 (3) (1)].Course descriptions meet the requirements of State Board of Education Rules 6A­1.09412 and 6A­1.09401. The School will comply with the requirements for student placement and promotion as noted in the school district student progression plan. (1) Placement The principal and staff of each school determine promotion and retention of a student unless it conflicts with the Student Progression Plan. (2) Promotion a. Promotion from ninth grade to tenth grade occurs when a student has completed one full year and has earned at least five credits. b. Promotion from tenth grade to eleventh grade occurs when a student has completed two full years and has earned at least eleven credits. The student must also fulfill the graduation requirement on the FCAT/Common Core State Standards Tests for Reading and Mathematics. c. For 24­credit option students, promotion from eleventh grade to twelfth grade occurs when a student has completed three full years and has earned at least seventeen credits. d. Students electing the 18­credit graduation option are promoted to grade 12 immediately following FTE survey period 3 in February of their third year. e. Students electing to graduate with 24 credits in three years are promoted to grade 12 on May 1 of their third year if they are on track to graduate. f. Three of the four required mathematics credits must be earned in grades 9­12. However, students who score a minimum of 550 on the mathematics portion of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or a minimum of 24 on the mathematics portion of the American College Test (ACT) may be exempt from the requirement that the 3 credits be earned in grades 9­12 and may use high school credits earned at the middle school toward the four credit graduation requirement. High school courses taken at the middle school and the grades earned in those courses will remain as part of the student's academic record. g. Approved credits earned in other districts are accepted at face value. MAKING UP WORK High school students are expected to attend school regularly and be on time for classes. (School Board Policy 5.09 (1)) Each school’s student handbook outlines the attendance procedures for that school. All school procedures must conform to the following district procedures: 1. Notes or telephone calls from parent(s)/guardian(s) are required either before or after an absence. It is the responsibility of the student to request make­up work missed because of absences. Students are given one day for each day of absence to complete makeup work unless unusual circumstances indicate an extension. The principal or designee must approve any extension. 2. Parent(s)/guardian(s) are to be notified by telephone or by mail when lack of attendance endangers the student’s grades. 3. An “excused” absence is: a. Student illness ­ If a student is continually sick and repeatedly absent from school, he or she must be under the supervision of a physician in order to receive an excuse from attendance. b. Medical appointment c. Death in the family 34 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards d. Observance of a religious holiday or service that is recognized as such by all members of the faith (School Board Policy 5.095) e. Subpoena by a law enforcement agency or mandatory court appearance f. Other individual student absences beyond the control of the parent or student, as determined and approved by the principal or the principal's designee. (School Board Policy 5.09 (3) (a) (vi)) An unexcused absence is any absence that does not fall into one of the above excused absence categories. Each school in the District must determine if an absence or tardiness is excused or unexcused according to the criteria established. (School Board Policy 5.09 (3) (b)) Students receiving out­of–school suspension (OSS) must be assigned schoolwork to keep up with content and skills covered during the duration of the suspension. Students on OSS will be permitted to make up nine (9)­week and semester examinations, if applicable. Projects, term papers, etc., which represent work for a period of time greater than the OSS period will be submitted for the purpose of determining a student's grade. Should questions arise regarding this OSS rule, principals will grant the parent(s)/guardian(s) a conference. Parent(s)/guardian(s) may appeal the principal's decision to the area Director if a conflict arises. All make­up work should be completed within two weeks of the end of the semester, unless the student’s principal makes an exception. Students participating in the Alternative to Out­of School Suspension (ATOSS) program will have the opportunity to make up missed work as stated within School Board Policy 5.18155. STUDENT WITHDRAWALS Prior To The Last Two Weeks Of the Semester Students who leave school prior to the last two weeks of any semester will not be granted credit unless they enroll in another school and complete the course requirements including examinations, if applicable. Principals are authorized to make arrangements for the administration of any tests, if appropriate. During The Last Two Weeks of the Semester A student who leaves before the close of the school term shall receive grades on the report card covering the periods in attendance. A student will not meet promotion requirements unless he or she enrolls in another school to complete the academic year. Students who leave school during the last two weeks of any semester must show evidence that the withdrawal is mandatory, and the student must successfully complete any necessary examinations, as appropriate, in order to receive course credit. Principals are authorized to make arrangements for the administration of examinations. Principals may determine that the requirements for early withdrawal are not required when unusual/extenuating circumstances preclude full compliance by the student. Approval is mandatory prior to the student's leaving school. Student Withdrawals For Enrollment in Home Education Program To withdraw a student for enrollment in a home education program, custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) must initiate the withdrawal process at the school and notify the Director of Schools/designee, in writing, of the intent to provide home education for the student. The custodial parent/guardian shall submit the letter of intent to the Home Education Office within 30 days of the establishment of the home education program. [Florida Statute §1002.41] and (School Board Policy 8.14 (3), (4) and (5)). Students’ progress in grade levels at our School (which are not determined by semester or calendar) when they meet the requirements listed in the table below. Student Progression Plan Four­Year, 24 Credit Standard Programs The School's students will comply with graduation requirements in s. 232.246, F.S., those found in the State legislation, Florida's A++ plan, and the school district student progression plan. The following options for high school graduation will be offered: 1/ 4­year, 24 credit standard program 1/ 3 ­year, 18 credit college preparatory program 35 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards • • • • • • A three­year, 18 credit career preparatory program In addition to course and credit requirements, students must maintain an un­weighted grade point average of 2.0 and earn passing scores on the FCAT graduation test as mandated by state statutes. Students who choose one of the two accelerated 18 credit graduation options must declare that choice by the end of 9th grade. The following requirements for graduation for students who entered 9th grade in 2007­08 through 2009­
2010. If students enroll in CAHS who entered 9th grade prior to 2007­2008, their graduation requirements will comply with state and school district requirements. Graduation Options and Requirements New graduation requirements have been adopted (SB 4) beginning with ninth­graders in 2010­11. CAHS will comply with all graduation requirements for this cohort and thereafter, including: Four math credits and three science credits as before, but requiring algebra II, geometry, biology, and chemistry or physics. Students will no longer need to earn four credits in a major area of interest and four in a minor area. The eight credits will still be required, but can come from intensive reading or math courses, or other areas based on students' needs. Beginning in 2010­11, students will take end­of­course exams (algebra 1, and geometry and biology beginning in 2011­12) that will count toward 30 percent of their final grade. Eventually, they will have to pass the three exams to graduate. The Graduation Process CAHS 's Graduation Committee and Principal, on behalf of the Board of Directors, will review each student's Individual Success Plan and ensure that it is complete before the student is deemed ready for graduation. Students must satisfy all of the following requirements: Achieve all of the required academic credits Attain the required GPA for their chosen graduation option. Successfully complete graduation requirements under the FCAT standards (or End­of­Course exams, when required) Pass an exit interview with CAHS's Graduation Committee. The unique situation and needs of our high­need youth are similar to those defined in s. 1003.43(6), F.S.; therefore, the Board of Directors may determine additional credits and/or alternative graduation requirements to better meet the needs of our students. (3) Concordant Scores for FCAT Florida students do have other options. A senior can graduate by receiving a score comparable to the FCA T passing score on the ACT or SAT. Students may satisfy the score requirements using various combinations of tests. The FLDOE is authorized to adopt concordant scores as meeting the graduation assessment requirement in lieu of passing the FCAT. (4) Remediation Activities For 12th graders who have not earned a passing score on the FCAT and are at­risk of not graduating, the School will conduct appropriate remediation activities. Below is a sample of checklist of remediation options. th Sample FCAT Screening Checklist for 12 Grade Students (5) Students with Disabilities Successful transition to postsecondary adult life for students with disabilities requires comprehensive planning, goal setting, and decision making. One of the most important decisions is the type of high school diploma the student will work toward. This decision is usually made by the student and family prior to entering high school with Individual Education Plan (IEP) team. Diploma options should be considered in the following order according to the student's needs and abilities: Standard diploma Standard diploma with FCAT waiver Special diploma, option 1 Special diploma, option 2 (based on mastery of a set of employment and community competencies) Certificate of Completion Special Certificate of Completion 36 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Students who do not meet requirements for a standard or special diploma may be awarded either a regular or a special certificate of completion, depending on coursework. Special diplomas will be available to certain students with disabilities who have been identified with the following disabilities: intellectual disabilities, specific learning disabilities, physically impaired, emotional/behavioral disabilities, dual sensory impaired, autism spectrum disorder, language impaired, or deaf/hard of hearing. Students identified as visually impaired, speech impaired, gifted, or homebound are not eligible for a special diploma unless they have another identified disability. CAHS will work closely with the school district to determine the most appropriate placement of special diploma students. The best interest of the student is always the top priority in providing appropriate services. Since the age of our target student population is 16 to 21 years, the majority of exceptional student education (ESE) students should have a current IEP. If not, the School's IEP team will identify the expected level of functioning (independent, supported, or participatory benchmarks) for each standard whenever the IEP team decides a student should pursue a special diploma. The IEP team will address the expected levels of functioning on an annual basis. Student's expected levels of functioning may change anytime the IEP team determines it is appropriate to make changes. Depending on the student's expected levels of functioning, assistive and adaptive technology modifications will be considered to help students be successful in their coursework. Student progress on the standards will be measured through a variety of methods, including various instructional activities and alternative assessment strategies. (6) School Accreditation CAHS will seek accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). If accreditation is granted, the School will comply with SACS standards for graduation for high need students and special purpose schools. Upon final review, a standard Florida high school Diploma or other diploma option will be issued to the student and the graduation date recorded on the student's permanent record. The School will award high school Diplomas to students who meet all of the graduation requirements as outlined by the FLDOE during the initial year of operations and while the school is a SACS candidate. D. Describe how baseline achievement data will be established, collected, and used. Describe the methods used to identify the educational strengths and needs of students and how these baseline rates will be compared to the academic progress of the same students attending the charter school. The baseline student academic achievement levels for the School will be established using multiple measures of student’s academic performance on the Florida Assessment Programs in grades 9­12. The specific assessments to be utilized will include the following: ­Florida Comprehensive Test (FCAT) Common Core State Standards /Common core Standards (CCS) in Reading Comprehension ­FCAT­SSS in Mathematics ­FCAT­SSS in Science ­FCAT­Writing ­End of Course Exams as applicable to courses ­Portfolio Assessments (whenever applicable) The baseline levels of academic achievement established during the first academic year will be compared to academic achievement levels in prior years, when data is available, in order to assess rates of prior academic progress and the baseline rates of academic progress for the School’s students. Other than standardized test scores, other baseline data may include report card grades, attendance records, and behavioral records (including in school and out of school suspensions as well as exemplary behavior). In the case of Exceptional Student Education (ESE) IEPs will be secured and ELL, Individual Success Plan will be obtained for English language learners (ELL). This data will be made available to teachers who will assess progress against the baseline data. 37 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Baseline data will be also be utilized to determine the extent to which educational goals and performance standards have been met (utilizing the specific measurable objectives identified in the charter school application for the first year of operation). Said baseline data is also made available to stakeholders and the community at large, as reported in the School Improvement Plan via the needs assessment and also through specific learning objectives, which are written to address student’s learning needs. In subsequent years, the results (based upon baseline data items) will be gauged against the objectives specified in the School Improvement Plan and this method of goal setting and data collection will be utilized as a living and continuous improvement tool. (1) Review Incoming Data and Develop Baseline Profile. A baseline profile is developed for each student to use as a comparison by which to assess each student's strengths and needs, incremental academic progress and growth, annual learning gains, and ongoing improvement. The School will request access to the School District's Information Services department data and curriculum records from the previous school attended by the enrolling student. A thorough review of an incoming student's prior year FCAT scores (if they are included in the student's cumulative folder), attendance records, and report card grades will be conducted. A determination will be made whether the student has an English Language Learner (ELL)­individual success plan, ESE­Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 accommodations plan. Prior year FCAT scores will be primarily used to determine prior rates of academic progress. The following data variables are foundational to the baseline profile: Age Gender Grade level ESE/ESOL status Dropout status Foundational skills level in reading and math Number of Credits GPA FCAT results Attendance Truancy Discipline These data will provide an initial baseline regarding student performance, and will be evaluated throughout the student's enrollment at the School to create a longitudinal performance profile. E. Identify the types and frequency of assessments that the school will use to measure and monitor student performance. The School will participate in all required assessments as specified in F.S. 1003.43. (7)(a)(4). In addition to the discussion of required and mandated assessment requirements for graduation (i.e. FCAT); and teacher­made online session assessments for evaluative purposes to determine mastery of COMMON CORE STANDARDS standard’s content for earning specific class credit requirements, as discussed above; the School will use state standardized assessment scores, district and school­based assessments to measure student progress toward mastery of the Common core Sunshine State Standards in all grade levels. These include but are not limited to the following: School­Based Assessments in all Courses Weekly teacher­generated quizzes Monthly teacher­generated chapter tests Midterm and Final Examinations Portfolios and presentations Class participation rubrics Quarterly projects /investigations In addition, the School will follow the state assessment calendar as stipulated below: 011 – 2012 SCHEDULE FLORIDA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT TEST FCAT SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS (SSS) / FCAT 2.0 COMMON CORE SSS 38 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards OCTOBER 10–14, 2011 OR OCTOBER 17–21, 2011 GRADES 11–ADULT* (NEW STUDENTS/RETAKES) FCAT READING & MATHEMATICS FCAT 2.0 READING RETAKE TESTS DECEMBER 6–7, 2011 GRADES 4, 8, AND 10 FCAT WRITING PROMPT FIELD TEST FEBRUARY 28–MARCH 1, 2012 GRADES 4, 8, AND 10 FCAT WRITING APRIL 16–27, 2012 GRADES 3–10 FCAT 2.0 READING APRIL 16–27, 2012 GRADES 3–8 FCAT 2.0 MATHEMATICS APRIL 16–27, 2012 GRADES 5 AND 8 FCAT 2.0 SCIENCE APRIL 16–27, 2012 GRADES 11–ADULT* (NEW STUDENTS/RETAKES) FCAT READING & MATHEMATICS FCAT 2.0 READING RETAKE TESTS * POLICIES PERTAINING TO PARTICIPATION OF RETAINED GRADE 10 STUDENTS MAY BE FOUND IN THE TEST ADMINISTRATION MANUAL FOR EACH ADMINISTRATION. FLORIDA END­OF­COURSE (EOC) ASSESSMENTS SEMESTER 1 DECEMBER 12–16, 2011 JANUARY 16–20, 2012 DISTRICTS SELECT WEEK ALGEBRA 1 EOC ASSESSMENT SEMESTER 2 APRIL 30–JUNE 1, 2012 DISTRICTS SELECT WEEK (M­F) U.S. HISTORY EOC FIELD TEST MAY 7–25, 2012 DISTRICTS SELECT WEEK (M­F) ALGEBRA 1 EOC ASSESSMENT BIOLOGY 1 EOC ASSESSMENT GEOMETRY EOC ASSESSMENT Administer Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE) Student improvement will be measured by the TABE (administered minimally twice each school year), which provides information about student achievement and ability. This will provide baseline data and allow us to determine, based upon that student's overall achievement level, where a student is academically at the beginning of the school year and how much that student is predicted to educationally grow throughout the course of the assessment period. For each student, using an annual comparison of the beginning and ending results, it will be determined if he/she has met or exceeded his/her statistical expectancy using overall academic achievement levels, or it will indicate in which areas the student did not succeed. Not only will these tests provide a measure of each individual student's educational growth, but the item­by­item, area­by­area analysis provided by these tests will also identify specific educational areas needing remediation or intervention. Develop Individual Success Plan An Individual Success Plan (lSP) will be developed for each student who enrolls in the School. A thorough transcript review will be conducted by the Assistant Principal to develop each student's ISP. CAHS will follow up with the School District to obtain any missing performance data so that the students' ISP will be as complete as possible. This ISP serves as the student's "roadmap" to successful graduation and transition. The ISP tells us where the student comes from and what he/she brings academically, socially, and personally; tells us where the student currently is; and where the student wants to go. The relevant data and student progress are presented in the virtual MY SUCCESS Student and Parent 39 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards • • • • • • Dashboard. This real­time system of monitoring and tracking student performance and success is a key tool for engaging and motivating students. This system of establishing baseline measures and development of the ISP are critical to student performance, achievement, graduation, and transition to postsecondary success. These tools guide the instructional and support staff in making the most appropriate decisions in addressing students' academic challenges, personal and social needs, and career aspirations. As important, this system along with the 1/1Y SUCCESS Student and Parent Dashboard ensures student success and continuous improvement at the student, staff, school, and program levels. Monitoring Progress CAHS requests that the District and CAHS agree to electronically exchange data on a periodic basis. These data shall include attendance, credits earned, grade point average (GPA), courses attempted/ completed, and state competency exam results for each student prior to enrolling in the School, subject to all requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Access by CAHS to such information shall be solely for the special purpose of ascertaining the instructional requirements of the student while enrolled in the School, and for follow­up by the District and the School concerning the student's performance during enrollment in the School up to and including graduation. The data format, frequency, and data sharing protocol will be agreed upon between CAHS and the District. (1)Participation in the Statewide Assessment Program CAHS, as a public charter school, will participate in the Florida statewide assessment program (state education accountability system), as specified by Florida Statutes. The School views assessment as the process of measuring a student's progress toward a goal. Each student's Individual Success Plan (lSP) will serve as the foundation from which to measure student outcomes. Outcomes will be congruent with the Common core Sunshine State Standards, which identify what Florida public school students should know and be able to do. Students are expected, at a minimum, to achieve learner expectations at the end of the year’s developmental levels as outlined in the benchmarks of the Common Core State Standards. Faculty of CAHS will plan with representatives of the School District to align testing with the district's schedule for testing. Assessments will include the FCAT and FCAT Writing. As the FLDOE develops new assessment tests (specifically, End­of­Course exams), the faculty of the School will work with the FLDOE and the school district on the implementation of these assessments. As noted in s. 1008341, F.S., schools that provide dropout prevention and academic intervention services pursuant to s. 1003.53, F.S., shall receive a school improvement rating. The school improvement rating shall identify schools as having one of the following ratings defined according to rules of the State Board of Education: "Improving" means schools with students making more academic progress than when the students were served in their home schools. "Maintaining" means schools with students making progress equivalent to the progress made when the students were served in their home schools. "Declining" means schools with students making less academic progress than when the students were served in their home schools. (2) Other Assessments Used to Document Achievement Knowing where a student is academically at any point in the learning process is essential to ensuring student success. Assessment is ongoing to measure both incremental and annual (school year) growth. Student progress and achievement are measured in each of the following ways: Baseline Assessment/Initial assessment of reading and math skills levels using the TABE. Reading and math skills levels are assessed upon student initial enrollment in the School. Foundational reading and math skills levels are essential in the development of each student's ISP and placing students in appropriate content. Formative Assessment/Assessments of ongoing progress in content areas to identify incremental growth and adjust instruction 40 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards • • • • • • • • Ongoing assessment and evaluation are conducted through online session observations, quizzes, tests, and checklists. Any gaps in student progress are identified and appropriate strategies to address the gaps are implemented based on performance data. Interim Assessment/Benchmarking to identify progress. Instructional strategies and content are modified based on pre­determined benchmarks of acceptable progress and student success. Teachers customize learning activities to ensure that teaching and learning are appropriate for learners. Summative evaluation of content mastery. Student mastery of content is measured through achievement of learning benchmarks and upon successful completion of each course. Mid­year and end­of­year assessments validate and verify credits earned for promotion to the next grade level. As mentioned previously, the School will use a "value­added" approach by combining several diagnostic instruments and measurement tools [e.g., Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE), social/personal needs assessment, Individual Success Plan (ISP), FCAT] that track and monitor student progress. These progress tools allow for program customization to meet individual student needs ensuring mastery and success. In addition to the tools listed above, online session formative assessment will occur regularly employing such strategies as, but not limited to, observation, reviews, projects, quizzes, tests, and review of electronic Student Progress Reports (SPR). The SPR will track mastery to prevent a student from proceeding to the next lesson until he/she reaches the mastery level on the current lesson. The continual assessment provided by the SPR will assist the student and teacher not only in identifying areas of success, but also in identifying areas where the student may be experiencing difficulty and need additional instruction. The technology­enhanced courses and content to be used by CAHS will provide both teachers and students with the ability to monitor student progress continuously. Students will be able to check the quality of their work, see if they are on schedule for completing courses, review all assignment and test deadlines, and access an Activity Score Report. This Activity Score Report will contain: • An on­schedule indicator • Information on any overdue or not yet scored activities • Feedback on quality of work • Grades­to­date and exam results • Grading deadlines • Learning activities scores and due dates Teachers will have access to the SPR and Activity Score Report for each student enrolled in CAHS. They also will have the ability to run a diagnostic summary to track overall student and class performance for all technology­enhanced courses. Student's FCAT scores in reading and math from year­to­year, where applicable, will be used to determine the percentage of students demonstrating learning gains on an annual basis for all enrolled students and the lowest quartile. The TABE will be used as a benchmark test for determining grade equivalent reading and math skills levels upon program entry. Incremental growth in foundational skills levels will be determined through post­120 days TABE testing. F. Describe how student assessment and performance data will be used to evaluate and inform instruction. In addition to the baseline data described above, assessment of student progress will be an ongoing at all levels, in all courses, and in all areas of instructional delivery. Online session assessment will occur daily and include such strategies as, but not limited to, observation, reports, reviews, projects, quizzes, and tests. 41 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards The instructional software programs to be used by CAHS will provide comprehensive online instructional content and assessments that will help teachers individualize instruction, ensuring each student has the opportunity to achieve to his or her potential. Online diagnostic assessments will pinpoint student strengths and weaknesses. Detailed reports will provide teachers with performance information for an entire online session and individual students. Study plans will help teachers guide students to relevant instructional content that engages them in active learning experiences to master skills and develop conceptual understanding. These programs will give teachers the flexibility to determine how to most effectively use these online curriculum resources to enhance online session instruction. Assessment opportunities ­including formative, interim, summative, and diagnostic assessments ­will be integrated throughout the digital curriculum. Each lesson will begin with the learning objectives for the lesson. Assessments will address each learning objective and be designed specifically to test students at various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Formative and diagnostic assessments will provide opportunities to gauge student progress on an ongoing basis. Summative assessments will require students to demonstrate content mastery at the end of each unit and semester. The teachers and students will continually monitor individual student progress by reviewing daily work and skill mastery indicated by Student Progress Reports (SPR). This SPR will consist of instructional software mastery assessments to prevent a student from proceeding to the next lesson until he/she reaches mastery level on the current lesson. It also will continue to assess and assist the student and teacher in identifying areas of success and areas where the student is having problems and needs additional instruction. Each student's ISP will serve as the foundation from which to measure his/her outcomes. These student outcomes will be congruent with the Common core State Standards. Assessments that measure individual student performance will assure that the educational programs comply with the No Child Left Behind Act. All of the above mentioned assessment, evaluation, monitoring, and feedback tools and strategies will be used in a student­centric way to inform targeted instruction to: Identify students' strengths and needs Develop student profiles of success Identify best practices Determine starting points for instruction Remove barriers to student learning and continuous improvement Determine appropriate pacing for on­schedule completion of courses Differentiate instruction Identify immediate intensive interventions core­teach non­mastered content and key concepts Determine mastery and grade promotion Determine need for additional resources to support learning Modify instructional program at the online session, school, and program levels Develop targeted professional development so that teachers have requisite competencies to ensure that all students are successful goals and objectives that continuously monitor academic progress and the pace of learning Students, parents, and staff will be able to access student progress data through MY SUCCESS, an online, secured private portal available 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. In addition to the MY SUCCESS Student, the school will communicate with parents through phone calls, e­
mails, and written reports that describe their child's progress and success. CAHS will also hold Family Nights and individual student­parent conferences for communicating student success. School achievement data will be reported in Annual Reports to parents and the school district sponsor, and will include CAHS's progress on Florida's A ++ plan, as well as reporting requirements related to the No Child Left Behind Act report on Adequate Yearly Progress. CAHS’ overall student assessment results will be compared to similar charter schools in the School District, and individual student results will be compared to similar charter school students in the District as well as to our students' prior performance at non­charter schools. CAHS will work closely with the District to identify charter schools with comparable student populations. G. Describe how student assessment and performance information will be shared with students and with parents. 42 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards The comprehensive assessment program will be used to inform stakeholders (students, parents, and teachers) about where a student is succeeding and what areas need strengthening. Assessment will serve as a feedback system to guide teachers in lesson planning and individualizing instruction. Additionally, it will guide students in understanding full mastery of each respective standard and it will keep parents informed about student progress through specific learning objectives. Expectations are that students will progress at least as well as they did before attending the charter school, and that the specific measurable objectives for the school are achieved. In addition, students’ performance in the online sessions will be assessed by the online teacher, and students not making adequate progress towards the CCS as evidenced in teacher made evaluations will also be identified, and appropriate measures for improvement will be instituted. Ongoing communication between the School and the parents will be maintained through on­line reporting systems such, web­
based grade book (Gradequick) and progress reports, parent conferences, and other forms of written and oral communication that the parents may be comfortable to utilize. H. Provide a description for how the charter school will conduct state testing, including: Identification and training of test­administrators Test security measures Plans for identifying and securing testing locations Ongoing internal audits (Interim Progress Reports and Report Cards) of student performance, including beginning year, mid­year, and end­year assessments, will also be utilized as reflective and guidance tools. The establishment of a School Improvement Plan will ensure school­wide student assessment and performance data can be shared with parents, students and other stakeholders. The SAC Committee for the School will participate in the development of the School Improvement Plan to ensure input from all stakeholders, including teachers, students, parents and community representatives. The attainment of specific learning objectives, with supporting documentation, will be detailed in the School’s Annual Report, and copies will be made available to the charter school constituents on an annual basis. Specifically, the School will ensure communication with students/parents via the following district­
mandated means, as follows: Progress Reports (Report Cards) The School will issue Progress reports at the end of each marking period. These will not be withheld from students because of failure to pay dues, fees or charges for lost or damaged books or property. Interim reports: Not later than 4 weeks into the grading periods, an interim report shall be sent to parents of students who are experiencing difficulty including, but not limited to, the following: failing, a drop of two or more grades, unacceptable behavior and/or excessive absences. In schools with an automated system for record keeping and grading, interims will be provided for all students (as an indicator of satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress). Required Parental Notification for students in danger of not meeting graduation requirements Any student with a GPA below 2.5 shall have their parent or guardian notified that improved academic is necessary to ensure that high school graduation requirements are met. The School will assist students to meet these requirements through a variety of options, which will include, but are not limited to: a. forgiveness policy, b. extended learning, C. special counseling, d. volunteer and/or peer tutors, e. school­sponsored help sessions, f. homework hotlines, g. study skills classes, 43 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards h. co­enrollment. Further, the establishment of a School Improvement Plan will ensure school­wide student assessment and performance data can be shared with parents, students and other stakeholders. The SAC Committee will participate in the development of the School Improvement Plan to ensure input from all stakeholders, including teachers, students, and parent representatives. The attainment of specific learning objectives, with supporting documentation, will be detailed in the School’s Annual Report, and copies will be made available to the charter school constituents on an annual basis. 44 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 6: Exceptional Students A. Please indicate the level of service that the school will provide to students with disabilities by selecting from the list below. The school will serve students with disabilities whose needs can be met in a regular online and resource chat room combination (less or between 40%­80% of instruction occurring in a class with non­disabled peers) with the provision of reasonable supplementary supports and services and/or modifications and accommodations. However, CAHS does not intend to refuse any eligible student with disability, we are prepared to make accommodations that would meet the needs of all students. B. Describe how the school will ensure that students with disabilities will have an equal opportunity of being selected for enrollment in the charter school. CAHS will follow the legal specifics of Special Education/IDEA legislation in its delivery of services, including but not limited to: ­An equal opportunity for all students that may not be denied on the basis of disability; ­A written Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for all students identified and qualified as having a disability and receiving special education services; ­A free and appropriate public education program­this program to be determined on an individual case­
by­case basis through the IEP process depending on each student’s unique needs and which may be challenged by the students’ parent(s) through due process; ­A least restrictive environment or “natural environment” in consideration of the following factors as determined by the IEP team: (1) a comparison between educational benefits available to a disabled student in a traditional online and a special education online session; (2) the non­academic benefits to the student with a disability from interacting with non­disabled students; (3) the degree of disruption of the education of other students resulting in the inability to meet the unique needs of the disable student; ­Due process requirements which include notification of parent(s) of the intent to evaluate for special education and consent to this process by the parent (s); and ­Nondiscriminatory evaluation procedures for students with IEP’s. If a parent/legal guardian requests a special education evaluation, they have a legal right to have that request carried out within the mandated time frame. The parent or these parents should be made aware of the process and its benefit for their child and the benefit of exhausting available school resources. If the parent requests the special education evaluation, he or she should provide a written request to the school. If a child appears to have a speech difficulty, he or she may be referred for a speech and language evaluation without going through the Student Study Team process. The Administration of the school will meet regularly with special education personnel including psychologists, speech and language therapists, adaptive physical education specialists and resource specialists. The Administration of the school will request a monthly report from any special education professional on­site, outlining the amount of time each professional spends with each special education student as correlated with what the Individual Education Plan (IEP) mandates. The reports from resource specialists shall include meeting dates with parents as scheduled on the IEP. Special education personnel on­site at a charter school should always be working as a team with the teachers, aides, parents and administrators. . The Administration of the school will hold special education personnel accountable for how IEP goals and objectives are communicated to teachers, aides and parents. The strategies identified for intervention will, where possible, emphasize inclusion in the regular online session setting­subject, of course, to the restrictions identified in the IEP. All hours of service listed in the IEP must be provided to the child. If the hours are not being provided on a weekly basis, as is the case when certain specialists are not available for hire, those service hours must be provided in arrears. Once a student has been enrolled, the school will request and Individual 45 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 plan. The school will provide a staffing specialist to conduct meetings to determine initial eligibility, re­evaluation meetings, and change of placement. The school will hire ESE specialist (as required by the student’s IEP) to provide the actual services to each student. The school will also provide a credentialed school psychologist and speech/language pathologist to conduct evaluations. They do not provide direct services to the students. The school will be open to all students, on a space­available basis within each grade and will not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, national origin, sexual orientation religion, ancestry, need for special education services, intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, disability or proficiency in English, physical limitations, or challenges. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a disabled individual is defined as any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such impairment. Major life activities include caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working (Rule 6A­19.001, F.A.C.). For success, a careful analysis is required to determine if the student has an impairment or condition that is severe enough to limit a major life activity and whether the student is qualified to receive aids, services, or accommodations for instruction and assessment, including the FCAT, FCAT 2.0, EOC Assessments, or FAA. Students with a temporary disability, such as a broken arm, may require accommodations for a limited time. A Section 504 plan may be developed for the student to access accommodations. The student must use the accommodation regularly in the instructional setting. For example, the student with the broken arm will need an accommodation for writing in online session activities as well as for the FCAT (BEESS, 2005). Selection of Accommodations: Through the IEP or Section 504 planning process, a team of professionals, family members, and the student makes decisions about which accommodations the student needs for instruction and for state and district testing programs. The teams consider the student’s learning and behavior characteristics. The student’s disability category alone does not determine whether an accommodation is needed or what type of accommodation should be used (Elliott & Thurlow, 2000; Fletcher et al., 2006). The team uses information from comprehensive evaluation procedures, such as formative assessments, individual diagnostic assessments, observation data, annual assessments, or functional behavioral assessments, to make determinations about accommodations (Zabala, 2005, April 29). Examples of learning and behavior characteristics that may result from a disability include: • Difficulty attending to complex directions and information • Difficulty retaining information• Need for additional time when reading braille materials• Noncompliant behaviors in large group situations• Inability to use regular print to obtain information• Difficulty organizing information when writing 504 Plan Procedures: The School’s policies for 504 students will reflect the requirements of the Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A student is entitled to FAPE and may be entitled to Section 504 accommodations if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. There will be two steps during the pre­referral process. First, teachers and/or parents who perceive a problem(s) will discuss informal interventions through parent­teacher conferences. Observations will be discussed. Secondly, these interventions will be implemented within the academic setting and the results will be documented. Should the intervention(s) solve the problem(s), then the pre­referral process will be discontinued. However, if the problem(s) continues and is not resolved through intervention, referral to Problem Solving Team will occur. Referral to Problem Solving Team (PST) will be the next phase. The PST will convene to formally discuss academic, behavioral and medical concerns. The student’s cumulative record, online session 46 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards documentation, attendance and behavior will be discussed throughout the screening process. Three possible scenarios may occur: Further intervention may be needed (review, revise, implement and document) and stop process; or possible exceptional student education (ESE) referral (follow ESE procedures); or possible 504/ADA disability. Should 504/ADA disability be suspected, parental consent to evaluate will be obtained. The type of disability believed to be present and the type of service(s) the student may require will determine the extent of the evaluation process. The PST will become the eligibility team and must include a minimum of two persons knowledgeable about the student, the meaning of the evaluation data, and the placement options and the 504/ADA contact person (ESE Coordinator). The team will review all information considered during the pre­referral, referral, and screening and evaluation process. Determination of placement will be based on all data, and on whether the student has a physical or mental impairment, which substantially limits a major life activity. The determination will be based on the impact of the disability upon the student. If the team decides that the student is eligible, then placement will occur. Accommodations will be developed and implemented by the online session teacher(s) by the next school day. Students who qualify for 504/ADA placement will be in regular education classes. They may receive accommodations in the online sessions, and where necessary, on statewide assessments. Should the student be determined ineligible, then all documentation will be completed and data will be placed in the student’s cumulative file. Parents will be given copies of the Procedural Safeguards as required by law (34 CRF 104.36). Meetings will occur on a regular basis between the online session teacher and the ESE department in order to assess student progress. 504/ADA plans will be revisited and reviewed annually. Reevaluation will take place every three years. The ESE Department will provide, as needed, the following specialized services for students with varying exceptionalities: • Speech and Language Impaired • Autistic Spectrum Disorders • Specific Learning Disabilities • Other Health Impaired • Gifted • Occupational Therapy • Homebound or Hospitalized • Physical Therapy Federal and State Reports: Unless otherwise exempted by Chapter 1002, Florida Statutes, the School will complete federal, state and any other reports deemed necessary in accordance with the time­lines and specifications of the Sponsor and the State Department of Education. http://www.DISTRICTschools.org/ese/ada504.asp Section 504 Process Flowchart DOCUMENTATION OF IMPAIRMENT PARENT CONSENT/SAFEGUARDS IF NEEDED, MEDICAL RELEASE FORM REVIEW ALL AVAILABLE DATA INSUFFICIENT DATA TEAM ELIGIBILITY MEETING GATHER ADDITIONAL DATA Including, but not limited to: GRADES, CHECKLISTS, DISCIPLINE, ATTENDANCE ELIGIBLE FORM MONITOR NO PROGRESS YES DEVELOP 504 PLAN SD FORM INPUT DATA ON TERMS SCREEN MONITOR PLAN AS NEEDED Forms Available on: www.DISTRICTschools.org Section 504/ADA Parental Notification and Consent 47 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Parental Notice of Procedural Safeguards Section 504/ADA ADA/504 Conference Record* Section 504 Accommodation Plans: Elementary* Middle/High School* Section 504 Accommodations for Extracurricular Activities and Nonacademic Services* Conference Record* Conference Record Continuation* Release or Transfer of Student Information Transportation Request for Special Needs Student Manifestation of Disability Determination Process for Students with Section 504 Plans *available in multiple languages All students are chosen through a lottery system. Identification Upon enrollment in the School, the cumulative folders of those students coming from another school will be reviewed to determine their eligibility status to receive exceptional student education services and/or related services. For any student who is not engaged in or benefiting from the curriculum, the Response to Intervention (RtI) Process will be implemented. This is comparable to the District's process called the Problem Solving Leadership Team (PSLT). General education intervention procedures will be completed prior to conducting an initial ESE multidisciplinary evaluation. Within the RtI framework, resources will be allocated in direct proportion to student needs. This framework is as a three­tier model that uses increasingly more intense instruction and interventions. Data collected at each tier will be used to measure the efficacy of the interventions so that meaningful decisions can be made about which instruction and interventions should be maintained and layered. Across the tiers, the problem­solving method will be used to match instructional resources to educational need. The problem­solving method is as follows: Define the problem by determining the discrepancy between what is expected and what is occurring. Analyze the problem using data (including, but not limited to, observations, anecdotal records, screening results, etc.) to determine why the discrepancy is occurring. Discuss concerns with the student's parent. Establish a student performance goal, develop an intervention plan to address the goal, and delineate how the student's progress will be monitored and implementation integrity 'will be ensured. Use progress monitoring data to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention plan based on the student's response to the intervention. Tier 1 is the foundation and consists of scientific, research­based core instructional and behavioral methodologies, practices, and supports designed for all students in the general curriculum. Adjustments in instruction will be made through whole and small­group differentiation. Students who continue to not make progress will be identified for additional supports. Tier 2 consists of supplemental instruction and interventions that are provided in addition to and in alignment with effective core instruction and behavioral supports to groups of targeted students who need' additional instructional and/or behavioral support. Instructional techniques will be adjusted based on individual students' responses. Progress monitoring will be conducted on a frequent and repeated basis. Interventions and growth will be documented. Tier 3 consists of intensive instructional or behavioral interventions with extraordinary time and/or focus provided in addition to and in alignment with effective core instruction with the goal of increasing an individual student's rate of progress. Tier 3 interventions will be developed for individual students using the problem­solving process. Students receiving Tier 3 level supports mayor may not be eligible for exceptional student education services. Interventions will be established by a Student Study Team (SST) and agreed upon by the teachers and parents. The interventions will be attempted for a minimum of three weeks. The SST will then analyze the student's progress. CAHS will implement a process that identifies whether the concern about the student is academic and/or behavioral in nature. 48 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards At the point where the SST believes that the interventions have been ineffective in achieving the desired results, the team may suggest further interventions or recommend that the student be assessed for eligibility for exceptional student education (ESE) services. CAHS will follow all relevant procedures and processes as they relate to evaluation, delivery of services, and documentation. The school will employ one or more highly qualified ESE teachers to ensure that the components of each student's IEP are delivered in the appropriate fashion. The SST will make every attempt to ensure that students are educated in the least restrictive environment, and will be used to the point where the appropriate remediation is determined or the student is referred for testing. (2) Individualized Education Plans Within 30 days after a student is determined eligible for ESE services, an IEP team will meet to write an IEP. The IEP team will consist of Teachers, Parents/Guardians, ESE teacher, School Administrator, Psychologist, Speech and Language professional, and/or other relevant professionals as appropriate. The IEP team will develop a plan that addresses the student's individual needs for specially­designed instruction and related services. Parents will be appropriately notified of their child's progress at least as often as parents of non­disabled students are notified. The team will monitor the effectiveness of the students' IEP through an annual review in compliance with all applicable state statutes and rules, and make appropriate revisions based on student performance. (3) Range of Services A range of services will be provided through staff members with the appropriate certification or contracts with an appropriate agency if necessary. Service delivery models may include: Co­teaching A online session in which two teachers, an ESE and a general education teacher, share responsibility for planning, delivering, and evaluating instruction for all students in a class, some of whom are ESE and some of whom are not. In order to be considered co­teaching, this delivery system will be provided whenever a class/subject is taught by two teachers and will continue for the entire class period. Support Facilitation An ESE teacher provides support for ESE students' achievement in the general online session. Support facilitators may work and move among two or more basic education online sessions working with the general education teachers and students identified with exceptionalities as needed. The frequency and intensity of support varies based upon students' and/or general educators' need for assistance. Content Mastery or Learning Lab Direct content instruction is primarily provided by the general education teacher in a general education online session. Individual support for students identified with disabilities will be provided by ESE teachers in a content mastery or learning lab center when additional support is needed for a specific and defined time­limited task (students will not be scheduled on a regular basis, only as needed). Consultation General education teachers and ESE teachers meet regularly to plan, implement, and monitor instructional alternatives designed to ensure that the student with a disability is successful in the general education online session. All teachers providing support to students via consultation with the students' general education teachers will be required to maintain a record of the teachers, courses, and ESE students to whom they are providing services. Resource Room ESE teachers will provide total instruction and focused services in these models in which all of the students being served are students, with disabilities. The setting for this service delivery model is other than the general education online session for a period(s) of the school day. CAHS believes the philosophies adhered to, the construct provided, and the attention to individualized learning, and accommodations and modifications reflect an inclusive educational environment. Parents of students with disabilities will receive procedural guidance and guidelines in their native language, to the extent feasible. (4) Graduation Successful transition to postsecondary adult life for students with disabilities requires comprehensive planning, goal setting, and decision making. One of the most important decisions is the 49 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards C. D. type of high school diploma the student will work toward. This decision is usually made by the student and family order to entering high school with Individual Education Plan (IEP) team. Diploma options should be considered in the following order according to the student's needs and abilities: Standard diploma Standard diploma with FCAT waiver Special diploma, option 1 Special diploma, option 2 (based on mastery of a set of employment and community competencies) Certificate of Completion Special Certificate of Completion Students who do not meet requirements for a standard or special diploma may be awarded either a regular or a special certificate of completion, depending on coursework. Special diplomas will be available to certain students with disabilities who have been identified with the following disabilities: intellectual disabilities, specific learning disabilities, physically impaired, emotional/behavioral disabilities, dual sensory impaired, autism spectrum disorder, language impaired, or deaf/hard of hearing. Students identified as visually impaired, speech impaired, gifted, or homebound are not eligible for a special diploma unless they have another identified disability. The school will follow the School District’s ESE Service Delivery Continuum. Describe how the school will work with the sponsor to ensure the charter school is the appropriate placement for each student with a disability, based on the student's needs. The school is committed to working with the sponsor to ensure appropriate placement for each student with a disability. In accordance with the law, the school will convene a meeting between the special education teacher and regular education teacher of the previous school and of our school, parents, and administration to ensure appropriate placement. Proper notice will be given to parents in advance. CAHS will work closely with the school district to determine the most appropriate placement of special diploma students. The best interest of the student is always the top priority in providing appropriate services. (5) Disability History and Awareness In compliance with the s. 1003.4205, Florida Statutes, Disability History and Awareness Instruction, the School will designate the first two weeks in October each year as "Disability History and Awareness Weeks." During these two weeks, the School may provide disability history and awareness instruction. The purpose of the intensive instruction is to expand students' knowledge, understanding, and awareness of individuals with disabilities, the history of disability, and the disability rights movement. Instruction will be integrated into the existing school curriculum wherever possible. Instruction may be delivered by qualified school personnel or knowledgeable guest speakers with a focus on including individuals with disabilities. The goals of disability history and awareness instruction include: (1) better treatment of individuals with disabilities in society (especially youth in school), and increased attention to preventing the bullying or harassment of students with disabilities; (2) encouragement to individuals with disabilities to develop self­
esteem, resulting in more individuals with disabilities gaining pride, obtaining postsecondary education, entering the workforce, and contributing to their communities; and, (3) reaffirmation of commitment to the full inclusion of and equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities. Describe how the needs of exceptional students will be met, to the maximum extent appropriate, including the use of supplementary aids and services. The School will comply with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for handicapped access. Our non­traditional class settings will provide for ease of use and mobility and will be equipped with personal pods whose size, location, spacing, and layout can all be adjusted. Students who need more direct 50 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards assistance from their teachers or learning coaches may be moved to a working area close to the instructors to provide ease of access and support. The online components and computer equipment make it possible to customize the courses to include auditory and visual aids when necessary, as well as pause and rewind features to ensure students are able to move through the material at their pace. The School uses the following process to ensure that all exceptional students are engaged in and benefit from our curriculum. Create a plan of effective accommodations require sustained development and support. They must be made within the framework of a larger plan that includes consideration of (a) basic and strategic skills instruction and (b) the roles of people involved in the instructional process. As much as possible, students, parents, paraprofessionals, and others will be involved in developing the plan. Identify and Evaluate the Standards that Students Are Not Meeting. The problem to be addressed by the accommodation will be defined. Teachers will observe students' performance when they use typical instructional materials. They may have difficulty acquiring or getting the important information from written materials, storing or remembering the information presented in the materials, or expressing the information or demonstrating competence on written tests. If students have difficulty with a given task, different solutions may be required depending on the level of difficulty. Develop Goals for Teaching Strategies and Making Accommodations. Some problems can be solved by accommodations; other problems may require intensive instruction in skills or strategies. Often, teachers may need to provide accommodations while simultaneously teaching the student the learning strategies he or she needs in order to perform the work. Before any accommodation is made for an individual student, teachers will carefully consider the best approach to addressing the student's disability and promoting success. Accommodations will be approached as short­term solutions within a long­term plan for teaching skills and strategies that will promote the student's independence as a learner. Determine whether content modifications or format accommodations are needed content modifications will be made only when the student's IEP notes that the general curriculum is inappropriate for this student. Content modifications will also meet local and state education standards. In some cases, the IEP may address the degree to which the requirements associated with meeting state standards and taking assessments may be modified. The teacher will decide which parts of the curriculum the student will be required to learn and will constitute mastery of the course content. When the curriculum is considered appropriate for the student, accommodations will focus on format rather than content. The teacher will identify the critical elements of course content that students must learn. First, the teachers will identify the critical course ideas or concepts. Then, the information that must be mastered in each unit to ensure that the critical course ideas are mastered will be identified. Finally, how students will demonstrate their mastery at the end of each unit and at the end of the course will be determined. Format accommodations will be made to compensate for mismatches between the presentation or design of the materials and the skills and strategies of the student. In format accommodations, the content will not be altered. Identify the features of the materials and resources that need accommodations teachers providing accommodations will examine each curricular unit for features that might cause a learning problem. For example, the content may be very abstract, complex, or poorly organized, or it might present too much information. It may not be relevant to students or it may be boring. Further, it may call for skills or strategies or background information that the student does not possess. It may present activities that do not lead to mastery, or it may fail to give students cues about how to think about or study the information. Materials also may not provide a variety of flexible options through which students can demonstrate competence. Determine the Type of Accommodation That will enable the student to meet the demand once the materials have been evaluated and possible problem areas identified, the type of format accommodation will be selected. Format accommodations may be made by: 51 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Altering existing materials through rewriting, reorganizing, adding to, or recasting the information. So that the student can access the regular curriculum material independently. Enhancing existing materials by providing additional instructional support, Guidance and direction to the student in the use of the materials. E. Describe how the school's effectiveness in serving exceptional education students will be evaluated. The school will develop procedures for updating, at least annually, the effectiveness of the individualized education programs in meeting the educational needs of special education students, including parent, family involvement in the evaluation process. Students eligible for special education and related services will be re­evaluated every three years in accordance with state and federal requirements. The criterion for evaluating our special education program includes, but is not limited to, the following: ­The curriculum is individualized to meet each child’s intellectual, achievement, social, emotional, physical and management needs and/or IEP goals for each student. ­The IEP is developed in coordination with the school district Special Education liaison. ­The curriculum is geared towards the student’s strengths while addressing gaps in progress. A multi­sensory technique is used, including educational videos, CD­ROMS, peer teaching, etc. ­Accommodations and modifications are listed in the lesson plans. The accommodations/modifications are implemented in accordance with the student’s IEP. ­The IEP includes a statement of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks or short­term objectives. The goals and objectives are designed to meet the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability to enable the child to be involved in and progress in the general curriculum. The IEP will also include a statement of how the child’s progress toward the annual goals will be measured. Communicate the accommodation to students and parents. Accommodations are more successful when they are offered and introduced to students at the beginning of the year. Parents will also be informed about them at the beginning of the year. Students will be taught explicit strategies to use any accommodation effectively and educated on how to process the information received through the accommodation. As students’ progress, they will be taught how to recognize the need for and request accommodation. Implement, Evaluate, and Adjust the Accommodation. As the accommodation is implemented, the teacher will evaluate its effects to determine whether the desired outcomes are being achieved. If not, adjustments will need to be made either in the accommodation or the instructions to the student in its use. Accommodation should significantly reduce failure and learning difficulties. Fade the accommodation when possible. Accommodations usually are short­term solutions to allow online session learning and participation until the needed skills and strategies can be taught. Once the accommodation is in place, the teacher will begin to plan with other teachers how to teach me needed skills and strategies. Once the student has learned the necessary skills and strategies, the accommodation will be faded. The accommodation will not be removed until the student possesses the skills and strategies to learn and complete tasks independently, and the IEP team is convened to review the student's IEP. For some students, an accommodation may be required for several months, while for others, it may be maintained indefinitely. F. Provide the school's projected population of students with disabilities and describe how the projection was made. The school anticipates that we will have approximately 2% of our total enrollment as ESE students within the first year and will hire one fulltime special education teacher for every 15 to 30 special education students, depending on the needs and IEPs of each student. We acknowledge that new schools typically receive slightly less students with disabilities than the state average. However, we expect our special education program to grow at a fast rate due to the benefits our program offers, such as individualization, self­pacing, and privacy (there is less of stigma that occurs in our setting since students are not physically grouped with other low­performing students, which creates less awareness of academic disabilities). G. Explain how exceptional students who enter the school below grade level will be engaged in and benefit from the curriculum. The School will request access to the School District's Information Services department data and curriculum records from the previous school attended by the enrolling student. A thorough review of an incoming student's prior year FCAT scores (if they are included in the student's cumulative folder), 52 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards attendance records, and report card grades will be conducted. A determination will be made whether the student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Prior year FCAT scores will be primarily used to determine prior rates of academic progress and to determine EOC. The following data variables are foundational to the baseline profile: Age Gender Grade level ESE/ESOL status Dropout status Foundational skills level in reading and math Number of Credits GPA FCAT results Attendance Truancy Discipline These data will provide an initial baseline regarding student performance, and will be evaluated throughout the student's enrollment at the School to create a longitudinal performance profile. Curriculum­based measurements for IEP goal/objectives: The school’s curriculum will engage exceptional students and students below grade level through means beyond the regular course offerings and activities. After reviewing performance at their prior school, each low­performing student will have, in addition to an IEP, a faculty team involved in offering differentiated instruction. Thus, every exceptional student and every student achieving below grade level will be monitored as they participate in the various programs and remedial opportunities exercised at the school. Through the school’s on­going assessment practices, such students will be enthusiastically monitored in order to track outcomes and adjust techniques or strategies. The school will also offer and prescribe many options for low­achieving students, such as on­campus tutoring, mentoring programs and increased differentiation techniques. Communication with parents will remain of utmost importance for such students to maximize the impact of feedback and more properly ensure that recommendations for improvement are frequently monitored and followed. Parent communication may take place through various avenues such as verbal contact, personal conference, written, email and teacher/staff visits to the home when necessary. Moreover, the school will remain committed toward maintaining an on­going system of assessment that will immediately identify students who fall below grade level, or demonstrate above­average strides. Such students will benefit from intervention that will address unexpected lapses as well as reinforce successful outcomes. The school will strive to continually challenge and heighten goals for high achievers and gifted children in the pursuit of providing differentiated instruction to each student, and to increase mastery of the State Standards. All monitoring will be recorded in order to detect personal trends and better identify learning styles. Students not achieving at adequate levels will be more closely monitored and placed on an individual plan for improvement. Further analysis will be conducted in order to understand any evident symptoms of more fundamental problems. Data for analysis will be gathered from sources such as test scores, teacher observations, current and past student behaviors, socio­economic backgrounds, attendance records, and the rate of home learning completion, sudden or long­term levels of low report card grades and any other sources that will help remedy causes of literacy. All special education students will have assigned to them an individualized Education Plan to meet the goals of the state standards. Teachers will be provided with the IEP plans in order to identify such students and to plan and structure lessons accordingly. The school will also stand ready to provide teachers with support and assistance from special education staff in order to address the needs of students at the lower ends of progress. The assessment program will be used to inform students, teachers, and parents where a student is succeeding and what areas need strengthening. Assessment will serve as a feedback system to guide teacher in lesson planning and individualizing instruction. Additionally, it will guide students in understanding what full mastery of a standard is, and it will keep parents informed about student progress. 53 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Review key data/indicators in an atmosphere of trust, where staff have an opportunity to help establish goals and where items like the following will be taken into account: ­previous year’s goals­met or not? ­year­end writing and CRT (Criterion­Reference Test) ­Standardized test data ­Data on number of discipline referrals/suspensions and expulsions ­Disaggregated data(e.g., lowest achieving subgroup, free and reduced lunch population) ­Number or percentage of students receiving A’s and B’s in subject areas/courses ­Number or percentage of students receiving D’s and F’s in subject areas/courses In addition to continuously monitoring the education plan of our gifted students, teachers will analyze the benchmark test results each quarter. In case of extreme impairment or disability whereby the student cannot be served appropriately by our School, we will “contract out” for services with outside agencies. The following is a list of services that will be provided to serve the needs of the exceptional student population: ­Academic/Counseling one­on­one time­Those ESE students who require extra services to ensure compliance and delivery of services as dictated by their IEP will receive those services by a certified ESE teacher/counselor. The amount of counseling will be determined by the student’s IEP, as will the specific skill and content area to be remedied. ­Consultation and collaboration­ For those students, who can succeed without the assistance of pullout, but need extensive monitoring. ­Speech and Language Therapy – A therapist will be contracted out depending on the number of students requiring speech/language therapy, as per their IEP will depend on how many teachers. ­Enriched Curriculum for gifted students­ We will ensure that gifted students will be appropriately placed in Honors/Advanced classes. There will also be a gifted program supervised by a teacher with gifted certification. H. Describe how the school will serve gifted and talented students. For any student attending CAHS who has qualified for gifted services, CAHS will provide the appropriate services required by that student as delineated on the student's Education Plan (EP) and in the district's policies. Florida's Frameworks for 9­12 Gifted Learners guides curricular modifications of Florida's Common core Sunshine State Standards to create an appropriate level of challenge for gifted students. Curricular modifications for gifted learners will be designed to address the need for more complex tasks, exposure to a broadened scope of information, an emphasis on multiple perspectives, more rapid pace of instruction, a greater focus on higher order thinking skills, and more sophisticated products/performances. In the event that one or more gifted students enroll at the School, a certified teacher with a gifted endorsement will be employed to meet the specialized and individualized needs of gifted students. (2) Effectiveness in Serving Students who are Gifted. It is important to note that all ESE students, including students who are gifted, are assessed on an ongoing basis along with their peers. Each course's curriculum is developed to include regular assessments to determine student mastery. All online session teachers will be provided with the appropriate information concerning services included in the student's EP, as well as staff needed to address the identified goals. Students who need services beyond those offered through the general curriculum may work directly with the Gifted Teacher in individual and small group settings. If one or more gifted students enroll in the school, a teacher with the required gifted endorsement will be employed. Alternative programs, resources, and textbooks may be utilized so that each student has the opportunity to successfully progress through the curriculum at an appropriate depth, complexity, abstractness, and pace. CAHS's effectiveness in serving ESE students will be evaluated based on each student's success m meeting the goals on his/her IEP, grade promotion, credit accumulation, graduation, and successful postsecondary transition. It is important to note that ESE and gifted students will be assessed on an ongoing basis along with their non­disabled and non­gifted peers. Each course's curriculum will be developed to include regular assessments to determine student mastery. If a student does not exhibit mastery, the ESE or Gifted Teacher will work with the online session teacher to provide accommodations to the curriculum and/or pace of delivery within the general learning environment. All virtual teachers will 54 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards be provided with the appropriate information concerning modifications and accommodations included in the student's IEP or EP, as well as support staff needed to address the identified goals. CAHS's curriculum, based on research findings that equitable access to learning materials ensures that students with disabilities have equal opportunities to achieve to their highest potential, delivers content in a variety of formats that are compatible with assistive technology and accommodate different abilities and learning styles. Teachers have found that the self­paced structure, small learning steps with immediate feedback, and extensive practice to be particularly useful for students with learning disabilities. Students who do not have success with those strategies may work directly with the ESE Teacher and instructional aides in individual and small group settings. Alternative programs, resources, and textbooks may be utilized so that each student has the opportunity to successfully access the regular curriculum. In cases where the foregoing solutions are not working and a greater disability is suspected, the IEP will be reviewed and revised, making necessary accommodations to permit students with disabilities to access learning opportunities on the same basis as general education students. 55 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 7: English Language Learner A. Describe how the school will comply with state and federal requirements for serving English language learners, including the procedures that will be utilized for identifying such students and providing support services. CAHS will comply with the requirements of federal and state laws and case law regarding the education of English Language Learner students which comprise the Consent Decree (s. 1003.56, F.S.; Rules 6A­
6.0900 to 6A­6.0909, F.A.C.). During the enrollment process, all families will answer a series of online questions as a first effort for Child Find including the Home Language Survey (HLS) questions. Any positive responses will be routed to the ELL point of contact for further investigation. ELL students and the law­ historical overview: 1961­District Public Schools became one of the first districts in the nation to implement a bilingual education program, due largely to the great influx of children from Cuba; 1968­The bilingual education Act (later to become Title VII) was passed to provide funding to school districts to implement programs which would assist non­native speakers of English with the necessary skills to participate in school activities; 1974­Lau v. Nichols: The landmark supreme court case won by the Chinese community against the San Francisco School system. The plaintiffs claimed that their children were denied “equal educational opportunity” because the instruction was provided in a language they could not understand. However, the court did not specify what educational action would be satisfactory to comply with the law; 1975­The Lau Remedies were developed by the Office of Education of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and a panel of experts, to establish guidelines. Encourages mainstreaming ELLs; in the meantime, comprehensible instruction was to be provided in all content areas and courses, including English as a Second Language strategies and/or use of student’s home languages. 1982­ Plyler v. Doe­ The Supreme court ruled that states and public schools are prohibited under equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment from denying undocumented immigrant students their right of access to public schools on the basis of their legal status. 1990­FL Consent Decree­ In August, 1990, the United States District Court signed a consent decree(the META Agreement) enforcing an agreement between FL State Board of Education and a coalition of eight groups represented by multicultural education, training and advocacy, Inc. (META) and FL legal services attorneys; and giving full access to Educational programs. Receiving adequate and appropriate instruction in order to enable them to pass the required graduation examinations and meet all requirements for a high school diploma. Under the Consent and Decree, districts and individual schools are responsible for properly identifying ELL students and for providing accurate academic assessment information. Each school district in FL is required to develop a “District ELL Plan” and submit it to State for approval. This plan describes the manner in which the consent and decree requirements will be implemented in its respective district. Summary of Florida Consent Decree In August, 1990, a judge of the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, signed a Consent Decree giving the court the power to enforce an agreement between the Florida State Board of Education and coalition of eight groups represented by Multicultural Education, Training, and Advocacy, Inc. (META) and Florida legal services attorneys regarding the identification and provision of services to students whose native language is other than English. The plaintiff organizations involved in the case represented a broad spectrum of the civil rights/educational community. They are: League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); ASPIRA of Florida; The Farm Workers’ Association of Central Florida; Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches; Haitian Refugee Center; Spanish American League Against Discrimination (SALAD); American Hispanic Educators’ Association of Dade (AHEAD); and Haitian Educators’ Association. The Consent Decree settlement terms focus on the following six issues: Identification and assessment; equal access to appropriate programming; equal access to appropriate categorical and other programming for English Language Learners (ELLs); Personnel; monitoring; outcome measures. Identification and assessment addresses six requirements: Home Language Survey; Formation of ELL Committees; ELL student Plan; English Language Assessment; Classification and reclassification and post­reclassification monitoring. http://www.fldoe.org/aala/cdpage2.asp. 56 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards District ESOL Procedures Manual includes the following chapters. ELL student and the Law; role of the ELL Committee; ESOL Program Strands; Dual Language; Charter Schools; Comprehensible instruction; ESOL Personnel; Home language services; registration procedures; ESOL placement; initial Placement testing; ELDC; student ELL folder; Progress Review; student progression of ELLs; State and District Testing; ESOL forms, reports, and codes; Parent involvement/PLC; Response to intervention (RtI); Data Entry; and Glossary. http://www.districtschools.org/multicultural/ESOLProceduresManual.asp; http://www.districtschools.org/multicultural/documents/DistrictELLPlan2012continuation.pd­specific­to School District: ESOL Procedures Manual and ELL Plan, including, but not limited to the following requirements: registration Procedures(parent must be provided with native language assistance if needed); Identification and assessment (all schools must follow district CSS requirements); Instructional Models (refer to School District ESOL Procedures Manual); ESOL Record Keeping (must maintain ELL folders for each individual student as outlined in the district CSS ESOL Procedures Manual); Comprehensible ELL student instruction; Personnel (ESOL administrator, ESOL Coordinator, ESOL Teacher, Language facilitator). If a school has fifteen or more ELL students who speak a language other than English then the school must hire a language facilitator). Translation (All communication with the parents must be in the native language); All ELL students must have equal access to all programs; ELL committee meets to discuss student progress; and Parent Leadership Council (Parent meets at least twice per year). If you have 15 or more students must hire ESOL coordinator, facilitator; lesson plans that meet student’s academic needs; and any documentation must be in the language of parents. These same questions will be verbally asked again by a placement counselor of the parent/legal guardian. Finally, these same questions will be asked after approved enrollment by the general education teacher. All parties asking these questions will be provided professional development on ELL indicators and their obligation in routing positive responses to the appropriate ELL point of contact. Additionally, school records will be requested from the sending district and will be reviewed for ELL indicators. Those students with positive responses to any of the HLS questions will be referred to the ELL point of contact who will then talk with the family determining if services were previously received and what the current language needs of student are. The ELL point of contact will also review prior school records, including any previous ELL evaluations, program plans, etc., that could help the school determine next steps needed in the assessment and placement of the student. If deemed appropriate, based on positive responses to the HLS questions, a parent’s signature is obtained on the Notification of ESOL Testing Procedures form. If the assessment determines that the student qualifies for ELL services, parent notification and acceptance of services will be provided to the parent/legal guardian prior to implementing services. All students in 9th grade and above will participate in an online assessment of achievement in English Language Arts and Math at the beginning and conclusion of the school year. This assessment will provide teachers and parents information regarding the students current instructional level in both subject areas as well as areas of strength and weakness. The results of this assessment will be used in conjunction with parent and student interviews, previous academic records, and the results of ELL evaluations as applicable to develop an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) that will outline the goals for the student for the current school year. CELLA Assessment The school will use the Comprehensive English Language Learning Assessment (CELLA) as a tool to measure the progress of English Language Learners’ (ELLs’) proficiency in English; thus, ensuring the skills needed in school to achieve academically at high levels. The CELLA assesses listening, speaking, reading and writing in ELL students through four different grade banded assessments. ELL students will be tracked for two years after they exit the program. To project our English Language Learner population, staff and budget, we estimated that 11% of our students will be ELLs based on the proportion of English Language Learners reported in the 2010­2011 ELL survey of the Specific District schools which was also 11% (http://www.fldoe.org/aalalomsstat.asp). CAHS will hire teachers and administrators with adequate knowledge and/or understanding of ELL mandates laws and procedures in Florida in order to ensure that CAHS meets all requirements in regards to the identification and education of ESL students. Personnel Training for Teachers Professional development will be provided to all staff on the following: research based bilingual/multi­
cultural programs and implications for instruction, best practices of English as a Second Language (ESL), 57 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards English Language; Development (ELD) and /or language revitalization programs and the principles of language acquisition. The school will provide comprehensive professional development to ensure all levels of staff understand the needs of the ELL population and understand the process for meeting their needs from developing individual student plans to the execution of those plans. Teachers will receive special training on integrating listening, speaking, reading and writing skills for ELL students into their instruction. A detailed description of how professional development is delivered to our staff is provided in the HR section of our application. CAHS will serve all types of students with a varying range of learning coaches including those who are not English speaking. In a perfect world, every student would have a learning coach who is fluent in English; however, we know that this situation does not exist for all students, whether enrolled in a traditional brick and mortar school or in an online session. CAHS is prepared to serve all students well, stepping in to provide more support to students who do not have all the support they need at home. Mentoring programs will be provided to ELL students’ learning coaches, as well as more frequent teacher interaction with learning coaches and students, synchronous learning sessions for students, and other supports designed to help students whose learning coaches are unable to provide a high level of support. CAHS commits to serving all of its students with an appropriate level of support. Regardless of the support available for students, some students will struggle more than others with the program. CAHS will have a broad range of supports and interventions designed for students who are struggling. The school administration will regularly assess the needs of struggling students so that programs can be designed to best support these students and to help them experience success with the program. The ELL teacher will follow school policies and procedures designed to appropriately identify, assess and provide appropriate interventions based on state recommended guidelines for students identified as English language learners. Following charter approval and prior to initial student recruitment and enrollment, an ELL plan will be developed by the school’s general, special, and ELL instructional staff and school administrators for adoption by the Board. The ELL plan will identify an ESOL coordinator to ensure compliance with the plan as well as address the formation of a Parent Leadership Council. In serving students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) or ELLs, the school will comply with all state and federal rules and regulations, while practicing inclusion to the fullest extent possible. Students entering the school will be checked for non­native English speaker status, through both a language survey of parents as well as teacher observation. Students identified as non­native speakers will be evaluated by formal and informal assessments, and students identified as LEP will be provided education support. As needed, an ESOL teacher will be on staff to provide assistance to online session teachers with ESOL students for Levels 1­3. Level 4­5 students will remain with the homeroom teacher during the Reading/Language Arts block. Teachers with LEP students in their class will use alternate teaching strategies to service LEP students within the online session. Support services may include supplementary English as a second language instruction in addition to instruction normally occurring during a literacy and language arts block. Since the school will use an inclusion model, an immersion program in all other subject areas will help LEP students quickly gain familiarity with English. Student progress will be assessed utilizing formal and informal measures. Student achievement will be monitored to facilitate program modifications, as needed. Programmatic Assessment English Language Learners (ELLs) (State Board of Education Rules 6A­6.0900­6.09091 and 6A­6.0905; School District of your overall Plan for Services to English Language Learner (ELLs) that can be found http://www.districtschools.org/multicultural/ELLPlan.asp) ELL students are identified and assessed to determine eligibility for services in accordance with State Board of Education Rule 6A­6.0902 (1) and (2). The ESOL coordinator/contact person and the school counselor/administrator review the educational background of the transferring student to determine appropriate grade level, subject, and ESOL program placement. See State Board Education Rule 6A­6­6.0902 (3) (b). Parental input regarding educational background should be taken into consideration especially when transcripts, records or report cards are not readily available. This information is documented on the English Language Learners Programmatic Assessment and Academic Placement Review Form (District 1764) and filed in the English Language 58 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Learners folder. Community language facilitators assist the students and their families when necessary to ensure proper program/course placement. A student who is age appropriate for high school must be placed in at least the 9th grade. An ELL Committee must meet when a student’s placement is based on age either because of lack of information about prior schooling (no transcript or report card) or prior schooling does not meet grade level requirements. An administrator must be part of the English Language Learners committee making the placement decision. ELLs are scheduled into classes that fulfill graduation requirements and the School District Student Progression Plan. ELLs are also placed in classes/courses based on completed academic coursework, regardless of the language in which the coursework was done. Testing Accommodations School Board policy provides flexibility to school staff in making academic placement decisions on behalf of students and parents. Parents/guardians may appeal academic placement decisions to the principal. Students with an Active Section 504 Accommodation Plan (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 34 C. F. R. Part 104) A Section 504 Team must meet, as necessary, to determine if an otherwise qualified student’s mental and/or physical impairment substantially limits one or more of the student’s major life activities. Major life activities include, but are not limited to, learning, concentrating, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, and/or breathing. A student need only be substantially limited in one major life activity to qualify for Section 504 eligibility. In addition, students with impairments that are episodic or in remission are eligible during the time the impairment is active. A transferring student with an active Section 504 Accommodation Plan is a student who was previously enrolled in any other school or agency with an active Section 504 Accommodation Plan and who is enrolling in a Florida School District. Upon notification that a transferring student has an active Section 504 Accommodation Plan, the receiving school must review and revise, as necessary, the existing active Section 504 Accommodation Plan. Until that review is complete, the School District must implement the current 504 Accommodation Plan to the maximum extent reasonable in the current placement. Identify the staffing plan for the school's English language learner program, including the number and qualifications of staff. English Language Learners (ELL) are students who are not yet proficient/fluent in listening, speaking, reading and writing the English language. CAHS will first identify these students during the enrollment process using an approved Child Find process. In addition to the Child Find process, a home language survey, teacher observation and student language survey will be completed. A language proficiency assessment (yearly) as well as culminating data on the student’s academic performance scores will become part of the components that develop his/her individual education plan. The school will employ, as needed, an appropriately licensed ESL or bilingual teacher for the ELL identified students. The ESL teacher can provide support to the students within the distance learning environment by: relating background information and experiences to the students to better grasp a concept, scaffold instruction to aid the students in comprehension, adjusting speech or content, providing project based learning experiences, necessary visuals and providing in online session modeling of best instructional practices for the general education teachers. Exit Criteria/Monitoring All ELL students will be tracked upon exiting the ELL program for a minimum of one year to ensure continued progress and success in all academic endeavors. Professional development will be provided to all staff on the following: research­based bilingual/multi­
cultural programs and implications for instruction, best practices of English as a Second Language (ESL), English Language Development (ELD) and /or language revitalization programs and the principles of language acquisition. We have estimated that 11% of our students will be English Language Learners based on the proportion of English Language Learners reported in the 2010­2011 ELL survey of the Specific District schools. The number of appropriately certified teachers employed to serve this population will be based on the actual number of English language learners enrolled in the school. The school will follow state guidelines in regard to class size for ELL students will be staffed in grades 9­12 at 25­50:1. 59 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards In accordance with the law, the school will not exclude LEP students from curricular and extracurricular activities in school because of their inability to speak and understand the language of instruction. The school will not assign national origin minority students to classes for the disabled because of their lack of English skills. Native language assistance must be provided in registration process, Assessment instruments must be the same instruments used in PBC schools, ELL plan must be updated twice per year according to PBC guidelines, monitoring of exited students must be discussed, parental leadership councils must be established and meet twice a year, and community language facilitator must be hired if there are 15 or more students from one language group. CELLA Assessment Applicant must include the tests used in specific District for assessment including the CELLA. Instructional Program­ESOL strategies must be documented in lesson plans. The School is committed to meeting the needs of each student, including ELL students, and complying with the requirements of the Consent Decree, ESOL Procedures Manual for specific District, and the District ELL Plan 2008—2011. B. Describe how the needs of English Language Learners will be met. English Language Learners English language learners (ELL) will be welcomed at the School. The School will provide an ESOL program in accordance with Florida Department of Education guidelines to meet the needs of qualifying students in the attendance zone. However, given the size constraints of the School, the School will not serve as a cluster School for ESOL students residing outside of the attendance zone. For the English Speaker of Other Languages (ESOL) and ELL (English language learners), we will offer an ESOL class designed to meet their needs. An ESOL director will be on staff to take care of the administrative aspect of the program, as well as test the eligibility of appropriate students. We will follow school board guidelines regarding ELL. Our ESOL director will be trained or receive training from the school board personnel. COURSE MODIFICATIONS Testing Accommodations English Language Learners (ELLs) will be enrolled in English through ESOL I, II, III and IV or English I, II, III and IV to guarantee the necessary credits needed for graduation. Any exceptions must be documented through an ELL Committee meeting. Students with an active Section 504 Accommodation Plan (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 34 C. F. R. Part 104). The Section 504 Team must meet as necessary to determine if a student’s mental or physical impairment substantially limits one or more of an individual student’s major life activities include, but are not limited to, learning, concentrating, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, and/or breathing. The team will consider a variety of sources such as: medical information, behavioral observations, checklists, online session tests, teacher recommendations/reports, current grades, academic history, standardized­test reports or other reports. Any deviation and/or exemptions to the general­education content requirements would be the decision of the Section 504 team (with parent(s)/guardian(s) notification) and would be addressed on the Section 504 Accommodation Plan. Thus, the individual student's Active Section 504 Accommodation Plan would document the modification to the general­education content requirements needed for that student to ensure an equal opportunity to master the general­education content requirements. Translated Communication Identification Procedures: The School will establish ELL identification, placement, screening, and classification for ELL students. These procedures will be aligned to the Florida Department of Education ESOL’s agreements and flowcharts under the terms of the “META Consent Decree.” In accordance with policies and procedures, the School will survey potential ELL students using a Home Language Survey; if the survey indicates a need, use appropriate testing instruments to assess the student’s linguistic ability; and ensure an appropriate placement at the School. Upon registration at the school, a Home Language Survey (HLS) must be completed for all students as the first step in identifying a potential ELL student. When there is an answer of “yes” to one or more of the three questions on the Home Language Survey, the School will assess the student for possible placement in the ESOL Program within 20 school days. If a student is 60 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards identified as ELL, parents must be notified and paperwork completed. English Language Learners (ELLs) (State Board of Education Rules 6A­6.0902, 6A­6.0903; 6A­6.0904; 6A­6.0908). Students who are identified as ELLs must be provided equal access to the general curriculum as defined by the School District of Specific County curriculum guidelines. The general education standards and benchmarks should be the basis of their curriculum. ELLs are placed in courses based on need and eligibility, regardless of their English language proficiency. The individual student’s English Language Learner Plan documents the instructional strategies required to ensure the student an equal opportunity to master the general education curriculum in the least restrictive environment. See School District of specific County’s District Plan for Services to English Language Learners (ELLs) for a full explanation of services and models. A copy of the Home Language Survey is placed in the student’s permanent record file cumulative (cum) folder. Initial notification of ESOL Placement is sent to parents/guardians in the appropriate home language. Home Language Survey Questions 1. Is a language other than English used in the home? 2. Does the student have a first language other than English? 3. Does the student most frequently speak a language other than English? In accordance with Florida certification requirements, teachers will hold a Bachelor's degree and will be certified or eligible for certification. If the teacher does not have an ESOL Endorsement then they must complete the requirements as established by the Florida Department of Education. C. Explain how English Language Learners who enter the school below grade level will be engaged in and benefit from the curriculum. CAHS will engage in and benefit from the curriculum ELL students who enter the school below grade level by regular course offering and through means beyond the regular course offerings and activities. After reviewing performance at their prior school, each low­performing student will have a faculty team involved in offering differentiated instruction. Teachers will utilize differentiated instruction, as well as other modes of instruction including, but not limited to peer tutoring, individual instruction, and group work. Additionally, the School will ensure that ELL students are effectively served in accordance with the policies and procedures of specific District Public Schools. Students Reading Below Grade Level CAHS will implement a separate reading curriculum and strategy set for those students who read below grade level to increase their reading ability. Intervention for struggling readers will occur for students scoring at Level l or Level 2 on the FCAT. These students will receive intensive instruction in the scientifically­based researched reading elements of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The instruction will be provided in addition to the core, required subjects in an online chat room or skype environment by certified teachers with a reading endorsement. The intervention for the students will be flexible depending on the needs of the students with time for whole group and individualized reading instruction that provide opportunities to develop both expressive and receptive language. Multimedia tutorials provide students with opportunities to discover and explore new concepts. Images, sound tracks, short movies, animations, charts, and graphs integrated throughout the text provide alternative representations and address different learning styles. Courses include a variety of activities that challenge students to explore further, extend their understanding, think critically, apply skills and concepts to new situations, and develop and express their points of view. Students are actively engaged in learning as they read, watch, listen, inquire, write, discuss, explore, and manipulate objects and data. Using Word games students are eager to learn such as Music Trivia (Name that tune and Video Blogs), Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, jeopardy, Family Feud and Wii sports to excite the student towards effective learning. All students will be monitored to ensure they are making adequate progress toward the CCSS. In this way, students who are below­level will be identified so that any problems can be effectively remediated. Teachers and other support staff will use data from all available assessments, including but not limited to state and district required assessments, to develop instruction that meets the needs of all ELL students. As deemed necessary according to student need, the School will employ Reading and/or Math teachers 61 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards and ELL personnel to service students. Online session teachers will utilize research based, state adopted texts, enhanced by supplementary materials and programs, to ensure students make progress toward the CCSS as required. In addition to the requirements listed above, CAHS will be offering a Human Development class to all students that will focus on moral values, character development, leadership skills and social growth in an effort to further each student’s intellectual development. Monitoring Thus, every ELL student and every student achieving below grade level will be monitored as they participate in the various programs and remedial opportunities exercised at the online school. Through the school’s on­going assessment practices, such students will be enthusiastically monitored in order to track outcomes and adjust techniques or strategies. The school will also offer and prescribe many options for low­achieving students, such as on­campus tutoring, mentoring programs and increased differentiation techniques. Communication with parents will remain of utmost importance for such students to maximize the impact of feedback and more properly ensure that recommendations for improvement are frequently monitored and followed. Parent communication may take place through various avenues such as verbal contact, personal conferences, written, email and teacher/staff visits to the home when necessary. Programmatic Assessment Moreover, the school will remain committed toward maintaining an on­going system of assessment that will immediately identify students who fall below grade level, or demonstrate above­average strides. Such students will benefit from intervention that will address unexpected lapses as well as reinforce successful outcomes. The school will strive to continually challenge and heighten goals for high achievers and gifted children in the pursuit of providing differentiated instruction to each student, and to increase mastery of the State Standards. Monitoring All monitoring will be recorded in order to detect personal trends and better identify learning styles. Students not achieving at adequate levels will be more closely monitored and placed on an individual plan for improvement. Further analysis will be conducted in order to understand any evident symptoms of more fundamental problems. Data for analysis will be gathered from sources such as test scores, teacher observations, current and past student behaviors, socio­economic backgrounds, attendance records, and the rate of home learning completion, sudden or long­term levels of low report card grades and any other sources that will help remedy causes of literacy. All ELL will have assigned to them an ISP to meet the goals of the CC State Standards. Teachers will be provided with the individualized success plan (ISP) in order to identify such students and to plan and structure lessons accordingly. The school will also stand ready to provide teachers with support and assistance from Special Education staff in order to address the needs of students at the lower ends of progress. The assessment program will be used to inform students, teachers, and parents where a student is succeeding and what areas need strengthening. Assessment will serve as a feedback system to guide teachers in lesson planning and individualizing instruction. Additionally, it will guide students in understanding what full mastery of a CC state standard is, and it will keep parents informed about student progress. 62 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 8: School Climate and Discipline A. Describe the school's planned approach to classroom management during synchronous sessions, and any face to face events, and student discipline. The School will implement the following online session management applications, adopted from the Specific School District Technology Plan, 2010—2013, to answer Section 8A. Understanding that online session management begins before the students arrive at the session or site with a thoughtfully prepared lesson plan, the School will provide its teachers with the following applications to be used to manage the online session: A digital repository of lesson plans, activities, multi­media, and resources for the purpose of planning and implementing engaging and effective instruction. A comprehensive online suite of productivity tools (word processor, e­mail, spreadsheets, presentation maker, form maker, etc) that can be accessed anywhere and anytime for the purpose of creating effective lesson plans, assignments, and assessments. Assessment software where teachers can create tests, quizzes and surveys which can be disseminated to students Electronic whiteboard software to engage students in lessons; to record lessons; prepare lessons in advance; share lessons with other teachers and students; and for use as a self­evaluation tool. ­Software for digitally capturing, editing, and storing documents and images ­An application for collecting and reporting of attendance in secondary schools ­An electronic grade book for calculation, storage and reporting of grades in secondary schools­An application for monitoring and reporting of progress towards meeting grade level standards. The School’s faculty and staff promote the value of respect for self, others, and the learning environment. The School expects that the students and parents are willing to pursue and respect the educational goals prescribed in the philosophy of the School. Students are expected to behave appropriately at all times. School staff members will not tolerate any behavior that impedes the rights of others to contribute in the learning process. Because our program offers distance education, however, we can continue to educate and provide coursework to students who are on suspension or are homebound. We believe every child has the right to a continued education. B. Describe the school's Code of Conduct, including the school's proposed policies for discipline, suspension, and dismissal. The Code of Conduct must be appropriate for the virtual environment and must address cyber­bullying. It is the philosophy of the School to create a positive discipline plan and learning environment in order to encourage appropriate student behavior. A strong, well­defined, universally communicated and consistently enforced discipline code ensures that students understand what is expected of them, the consequences for noncompliance and how and by whom their performance will be judged. The School strongly believes that specialized, individual, group and universal interventions have a greater likelihood of enabling students to change their behavior in a way that does not interfere with their learning or the learning of others than a model of discipline that relies solely on consequences for misbehavior. An added component to dealing with these students will be interventions such as anger management instructions, guidance counseling sessions, teacher­parent­student meetings, and other interventions designed to identify the root problems and teach appropriate behaviors. The School will have a strict discipline policy for students who engage in fighting or other aggressive behavior as outlined in the School’s Code of Conduct. In addition, students who are disruptive or a danger to themselves or others will be dealt with immediately. Students may be isolated or muted, while in online session, receive out­of­school suspension, or dismissal. Teacher professional development learning activities focus on helping teachers to prevent and minimize disruptive and aggressive student behavior. Students who are ESE will be disciplined according to the state and federal ESE guidelines and the behavior intervention plan prescribed in their Individual Education Plans. The school’s philosophy regarding student behavior supports the view that most behavior is directly influenced by the level that students perceive teachers, administrators and staff care about them and the academic mission of the school. The School maintains the conviction that a safe and orderly school is essential toward meeting academic as well as social expectations. As an arts academy, effective discipline and adherence toward personal and common goals of excellence will be a key component of the school’s behavior philosophy. The school believes that students should feel a sense of support and encouragement in all aspects of their education, where teachers are not viewed as adversaries, but rather concerned mentors with an interest in their academic interests, their artistic pursuits and their emotional 63 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards well­being. The school further feels that teachers, administrators and staff should demonstrate the courage to model good character and engage actively in the behavioral standards adopted by the school. Additionally, parents will be viewed as partners in the education of each student. In order to earn a d maintain the behavioral policy support of parents, the school will provide clear, reasonable and fair expectations that further the goals of instruction and the safety of all students and staff. The school will seek to work in collaboration with parents in order to turn incidents of poor student behavior into opportunities for personal growth, thereby reducing the probability of future disruption to the learning environment and damage to student self­esteem. The philosophy is that discipline directly affects student behavior. We provide a strict environment where learning comes by enforcing rules, procedures, and high expectations. Expected Behaviors for all Students: 1. Students will exhibit positive behaviors at all times by respecting the rights of others to learn in a safe environment. 2. Students will foster a safe environment by respecting school property and using it responsibly. 3. Students are expected to choose positive behavior alternatives to conflict, such as teacher assistance and/or avoidance of confrontations. 4. Students are expected to be in class on time and to make proper use of the instructional settings by assuming the responsibility of being on task and successfully completing all assignments. Inappropriate Behaviors for all Students: Inappropriate behaviors as defined by the School, include the following list but are not limited to this list: 1. Being disrespectful to an adult: using sarcasm or profanity, talking back, disregarding directions or instructions, etc.; 2. Using inappropriate language: profanity, vulgarity; 3. Harassing, teasing, name­calling, threatening another student; 4. Disrupting online session instruction or discussions; 5. Using aggressive behavior: pushing, shoving, tripping, spitting, kicking, etc.; 6. Inappropriate behavior that interferes with others’ learning or anyone’s safety will be handled through progressive discipline steps; 7. Use or possession of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. The School’s Code of Conduct will be following and be consistent with the district’s Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct will be given to students on the first day of school with the responsibility that they will give the code to their parents. A form must be signed by the parents and returned to the school as proof that it was received. The Code of Conduct for Cyber Bullying will be expected of all students. The Code of Conduct must be appropriate for the virtual environment and must address cyber­
bullying. RULES OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF Specific District, FLORIDA Title 6Gx50 Chapter 5. Pupil Personnel Section 5.002 Policy 5.002 Prohibiting Bullying and Harassment Cyber bullying, as defined herein: xiii. Cyber­stalking as defined herein. Cyber bullying means the use of electronic communication or technology devices, to include but not be limited to, e­mail messages, instant messaging, text messaging, cellular telephone communications, internet blogs, social websites (e.g. MySpace, Facebook, etc.), internet chat rooms, internet postings, digital pictures or images, and defamatory websites to engage in acts of bullying or harassment regardless of whether such acts are committed on or off school district property and /or with or without the use of school district resources. For off­campus conduct, the School District shall be responsive in cases where the off­campus conduct causes, or threatens to cause, a substantial disruption at school or interference with the rights of students to be safe and secure. The School Board recognizes that cyberbullying can be particularly devastating to young people because: i. Cyber bullying is often engaged in off­campus, but the harmful impact is felt at school. 64 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ii. Cyberbullying permits an individual to easily hide behind the anonymity that the Internet and other technology devices provide; iii. Cyberbullying provides a means for perpetrators to spread their harmful and hurtful messages to a wide audience with remarkable speed; iv. Cyberbullying does not require individuals to own their own action, as it is usually very difficult to identify cyberbullies because of screen names, so they do not fear being punished for their actions; and v. The reflection time that once existed between the planning of a prank ­ or a serious stunt ­ and its commission is all but erased when it comes to cyberbullying activity. c. Cyberstalking means to engage in a course of conduct to communicate, or to cause to be communicated, words, images, or language by or through the use of electronic mail or electronic communication, directed at a specific person, causing substantial emotional distress to that person and serving no legitimate purpose, as defined in Sec. 784.048(1)(d), F.S., as now or hereafter amended. d. Harassment means any threatening, insulting or dehumanizing gesture, use of data or computer software, or written or verbal or physical conduct directed against a student or school employee that i. Places a student or school employee in reasonable fear of harm to his/her person or damage to his/her property; ii. Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student's educational performance, opportunities, or benefits; iii. Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school; or iv. Amounts to cyberbullying as defined herein. Cyberbullying Student Guidance MAKE SURE YOU TELL! You have a right not to be harassed and bullied online. To get help, tell: An adult you trust who can help you to report the incident to the right place, or call a helpline like Childline on 0800 1111 in confidence Your school: a teacher or year Manager can support you and deal with the person/persons bullying you. The police, if the cyberbullying is serious and a potential criminal offence has been committed. SAVE THE EVIDENCE! Keep and save any bullying emails, text messages or images. If you can, make a note of the time and date of bullying messages or images sent, and note any details about the sender. Contact the service provider (mobile phone company or internet provider to tell them about the bullying. They may be able to track down the bully. You can tell the other person that you are saving the conversations, which may put a bully off. (see the “BBC Locked” section of www.websafecrackerz.com) BLOCK THE BULLY! Use blocking software. You can block instant messages from certain people or use mail filters to block emails from specific email addresses. As a last resort, changing contact details, such as instant messaging identity or a mobile phone number, can stop unwanted contact. Don’t reply to threatening or bullying text messages or emails. This could make matters worse. It also lets the person or people bullying know that they have found a “live” phone number or email address. They may get bored quickly if you ignore them. KEEP YOUR DETAILS TO YOURSELF Don’t give out your personal details online. If you are in a chat room, watch what you say about where you live, the school you attend and your email address. All these things can help someone who wants to harm you build up a picture about you. 65 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ALWAYS RESPECT OTHERS! Don’t forward abusive texts or emails or images to anyone. You could be breaking the law just by forwarding them. If they are about you, keep them as evidence. If they are about someone else, delete them and don’t reply to the sender. TREAT YOUR PASSWORD LIKE YOUR TOOTHBRUSH! Don’t ever give out passwords to your mobile phone or email account. It is a good idea to change them on a regular basis. Choosing hard to guess passwords with symbols or numbers will help to stop people hacking into your account and pretending to be you. Only give your mobile phone number and personal website address to trusted friends. The Numbers 42% of kids have been bullied online­1 in 4 have had it happen more than once. 21% of kids have received mean or threatening e­mail or other messages. 58% have not told their parents about an online bullying incident. 14% have received mean or hurtful comments online. 13% have been the subject of rumors online.7% have had someone impersonate them online. 8% report receiving a threatening cell phone text. 5% have had a mean or hurtful picture posted They may not call it cyberbullying. Students may say they got "dissed" on Facebook or that someone flooded their phone with mean texts. Even little kids have been known to hack into Club Penguin to sabotage each other's games. While most of these incidents occur at home, the problems spill over to the online session, making cyberbullying an issue teachers can't ignore. The answer isn't forbidding technology, say experts, so much as teaching kids right from wrong. As a teacher, you can be a powerful force in promoting a climate of respect. Educate yourself and be on the lookout for signs that cyberbullying is taking place, because you may be the trusted adult a student turns to for help. How to Recognize It A lot of innocent teasing happens on Facebook and via text message. So when does a good joke go bad? When someone "repeatedly harasses, mistreats, or makes fun of another person," say Sameer Hinduja and Justin Patchin, co­directors of the Cyberbullying Research Center. In their research, the two academics found that approximately 20 percent of students admitted to having cyberbullied. However, many more students reported incidents that fall under its definition. Posting mean or hurtful comments and spreading rumors online was the most common complaint in their random survey of 4,400 students ages 10 to 18 in February 2010. Not surprisingly, it is most prevalent among middle schoolers, and adolescent girls are more likely to have experienced cyberbullying than boys­25.8 percent versus 16 percent. Girls are more likely to spread rumors, while boys are more likely to post hurtful pictures or videos. "Cyberbullying is tailor­made for the relational aggression and rumors that girls typically engage in," says Patchin, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin­Eau Claire and co­author with Hinduja of Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying. While research shows that cyberbullying makes both boys and girls feel angry, sad, and embarrassed, girls are more likely to react with frustration­"Why doesn't anyone like me?"­while boys are more often scared, perhaps of back alley retribution. And as we all know from recent headlines, in the most extreme cases, cyberbullying can trigger violence or suicide. It's also different from traditional bullying in challenging ways. The bully can remain anonymous and unaware of the pain inflicted on the target. New to high school kids who are just learning to navigate the social scene may not realize how hurtful online comments can be. 66 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards "It emboldens some kids to bully who wouldn't otherwise, because they can hide behind a computer screen," says Patchin. Most disturbing is the lasting impact of cyberbullying. Once something goes viral, the harassment is continuous because it is shared, repeated, and nearly impossible to erase. Schools Stepping Up School is the center of kids' lives. Online harassment may take place on nights and at home, but the fallout is often seen at school and can interfere with the educational environment. In the worst case, students are so worried about cyberbullying that they can't focus on their studies or are afraid to come to school. It has become a school climate and safety issue. "Monday is the new Friday," says Nancy Willard, director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use in Eugene, Oregon. "It used to be that hurtful interactions built up over the week and would blow up on Friday. Now when kids go back to school on Monday, they are upset because of what happened online over the weekend. There's no longer time to calm down." There is a flurry of activity in states to make tougher cyberbullying laws, but, "It's not something you can legislate or arrest your way out of," cautions Stephen Balkam, chief executive officer of the Family Online Safety Institute in Washington, D.C. "It's always going to be a combination of tools, rules, and schools. The emphasis needs to be on creating a culture of responsibility online. Kids need to think about the content they create and post." Schools are struggling to create policies that deal with cyberbullying and the use of cell phones at schools. Experts say banning technology is not the answer, but rather teaching kids to be good digital citizens. When schools adopt codes of conduct, they should apply to activity in or out of school and set the consequences up front. The notion that home and school are two separate spaces no longer exists in the minds of digital kids. If schools are using technology to deliver education and instruction, they have a responsibility to educate students so they use it correctly, says Hinduja. "Schools believe the Internet and computers are part of kids' lives when honestly, it is their life," he says. "Teachers should not limit the discussion to computer class or Internet safety day.... You should bring it up in any capacity, in any instance, in any online session, whether algebra or social studies or the hard sciences." First Step: Take It Seriously The first step is to take it seriously, says Michelle Boykins, director of communications and marketing for the National Crime Prevention Council. "It's not just kids being kids. We have to make sure cyberbullying is not a rite of passage. If we don't change the culture then we are helping young people be victimized." Go online, get familiar with the social networking sites, slang, and terms, says Vicki Davis, a teacher and IT director at Westwood Schools in Camilla, Georgia. "This is a world where they are and we aren't," she says. It's important to emphasize a positive environment and explain what won't be tolerated. You have an ally in the school counselor, suggests Rosemary Kelly, director of guidance and counseling at Round Rock Independent District Schools in Texas. Counselors have experience teaching kids what it means to be kind, responsible, and respectful, and that translates to their behavior online. They may need to hear the message that if you aren't going to say it to someone's face, don't do it online, adds Linda Criddle, president of LookBothWays, a nonprofit that provides information on Internet safety. Perhaps the most important thing you can do is give kids ways to avoid victimization. Remind them to "never put anything sensitive into an electronic format and send it to someone," says Willard. "The more embarrassing or damaging the material you send electronically, the more likely it will become public." Finally, let kids know you care and want to help. If there is a problem, you will advocate for them, not just 67 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards punish them and take away technology. Experts suggest having an anonymous way to report, such as a drop box, hotline, or e­mail, and tell students that reporting a cyberbullying incident isn't squealing. "It's a misperception that wimps tattle," says Criddle. "Actually, kids who come forward and tell are kids who said, ‘I can't solve the problem myself but I deserve better.' " Recognizing the Signs Keep your finger on the emotional state of students. Does a student seem depressed? Withdrawn? Are his grades suddenly dropping? Hang out in the hallways and lunchroom to look for changes in relationships, such as a student cast out from her usual lunch table. With younger kids, it may be that they have a stomachache or want to stay home. In middle school, teachers may witness a spat erupting in the back of class. Once you ask the students what happened, you may learn that the aggression started the night before online. Know how to intervene when kids make social mistakes, says Kimberly Mazauskas, bullying prevention coordinator for the School District of specific county (FL). Listen to them and validate their feelings. Then, let the student know what's not right and guide to another alternative. Ask Students to Report It Bullying stops when the bystanders speak up. Encourage bystanders to refuse to pass along cyberbullying messages. Or they could add to a wall post "This is not cool" when they see something inappropriate, says Davis. Lori Devon Shapiro, special project assistant with the bullying violence prevention program in the School District of Philadelphia, worries that schools are not being proactive enough. "The one you miss could be fatal; that's the scariest part," she says. "If you continue to be reactive, you're going to end up reacting to a situation that nobody wants to see themselves in." Responding to an Incident If you find out about cyberbullying incidents, pay close attention right after it happens. "That's the only time to really get to the truth," says Davis. Later, everyone may get on the same page and the target pressured to change the story. Encourage the target of cyberbullying not to erase the evidence by immediately deleting the hurtful message from her wall or phone. Tell the student to take a screen shot to save it, and then share the information with an adult. Break the myth that the bully is the cool one and it's the victim's fault, says Criddle. Ask students why they were bullied and you'll hear them say they are too fat or too tall. Rather, it's the bully who is hurting and wants to lash out and be mean, says Criddle. Finding the Right Response Although there should be consequences for cyberbullying, many experts say it should not be all about punishment. Those who bully need to understand the impact of their actions, and they can often benefit from counseling. Listen to the students and let the target be part of the solution, suggests Willard. Often, restorative justice techniques­where students talk with each other to understand the impact of the incident­are effective. Separate the behavior from the student, says Shapiro. "We try to take the criminalization out of it," she says. "It's a matter of teaching right from wrong and teaching them proper behavior, rather than branding them a criminal forever." Many states are attempting to pass laws that dictate punishment for cyberbullying, but Balkam urges caution. "State legislatures have to be careful not to criminalize what is a form of playground misbehavior," he says. "Do we really want our kids to do time for stuff we did as kids but we put on notes 68 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards and passed around the online session?" Getting Parents Involved Schools are an important place to connect with parents and disseminate information about online safety. Invite parents to workshops about cyberbullying and share the school's policy. "Teachers have to encourage parents to be involved in their kids' online lives," says Hinduja. "They're already involved in cheerleading or football. We have to be similarly passionate about what kids are doing online." Just as parents wouldn't let their kids run around an amusement park, they shouldn't let kids surf online unsupervised, says Kelly. "I hear parents say, ‘I don't know how to do this on the computer, but my child knows everything.' That's dangerous territory." Balkam adds, "It's a work of a generation; it will take our kids from now until they are parents and teachers themselves to overcome this divide." 5 Websites teachers should watch out for These social networking sites, popular among tweens and teens, can be a breeding ground for cyberbullying. 1. Formspring Formspring users anonymously post comments about other people. In essence, it is an open invitation for insults and gossip, and has been linked to the suicide of 17­year­old Alexis Pilkington. 2. Chat Roulette Users are randomly matched with strangers around the world to engage in webcam­based conversations. According to a March 2010 survey conducted by RJMetrics, 13 percent of users are either nude or appear to be engaging in a lewd act. 3. Stickam Stickam features live streaming video, audio, images, and video chat. With more than 4 million members and content from networks like MTV, G4, and CBS, the site seems to be reputable. However, the New York Times reported three predator arrests linked to the site. 4. Foursquare A location­based app in which users identify where they're located in return for virtual badges like "Mayor" and "Super Mayor." It can be used to broadcast exclusion and could be dangerous since kids could be revealing their locations to strangers. 5. 4chan 4chan is an anonymous digital bulletin board mostly used for the posting of manga and anime. It's "no­
rules" policies have provoked media attention. Source: SafetyWeb 69 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 9: Governance Organizational Plan A. Describe how the school will organize as or be operated by a non­profit organization. Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. (CAHS) has been incorporated in the State of Florida, as a non­profit, on August 2006, with an Employer Identification Number (EIN) of 86­1173864. We are currently in the process of applying for Recognition of Exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Cornerstone Academy will be governed by a Governing Board, which will have a minimum of 3 members, and no more than 10% of members may be parents of students who attend the school. Members may also not be related to each other. The governing board is required to go through a mandatory training. Timeline: Board members are elected every two years and can only serve no more than two terms. The Principal will report to the Director who will report to Governing Board, and who will evaluate the Principal on an annual basis. The school will organize and operate as a non­profit organization, each year the budget will allocate funds to pay any fees and/or dues owed to keep the corporation current. See Articles of Incorporation Below 70 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Certified Copy I certify the attached is a true and correct copy of the Articles of Incorporation of CORNERSTONE 71 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ACADEMY FOR HIGH STANDARDS, INC., a Florida corporation, filed electronically on August 23, 2006 effective September 01, 2006, as shown by the records of this office. I further certify that this is an electronically transmitted certificate authorized by section 15.16, Florida Statutes, and authenticated by the code noted below. The document number of this corporation is N06000008927. Authentication Code: 060823144603­900079051459#1 Given under my hand and the Great Seal of the State of Florida at Tallahassee, the Capital, this the Twenty Third day of August, 2006. B. Provide an organizational chart for the school and a narrative description of the chart. Clearly describe the proposed reporting structure to the governing board and the relationship of the board to the school’s leader and administration. The Governing Board is the ultimate policy­making body with the responsibility of operation and oversight of the school including but not limited to academic direction, curriculum, and budgetary functions. The school principal, hired by the board, will be responsible for all aspects of school operations within the scope of operating policies and procedures and budgetary functions as adopted and approved by the Governing Board. The school’s faculty and staff will report directly to the principal, who shall report to the Governing Board. The School's on site administration (principal, an assistant principal and/or lead teacher) will ensure that the operations of the School (resources, courses, policies) are in accordance with the mission and vision of the School as adopted and approved by the Governing Board. The administrative staff, as instructional leaders, will make all school­based decisions, establishing and implementing procedures for the day­to­day operations of the School. The faculty and secretarial staff will be responsible for carrying out these procedures in their daily activities and interactions with students, parents and the community. 72 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Director (CEO, President) CAHS Founding/ Governing Board Chair Treasurer Secretary CAHS Principal Assistant Principal Office Manager/Staff Teacher Interns (Workforce Alliance) Teacher Effective leadership is the most important determinant of success of any enterprise. This is especially true for charter schools, the success of which hinges on the daily leadership capabilities of the administrator and the “big picture” direction of the governing board. Even before the school doors open, board members must begin building a strong foundation that will support the school through the trials of the startup years and as the school grows and strives to meet its potential. To build a solid foundation, school boards must be effective in promoting the school’s vision and mission; planning for the future; setting sound policy; modeling professionalism; overseeing finances, evaluation, and other key operational aspects; and building relationships. The Projected Governing Board advises, governs, oversee policy and direction, and assist with the leadership and general promotion of CAHS, so as to support the organization’s mission and needs. The Projected Governing Board of CAHS consists of Jennifer Anglin, Michael Chronicle, Louise Aurelien, and Kelvin Bledsoe. The Principal oversees the daily operation of the School, confers with external agencies, meets with the Governing Board Treasurer to review monthly financial reports prior to the monthly meeting, and the Governing Board will evaluate the Principal on an annual basis. The school Principal ensures that the school board is updated on all issues surrounding the school district. The Principal makes recommendations to the board and executes all decisions made by the board. The school Principal ensures that adequate records pertaining to the school district's finances, personnel, students, property, contracts, special events, and important incidents are maintained. The school Principal makes recommendations for the hiring, discipline, or firing of teachers, administrators and other school 73 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards personnel. The Principal makes certain that personnel are qualified and are provided with opportunities for continuing education and training. The school Principal establishes and maintains relationships with community groups, parents and other parties with a vested interest in the school. The President Dr. Lois Smith; Principal and Asst. Principal­Pierre Michel or Jovan Edwards of CAHS is a professional educator with extensive expertise in education. Dr. Lois Smith attended Nova Southeastern University in Special Education, Bridgewater College Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, Harvard University Masters coursework, Saint Leo University Bachelors in Human Resources Administration. Dr. Smith has developed core curriculum and has evaluated teachers to improve their instructional practices. Dr. Lois Smith enjoys working with children and is an asset to any school district. The Executive Director/President is currently the only Governing Board Member, who went through the training Principal and the Governing Board will attend monthly meetings to report on the school’s progress. All staff, including contractors, will report to the Director, Principal. The President, Principal also meets monthly with the Governing Board Treasurer, including the President, the Director, Principal, Dr. Lois Smith to review the monthly financial reports prior to the monthly meetings. The faculty and staff of CAHS will report to the Director, Principal and the President, and Principal will report to the Governing Board. The Principal reports to the Governing Board, and attends monthly meetings to report on the school’s progress. All staff, including contractors, will report to the Principal. The Principal also meets monthly with the Governing Board Treasurer, including the President to review the monthly financial reports prior to the monthly meeting. Reports are given by the Principal to the governing board treasurer and president prior to the monthly meeting to review, provided any feedback, notes or missing information that is necessary prior to formal discussion. C. Provide a description of how the governing board will fulfill its responsibilities and obligations, including but not limited to: o Adoption of annual budget o Continuing oversight over charter school operations The Governing Board is accountable for the overall management of the school. The Governing Board responsibilities and obligation are as followed: 1. Determining the school’s mission and purpose. 2. Selecting the school Principal. 3. Supporting the Principal and reviewing his or her performance. 4. Ensuring effective organizational planning. 5. Ensuring adequate resources. 6. Ensuring fiscal responsibility and accountability. 7. Reviewing and monitoring the school’s programs and services. 8. Enhancing the school’s public image. 9. Assessing its own performance as a Governing Board. 10. Conducting an annual audit and implementing any recommendations. Approving the annual budget, reviewing financial statements monthly, and implementing any needed actions. 11. Responsible for assuring the fiscal management of the school. In addition, the Governing Board is responsible for adopting and maintaining the school’s annual budget. The Governing Board is responsible to provide reasonable public notice of the dates, times and places of meetings, and is responsible to conduct those meetings “in the Sunshine.” Governing Board members are responsible for submitting financial disclosures and submitting to background checks. Governing Board members cannot stand to benefit privately from the activities of the school and are bound by statutory requirements regarding financial benefit and conflict of interest. The Governing Board Chair is responsible for evaluating and managing the Principal, as well as conducting meetings. The Treasurer is responsible 74 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards for overseeing the financial operations of the school, and reviewing reports monthly with the Principal and contract accountant, as well as coordinating the annual audit. The Secretary is responsible for documentation available for public review. D. Describe the proposed policies and procedures by which the governing board will operate, including board powers and duties; board member selection, removal procedures and term limits; code of ethics, conflict of interest, and frequency of meetings. If the Board has not yet developed policies, the applicant shall describe the timeline for development and approval of Board policies. Charter school governing boards must be guided by a set of by­laws that define how the board will operate. Applicants may include their proposed by­
laws. The proposed policies and procedures by which the formed governing board will operate with by­laws includes: 1. Approving board of director’s criteria, initially developed by the board development committee. 2. Electing members to the board, based on skill levels required­legal, education and financial expertise. At least 10% of members shall be parents of students attending Cornerstone Academy for High Standards (CAHS). 3. Terminating members for: failing to attend two or more of the Governing Board’s regular meetings in any calendar year; being declared of unsound mind by a final order of court; has been convicted of felony; has been found by a final order or judgment of any court to have breached any duty imposed by Florida nonprofit corporation law; or for such other good causes as the Governing Board may determine. 4. Establishing a board development committee. 5. Ensuring nomination and election of officers annually at the annual meeting. 6. Ensuring an effective nomination process for new board of directors. 7. Reviewing the collective board effectiveness and individual board of director effectiveness on an annual basis. 8. Rotating board leadership positions to assure continuing leadership development and to foster innovation and fresh thing on the part of board of directors. 9. Members will be elected for a one year initial term, and subsequent three year terms. 10. Meetings will be held monthly, except during the additional and school holidays, with a minimum of 9 meetings per year. A quorum is necessary to conduct a meeting and consists of one­third of the fixed number of members. 11. A member may resign by giving written notice to the Governing Board Chair. 12. Any Governing Board member or officer having an interest in a contract, other transactions or programs presented to or discussed by the Board or Board Committee for authorization, approval, or ratification shall make a prompt, full and honest disclosure of his or her interest to the Board or committee prior to its acting on such contract or transaction. Such disclosure shall include all relevant and material facts known to such a person about the contract or transaction which might reasonably be construed to be adverse to the corporation’s interest. The members to whom such disclosure is made shall thereupon determine, by majority vote, whether the disclosure shows that a conflict of interest exists or can reasonably be construed to exist. If a conflict is deemed to exist, such person shall not vote on, nor use his or her personal influence on, nor be present during in the discussion or deliberations with respect to, such contract or transaction (other than to present factual information or to respond to questions prior to the discussion). The minutes of the meeting shall reflect the disclosure made the vote thereon and, where applicable, the abstention from voting and participation. For the purpose of this section, a person shall be deemed to have an “interest” in a contract or other transaction if he or she is the party (or one of the parties) contracting or dealing with the corporation, or is a director, trustee or officer of, or has a significant financial or influential interest in the entity contracting or dealing with the corporation. The Governing Board’s code of Ethics includes: Responsible to our students and their parents (guardians). Responsible to our employees. Responsible to our community. Responsible to Governing Board members. By­Laws Legal Entity: Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. 75 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards General Provisions (A completed version of By­Laws will be available in the contracted application process) these are the referenced by­laws in the application. 1.1 Charter These By­laws are hereby adopted for and on behalf of Cornerstone Academy For High Standards, Inc., a Florida not­for­profit corporation (hereafter called “CAHS School”). The name and purpose of the School shall be as set forth in its Articles of Incorporation. The Charter is hereby made a part of these By­
laws, and the powers of the CAHS School and of its Board of Directors and officers, shall be subject to such provisions in regard thereto, if any, as set forth in the Charter. In the event of any inconsistency between the charter and the By­laws, the Charter shall be controlling. The Charter shall be construed to be the Charter as from time to time amended. 1.2 Location The principal office of the School shall initially be located at the place set forth in the Articles of Incorporation and the Charter of the School. The Directors may change the location of the principal office within the State of Florida; provided, however, that no such change shall be effective until the appropriate certificates or other documents are filed with the School District of specific County, and State of Florida specifying the street address of the new principal office of the CAHS School in the State of Florida Section 1002.23.(7), Florida Statutes, allows public entities to organize and operate charter schools. The School Principal, Administrative Staff and Faculty will manage the activities and affairs of the school. The Board will meet collectively to define and refine policies of employment, finance, school operation, and other matters concomitant with the responsibilities provided by charter school law. The Governing Board of CAHS shall have control and jurisdiction over the affairs and property of the school. The CAHS staff and the Principal will work under the supervision of the Governing Board. The Board will hold the Principal responsible for the administration of its policies, the execution of the Board’s decisions, the operation of the internal machinery designed to serve the school program, and for keeping the Board informed about school operations and problems. The Principal and/or the founder of the Cornerstone Academy for High Standards charter school, who reports directly to the Board of Directors, will administer CAHS, and be a member of the Board as the school representative. The position is considered to be a major administrative appointment with significant duties and responsibilities. The Principal will be a qualified individual with experience in budgeting, planning, implementing, and evaluating programs for schools. The Principal will be responsible for recommending employment, direct supervision, and evaluating all faculty, support staff and contractual staff. In addition, the school will seek participation from school stakeholders, i.e. parents and faculty organizations to serve in a voluntary advisory capacity. 2.2 Number The Governing Board of CAHS will be selected in accordance with the By­laws of the Board. The initial founding organizer will request applications and select those suited for the mission and purpose of the school. E. Explain how the founding group for the school intends to transition to a governing board. (This question is not applicable if the applicant is an established governing board.) The founding organizer will do the initial recruitment for persons who will be on the governing board. Members of the Founding Board will elect, and may serve on, the Governing Board, thereby enhancing the probability that the vision held by the Founding Board will be replicated in successive Governing Boards. Members of the Governing Board will possess the requisite qualifications and desire to ensure success of the school as envisioned by the founding coalition and expressed in its mission and the Guiding Principles set forth by the State of Florida charter school law. The Board includes, at least, the following: one staff member, one educator or administrator, members of the community, 76 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards community/business leaders, and parents of students. The number of Directors shall not be less than 5 and not more than 13. 1.3 Fiscal Year Except as from time to time otherwise determined by the Directors of the School, the fiscal year of the Academy shall be the fiscal year of the specific School District. Selection criteria for the Board includes: (1) expressed commitment to the School’s vision and mission, (2) credibility and integrity in the community, and (3) professional, educational and/or practical expertise. Elections will be held as stated in the bylaws to elect the members of the Governing Board. The members will serve staggered terms to ensure continuity. Excerpt from By Laws Transactions with interested persons: “The Principal, faculty representative or any other Academy employee is under the authority of the governing board’s decision of his or her compensation.” President: The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Academy and, subject to the direction and control of the Board of Directors, shall have general charge of the affairs of the Academy. The President shall have such other powers and duties as are usually incident to the office and as may be vested in that office by these By­Laws or by the Directors as promulgated in policy and procedures established by the Directors. Meetings All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be open to the public. Regular scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held no less than monthly at such places and times as the Board of Directors shall designate. Notice of Meetings “Notice of any meeting of the Board of Directors shall be given as herein provided at least 5 days prior to such meeting unless due to an emergency situation a reasonable shorter notice period is appropriate under the circumstances.” “Bylaws of the Founding Board” The Board will strive to procure, when a vacancy exists, the best professional leader available for the head administrative post. Then, the Board, as a whole, and individual members, will: (a) Give the Principal full administrative authority for properly discharging his or her professional duties, holding him/her responsible for acceptable results. (b) Act in matters of employment or dismissal of school personnel after receiving the recommendations of the Principal. (c) Hold all meetings of the Board in the presence of the Principal except when his or her contract and salary are under consideration. (d) Refer all complaints to the Principal for appropriate investigation and action. ) Strive to provide adequate safeguards around the Principal and other staff members so that they can discharge their educational functions on a thoroughly professional basis. Governing Board Members Communications with Staff Members The success of the School requires effective communication between the Board and the School staff. The main goal of both the Board and the staff is to provide the best possible educational opportunities for the students. To achieve this end, good Board relations must be maintained in a climate of mutual trust 77 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards and respect. At the same time, the Board, in exercising its public trust to provide thorough and efficient public education, cannot dissipate or transfer its responsibilities. In accordance with good personnel practice, staff participation in the development of educational and personnel policies is encouraged and facilitated. The Principal, as professional leader of the staff, will establish the avenues for Board communication. All communications or reports to the Board from staff members and staff organizations will be submitted to the Board through the Principal. However, this will not be construed as denying the right of any staff member to appeal any action or decision of the Principal to the Board provided that the Principal will have been notified of the forthcoming appeal and that it is processed in accordance with the policy on complaints and grievances. Board Roles and Responsibilities The Board will develop policies and put them in writing so that they may serve as guidelines for its operations and for the successful and efficient functioning of the School. The Board will reserve to itself the function of providing guidelines for the discretionary action of those to whom it delegates authority. These guidelines for discretionary action constitute the policies governing the operation of the School. The formal adoption of policies will be recorded in the minutes of the CAHS Board meetings. Only those written statements so adopted and so recorded are regarded as official Board policy. The Board is a representative body to provide for and oversee the operation of the School as mandated by state law. In carrying out this function, the Board recognizes the following general responsibilities as paramount: General responsibilities of Governing Board Members ­The Board will formulate and interpret polices as needed. ­The Board will make decisions on educational and budgetary matters. ­The Board will make a continuous appraisal of the educational and administrative process. Development of Policymaking (a)Develop an employment policy to hire a principal who will carry out its policy through the development and implementation of administrative directives. The Educational Planning and the Appraisal (b) Acquire reliable information, and only seek responsible sources which will enable it to make the best possible decisions about the scope and nature of the educational program. (c) Require appraisal of the results of the educational program. Choosing Staff and the Appraisal (d)Employ the staff necessary for carrying out the instructional program and establish salaries and salary schedules, and other terms and conditions of employment, as well as for personnel policies in application. (e)Appraise the effectiveness of its staff by providing for their regular evaluation. The Financial Resources (f)Adopt a budget that will provide the financial base for staff, buildings, utilities, maintenance, operations, materials, and equipment which will enable the School to carry out the educational program. (g)Exercise control over the finances of the School to ensure proper use of, and accounting for, all School funds. The School Facilities (h)Determine Facility needs and approve building plans that will support and enhance the educational program. 78 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Communication with Public (i)Provide adequate and direct means for keeping the local citizenry informed about the wishes of the public. (j)Conduct annual parent and student satisfaction surveys for the school needs assessment.’ (k)Provide an opportunity during Board Meetings for public comment and input. The Judicial Decisions (l)Act as a court of appeal for staff members, students, and the public when issues involve Board policy and its fair implementation. The school’s records are public records pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes and will also comport with state and district regulations. The Governing Board meeting will be open to the public. 3.9 Maintenance of Records—All regular meetings of the Board of Directors may be recorded at the discretion of the Board. Written minutes of the action items at each meeting shall be public documents. The records of all meetings of the Board of Directors, the names and address of the Directors and Officers of the School, and the originals or attested copies of the Charter and Bylaws of the School shall be kept at the Principal’s office of the School. Files containing Board of Directors minutes, correspondence, tapes, if any, and records shall be maintained at such office. Copies of documents shall be maintained at such office. Copies of documents shall be supplied in accordance with the Florida Open Meeting Law. The Secretary shall keep recordings, if created, of Board of Directors meetings for one year following the meeting. Such recordings shall not be removed from the Principal’s office, but may be listened to in the School under supervision of School staff. All documents shall be kept in accordance with State of Florida Law. 3.10 Open Meeting Law—All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be conducted in accordance with Florida laws, and the charter shall be controlling. All references to these Bylaws shall be in accordance with the State of Florida Open Meeting Law, as amended from time to time, or any successor statute. Except as otherwise permitted by such law, (i) no quorum of the Board of Directors shall meet in private for the purpose of deciding on or deliberating toward a decision on any matter and (ii) no executive session shall be held until (a) the Board of Directors shall have first convened in an open session for which notice shall have been given in accordance with law, (b) a majority of the Directors at such meeting shall have voted to go into executive session, (c) the vote of each Director shall have been recorded on a roll call vote and entered into the minutes, and (d) the Chairperson or other person presiding over the meeting shall have cited the purpose of the executive session and shall have stated whether or not the Board of Directors shall reconvene after the executive session. Executive sessions may be held only for purposes permitted by law. F. Describe the plans for board member recruitment and development, including the orientation process for new members and ongoing professional development. The board member recruitment plan will include 8 steps: Form a board development committee. Active preparation to recruit board members. Current profile of founders or governing board. Strategy to build board diversity. List of prospective board members. Personal contact with recruiting prospects. Orientation sessions with prospective board members. Select and elect new member to the Governing Board. Cornerstone Academy’s (CAHS) Governing Board member orientation program will work as follows: before a prospective board of director is voted on to the board, he or she will receive detailed information about the school, the workings of the board, expectations for individual board members, and other vital 79 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards information. Our board orientation program will focus on the strategic plan of the school. It is crucial that prospective board members are familiar with the mission, vision, major goals, and objectives of our school. After the new board member has been brought onto the Governing Board, additional information and training will be provided so that new board members will be able to actively participate in their first meeting prepared. A Governing Board Handbook will be provided to new members and ongoing training with this content: School Mission Statement. Brief History of the School. Directory: Members, Staff, and Parent. Board Committees; Structure, Charges, Assignments. Calendar for School Year, Board and Committee Meetings. Budget and Audits. Fundraising Report. School Strategic Plan. Code of Ethics. By­laws. Admissions Policy & Application. School Placement Profile. School Statistics. Minutes (last Year). Board Policies: Fundraising (Investment & Spending Policies); Conflict of Interest; Communicable diseases: AIDS; Sexual Harassment; Admissions; Financial Aid/Scholarships; Human Resources Administration: Staffing & Personnel; Board Resolutions, etc. Handbooks: Employee & Technical Community Council (TCC) Board Orientation Procedures and Schedule. Cornerstone Academy’s (CAHS) Governing Board will provide opportunities for officers and members to attend special workshops related to their assignments and interests, as part of ongoing professional development. We will seek to provide special leadership training to current and prospective officers (Founding President, Chair, Secretary, Treasurer), as may be offered by the District or state agencies. We are open to expanding responsibilities of board members and rotate committee assignments to help satisfy the interests and needs of each board member. This has the added advantage of providing opportunities for continuous development of the volunteer leaders for our school. (a) Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. School in Florida shall be guided by the following principles: 1. Meet high standards of student achievement while providing parents flexibility to choose among diverse educational opportunities within the state's public school system. 2. Promote enhanced academic success and financial efficiency by aligning responsibility with accountability. 3. Provide parents with sufficient information on whether their child is reading at grade level and whether the child gains at least a year's worth of learning for every year spent in the charter school. (b) Charter schools shall fulfill the following purposes: 1. Improve student learning and academic achievement. 2. Increase learning opportunities for all students, with special emphasis on low­performing students and reading. 3. Encourage the use of innovative learning methods. 4. Require the measurement of learning outcomes. (c) Charter schools may fulfill the following purposes: 1. Create innovative measurement tools. 80 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ü ü ü ü ü 2. Provide rigorous competition within the public school district to stimulate continual improvement in all public schools. 3. Expand the capacity of the public school system. 4. Mitigate the educational impact created by the development of new residential dwelling units. 5. Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including ownership of the learning program at the school site. G. List each of the proposed members of the school's governing board, indicating any ex­officio members and vacant seats to be filled. For each proposed member, provide a brief description of the person's background that highlights the contribution he/she intends to make through service as a governing board member and any office of the board that individual holds. The proposed Governing Board officers (interim) and founding members for Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. presented are: Smith, Dr. Lois D. Governing/Founder President­Dr. Smith has extensive community service experience. Independent Contractor of educational services, administrator, and teacher in Specific Districts throughout USA and Abroad. Operate as administrative staff, and oversee day­to­day operations, review the monthly financial reports. Anglin, Jennifer­ Founding Chair­ Business Executive and CEO of Allied Health Institute. Share years of proprietary experiences working in post­secondary education and vocational training, as well as, online specialist. Chronicle, Michael­Co­Chair­Student Recruiter. Mission representative for the school. Aurelian, Louise, Secretary (parent) – Founding board member. Specialist in curriculum and the reviewing of the school curriculum. Kelvin Bledsoe, (Treasurer)­ Founding Board Member. Responsible for the financial advising for the school’s fund raising projects. Before the call to return to active military duties, Lt. Colonel Bledsoe organized different community initiates through National Urban League of Specific DistrictCounty. H.Outline the methods to be used for resolving disputes between a parent and the school. The following structures, programs and practices will be put in place to promote and support the highest levels of parent involvement in the governance of Cornerstone Academy (CAHS). Parents will be represented on the Governing Board, which is the major policy and decision­making body for school. At least 9 times a year, a School Advisory Council (SAC) and Technical Community Council (TCC) will convene to provide all parents, staff, students and community members an opportunity to express their concerns on major policy issues that the Governing Board will be considering or should be considering in the future. The SAC and TCC, president will present these issues to the Governing Board at its regular meetings. Surveys of parents will be conducted at least twice a year to gather their feedback on school policy and operations, the effectiveness of the educational program, usefulness and accessibility of services, and in general, to “listen to customer.” Parents will participate in the member orientation for new parents during which they will receive detailed information on the student learning outcomes, accountability measurement, educational program and philosophy, as well as opportunities for volunteer involvement. Parents and guardians of the student will be required to sign an enrollment agreement in which they agree to provide a minimum of 20 volunteer hours during the school year. This commitment can be fulfilled through the three extended day a week in­home supplemental educational services. This commitment can be fulfilled through serving on the Governing Board, the SAC/TCC, participating in fundraising events, and/or helping with online session materials and field trips. In a legal position, asserted by D. Woodring that “if a new charter includes the parent volunteer requirements in its application and charter, or if the requirement is consistent with the mission and 81 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards A. B. C. D. purpose in an existing charter school, the parent volunteer contract is enforceable under Florida law. Failure of the parents or guardians to uphold or fulfill their responsibilities under that contract would be sufficient grounds for that charter school to deny admission to the child the following year” (FLDOE, 2003). This law is involving volunteer hours from the parent contract or agreement including school volunteer time. Parents will play a pivotal role in the development of the individual education program (IEP) for their child. The format of the individual educational program (IEP) will be the standards for learning outcomes of the students receiving those services in the program. The individual educational program will display the results of the student assessments. Parents and guardians will be provided training and resources to actively participate in the student’s learning, during the extended day in­home supplemental educational services. Parents will be involved in the conferences to monitor the per pupil progress plan. On a quarterly basis, the parents and team will meet to review student progress based on the goals outlined in the individual educational program, at the beginning of school year. The team of the Cornerstone Academy (CAHS) will receive in­depth formal training in working effectively with parents. This training will include general information on the benefits of and barriers to parent involvement, information on awareness of different family backgrounds and lifestyles, techniques for improving two­way communication between home and school, and ways that schools can meet the family social, educational and social services needs by means of the comprehensive network of health and social services that are an integral part of the overall design and operation of the our school. Specific skills will include how one should conduct effective conferences, working with parents when a student has a problem, communicating with parents about student progress, and helping parents understand educational goals, strategies and methods of assessing their student. Cornerstone Academy (CAHS) will also link parents to school by utilizing a variety of technologies to communicate with parents, families and students after hours. Beginning with basic, telephones will be installed throughout the school facility so that educators and other staff, like professionals in other fields, will have ready access to telephones. The internet and email will be utilized as more and more families, regardless of income is capable of accessing these modes of technical communication. Additionally, the school’s website will be an added way that parents will have information provided to assist them on how to use other web sites throughout the country that will help them support the educational and social success of their children. If the school is filing the application in conjunction with a college, university, museum, educational institution, another nonprofit organization or any other partner, provide the following information: Name of the partner organization. Name of the contact person at the partner organization and that person's full contact information. A description of the nature and purpose of the school's partnership with the organization. An explanation of how the partner organization will be involved in the governance of the school. *Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. is not filing this application with any other organization, therefore, this section is not applicable. 82 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 10: Management A. Describe the management structure of the school. Include job descriptions for teachers and each administrative position that identify key roles, responsibilities and accountability. Cornerstone Academy (CAHS) will be managed by a Principal who has a proven record with the Community, supervision of all staff, with a part­time secretary and office manager for the 1 through 5 school years. The Principal’s job description is as follows: Board Relations Principal reports to board, and attends monthly board meetings. Student Progression Ensure individual educational program is developed. Conduct regularly scheduled online session observations to assess the current educational status of students and to problem solve for programs that are not showing behavior change in the desired direction. Conduct assessments at time of admission and periodically as needed or required in the three year re­
evaluation policies of the School District and IDEA. Supervise communication with parents on student progress/issues. Produce periodically reports to the Board, District and other stakeholders as required. Assist in the intake and selection of students Contribute to the development of intake procedures. Participate in the development of intake procedures. Assist in the selection of student to be enrolled in CAHS’s educational program. Program Development Participate in the development of additional programs, including in­home three extended day supplemental educational services. Participate in grant writing to help fund programs. Staff Development Recruit, interview, and select prospective staff members with the President or designee. Directly manage all school personnel. Set performance plans and goals for all school employees. Evaluate and supervise instructional and non­instructional personnel Conduct periodically performance evaluations for all school employees. Make compensation recommendations for all employees to the Board. Schedule, plan, conduct, and evaluate regularly scheduled staff meetings. Assist with implementation of volunteer program with chair of volunteer committee. Assist with evaluation and supervision of contract personnel. Manage staff development and training program. Transition Program Develop, with the transition designee, and review students’ career future plan and goals. Develop supported transition policies and procedures. Develop supported employment plans to coincide with career expectations. Integrate social skills training into academic programs Develop community relationships that foster generalization of social skills for future employment opportunities. Administrative Develop, implement and evaluate policies and procedures with cooperation of administrative committee. Identify need for instructional materials and supplies. Manage employee and service contracts and coordinate contractors. Supervise financial management duties, including payroll, bank statements, etc. Ensure compliance with charter contract and grant requirements. Coordinate development of grant applications with fundraising committee. Assist in the development of and implement the school budget with the School Advisory Committee 83 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ü ü ü ü ü ü (SAC). Manage school facilities and develop and implement security standards. Scheduling Assign teachers to online sessions and other duties. Schedule school day with cooperation of staff. Assist in the development and implementation of a volunteer program. Develop contingency plans for teacher, consultants and volunteer absences. Schedule parent meetings and observations. Develop and implement guidelines for school visitors. The Teacher’s job description is as follows: General Summary: Responsible for the development of educational goals and training of teaching staff, in addition to online session responsibilities. Duties and Responsibilities: Education and Experience. Holds at least earned bachelors of education or a master’s degree in a related field. Has experience in working with learners with disabilities. Required Knowledge, skills and abilities. Ability to plan, prioritize and schedule multiple tasks. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Demonstrates teamwork skills. Relates well to parents and students. Flexible in sharing responsibilities and undertaking assignments. Student Progress. Develop Individual Educational Plans and goals. Staff Training. Train new Assistants. Train current staff. Serve as mentor to other teachers and assist in problem solving. Program Development. Participate in evaluation Cornerstone Academy (CAHS) educational program with educational committee. Develop program models with educational committee. Curricula Development Develop skill acquisition programs and treatment programs with cooperation of education committee. B. Outline the criteria and process that will be used to select the school's leader. The criteria and process for selecting Cornerstone Academy’s Principal will be based on an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate based on the job description. A weighing will be assigned to each activity in the job description, and candidates will be scored by a team of no less than two interviewers; the president and/or two board designees. Upon each candidates arrival for his/her interview they will be given a copy of the following to answer and refer to during interview process. This form will be collected at the end of the interview and placed in candidates file. As the interview is occurring the panel will take notes of things that were shared by each candidate. After all candidates have been interview we will have a closed door meeting analyzing and comparing each candidate’s answers. Name:______________________________Interview Date: __________________________________ The Principal Candidate Pool is designed to: Provide clear and high system­wide standards for principal selection; Ensure a consistent, fair, objective and rigorous process; Provide transparency and visibility into the selection process and leadership pipeline. All applicants for the Principal Candidate Pool are required to have: Florida State Certification in Educational Leadership; Pass background check; All other requirements of the School District 84 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Must submit: ü Two essays that give candidates an opportunity to share their experiences leading a group of adults and impacting student achievement ; ü Resume & History of educational accomplishments; ü Educational and background information (Resume); ü Names and contact information for 3 professional references, including at least 1 current or recent direct supervisor. Applicants will be invited to an in­person evaluation session where candidates will be assessed on their proficiency in the five School Leadership Competencies. Competency is a level of behavior that exemplifies the competency in action. Question: What do you think the three most critical competencies are to be a good leader and why? st
1 Competency: Driving for Results Please use the following competencies to explain how you will achieve outstanding results and task­oriented actions to accomplish the following: ü Student Achievement; ü Initiative & Persistence; ü Monitoring & Directives; ü Planning ahead. nd
2 Competency: Influencing for Results Please use the following to explain how you will motivate others and influence their thinking and behavior to obtain results. ü Impact and Influence; ü Team Leadership; ü Developing others. rd
3 Competency: Problem­Solving Please use the following to explain your thinking about organizational goals and challenges that applies to analyzing data to inform decisions; making clear logical plans that people can follow; and ensuring a strong connection between school learning goals and online session activity. ü Analytical Thinking ü Conceptual Thinking th
4 Competency: Showing Confidence to Lead Write a personal mission statement that will state your ability to accomplish tasks and actions that reflect success. Answers we want to hear from our principal candidates: Driving for Results: ü Achievement: The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high standard of performance despite barriers. ü Initiative and Persistence: The drive and actions to do more than is expected or required in order to accomplish a challenging task. ü Monitoring and Directives: The ability to set clear expectations and to hold other people accountable for performance. ü Planning Ahead: A bias towards planning in order to derive future benefits or to avoid problems. Influencing for results: ü Impact and influencing: Acting with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking and actions of others; ü Team Leadership: Assuming authoritative leadership of a group for the benefit of the organization. ü Developing Others: Influence with the specific intent to increase the short and long­term effectiveness of another person. Problem­Solving: ü Analytical Thinking: The ability to break things down in a logical way and to recognize cause and effect. 85 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ü Conceptual Thinking: The ability to see patterns and links among seemingly unrelated things. Showing Confidence to Lead: Self­Confidence: A personal belief in one’s ability to accomplish task and the actions that reflect that belief. An additional requirement CAHS would like the candidates to have is prior experience in transitioning career future student from high school to college placement, as well as experience in managing financial operations and employees. The Principal’s performance will be evaluated annually by the governing board chair, which will use input from the results of specific questions on both the Parent and Staff surveys, observations from other governing board members, and results of quarterly observations by the governing board chair. A key component of the Principal’s performance will be the school’s financial situation at the end of each fiscal year, as compared to the projected budget. The Board of Director believes that selection of the Administration of the School is a critical decision they are charged with participating in since the selected person will have the most influence on the success of the school. The Board believes the ideal candidate for this position will be an experienced educational leader who has an exceptional ability to motivate students and staff to achieve more than they thought possible. He/she will also be skilled at building and managing internal teams as well as collaborating with other stakeholders to build partnerships that are beneficial to our students. Administration will be tasked with handling the recruitment and screening process. The steps in the process will be as follows: 1. Administration will conduct a nationwide search, including referrals from Board members, job postings in Education Week, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, and local newspapers. 2. CAHS’s Human Resources Department will review all resumes. 3. Screening interviews will be conducted by phone. 4. First Round interviews will be conducted with the Administration Human Resources Department. 5. Second Round of interviews will be conducted by one of the Board members designated. 6. Final applicants will be subject to denial by the Board of Directors. 7. A background check will be conducted. 8. Upon return of successful background check, an offer of employment is extended to the candidate. Administration of the School Evaluation The School will provide the Board with an Administrator Evaluation Tool to facilitate the Professional Evaluation of the Administration of the School. The Board may also establish additional evaluative procedures including, but not limited to: interviews, goal review, budget review, and evaluation of climate surveys. The evaluation tool is designed to be a collaborative tool to be used to improve and maintain high performance expectations for each pre­determined goal and/or performance area. The goal of the tool is to ensure that the Administration of the School is meeting appropriate expectations and setting goals to meet those expectations as they relate to each individual area. C. Provide a staffing plan for each year of the charter term aligned with the school's projected enrollment as detailed on the cover page of this application. The staffing plan for the first year will be 10­18 instructional dual certified teachers, two assistants (ESE, ESOL, Reading, Foreign Languages), and/or part­time building substitutes, and a Principal, Bookkeeper/or Office Manager, as a part­time Assistant principal, office manager services contracted, guidance counselor, Parent Liaison, Superintendent (President), pupil transportation(field trips), custodian full­time, along with the volunteer office manager, teacher assistants services paid by workforce alliance. 10­18:450 ratio teachers to student. The staffing plan for the Second year will be 20­36 instructional dual certified teachers, two assistants (ESE, ESOL, Reading, Foreign Languages), and/or part­time building substitutes, and a Principal, Bookkeeper/or Office Manager, as a part­time Assistant principal, office manager services contracted, guidance counselor, Parent Liaison, Superintendent (President), pupil transportation(field trips), custodian 86 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards full­time, along with the volunteer office manager, teacher assistants services paid by workforce alliance. 20­36:900 ratio teachers to student. The staffing plan for the third year will be 30­54 instructional dual certified teachers, two assistants (ESE, ESOL, Reading, Foreign Languages), and/or part­time building substitutes, and a Principal, Bookkeeper/or Office Manager, as a part­time Assistant principal, office manager services contracted, guidance counselor, Parent Liaison, Superintendent (President), pupil transportation, custodian full­time, along with the volunteer office manager, teacher assistants services paid by workforce alliance. 30­
54:1350 ratio teachers to student. The staffing plan for the fourth year will be 40­72 instructional dual certified teachers, two assistants (ESE, ESOL, Reading, Foreign Languages), and/or part­time building substitutes, and a Principal, Bookkeeper/or Office Manager, as a part­time Assistant principal, office manager services contracted, guidance counselor, Parent Liaison, Superintendent (President), pupil transportation (field trips), custodian full­time, along with the volunteer office manager, teacher assistants services paid by workforce alliance. 40­72:1800 ratio teachers to student. The staffing plan for the fifth year will be 40­72 instructional dual certified teachers, two assistants (ESE, ESOL, Reading, Foreign Languages), and/or part­time building substitutes, and a Principal, Bookkeeper/or Office Manager, as a part­time Assistant Principal, office manager services contracted, guidance counselor, Parent Liaison, Superintendent (President), pupil transportation, custodian full­time, along with the volunteer office manager, teacher assistants services paid by workforce alliance. 40­
72:1800 ratio teachers to student. CAHS’s Administration is responsible for maintaining adequate staffing to provide for contracted services as the school grows in order to meet the needs of the School’s students. See Budget Staffing Plan and Matrix, Schedule of Staffing and Salaries attached to the Budget Plan. D. Explain the school's plan for recruitment, selection, and development. We will recruit on the TeachinFlorida.com website, local churches, as well as, at district job fairs and through local districts’ early drop­programs. Cornerstone Academy will hire highly qualified lead teachers to support content/grade teachers to implement best instructional practices. A highly qualified ESE Coordinator/Contact will be hired to support Consultation Only services for all exceptional students attending CAHS. All staff will participate in both school­based and specific district professional development. Faculty meetings will be held once a month, school­based professional development will be provided based on new teacher support, content area, and grade level support each month. All staff will be encouraged to attend specific District trainings, as well as designated regional training per year, sponsored by future partner affiliates at NOVA Southeastern University, offers courses relating to charter school leadership, Workforce Alliance offers additional support through interns of different departments and Literacy Coalition of the local School District will offer additional support to all students. All of these community based entities have a common concern for educational achievement. Staff will be formally evaluated annually by the Principal, using the requirements of their job description as a basis for evaluation. The principal and selected school staff will be state certified in CPR and first aid training and all students (SB­736) will be certified at least one time before graduation from high school. The Principal will observe each staff member in their online session on a monthly basis for evaluation. At any time during the contract period, the Principal may put a staff member on probation, with a 90­day plan of action for performance improvement. All staff members will certify that they have read and understood the schools and local district’s policies in the Employment Handbook, which include grounds for dismissal. The school board will meet once a month to address the needs and concerns of all management. Selection of Principal Job Description Responsibilities CAHS’s Principal serves as the educational leader, responsible for managing the policies, regulations, and procedures to ensure that all students are supervised in a safe learning environment that meets the approved college preparatory curricula and the mission of the school. Achieving academic excellence requires that the school Principal work collaboratively to direct and mentor all members of the school staff 87 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards and to communicate effectively with parents. Inherent in the position are the responsibilities for scheduling, curriculum development, extracurricular activities, personnel management, emergency procedures, and facility operations. Accountabilities The selected Principal will be held accountable for successfully leading a team of teachers, staff and parents in helping each child achieve. Schools will be specifically measured in academic proficiency and in the growth and strength of their instructional team. Other accountabilities include full enrollment, managing expenses and engaging customers. Qualified candidates should have strong teamwork and communication skills, sincere interest, dependability, and a passion for education. Qualifications All candidates should possess an unwavering commitment to children and believe that all children can learn and a strong set of core values that transcends bother personal and professional lines. The qualified candidate will have a proven track record of student academic success in and out of the community or significant academic gains in previous principal roles and can demonstrate success in leading, motivating and coaching a team of teachers, staff and parents. A Master's degree or equivalent and 4­10 years of experience as a lead principal are preferred. The School’s recruitment and selection practices include the following components: ­Using selective screening and interviewing of candidates to ensure the right fit for the teacher to the job with the School. ­Introducing candidates to the School facility and students so that they understand the nature of the learning environment. ­Placing a company­wide focus on recruiting and developing highly effective leaders for the Administration of the School role to develop a high­performing organization and nurturing environment for the teachers and support staff. ­Offering a compensation and benefits package competitive with the local job market for teachers and support staff. ­Providing extensive and ongoing training on the School’s educational model focused on teaching, coaching, and mentoring the adolescent “at­risk” student and independent learners. ­Providing significant support staff, online session resources, and on­going professional development and training. Professional Development Training begins with a focus on the leadership team and staff (Administration of the School, Assistant Administration of the School, Receptionist, Counselors and Enrollment Specialist) prior to the opening of the enrollment office. This training will focus on student enrollment procedures, required paperwork, student orientation, and related topics. Prior to the School’s opening, there will be specific training for the Teachers and Learning Coaches. The initial training for the educational staff starts three (3) to four (4) weeks prior to the opening of the School. Depending on the material to be trained, the staff receives instruction by online session, by content area, and by team or group (e.g. educational, support services, administration). The objectives of the initial professional training are as follows: ­Train teachers to work with alternative students who have had previous attendance, behavior, or academic challenges using best practices as identified by research. ­Provide teachers with an understanding of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards in their content area and the curriculum. Provide in­depth training for electronic curricula and data management systems. ­Teach the procedures of the online session and school. ­Teach behavior intervention techniques. This training is led by Administration personnel with assistance from other staff as needed. Once the School opens, the ongoing objectives are very similar to the initial objectives. Training programs for staff members take place periodically throughout the course of the school year. These school year objectives include: ­Continue to increase teacher knowledge and skills of best practices in working with alternative students who have had attendance, behavior, or academic challenges. 88 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ­Utilize assessment benchmarks, including how to track the students’ progress, when to enrich, and when to re­teach or remediate. ­Provide additional strategies teachers can use for teaching, coaching, or mentoring students. ­Share the expectations of the School for following the procedures of the district. ­Train support staff on new procedures as necessary. ­Continue to work on behavior interventions. After the initial training, teachers receive ongoing professional training. The teaching staff meets periodically throughout the year for staff development and all teachers and support staff receive ongoing training on various topics based on their individual professional development goals, school data and needs, and new or updated materials, processes, or equipment. Professional Development practices will include: ­Professional development goals set by the School staff ­Meeting time for small, professional teacher groups are built into the School’s schedule and occurs daily or weekly Collaborative lesson planning Faculty regularly reviews and gives feedback to each other with regard to teacher constructed course projects, assignments, and assessment tools ­Faculty members regularly share samples of student work and seek feedback from their colleagues ­Faculty members attend local and national conferences, make presentations, and bring back new strategies and information into the school community Performance Evaluations The Administration of the School is responsible for evaluating the performance of all staff members on a timely basis, utilizing a formalized performance management process that aligns with the School’s employee growth and development initiatives. Per FL Statute 1002.33(6)(a)(6) and see section 11 In accordance with State Education Law, all teachers, regardless of the number of students taught or hours per week employed, will be certified in accordance with the requirements applicable to other public schools; provided, however, that the school may employ as teachers, with the exception of special education staff, uncertified teachers with at least three years of elementary, middle, or secondary online session teaching experience; tenured or tenure track college faculty ; individuals with two years of satisfactory experience through the Teach for America program; and individuals who possess exceptional business, professional, artistic, athletic, or military experience. Furthermore, all teachers (both online and onsite), learning coaches, and paraprofessionals will be Highly Qualified as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). All special education teachers will be State certified in special education and will be Highly Qualified as defined by NCLB and IDEA. Applicants will be asked to provide a copy of the Florida Teacher’s certification or Statement of Eligibility, which will be verified through the Florida Department of Education. Teachers obtaining certification through an alternative route will also be asked to present proper documentation to ensure they are following they are following the appropriate schedule for acquiring a professional certification. All critical documentation received is not accepted at face­value but is verified with the source. The School will require applicants to provide a copy of their resume and college transcripts, as well as a list of professional references. If applicants are seeking certification through lateral entry, or alternative route, they must provide a Statement of Eligibility from the Florida Department of Education along with documentation of other alternative requirements that have been met. CAHS’s administration will provide tracking assistance to the School to ensure certification requirements will be completed within specific timeframes as required by Florida law. The School Board will oversee policies governing salaries, hiring, employee contracts, and dismissals. Teachers and other employees will be at­will employees and sign employment agreements (i.e. contracts) similar to those used by other charter schools in Florida. The agreement will clearly indicate the at­will nature of their employment. Teachers will be employed for the school year with their pay spread over twelve months. All teachers and paraprofessionals of the School will be highly qualified as defined by 89 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Florida under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements, except for teachers of foreign language courses other than Spanish. The School will make reasonable attempts to contract with highly qualified teachers in isolated foreign languages selected by students, but the priority will be to meet the foreign language needs of individual students in the best manner reasonably available. Parents and students will be notified in writing before being approved for the course for any class that is not led by a highly qualified teacher. The School will be asking for a waiver from teacher licensure, but does not anticipate needing to use the waiver, except in unusual circumstances. In those unusual circumstances, the teacher will still be highly qualified, except as identified above. Job descriptions for all school staff, including administrators, teachers, and learning Counselors. Administration of the School (an employee): Reports directly to the Board of Directors. In addition to being the academic and instructional leader is responsible for developing and implementing school Mission, Vision, and Strategic Planning as developed by and with the Board of Directors. Oversees all academic and operational aspects of school. Creates a school culture of achievement, and nurtures a strong relationship among staff, families, and students; the Board of Directors; and the School. Works with the broader online community and state leaders to expand and enhance learning opportunities for all families. Office Manager (an employee): Reports to the Administration of the School and works closely with the Academic Staff and Support Services staff. Responsible for coordinating all operational aspects of the school; school compliance with local, state, and federal reporting requirements; managing development of school policies and procedures; managing school metrics reporting student information system; coordinating with teachers and student information system regarding expulsions and withdrawals; coordinating student placement during enrollment/re­enrollment efforts; managing annual enrollment and re­enrollment efforts; supporting the Academic staff with teacher recruitment and hiring efforts; school administration meetings (business­related topics); logging and reporting issues pertaining to technology, materials delivery, enrollment, and student/family service for process improvement. Technology Administrator (an employee): Reports to the assistant administration and is responsible for managing technology, hardware and software, used by teachers, administrators and students. Teacher: Reports to Administration of the School. Reviews placement data, interviews and observes students, teach online programs, places student, reviews curriculum and instructional issues, and school set­up and logistics questions. Researches and creates lessons that complement/supplement the school’s program and student academic needs. Organizes orientation, training, social, and educational activities for students and families. Teaches online and on campus, implements co­curricular group activities, sponsors group and community volunteer opportunities, provides remediation, and conducts meetings and communicates regularly with students and parents/responsible adults. Proactively tracks and reports student academic progress and attendance, and participates in professional development. Director of Special Education: Reports to Administration of the School and will receive the same training and professional development as the regular education teachers. Responsible for coordinating the IEP team and developing effective IEPs with appropriate content, instructional modifications, assessment modifications, and measurable goals. They will assure that deadlines are met for every student, student records are maintained in compliance with state requirements, and services are being provided in accordance with each IEP. They will also coordinate the provision of services on campus and over the Internet with the regular education teacher and any related service providers. Counselor: Reports to the Administration of the School and supports teachers with campus check­in. 90 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 11: Education Service Providers If the school intends to enter into a contract with an Education Service Provider (ESP) : N/A A. Describe the services to be provided by the ESP. B. Provide a draft of the proposed contract between the school and the ESP including, at a minimum, proposed services, performance evaluation measures, fee structure, renewal and termination provisions, and terms of property ownership (real, intellectual and personal). C. Unless the ESP is the parent non­profit organization, explain why the ESP was selected, including what due diligence efforts were conducted to inform the selection and how the relationship with the ESP will further the school's mission. D. Explain the ESP's roles and responsibilities for the financial management of the proposed charter school, if applicable, and the internal controls that will be in place to guide this relationship. E. Unless the ESP is the parent non­profit organization, explain how the governing board will ensure that an "arm's length," performance­based relationship exists between the governing board and the ESP. F. Provide a summary of the ESP's history, including its educational philosophy and background and experience of senior management. G. Provide a list of other schools with which the ESP has contracts, including contact information and student and financial performance data of such schools. If the school will not utilize the services of an Education Service Provider separate from the Approved Virtual Provider: A. Provide a copy of the executed contract with the Approved Virtual Provider. The contract must align with the explanations and descriptions contained within this application and must comply with applicable law. FLVA will act as the virtual provider which is what the District has currently approved as complying with applicable law. The following email form Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) will serve as the letter of intent and contract depending on the District’s approval and how the relationships between the new charter applicant and the local Districts. Hello Dr. Smith, I am attaching the New Public Charter School affiliation form. I believe this is what you are requesting in terms of a proposed Memorandum of Agreement. Should you need anything further, please advise and I will connect you with the appropriate FLVS department. Regards, Barbara Barbara Cavanagh, District Relations Manager Florida Virtual School 2145 Metro Center Blvd. Ste: 200 Orlando, FL 32835 www.flvs.net (800) 374­1430 (561) 420­3315 (mobile) 91 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards New Public and Charter School Form New School Contact Information Form In an effort to help us provide you the best service and information throughout the year, please take a moment to fill out this form and return it to our office. Please print the information below so that we may best serve you. Name of School: Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. District: Sponsor School Type: Public School Charter School: Yes Grade Levels: Please choose from the following Middle Grades Combination Grades Senior High: Yes Elementary Grades th
Address: 122 NW 8 Ave City: Boynton Beach, FL Postal Code: 33435 Phone #: 561­459­6708 Fax #: Primary Contact First Name: Dr. Lois Primary Contact Last Name: Smith Email: lsmith_3@excite.com DOE School ID #: (will provide pending contract with District sponsor); according to Barbara Cavanagh of FLVS. This document completed by: Dr. Lois Smith If you wish to add additional staff, please send the following information to the FLVS Application Services Team at as@flvs.net: First Name: Lois, Last Name: Smith, Phone number: 561­459­6708 and extension if any, Email address: lsmith_3@excite.com. An email notification with your username and password will be sent once the school’s account has been created. Thank you! Dr. Lois Smith
92 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 12: Human Resources and Employment A. Explain the school's compensation plan, including whether staff will be publicly or privately employed. The School will be a not­for­profit, public employer, and will participate in the Florida Retirement System. Teacher salaries will be comparable to those outlined in the teacher salary Schedule implemented by the local public school district Full time, salaried employees will be entitled to Health Insurance. For employee insurance and benefits selection, the Governing Board has engaged the services of ADP Total source, a professional employer organization that provides human resource services to small and moderate size employers. The use of a professional employer organization allows the staff of the School to enjoy the same level of benefits that are available to employees of large organization such as Fortune 500 companies (including health/dental/vision insurance and Retirement/401k plans). More information on ADP is found on www.adptotalsource.com. Staff will be public employees and paid on the school’s salary schedule to remain competitive with the local market. The school’s goal is to competitively compensate its staff and teachers. The Administration of the School will be responsible for managing the staff, coordinating the implementation of the educational program at the school, and ensuring that the students are tapping into the resources necessary to meet their educational goals. All full­time professional staff will have access to a rich benefit plan provided by the school. Non­teaching staff such as enrollment specialist, office manager and counselor salaries are based on an average of such salaries throughout the state of Florida. B. Describe the proposed personnel policies and procedures to which staff will be required to adhere, including expectations for participation in the school's professional development program. If personnel policies and procedures have not been developed provide a clear plan, including timeline, for the development and approval by governing board. This collaborative environment will be successful at the Cornerstone Academy, and we believe will be able to attract and retain staff that is dedicated to serving this population of students. Staff dismissals will be the responsibility of the Principal, in consultation with at least two Board members. Hiring and dismissal of the Principal will be the responsibility of the governing board President, with the agreement of the governing board. All faculty and staff members employed by the School will possess the personal characteristics, knowledge base of and belief in the educational and curriculum design as described in this proposal, as well as an ability and motivation to work as part of a team with parental involvement. The School will look for personnel who bring with them a sense of enthusiasm and commitment as well as a strong belief in and understanding of the charter school concept. Upon each candidates arrival for his/her interview they will be given a copy of the following to answer and refer to during interview process. This form will be collected at the end of the interview and placed in candidates file. As the interview is occurring the panel will take notes of things that were shared by each candidate. After all candidates have been interviewed, we will have a closed door meeting analyzing and comparing each candidate’s answers. Name:_________________________________ Interview Date: ________________________ The Principal Candidate Pool is designed to: ü Provide clear and high system­wide standards for principal selection; ü Ensure a consistent, fair, objective and rigorous process; ü Provide transparency and visibility into the selection process and leadership pipeline. All applicants for the Principal Candidate Pool are required to have: ü Florida State Certification in Educational Leadership; ü Pass background check; ü All other requirements of Specific School District 93 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Must submit: ü Two essays that give candidates an opportunity to share their experiences leading a group of adults and impacting student achievement ; ü Resume & History of educational accomplishments; ü Educational and background information (Resume); ü Names and contact information for 3 professional references, including at least 1 current or recent direct supervisor. Applicants will be invited to an in­person evaluation session where candidates will be assessed on their proficiency in the five School Leadership Competencies. Competency is a level of behavior that exemplifies the competency in action. Question: What do you think the three most critical competencies are to be a good leader and why? st
1 Competency: Driving for Results Please use the following competencies to explain how you will achieve outstanding results and task­
oriented actions to accomplish the following: ü Student Achievement; ü Initiative & Persistence; ü Monitoring & Directives; ü Planning ahead. nd
2 Competency: Influencing for Results Please use the following to explain how you will motivate others and influence their thinking and behavior to obtain results. ü Impact and Influence; ü Team Leadership; ü Developing others. rd
3 Competency: Problem­Solving Please use the following to explain your thinking about organizational goals and challenges that applies to analyzing data to inform decisions; making clear logical plans that people can follow; and ensuring a strong connection between school learning goals and online session activity. ü Analytical Thinking ü Conceptual Thinking th
4 Competency: Showing Confidence to Lead Write a personal mission statement that will state your ability to accomplish tasks and actions that reflect success. Answers we want to hear from our principal candidates: Driving for Results: ü Achievement: The drive and actions to set challenging goals and reach a high standard of performance despite barriers. ü Initiative and Persistence: The drive and actions to do more than is expected or required in order to accomplish a challenging task. ü Monitoring and Directives: The ability to set clear expectations and to hold other people accountable for performance. ü Planning Ahead: A bias towards planning in order to derive future benefits or to avoid problems. Influencing for results: ü Impact and influencing: Acting with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking and actions of others; ü Team Leadership: Assuming authoritative leadership of a group for the benefit of the organization. ü Developing Others: Influence with the specific intent to increase the short and long­term effectiveness of another person. Problem­Solving: 94 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ü Analytical Thinking: The ability to break things down in a logical way and to recognize cause and effect. ü Conceptual Thinking: The ability to see patterns and links among seemingly unrelated things. Showing Confidence to Lead: Self­Confidence: A personal belief in one’s ability to accomplish task and the actions that reflect that belief. Employees are expected to observe high standards of job performance and professional conduct. When performance or conduct does not meet standards, the School may terminate employment, or it may endeavor, if it deems appropriate, to provide the employee a reasonable opportunity to correct the problem. If, however, a corrective opportunity is given and the school determines that the employee has failed to make the correction, he or she will be subject to further discipline, including termination. Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, all teachers must be “highly qualified” to teach in the school. The definition of a highly qualified teacher includes meeting at least the following three criteria: 1. Having a bachelor’s degree 2. Having State credentials or certificate 3. Demonstrated core academic subject matter competence The rules set forth below are not exhaustive and are intended to provide employees with illustrations and fair notice of what is expected from them. Obviously, however, such listing cannot identify every situation of unacceptable conduct and performance. Employees should be aware that conduct not specifically listed below, but which adversely affects or is otherwise detrimental to the interests of the school, to students, or to other employees, may also result in disciplinary action. Ninety­Day Probation Period All employees will be hired on a 90­day provisional contract and may be terminated at any time in accordance with the School's termination provisions. Voluntary Termination The School will consider an employee to have voluntarily terminated or abandoned his or her employment if an employee does any of the following: Elects to resign from the school. Fails to return from an approved leave of absence on the date specified by the school. Fails to return to work without notice to the school for three (3) consecutive days. Involuntary Termination The School expressly reserves the right to discharge employees for cause, but without being in violation of the laws of the State of Florida and the United States of America. The School assures thorough, consistent, and even­handed termination procedures. Terminated employees will receive all earned pay to the next regular pay period. An employee may be terminated involuntarily for any reason not prohibited by law, including a leave of absence in excess of 180 days, poor performance, misconduct, or other violations of the school's rules of conduct for employees. Involuntary termination, other than for an administrative reason or abandonment of employment, will result in forfeiture of all earned accrued compensation, other than as required to be paid by law. Job Performance Employees may be disciplined/discharged for poor job performance, including but not limited to, the following: Below­average work quality or quantity Poor attitude or lack of cooperation Excess absenteeism, tardiness, or abuse of break or lunch privileges Failure to follow instructions or procedures Failure to follow established safety/security procedures Misconduct Employees may be disciplined or discharged for misconduct, including but not limited to the following: Insubordination Dishonesty Theft Discourtesy (to students, parents, peers, supervisors, etc). Misusing or destroying school property or the property of another Disclosing or using confidential or proprietary information without authorization 95 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Falsifying or altering school records, including the application for employment Interfering with the work performance of others Harassing other employees or students Being under the influence of, manufacturing, dispensing, distributing, using, or possessing alcohol or illegal or controlled substances on school property or while conducting school business or supervising students. Possessing a firearm or other dangerous weapon on school property or while conducting school business Conduct which raises a threat to the safety and well­being of the school, its employees, students, or property, including being charged or convicted of a crime that indicates unfitness for the job failing to report to the school, within five days, any charge or conviction under any criminal, drug, state or felony arrests. The school may proceed directly to a written reprimand or to termination for misconduct or performance deficiency, without resort to prior disciplinary steps, when the school deems such action is appropriate. If an employee is recommended for dismissal by the principal of the school, the principal will propose such dismissal at a meeting of the Board of the School. The employee shall have the right to contest the dismissal at the board meeting and present testimony or evidence in connection with the dismissal action. Professional Development In setting high expectations for both students and teachers, the School will be committed to maintaining the level of high quality instructors by implementing a comprehensive professional development plan. The school will support the professional development needs of all professional staff by subsidizing college classes, facilitating the attainment of continuing education credits, and offering trainings. Teacher training will be offered throughout the school year in a variety of forms. Select teachers will attend local, state and national conferences and serve as trainer to the remainder of the staff upon return to the School. Appropriate and relevant school wide training will occur on teacher planning days as well as on early release dates. All staff will participate in school­initiated and other relevant and necessary workshops for professional development, and a member of the administrative team will coordinate, assist and monitor the staff development process. The Educational Service Provider may al also prepare staff develop meetings in which the school may elect to participate. In­house workshops and meetings will be held monthly by administrators and may occur as often as biweekly through team leaders, in order to facilitate support, encourage communication, allow for team planning, and troubleshoot concerns and needs. In addition to school wide professional development opportunities, faculty members will each complete an Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) as a means to document and identify areas for personal targeted professional growth, including the identification of strategies for obtaining specified goals, its’ compatibility to ensuring the professional development exercise will serve to benefit the student, and a timeframe in which the staff development exercise should occur. All IPDPs will be approved by the Principal, or his/her designee, at such time the principal may elect to recommend additional recommended professional development that should occur within a given timeframe. The principal or member of the administrative staff, together with the teacher, will commit to the IPDP, including the allocation of necessary resources for plan implementation, and observation of new/struggling teachers by veteran/mentor teachers to implement support strategies. The School will develop a comprehensive personnel manual that will include specific requirements, guidelines and procedures including, but not limited to the following: • Standards of Conduct and Employee Performance • Confidentiality Performance Evaluations • Attendance Mandated Reporting • Child Neglect and Abuse • Employee Discipline • Termination • Resignation • Unsatisfactory Performance • Violation of Standards of Conduct • Reduction in Force • Conflict of Interest 96 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Electronic Media Safety Policy Travel and Entertainment Use of Personal Car on Company Business Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Free Workplace Weapons Policy Workplace Search Anti­Harassment & Other Discrimination Prohibited Conduct Complaint Procedure Retaliation Prohibited Dispute Resolution Personal Appearance Campus Environment Communication to the Public Media Requests for Information Hours of Work and Payroll Practices Payroll Corrections Job Descriptions and Salary Ranges Overtime Employee Benefits Jury Duty Voting Time Witness Duty Military Leave Leave for Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Crime Victims Holidays, Personal Days, and Employee Leaves 1. General 2. Short Term Disability Leave 3. Family/Medical Leave 4. Pregnancy Disability Leave 5. Bereavement Leave In addition to a Personnel Manual, the School will develop a comprehensive set of health, safety, and risk management policies to be documented in the School Safety Manual. They, at a minimum, will address and/or include the following: Procedures for Background Checks Employees and contractors of the School will be required to submit to a criminal background check and furnish a criminal record summary. New employees must submit two sets of fingerprints for the purpose of obtaining a criminal record summary. The Head of School shall monitor compliance with this policy and report to the Board of Directors on a quarterly basis. The Board Chairman shall monitor the fingerprinting and background clearance of the Head of School. Volunteers who will volunteer outside of the direct supervision of a credentialed employee shall be fingerprinted and receive background clearance prior to volunteering without the direct supervision of a credentialed employee. Role of Staff as Mandated Child Abuse Reporters All non­certified and certified staff will be mandated child abuse reporters and will follow all applicable reporting laws. Blood­borne Pathogens The School shall meet state and federal standards for dealing with blood borne pathogens and other potentially infectious materials in the work place. The Board shall establish a written infectious control plan designed to protect employees and students from possible infection due to contact with blood borne viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (“HIV”) and hepatitis B virus (“HBV”). Whenever exposed to blood or other bodily fluids through injury or accident, staff and students shall follow the latest medical protocol for disinfecting procedures. 97 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Drug Free/Alcohol Free/Smoke Free Environment The School shall function as a drug, alcohol and tobacco free workplace. Comprehensive Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures The School is committed to providing a school that is free from sexual harassment, as well as any harassment based upon such factors as race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability. The School has developed a comprehensive policy to prevent and immediately remediate any concerns about discrimination or harassment at the School (including employee to employee, employee to student, and student to employee misconduct). These policies are incorporated as appropriate into the School’s student and staff handbooks and are reviewed on an ongoing basis in the school’s staff development efforts and governing Board policies. Professional Development Teachers will be required to attend weekly staff meetings as well as four full­day professional development trainings throughout the year in addition to four preparation and staff development days before the school year starts. The Head of School and all School staff will be trained in the use of the curriculum, assessment system by the training staff. On­site teachers, counselors, and administrators will learn how to run appropriate reports on student learning and assessment. Teachers and counselors will be able to log in as a student, parent, or educator and utilize all aspects of the online programs. CAHS will also train teachers on the alignment of the curriculum to the New Generation Sunshine State Standards as teachers review the scope and sequence of the courses and review course objectives. Teachers will begin formulating additional group and individual projects that students can complete on site to supplement the curriculum. As projects are created they will be added to the curriculum. CAHS will conduct all trainings related to the curriculum and will begin training in May of 2014. Teachers will engage in pre­school opening trainings for a period of five days. These sessions will be held between May and August 2014. Three of these days will be conducted by CAHS and will cover curriculum, systems and assessment topics. In addition to curriculum and systems training, on­site teachers will receive two days of personnel (child abuse reporting, sexual harassment training, labor practices, fire drills, health issues, etc.) training and team building activities. In addition to training in the curriculum, on­site teachers will be trained in serving students in a learning center environment with students working primarily on computers. Additional professional development trainings for on­site teachers will be conducted once a month (there are staff meetings weekly, but once a month, these meetings will be professional development­related rather than covering school operations and student issues). These professional development seminars will cover some of the topics listed below. In some cases, outside resources will be hired to present the topics in their areas of expertise. The Head of School will conduct other trainings and work with the teachers to establish the agenda so that it meets the needs of the teachers. This is not a comprehensive list and may be revised based on teacher and student needs. Professional Development Topics: Serving students with special needs; 504 accommodations; Supporting students in virtual learning; Using assessment Data to inform instruction and developing educational programs; Student Goal Setting; Service Learning; Teaching Writing Strategies & Comprehension; FCAT HS test taking strategies; Student Led Conferences; Reflection on the first­year strategic planning; ELD; Project Based Learning; End of year closeout. Teachers will also be requested to suggest additional topics for professional development based on their needs throughout the year. Teachers are encouraged to read professional journals, attend Webinars, and join professional teaching organizations like the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Other professional development opportunities include Advanced Placement workshops and attendance at conferences such as the annual National Council for Online Learning (NACOL). Both on­site and online teachers are afforded the opportunity to attend conferences in core academic subject areas in which they teach. 98 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 13: Student Recruitment and Enrollment A. Describe the plan for recruiting students, including strategies for reaching the school's targeted populations and those that might otherwise not have easy access to information on available educational options. Cornerstone Academy for High Standards (CAHS) will accept letters from parents who have already expressed a desire to move their child to a choice School, CAHS will recruit at churches, Boys and Girls Clubs, recruitment labels to mail out in district each year; uses district data bases to enroll the students, how will we serve only the fifty out of seventy five, contract with parents; volunteer hours; use district data basis; after the 2013 positive­choice surveys; CAHS publicized the school on the District’s, and Local County Network Stations; and emailed distribution lists. We will also use the pending partnerships (NOVA Southeastern University, Literacy Coalition, and Workforce Alliance Trainee Program from the District) to advertise their involvement with the charter school to generate interest, for subsequent years. The enrollment procedure for Cornerstone Academy (CAHS) is as follows: • Interest parents/guardians complete and Application for Enrollment form, which remains on file at Cornerstone Academy for High Standards. • The Principal will notify the governing board that an opening has become available, when intakes are scheduled and when a candidate has been selected. • The Principal will review the applicant’s file to determine appropriate candidates, using the following selection criteria: Enrollment Application(student enrolling with any current IEP, ELL, 504 Services); Enrollment Interview; Peer match with Cornerstone Academy current students; and Student’s potential benefits in the innovative programs, such as extended day in­home supplemental educational services. • Enrollment preference will be for siblings of current students, children of governing board members, and students whose parents have written letters to enroll into a choice school. • Intakes will be scheduled for potential candidates. Intake decisions will be made by Principal and a team of evaluators, including teachers, and board members. • Applicants will be notified by phone of their status. • All materials will be returned to the families of applicants who are not accepted. These applicants may request that the application form be kept on file for future consideration. CAHS will follow a proven plan for student recruitment and enrollment that begins with initial media coverage of the planned School opening and includes the following continuing initiatives: presentations to local community organizations by the school administrator, parent liaison, guidance/career counselor, regular school tours for community organizations and interested parents, guardians, and students, contacts in foster care with organizations that provide social services to this student population in the areas of healthcare, counseling, substance abuse counseling and other agencies in the community. Applications to Cornerstone Academy for High Standards will be accepted year round, and new students will typically be admitted in August and January, although the school may fill an unexpected opening at any time during the school year. Should more than one student meet the peer match requirements for an opening, an admission lottery will be conducted by the Principal, and at least one governing board member? Marketing this new, military and abroad innovative option for students and parents is essential to ensure widespread student participation and community support of such a pioneering endeavor. As part of its service and under its contract, CAHS marketing communications team will work with the School’s staff throughout the year to develop a turn­key marketing plan to reach the target student population. CAHS’s marketing team will determine the right integrated marketing campaign to effectively generate the desired enrollment goals. Mediums of communication available to the School will include: * TV advertising * Radio advertising * Newspaper advertising * Web advertising * Parent/Student informational sessions 99 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards * Email marketing campaigns * Posters * Custom website * Custom brochures * Education fairs * Corporate sponsorships Enrollment Services CAHS employs a fully­trained and experienced admissions team that is prepared to answer questions, process appropriate enrollment paperwork, assemble transcripts and generally, follow all necessary steps involved in informing and enrolling families into the program. These services are part of the School Contract. B. Explain how the school will achieve a racial/ethnic balance reflective of the community it serves or with the racial/ethnic range of other local public schools. The School will make efforts to recruit students of various racial and ethnic groups so as to achieve a balance that is reflective of the general population residing within the territorial jurisdiction of the district. Orientation sessions for the School are advertised at a diverse selection of local businesses and community organizations, faith­based organizations, and public libraries and overcrowded school campuses. The School recruitment strategy includes the following: ­An enrollment timeline and process that allows a broad­based recruiting and application process, distribution of promotional and informational materials to community groups and agencies that serve various racial, ethnic, and interest groups in the community. ­The appropriate development of promotional and informational materials in languages other than English to appeal to limited­English proficient populations. ­ Submission of press releases to a variety of local media ­Outreach meetings in several areas of the district to reach prospective students and parents. The School is committed to serving all children, including those likely to “slip through the cracks” for lack of adequate support at home or school. Therefore our recruitment strategy will target students through after­school programs, and by recommendations from teachers and counselors of students who might benefit from a different learning environment. The school will achieve racial and ethnic balance by being open to any struggling student residing within the county and abroad in military by openly marketing to every subsection of the potential student population. The school will also not discriminate in its pupil admissions policies or practices whether on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability measures of achievement or aptitude, or any other basis that would be illegal if used by any public school. We will advertise in the smaller local community newspapers (particularly those published for minority groups) or contacting community social service organizations that target the struggling and /or potential dropout population (youth organizations, courts, churches, etc.). Advertising will include ELL services the school can provide for ELL students, as well as other special needs groups. Timeline Student seeking admission to CAHS may file an on­line application of interest in enrollment off campus or visit the CAHS TCC/ enrollment center and meet with the admissions/career guidance counselor to complete an electronic admissions application. Student will take a series of assessments and provide responses to question that will be used to determine their academic standing, level of placement, graduation requirements, social and emotional needs. C. Describe the school's proposed enrollment policies and procedures, including an explanation of the enrollment timeline, criteria and/or any preferences for enrollment, and lottery process. 100 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Requirements for registration are listed below. Students under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at registration and bring the required documentation. If coming from a public school within Florida, the following are required: • Transcript from the last school attended; the School’s Admissions Coordinator will send for permanent record • Verification of address or parents’ address by one of the following: 1. Current utility bill 2. Tax receipt 3. Contract for purchase of home • Authenticated birth date • Immunization records showing proof of proper immunization If student is coming from a public school outside Florida or from any private school, the following are required: • Physical examination by a private physician or the County Health Department, within twelve months prior to entry of Florida Schools; • Report card or transcript from the last school attended; the school’s Admissions • Coordinator will send for permanent record; • Verification of address of parents’ address by one of the following: current utility bill; tax receipt or homestead exemption card; contract for purchase of home; Authenticated birth date can be verified by one of the following: • Certified copy of birth certificate/State of Florida Birth Registration Card; • Baptismal certificate showing date of birth, place of baptism, accompanied by parents’ sworn affidavit; • Insurance policy on the student in force for at least two years; • Bible record of child’s birth accompanied by parents’ sworn affidavit; • Passport or certificate of arrival in the United States showing age of child (view only) • School record at least four years prior, showing date of birth; Parent’s sworn affidavit accompanied by a certificate of examination from a health officer or physician verifying the student’s age. • Immunization records showing proof of proper immunization. • All students seeking attendance in the school must reside in the district where their parents or legal guardians reside. If applications exceed the number of available seats, a public lottery will be held. All student applicant names exceeding the enrollment limits will be collected and placed in a container that permits a random draw and further ensures fairness to all applicants. The lottery will be utilized each month on or before the month end throughout the entire school year. The successful applicants and their parent or guardian, if applicable, will be notified within 10 days of the completion of the lottery to confirm their acceptance. Timeline Student seeking admission to CAHS may file an on­line application of interest in enrollment off campus or visit the CAHS TCC/ enrollment center and meet with the admissions/career guidance counselor to complete an electronic admissions application. Student will take a series of assessments and provide responses to question that will be used to determine their academic standing, level of placement, graduation requirements, social and emotional needs. D. Explain any student and/or family contracts that will be used as a requisite for initial and continued enrollment in the school. Describe if and how the school will enforce such contracts. While the School will create and distribute a Parent/Student Handbook, An example of an application package that CAHS in Local district County is considering using is included in this application. The application includes three agreements (“contracts”) to be signed as a requisite for initial and continued enrollment in the school: ­ Primary Adult Working with Student ­ Acknowledgement of Expectations 101 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ­ Agreement for Use of Instructional Property During the enrollment process, the enrollment specialist talks with the family about each document and asking the parent or other responsible adult to provide an electronic signature at that time. If the documents are not signed during the enrollment process, the teacher then ensures that the parent signs the document. Primary Adult Working with Student ­ This contract is enforced during the required parent conferences. Parents are required to attend and fully participate in parent teacher conferences, in general once every 3 weeks. This is the time that the teacher reviews items with the parent, discusses concerns, and develops plans with the parent. Acknowledgment of Expectations ­ This is covered when parents and teachers discuss the role of the teacher and how progress and attendance is monitored. Teachers work these discussions into their regular conferences with parents. Teachers check attendance and progress daily and provide constant feedback to parents and students. Teachers and parents set learning goals which discuss attendance, progress, etc. and these goals are monitored on a regular basis. Agreement for Use of Instructional Property ­ This is covered with parents at the required parent/student orientation. It will also be in the parent handbook and will be enforced as the situation warrants. For example, if a student destroys a school textbook, the parent will be billed for a replacement book for the student. This would also apply to computer equipment. E. Explain any other efforts to encourage parental and community involvement, if applicable. CAHS in Specific District County believes the involvement of parents in the education of students is critical to school and student success. The virtual school model the school utilizes places critical importance on the parent’s role on the teaching team and the expectation is that they will contribute significantly to the education of the student in that role. CAHS in Specific District County will seek to involve parents in a variety of activities concerning the school, from leadership and governance to participation in a formal parent advisory organization or other ad­hoc committees appointed to address specific issues. The most fundamental role parents will play will be in their role in supporting their child’s learning and in helping continuously evaluate CAHS in Specific District County’s operation, governance, and instructional program CAHS in Specific District County, learning coaches will help guide students through their daily coursework using the 9­12 curriculum and OLS and will verify the number of hours of educational activities completed by the student each school year. If a parent(s) does not serve as the learning coach, the parent(s) determines the “other responsible adult,” unless the student is under court placement or in the custody of a person other than the parent(s). For the assignment to be effective, the parent(s) must formally notify the school of “the other responsible adult” assigned responsibility as the learning coach. In the context of the educational program, parents or, in the case of an assignment, other responsible adults, serve as the learning coach. Throughout their child’s education and as part of the learning process, parents will work closely with certified teachers who will oversee the learning of each child. Parents will conference with teachers on a regular basis via phone, email, synchronous sessions using platforms such as Elluminate, or in person to discuss their child’s progress. When scheduled, parents are expected to attend school outings, field trips, and other outside learning opportunities with their child, but other arrangements can be made to enable a student’s attendance in the event that a parent is unable to bring them. Students will not be penalized if they are unable to make an outing because of a parent’s inability to attend. CAHS in Specific District County will provide an extensive support system to both parents and students. Parents serve a critical role in the school’s education process, and are partners to the teachers in promoting accountability for their students and the entire CAHS in Specific District County community. The school will combine flexibility and individualized instruction with high accountability. At the simplest level, students, teachers, and parents interact with Skype and other events such as back­to­school events, coffee or ice cream socials, educational expos, open houses, science and art fairs, and school showcases. In addition to Skype interaction, the school allows access to a monitored, private, virtual social community, the network, which enables students, parents and teachers to communicate and 102 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards connect online. Parents benefit from exchanging ideas and information with others using the Angel network program and gain a sense of connectedness within the boundaries of a contained but global community. Each Angel network sponsored school has its own sub­community within the larger virtual social community to generate school pride as well as provide its own content and clubs, a school calendar, announcements, and information on upcoming activities and outings. The Board of Directors promotes ongoing and open communication between the Board and parents. Board Meetings will be open to the public and held in an effort to afford participation by as wide a spectrum of parents as possible. Governing Board meetings will include a standing agenda item for a report and/or comment opportunity for public comment. A Parent/Teacher organization will also be established. 103 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Business Plan Section 14: Budget A. Provide an operating budget covering each year of the requested charter term that contains revenue projections, expenses and anticipated fund balances. The budget should be based on the projected student enrollment indicated on the cover page of the application. See excel spreadsheet included B. Provide a start­up budget (i.e., from the date on which the application is approved to the beginning of the first fiscal year of operation) that contains a balance sheet revenue projections, expenses and anticipated fund balance. See excel spreadsheet included (1) (2) FUNCTION OBJECT 7300 510 7100 330 6400 310 7300 641­642 7300 330 (3) ACCOUNT TITLE AND NARRATIVE Office Supplies­
Supplies: Paper, Pens, white­out, file folders, file dividers, tape, and paperclips. Professional and Technical Services: Hire a consultant to provide training for the charter school Board, in non­profit board Governance, Florida’s Open Governance requirements, policies and procedures. Training will be Contract basis for two full days @ $1200/day. Staff Recruiting and Training­hire consultant to provide training for two half­
days at a cost of $300 per half day. Office Equipment­ 3 Administration Desks@$699 each; 4 chairs@$119 each; 2 file cabinets@ $199 each. Conference Travel­
Principal and one board member will attend the National Conference for Charter Schools $500 registration fee; 3/nights hotel $150/night; and 3days of meals (4) FTE POSITION (5) (6) AMOUNT % ALLOCATED to this PROJECT (7) (8) (9) ALLOWABLE DOE USE ONLY REASONABLE DOE USE ONLY NECESSARY DOE USE ONLY $171 100% $2,400 100% $600 100% $2,971 100% $1,058 100% 104 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards 7300 643­644 6300 310 7100 730 7900 320 7100 320 7500 310 7100 310 7700 310 @$36/day for training and observation. Office Equipment­
Administration: 5 Laptop computers@$700 each; 2 desktop computers@$500 each; 1 hard drive @$200; 4 printers@$100 each; 3 Telephones@$150 each; 5 of each laptop docks@$100 each, and 2 external displays@$90 each; 2 routers @$60 each. ESOL/ESE Contact –Professional Services­
Assessments for targeted population: to ensure students of special populations are aligned with Next Generation Sunshine Standards to CAHS enrollment criteria; Develop and write progress monitoring systems that correlate to standards; Develop student academic plans used for progress monitoring and parent notification. First 2 months prior to opening on Contract Basis @ $500 per month. 501 (c ) 3 Application Fees Property Insurance­
Contents & Gen Liab Prepay 1YR Directors & Officers Insurance ­ Prepay 1 YR Accountant/Bookkee
per ­ Contract Basis @ $60/hr approximately 20hrs to set­up accounting policies for the charter school and are fiscally sound. Attorney’s Fees to assist in review and negotiation of contract between District School Board and Cornerstone Academy For High Standards, Inc. and Articles of Incorporation and By­laws set­up with the CAHS Board of Directors. Advertising­
Expenses for Newspaper and other media ads for staff recruiting, including job fairs; $6,250 100% $1,000 100% $850 100% $2,000 100% $1,500 100% $1,200 100% $500 100% $4,000 100% 105 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards 7700 310 media to include radio, print and electronic media. Cost to include development and distribution. Printed materials will be available in English, Creole, and Spanish. Advertising and Marketing­Website Completion – Hire marketing intern to design school website, create brochures, student and employee handbooks, and and recruitment materials; and ensure that special populations are informed. Contract basis of $20hrs@$25/hr. $500.00 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% $25, 000 D) TOTAL See excel spreadsheet included D. Provide a detailed narrative description of the revenue and expenditure assumptions on which the operating and start­up budget are based. The budget narrative should provide sufficient information to fully understand how budgetary figures were determined. FTE staffing are reflected in the budget based on achieving an overall ratio of students to academic staff of 25­50 to 1, and to achieve online session size minimums of 25­50 for grades 9­12. While many nationally managed online schools tend to have much higher ratios, we have focused our blended model on being both “high­tech” and “high­touch” to achieve the “best of both worlds.” Budget narrative of virtual school CAHS has provided a contract between Allied Health Institute and FLVS Network program as mentor and platform Provider see contract agreement for the online virtual education for CAHS’ students@ a rate of approximately $35 per student. Year 1 Base funding are projected at $2,171,748 for 450 students FTE; Since virtual charter schools receive approximately $5,000 per completed FTE, a 100% completion rate yields $2,273,263 of revenue. After the 5% administrative fee. This produces a positive operational fund balance in year 1 above $1,219. A reserve of 5­10% would necessitate over a $65,152 operational fund balance in year 1. Year 2 expenditures are projected over approximately $4,576,704 minus $4,248,893, reserve=$130,956 for 900 FTE; Year 3­$6,897,345 minus 6,242,737 reserve=$197,416; year 4­5 $9,948,505 minus $8,443,211, reserve=$264,538 approximately. 106 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards See Budget Sheets above for items needed on our start­up budget that aligns with our first year enrollment projections and budgets of expenditures. Provide a detailed narrative description of the revenue and expenditure assumptions on which the operating and start­up budget are based. Revenue Assumptions: The FEFP revenue assumptions are based on the number of student enrollment. Year 1: 450 students; Year 2: 900 students; Year 3: 1350 students; Year 4: 1800 students and Year 5: 1800 students. Charter School Funding The budget is based on projections not capacity. The basis for funding students enrolled in charter schools shall be the sum of the school district’s operating budget funds from the Florida Education Finance Program as provided s. 1011.62 and General Appropriations Act, including gross state and local funds, discretionary lottery funds from the school district’s current operating discretionary millage levy; divided by total funded weighted full­time equivalent students in the school district, multiplied by the full­
time equivalent students for the twice a year tally taken in October and February for the charter school. Charter schools whose students or programs meet the eligibility criteria in law shall be entitled to their proportionate share of categorical program funds available in the FEFP, including transportation. All eligible students enrolled in charter schools shall be provided federal funds for the same level of service provided students in the schools operated by the district. Pursuant to provisions of 20U.S.C. 8061s, 10306, all charters schools shall receive all federal funding for which the school in eligible, including Title I funding. Per Pupil Revenue It is assumed that the average gross funding per pupil amount for will be approximately 3479.22; 2012­
2013 FEFP State and Local, Funding Base Student Allocation. ESE Guaranteed Allocation and ESOL Allocation Per Grade with additional revenue when admitted before or around October’s and February FTE counts into the charter school. The figures were given to us by The School District Finance Department during the new charter applicant workshop. We have included the FEFP Worksheets for additional reference. Additional Funding It is recognized that other source of funding will become available to the School during the five­year period projected. These sources include, stakeholders fundraising, Grants; Partnership with Workforce Alliance paid staff; Capital outlay funds (when qualified for funding), and Federal Start­up Grant Funding. While Federal Start­Up Grant funding is not an entitlement, we believe that CAHS will have an excellent chance of receiving these funds, because of the innovative approach given to the technical community center, once these funds are made available and their calculations are clear, the budget will be revised to include such amounts. Net Year Carryover There will be a net carryover which will be applied to the school funds for the next school year as shown on the Five Year Operating Budget, as we continue providing our students with the state of the art education necessary for their academic success each year. Expenditure Assumptions The Five Year operating budget for a list of operating expenses taken generated from the staff matrix and other services provided by the staff and those contracted to fulfill a job title. District Fees The School district will receive 5% of the FTE funding for administrative services to the charter school, such as grade, progress, annual exams, and other data driven services that will help the charter school succeed. Employee Salaries Cornerstone will be able to hire highly qualified teachers by paying average District salaries. 107 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards We may reserve the choice in hiring additional staff if needed, such as adding 1 to 2 paraprofessionals at a salary plus applicable fringe benefits. However, in doing this, CAHS would have to find other areas in the budget to reduce. The other option would be that the duties will be handled by the administrative staff (Assistant Principal, etc. with a brief explanation of what they will do). The Assistant Principals or future Principal designees and any available teacher staff can fill in, until a substitute can be hired temporary for that duty. Employees’ salaries will include part­time and full­time Teaching staff, Bookkeeper, Auditing Staff, Custodian, Instructional Technology Support, Substitute Teachers, Teacher Assistants, Guidance Counselor, Legal Services, Administrators (Assistant Principal, Principal, and President), Secretary/Business Manager, Office Assistant, Other office Personnel (three months before school opens), Bus Driver(trips), Parent Liaison, and on a Five year projection are salaries and are subject to change based on tenure, credentials and length of services. We used the fair market salaries as a guideline, along with the districts in the surrounding areas. In the budget and application Staff Matrix sheet it has ESE students added each year and ESOL students each year for a total increasing each year. The budget shows an ESE/ESOL contact or an option, request ESE/ESOL lead teacher). The ESE/ESOL teacher will be considered as we hire certified teachers, as well as any physical and occupational therapist needed for the future. The proposed time schedule for each of the workers, for instance, the work hours of the assistant principal and superintendent may need to be adjusted based on the need to raise the reserve, so the staggered schedules of the administration coverage during the day. Since the Principal is full­time, an explanation of the time schedule planned for the superintendent and assistant principal would be filling in areas where the budget has to be reduced for example: ESE teacher Parent liaison Instructional IT Assistant Principal Business Manager*(same as Bookkeeper­
considering contracting with an Accountant) Office Assistant (only first year ­no allocation for subsequent years) Superintendent PT/OT/SLP or Speech Language Therapist Bookkeeper* (you may want to change this to a full­time position with the same salary). Since you need to increase your reserve, the above areas are where CAHS may want to consider some reductions. The Cornerstone Academy has reserved a percentage of revenue to allow for unforeseen events, as well as, excess funds. Incidental events that occur during daily functions/activities will be addressed through reserved funds. The Cornerstone Virtual Academy will use interns, parent volunteers, community school based organization and school partnerships to support areas that will need additional manpower. These needs will be previously identified to support unforeseen events that could occur. Example: In a facility environment a virtual school will not necessarily face the need for evacuation of the school due to loss of water source during the school day; the school will have a previously identified safe location of where the students would be removed to. The Cornerstone Academy will use or rent surrounding opportunities like library space and Allied Health Institute as an alternative facility and will adhere to their policy for evacuation and emergency practice issues. Employee Benefits Employees benefits are as follows: Short and long term disability Insurances, Unemployment compensation, 403(b) or 401k or Roth IRA Retirement Plan (choice of Medical, Dental or Retirement Plans), Vacation, Debt Services, Social Security, Sick­days, Personal days, Medical, Dental, Term Life Insurance, tuition stipend match, annual bonuses and performance­based incentives, paid professional development travel and workshops. Direct Student Costs Instructional equipment, hard copy and electronic curriculum and related materials will be purchased and/or licenses, testing programs and materials. Technology licenses for computer operation will also be purchased. Occupancy Costs 108 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Facility space for the school will be leased/purchase agreement and that the landlord will be improving the facility in a build­out at Landlord’s expense. The building maintenance and repairs, janitorial, hurricane preparation, occupational licenses, permits, electric, trash, water, gas and other utilities, related service deposits, contracted building security, will be needed. Office Expenses The office, online session supplies and material will be needed for the school. Telephone and High Speed Internet connectivity, printing, copying, postage and shipping expenses are also required to operate the school. General Expenses *Insurance including Directors and Officers Insurance, legal fees, annual audit and advisory services, travel and lodging, technical support, technology furniture purchases, security and fire systems, startup reimbursements, school uniforms, advertising and enrollment costs, consulting contracts, student information system, and other contracted services will be needed. *Insurance: The officers & directors insurance for the first year is lower than what was budget for each subsequent year. The description to read the costs are estimated based on the expected fee plus inflation with the “approximate range.” Other General Expenses This line item includes miscellaneous expenses needed for operation of the school each day, including items such as student incentives, bus passes, etc. Capital Improvements Various improvements will be needed at the site in order for the site to be properly maintained and consistently adapted to the educational model program, student and staff needs. Start­up Budget The school will incur start­up related expenses pursuant to the opening of the school. These expenses include but are not limited to: legal fees, accounting fees, occupational license, marketing and advertising, employee recruiting, office supplies, technology, connectivity and telephone, office equipment, utilities, property and liability insurance, temporary facility lease, security deposits and employment related costs; up to $25,000. More Details to Budget Narrative 1. The budgetary projections have been entered with room to grow. 2. The application does contain a note in the budget and on the start­up sheet that states that the founding board has agreed to provide a loan for the $25,000 and a letter of commitment from the chair was also included in the regular facilities section from the Chairwoman. 3. The work force alliance contacted the partners seeking to use our school for some of their interns. Since, I have an agreement from the boys and girls club director, who works with the workforce alliance director regarding their students becoming interns; I thought it was sufficient. 4.The written notes on the start­up sheet indicated the amount and it is to the discretion of the President to donate part of the Salary can be used as a repayment for the $25,000 loan. 5. Again, we will have Interns, current staff (job share­multi tasking of regular staff as the district currently does), and substitute teachers who are certified to help fulfill any unforeseen vacant staff needs. The president served as a certified Math teacher in a vacant district position as an interim and substitute teacher. Workforce Alliance will pay their interns, therefore, CAHS will not incur any additional costs for their work, therefore the budget does not need to allocate for those positions already allocated for such as the regular teachers and also the online instruction does not have to be live; the courses can be recorded ahead of time as to make it flexible for the teachers to plan and implement the curriculum that will be accessible for students who have flexible times to attend the sessions. 6.The budget reflects again the amount of salary per year to allocate funds for a Speech/ Language Pathologist, OT/PT services as permanent status; however, the budget narrative has indicated that CAHS would need to outsource the positions, which would free up those additional funds perhaps needed later that were allocated towards health care coverage and other benefits. 7. Instructional materials budgeted at $50 per student, but we are intending to use the internet and the Ipads, and online Platform technology for obtaining instructional materials that would cut costs substantially. For example, Kan.com is free and He has all the subjects archived. Live Teaching. The school board member mentioned it after I put it in my charter application at the board meeting. 109 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards 8. Instructional software with our mentoring partnership with FLVS and K12 as alternative is $35­$70 per student fees. 9. On the Start­up budget, in the Budget Section, some key computer equipment is allocated, remember we will have job sharing, until we can afford to purchase big ticket items; in the meantime the mobile st
phones, platform, ipads will be less expensive than the computer equipment as we move into the 21 century with technology. For ESE teacher, guidance counselor, pupil personnel, network and mainframe for school (FLVS and K12 as alternative learning Management Suites­LMS); office administrative equipment, administrative travel is included on the budget section start­up sheet, and budget items; bus driver training is free from the district most recent advertisement; health checks are done free or minimal cost; the building that is potential for leasing includes the items you list: plant expenses for operating the plant, property insurance, sewage, garbage, fire alarm monitoring, security system, fire inspections, health inspections, grounds maintenance, pest control, electricity, cleaning supplies and services for the building is included in the lease or purchase prices noted in the facility section and on the budget sheets. 10. Staff stipend is included in the narrative and on the budget sheets. 11. Again online session equipment and computer systems are part of the approximately $35 package and/or the local library, workforce alliance has agreed to help with the computer use. All of the Platforms mentioned were given as backup research resource items that prove the success of students in these virtual learning programs. CAHS’ President taught with the Oregon school districts which will give us a connection with Plato learning­ for credit recovery and the collaboration with FLVS and K12 as alternate Learning Management Suites (LMS) and Nova University will give us access to the FLVS Platform. Reading Plus, Bridges and School Connect would be the only Platforms needing purchased within the five years. The President can use Salary to loan the school funds in order to make sure student materials needs are supported. 12. The Administration Agreement for the success of the school is referred here and will include the technology, education and administrative services have to create or develop once a contract is awarded by the sponsor, CAHS Board and Principal will be in a situation to collaborate the terms of the agreement and related costs. 13. The CAHS School is a public school employer, non­profit. Yes, the staff will be public employees; we reserve the right to contract out vendors if it is needed to save on expenditures. 14. The teacher training was included on the Budget Narrative in the Budget Section and the Budget allows for professional development through the stipend which is included on the budget sheet, as well. 15. The Audit Amount will be the outsourced amount $1,000 allocated to company like Mark Escoffery’s PA firm or like the accounting firm of Zenora Ward; account Temps or their designee, like Ernst and Young. Since CAHS will already be doing business with them, they can’t help us out with the cost. 16. The Accountant will be outsourced through Account Temps and potential hire. FLVS: A COST­SAVINGS TO FLORIDA State Savings • Taxpayers do not have to build and maintain additional facilities. • A student who may fail a class in a traditional school is given the time to master content through FLVS until a passing grade is achieved. This additional time allotted is at no cost to the state and saves about $491 per half credit for every student who would have had to repeat the course in a traditional setting. Funding • FLVS is funded only when a student successfully completes a course. Meets Class Size Challenges • Major financial impact occurs when a new student enrolls in a school whose classes are already filled to the maximum. The district must hire a new teacher at a cost of about $64,000 for that one student or disrupt the entire class (or classes) to re­level that grade group. The district saves when assigning the overage to FLVS. Operational and Capital Savings and Efficiencies • Districts can utilize FLVS for courses with low student counts (e.g., insufficient numbers of students in courses due to small school or district size). • Avoiding construction of a 2,000­student high school saves a district in excess of $50 million in capital and operating expenses. Professional Development Savings • Online professional is development provided to Florida’s districts at a nominal fee. 110 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards How Can FLVS Help Other States? • Supply highly qualified instructors through our FLVS Global School in order to serve all student populations • Open courses not readily available to all students in all schools by using FLVS Global School • Provide professional development and consulting on best practices for online and blended instruction • Deliver high quality online content for virtual or blended programs • Develop custom content and professional development aligned to state and national standards D.Explain how the governing board will monitor the budget, including a strategy for addressing revenue shortfalls due to lower than expected enrollment. The school’s governing board will regularly meet with the principal to monitor the enrollment two quarters a year to offset any shortfalls due to lower enrollment. The School has based its revenue stream on an FTE per student model offered by the FLDOE. Any other revenue at start­up is expected to come from grant applications, but is reflected as being on loan from the Founding Board Members, so as not to rely on anticipated grants. The cost assumptions detailed in the start­up budget (see budget sheets) reflect typical costs that are based on experience of Founding Board Members, and/or suggestions included with the state provided forms, The School’s major budgetary assumptions include: Pre­start assumes site office established three months before school opening. Hiring is per the detailed schedule in the financial calculations. Computer equipment will be purchased and installed before school begins. Recruiting and marketing costs are covered by the Founding board and partnering with Workforce Alliance and other volunteer sources not reflected in the budget. Computer equipment is scheduled for replacement at a rate of ¼ per year. The other assets (furniture and leasehold improvements) and initial operating expenses will be funded from any donations. (although grant funds will be sought) This fee covers payroll processing, cash management, treasury functions human resources, etc. E. Provide monthly cash flow projections for the school's start­up period (i.e. from the date on which the application is approved to the beginning of the first fiscal year of operation) through the first year of operation. See excel spreadsheet included: See Budget Sheets for our monthly cash flow projections from start­up through the end of the first year of operations, as aligned with our budgeted revenue and expenditures. F. Describe the school's fundraising plan, if applicable. Report on the current status of any fundraising efforts, including verification of any fundraising monies reported in the school's start­up or operating budgets. The School intends to apply to private, state, and federal sources for different grants like the $75,000 to obtain funds for start­up costs. The Founding members have indicated that it will loan start­up cost of $25,000 to the School if the school is unable to obtain funds from the grants or elsewhere. August 1, 2013 Dr. Lois Smith Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. th
122 NW 8 Ave. Boynton Beach, FL 33435 Re: Letter of CSP loan commitment The Chase Bank letter is provided to support the CSP funds that are available as a back­up plan, if the start­up grant of $25,000 is not awarded. The loan will cover the start­up costs and will be paid back to 111 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards the founding board President from funds allocated through the school’s budget for debts incurred, while the school is in the Action planning stage. Sincerely, Dr. Lois Smith
112 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 15: Financial Management and Oversight A. Describe who will manage the school's finances and how the school will ensure financial resources are properly managed. The Governing Board is the ultimate policy­making body with the responsibility of operation and oversight of the school including but not limited to academic direction, curriculum, and budgetary functions. The school principal, hired by the board, will be responsible for all aspects of school operations within the scope of operating policies and procedures and budgetary functions as adopted and approved by the Governing Board. The accountant /manager Zenora Ward will be a potential hire, as one option, and go through the professional development training offered by the district, so that the cost will not exceed operating budget’s revenue for such services. School Activities and Outside Activities: All funds handled by school staff during business hours will be deposited in Internal Accounts. All funds related to instruction, curriculum, or school­sponsored extracurricular activities will be deposited in Internal Accounts. Funds collected shall be spent to benefit the students in the school. Funds not associated with a specific student activity shall be spent for the benefit of the entire student body. Two Non­Student Accounts: Administrative Courtesy Revenues: School pictures, vending commissions, and donations. Expenditures: School promotion, staff development, staff rewards and incentives. FY2014 bulletin provides more definitive guidance and established spending limits. Faculty Fund Revenues: Staff dues and vending commissions. Expenditures: Flowers, gifts, and staff functions. Internal Account Revenues: Fundraising, Donations, Materials fees, field trip fees, other online session collections from students, School event income, Lost or damaged textbooks and library books, after school programs, Community School programs, and Rental of school facilities. Internal Account Expenditures: How to not overspend, Purchases must have a business purpose, Purchases must be fully documented, Purchases must comply with State and District accounting policies and procedures Purchasing Guidelines (Policy 6.14), Fundraising Guidelines (Policy 2.16), Field Trips (Policy 2.40), Donations (Policy 6.04), Collection of Internal Accounts Obligations (Policy 6.071), Extracurricular Clubs (Policy 2.121), Required vs. Optional Fees (Policy 2.21), and Community Use of Facilities (Policy 7.18). Keys to success: Learn the rules, Follow the rules, Set compliance expectations for staff, Apply a reasonableness test, Monitor account balances, Ask questions, Trust but verify, and Fiduciary responsibility for Public Funds. B. Describe the financial controls, including an annual audit and regular board review of financial statements, which will be employed to safeguard finances. The letter from the Chase Bank is assuming the start­up funding is a loan that the Founding Board member is providing as a payback loan, noted on the budget sheets. Financial and budget preparation, cash, treasury, and other financial management functions will be performed at the school. Internal financials (with variances to budget) will be prepared monthly for Governing Board’s review. The Governing Board will ensure that all of the school’s financial accounting and auditing services which potentially provided by Mark Escoffery’s PA firm associated with auditing operations, start­up, and board operations will be prepared in accordance with federal, state, and school district standards. The Board of Directors will have an independent auditing firm of its choosing perform an annual audit in accordance with federal, state, and school district requirements. Regarding the internal financial controls, the Governing Board will oversee the financial management services and controls. This operation currently manages and is responsible for all financial aspects of their schools including cash flow, budgeting, purchasing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, human resources, benefits administration, information technology, and insurance and risk management. Governing Board will manage online school and one charter school with new schools being added on a regular basis. The Board’s Financial Officer and Controller have combined over 30 years of financial management experience in multi­unit operations and the operation is staffed by experienced accounting Professionals at the Urban League. Internal financial controls of the Governing Board include, but are not limited to: ­ Segregation of duties – Expenditures are approved at the site level by the Principal or designee. Invoices and purchase­orders are matched and verified by accounting department personnel. 113 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards ­ There is limited check signing ability – Checks can only be signed by one of three senior executives and must include all signed supporting documentation. ­ An extensive budgetary process is in place – Actual results vs. budget are reviewed by management and school personnel on a monthly basis. ­ Financial statements including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements are produced on a timely basis and reviewed monthly by management and appropriate school personnel. ­ Key financial drivers including accounts receivable, accounts payable, cash flow is reviewed weekly by Office management. ­ All financials are independently audited at year end with a management letter and recommendations submitted to the board annually by an independent auditor. ­ The School’s Board of Directors retains approval and oversight responsibility for the finances of the school and will receive regular reports on actual results as compared to the budget and projected cash flow for the remainder of the school year. The Board will receive monthly financial statements and enrollment figures from the Administration. The Administration will provide the Board with more frequent financial reports at their request. An annual audit report will be furnished to the Board of Directors to provide an overview of the school’s financial condition in both short and long term. The Board of Directors will have the opportunity to assess the school’s finances and projected enrollment trends. The financial reports will include a balance sheet and income statement, which will be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. These annual audits will be conducted, for the school and management company, at the June 30 fiscal year end. The audit report will include a complete set of financial statements and notes to the statements; which will be prepared by an independent accounting firm. The audit report will be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and GASB 34. With services potentially provided by an experienced Firm like Mark Escoffery, PA, our goal will be to submit the audit reports, to the School District, no later than September 15 of each year. Additional financial controls, which will be employed to safeguard finances and projected enrollment trends, are provided in detail within the contents of the prior question of this section. C. Describe the method by which accounting records will be maintained. The School will utilize accepted state codification of accounts pursuant to the Financial and Program Cost Accounting and Reporting for Florida Schools in all transactions pertaining to its operations. The methods utilized to maintain the accounting records are known as the accrual and modified accrual basis of accounting. The Government­wide Financial Statements will be presented utilizing the accrual basis of accounting. The Fund financial statements, all government fund types and budgets will be presented utilizing the modified accrual basis of accounting; consistent with generally accepted accounting principles. Under the modified accrual basis, revenues are recognized when they become measurable and available. Expenditures are generally recognized when the related fund liability is incurred. The financial transactions of the School will be recorded in individual funds. Each fund is accounted for by providing a separate set of self­balancing accounts that comprises its assets, liabilities, reserves, fund equity, revenues and expenditures/expenses. The various funds will be reported by generic classification within the financial statements. Zenora Ward Firm as an external accountant will also ensure the GASB Statement #34 is incorporated into the processing of the financial statements. Revenues for current operations will be received primarily from the School District pursuant to the funding provisions included in the School’s charter. In accordance with the funding provisions of the charter and Florida Statues, the School will report the number of FTE students and related data to the district. Under the provision of, Florida Statues, the district reports the number of FTE students and related data to the FLDOE for funding through the Florida Education Finance Program. Funding for the School will be adjusted, during the year, to reflect the revised calculation by the FLDOE under the Florida Education Finance Program and the actual weighted FTE students reported by the School during the designated FTE equivalent student survey periods. The School will be a non­profit corporation whose revenue will be derived primarily from other governmental entities. The School will be exempt from income taxes under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 114 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards The preparation of financial statements, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenditures/expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Expenditures for fixed assets, acquired by the Board for utilization at the School, will be considered to be the property of the Board. Donated Assets will be recorded at fair value at the date of donation. The capitalization policy will be based on standard methods. The capitalization level will be $1000 on tangible personal property. Depreciation on all assets will be provided on the straight­line basis over the estimated useful life. Obligations arising from a capital lease, line of credit, advances payable, and notes payable will be the sole responsibility of the Board. The board’s only financial obligations will be for functions related to the board’s operations, including, legal fees, meeting expenses, Board of Directors and Officers insurance and related items. The School will have no debt associated with daily operations and start­up and have the associated responsibility. The School and the Board of Directors will compare the practice of leasing the computer hardware to purchase for the School. While leasing reduces the amount of cash outlay at the beginning of the year, it tends to be more expensive in the long­term. The School is exposed to various risks of loss related to torts, theft of, damage to, and destruction of assets; errors and omissions; and natural disasters for which the School will carry commercial insurance. The Accounting Firm listed below has submitted a pending contractual agreement to provide services the school will need upon inception of a sponsor contract being awarded. The letter is attached with appendix pages. Canta Chestnut Ward & Company, P.A. 5725 Corporate Way, Suite 206 West Palm Beach, FL 33407 (561) 697­9468 Phone (561)697­5277 Fax From: CCChestnut@aol.com To: lsmith_3@excite.com CC: zwardcpa@aol.com Sent: 10/8/2012 6:34:05 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time Subj: Accounting Proposal Ms. Smith,
Attached is the proposal for services per your request.
Please feel to call if you have any questions.
for Zenora Kerr Ward, CPA
Canta Chestnut Ward & Company, P.A. 5725 Corporate Way, Suite 206 West Palm Beach, FL 33407 (561) 697­9468 Phone (561)697­5277 Fax
115 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards D. Describe how the school will store student and financial records. Financial records will be stored electronically via accounting software maintained on a network and backed up per Board Policy. Records will be maintained for the appropriate retention period required by federal and/or state regulations. Additionally, accounts payable supporting documentation will be stored via hardcopy with two years onsite and the remaining year at offsite storage. In addition to this, paper versions of student and financial records will be stored in fireproof cabinets as described in Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes or be reduced to electronic documents for storage. Required student records will be prepared in a manner consistent with Florida statutes. Retention periods and disposition of records shall be as specified in the local School Board Records Management Manual. E. Describe the insurance coverage the school will obtain, including applicable health, workers compensation, general liability, property insurance and directors and officer’s liability coverage. The School has already secured firm quotes in order to comply with requirements specified by the district or applicable state statues. Approximately budgeted each year $44,000 plus dollars, as well as Health Insurance Coverage per employee, where deemed necessary. These include the following: ­Errors and Omissions Insurance ­Officers and Directors of Liability Insurance ­ Fidelity Bonds ­ Commercial General Liability Insurance ­Automotive Liability Insurance ­Employee Liability Insurance ­Health Insurance ­ Property Insurance Where applicable, the School Board will be named as an additional insured. The School will carry the necessary worker’s compensation and unemployment compensation coverage. The insurance companies we are seeking to provide coverage will have a rating of “A” or higher and a financial size category of “VII” or higher. We have conducted research, for insurance company ratings, utilizing the A.M. Best Company website. The School will pay any deductible and premium amounts attributable to such insurance contracts. Acceptable Insurance Providers: Insurance providers must be authorized by subsisting certificates of authority by the Department of Financial Services of the State of Florida, or (II) an eligible surplus lines insurer under Florida Statutes, or be an authorized insurance trust as approved by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation with acceptable financials as defined in Section 163.01 of the Florida Statutes. In addition, the insurer, or in the case of an authorized insurance trust, the reinsurer, must have a Best’s Rating of “A” or better and a Financial Size Category of “VI” or better, according to the latest edition of Best’s Key Rating Guide, published by A.M. Best Company. Minimum Insurance Requirements: Without limiting any of the other obligations or liabilities of the School, the School shall, at the School’s sole expense, procure, maintain and keep in force the amounts and types of insurance conforming to the minimum requirements. The insurance shall commence prior to the commencement of the opening of the School and shall be maintained in force, without interruption for the entire Contract. A. Commercial and General Liability Insurance 1. Liabilities Required: School’s insurance shall cover the School for those sources of liability (including, without limitation, coverage for operations, Products/Completed Operations, independent contractors, and liability contractually assumed) which would be covered by the latest occurrence form edition of the standard Commercial General Liability Coverage Form (ISO Form CG 00 01), as filed for use in the State of Florida by the Insurance Services Office. 116 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards 2. Minimum Limits: The minimum limits to be maintained by the School (inclusive of any amounts provided by an umbrella or excess policy) shall be $1 million per occurrence/$3 million annual aggregate. 3. Deductible/Retention: Except with respect to coverage for Property Damage Liability, the Commercial General Liability coverage shall apply on a first­dollar basis without application of any deductible or self­
insured retention. 4. Occurrence/Claims: The coverage for Property Damage Liability may be subject to a maximum deductible of $1,000 per occurrence. Fidelity Bond/Crime: Coverage : The School shall purchase Employees Dishonesty /Crime Insurance for all Governing Board members and employees, including Faithful Performance of duty coverage for the School’s administrators/principal and Governing Board with an insurance carrier authorized to do business in the State of Florida and coverage shall be in the amount of no less than one million ($1,000,000) dollars per occurrence/two million ($2,000,000) dollars annual aggregate. In lieu of Employee Dishonesty /Crime Insurance, Sponsor is willing to accept Fidelity Bond coverage of equal coverage amount. I. Property Insurance 1. Structure Requirements: If the School is the owner and/or has a mortgage on the School site location, the School shall furnish on a form acceptable to the Sponsor, Property Insurance for the “Building” which is to include the structure as described in this Contract, including permanently installed fixtures, machinery and equipment, outdoor fixtures, and personal property to service the premises. If the Building is under construction, the School shall provide evidence of property insurance for the additions under construction and alterations, repairs, including materials, equipment, supplies, and temporary structures within 100 feet of the premises. 2. Additional Requirements: In addition, the School shall provide evidence of business personal property coverage to include furniture, fixtures, equipment, and machinery used in the School. 3. Business Personal Property Insurance: If the School leases the site location, then the School shall provide on a form acceptable to the Sponsor no later than thirty (30) calendar days prior to the opening of School, evidence of business personal property insurance, to include furniture, fixtures, equipment and machinery used in the School. J. Applicable to All Coverage’s 1. Other Coverage’s: The insurance provided by the School shall apply on a primary basis and any other insurance or self­insurance maintained by the Sponsor or its members, officers, employees or agents, shall be in excess of the insurance provided by or on behalf of the School. 1. Coverage’s: The School’s insurance shall cover the School (and to the extent its subcontractors and its sub­subcontractors are not otherwise insured) for those sources of liability which would be covered by the latest edition of the standard Workers’ Compensation Policy, as filed for use in Florida by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, without restrictive endorsements. In addition to coverage for the Florida Workers’ Compensation Act, where appropriate, coverage is to be included for the Federal Employers’ Liability Act and any other applicable federal or state law. 2. Minimum Limits: Subject to the restrictions found in the standard Workers’ Compensation Policy, there shall be no maximum limit on the amount of coverage for liability imposed by the Florida Workers’ Compensation Act or any other coverage customarily insured under Part One of the standard Workers’ Compensation Policy. The minimum amount of coverage for those coverage’s customarily insured under Part Two of the standard Workers’ Compensation Policy shall be: EL Each Accident: $500,000; EL Disease­Policy Limit: $500,000; EL Disease­Each Employee: $500,000. K. School Leader’s Errors and Omissions Liability Insurance 1. Form of coverage: The School shall provide School Leader’s Errors and Omissions Liability Insurance and it shall be on a form acceptable to the Sponsor and shall cover the School for those sources of liability typically insured by School Leader’s Errors and Omissions Liability Insurance, arising out of the rendering or failure to render professional services in the performance of this Contract, including all provisions of indemnification, which are part of this Contract. 2. Coverage Limits: The minimum limits to be maintained by the School inclusive of any amounts provided by an umbrella or excess policy, shall be $1 million per claim/annual aggregate. 3. Occurrence/Claims: The insurance shall be subject to a maximum deductible not to exceed $25,000 per claim. If the insurance is on a claims­made basis, the School shall maintain, without interruption, the Professional Liability Insurance until three (3) years after termination 117 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Additional Insured’s: The School shall include the Sponsor and its members, officers, and employees as Additional Insured’s on the required Commercial General Liability Insurance. The coverage afforded such Additional Insured’s shall be no more restrictive than that which would be afforded by adding the Sponsor as an Additional Insured using the latest Additional Insured ­ Owners, Lessees or Contractors (Form B) Endorsement (ISO Form CG 20 10). The certificate of insurance shall be clearly marked to reflect “The Sponsor (The District of specific County, Florida), its members, officers, employees, and agents as Additional Insured.” L. Automobile Liability Insurance 1. Liabilities Covered: The School’s insurance shall cover the School for those sources of liability which would be covered by Section II of the latest occurrence edition of the standard Business Auto Policy (ISO Form CA 00 01), including coverage for liability contractually assumed, as filed for use in the State of Florida by the Insurance Services Office. Coverage shall be included on all owned, non­owned, and hired autos used in connection with this Contract. 2. Occurrence/Claims: Subject to reasonable commercial availability, coverage shall be on an occurrence basis. If on a claims made basis, the School shall maintain, without interruption, the Automobile Liability Insurance until Four (4) years after termination of this Charter. 3. Minimum Limits: The minimum limits to be maintained by the School (inclusive of any amounts provided by an umbrella or excess policy) shall be $1 million per occurrence, and if subject to an annual aggregate, $3 million annual aggregate. 4. Additional Insured: The School shall include the Sponsor and its members, officers, employees and agents as “Additional Insured’s” on the required Liability Insurance. The certificate of insurance shall be clearly marked to reflect “The School Board of Specific District, its members, officers, employees and agents as Additional Insured’s [reference Additional Insured form number].” M. Workers’ Compensation/Employers’ Liability Insurance Deductibles/Retention: Except as otherwise specified, the insurance maintained by the School shall apply on a first­dollar basis without application of deductible or self­insurance retention. 3. Liability and Remedies: Compliance with the insurance requirements of this Contract shall not limit the liability of the School, its subcontractors, its sub­subcontractors, its employees or its agents to the Sponsor or others. Any remedy provided to the Sponsor or its members, officers, employees or agents by the insurance shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any other remedy available under the Contract or otherwise. 4. Subcontractors: The School shall require its subcontractors and its sub­subcontractors to maintain any and all insurance required by law. 5. Provision(s) for cure (90 days): The School shall cure any noncompliance with this Article VII of the Charter. If required by Florida law, the Sponsor shall allow the School 90 days to cure any noncompliance from the date when the non­
compliance occurred. 118 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Section 16: Action Plan Present a projected timetable for the school's start­up, including but not limited to the following key activities: Identifying and securing facility Recruiting and hiring staff Staff training Governing Board training Policy Adoption by Board (if necessary) Lottery, if necessary Student enrollment The activities included should align with the start­up budget described earlier in the application. If an activity will be paid for by a source of funding not included in the start­up budget, it should be clearly indicated.(This timetable is a projection and is not meant to be binding on the school or sponsor) • Present a timetable for the school’s start­up. November 2012­School Board Approve Application. Prepare Application for Planning and Implementation Grant. January 2014 School Board approval of contract, contingent on location of facility. February 2014 Establishment of governing board. Approval of 501 (c) (3) statuses (currently contingent on charter contract) March 2014 Begin interviews of prospective Principal. Advertise school opening and accept applications. April 2014 Hire Principal. Negotiate lease agreement. Hire Bookkeeper consultant. Hire accounting consultant. Hire attorney. May 2014 Hire charter school board consultant to train new Governing Board members on governance, policies and procedures. Contract for any necessary remodeling. Begin student enrollment intakes. June 2014 Hire Teachers and Staff. Begin any needed minor remodeling and renovation. Notify Accepted Students. Hire financial and administrative professionals. Initiate record transfers from student’s current schools. July 2014 Purchase computers, materials, supplies. Purchase assessment and curriculum materials. Purchase supplies. Obtain any additional furniture from School District Warehouse. 119 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Send out enrollment agreements to parents. Mail out free/reduced lunch applications or internet access. Hire Auditor. August 2014 Conduct open house, cut the ribbon and initial parent training meeting. Conduct staff development sessions. Open the School. The Cornerstone Academy has reserved a percentage of revenue to allow for unforeseen events, as well as, excess funds. Incidental events that occur during daily functions/activities will be addressed through reserved funds. See Exhibit B August 1, 2012 Dr. Lois Smith Cornerstone Academy for High Standards, Inc. th
122 NW 8 Ave. Boynton Beach, FL 33435 Re: Letter of CSP loan commitment The Chase Bank letter is provided to support the CSP funds that are available as a back­up plan, if the start­up grant of $25,000 is not awarded. The loan will cover the start­up costs and will be paid back to the founding board President from funds allocated through the school’s budget for debts incurred, while the school is in the Action planning stage. Sincerely, Dr. Lois Smith
The Cornerstone Academy will use interns, parent volunteers, community school based organization and school partnerships to support areas that will need additional manpower. These needs will be previously identified to support unforeseen events that could occur. Example: Evacuation of the school due to loss of water source during the school day, the school will have a previously identified safe location of where the students would be removed to. School Safety Plan School­Emergency Management and Recovery Plan ­ The Governing Board and the School will ensure that all provisions of the Jessica Lunsford Act (1012.465.F.S.) are adhered to at the school in ensuring the safety of all faculties, staff and students on the property. The School will implement a Security Action Plan articulated in its Staff Handbook that prepares all staff for unanticipated events including but not limited to: medical, fire, hazardous, weather security, etc. The School will cooperate with the District to provide the safest school possible for the staff and students, and will incorporate all the applicable and appropriate District­approved emergency efforts in order to maintain a safe school environment. Accordingly, the School will adopt the emergency plans for fire, hurricane, tornado, and child safety currently in effect within the District. All staff members will be trained regarding procedures for disaster preparedness plans outlining procedures for emergency situations and natural disasters. Staff will be trained to implement an action plan within an emergency situation. Both students and staff will be trained in planning for these events through routine drills and practice. Procedures and plans will be provided to teachers and the staff through the employee handbook, and parents and community members will receive information regarding emergency procedures via newsletters and parent meetings. 120 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Action Plan­ Reference Chart School Safe Team Principal Assistant Principal Guidance Counselor Staff Actions in Emergency Response Staff should take the following actions in the event of an emergency: Notify Principal; then Principal or designee will call 911 if necessary. Call 911 only if an imminent risk to life or safety is present, and then call Principal. Move students from immediate vicinity of danger (whether the event is Natural, technological or interpersonal in origin). Assist students needing special assistance. Provide basic first aid (if needed) until emergency responders arrive. Report missing or injured Reassure students and occupy students with an activity as appropriate Document all activities. In an emergency situation, Staff actions consist primarily of maintaining appropriate supervision of students in their care, and notifying the Principal of the emergency at hand. The SAFE TEAM will have specific roles & responsibilities, but may request assistance for larger­scale incidents. Emergencies can range from severe weather and chemical spills, to suicide risk and threats of harm. All staff will be trained and expected to recognize the School’s Code Definitions for an Emergency or Critical Incident that that will most likely require the initiation of a school wide “Code Alert”. The following Code Alert emergency system was devised to provide school staff with standardized method to alert staff and students to an emergency. By standardizing the emergency response in the School, all staff members regardless of their assignment and duties will have a common base of knowledge during an incident: Code Red – (No Movement) ­ Threat/Incident to the facility when the best course of action is to keep everyone in Place to include the School SAFE Team. The following are sample incidents that could occur but not limited to: Cyber Bullying Drive­By­Shooter Outside Disruption Terrorist threat Code Yellow ­ (SAFE Team React/Limited Movement) ­ Threat/Incident to the facility, when the best course of action is to keep everyone in place but requires the School SAFE Team or others depending on situation to react. The following are sample incidents that could occur but no limited to: Neighborhood Robbery Suspect in neighborhood Police Directed Code Brown ­ Incident within the facility when the best course of action is to implement the school Shelter­In­Place place Accidental Chemical or toxin release Chemical, Biological, radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosive Code Blue ­ Incident when the best course of action is to notify SAFE Team of a medical emergency. Code Black ­ Evacuate Facility • Fire • Gas Leak • Bomb(s) detected or exploded • Bomb Threat Code Green All clear return to online sessions and resume normal activities • All Clear Resume Activities Code Orange ­ Evacuate: when a situation warrants beyond previous codes 121 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Exhibit A • Weblink: http://www.Districtschools.org/imlms/documents/HighTitleCodes2.pdf • LANGUAGE ARTS COURSE CODE TITLE­CODE • English I, Regular and Honors 1001310/1001320 S01100 • Language Arts Grammar/Comp Gr 9 1001320 S01300 • Eng Skills I­IV, Eng I,II, Eng I Honors S01400 • Eng Hon II & III, Eng III, IV S01500 • Eng Honors IV, AP English S01600 • Eng II, Regular 1001340 S01700 • Eng II, Honors 1001350 S01900 • Language Arts Grammar/Comp Gr 10 1001350 S01950 • Eng III, Regular & Honors 1001370/1001380 S02000 • Language Arts Grammar/Comp Gr 11 1001370 S02250 • Eng IV, Regular & Honors 1001400/1001410 S02300 • AP English Literature 1001430 S02400 • Language Arts Grammar/Comp Gr 12 1001400 S02525 • Speech I­III & Debate I­III 1007300/1007330 S03200 • Journalism, Regular & Honors 1006300/1006310 S03700 • Humanities to, Since 1500 0900310/0900320 S05000 • Drama I­IV & Stagecraft I­IV 0400310/0400410 S05500 • Gr 9­12 Intervention Reading S06200 • INTERACT PRACT BK EDGE LV A (802482) • INTERACT PRACT BK EDGE LV A (802582) • INTERACT PRACT BK EDGE LV A (802682) • MATHEMATICS • Algebra I, Regular 1200310 Q00550 • PRACTICE & PROBLEM SOLVING TEST PREPWKBK (834702) • Algebra I, Honors 1200320 Q00600 • PRACTICE & PROBLEM SOLVING TEST PREPWKBK (834902) • Intensive Math S22150 • Algebra II, Regular 1200330 S22600 • PRACTICE & PROBLEM SOLVING TEST PREPWORKBOOK (836572) • Algebra II, Honors 1200340 S22800 • PRACTICE & PROBLEM SOLVING TEST PREPWORKBOOK (836772) • Advanced Algebra w/Financial Applications S22900 • Informal Geometry 1206300 S23000 • PRACTICE WORKBOOK (836851) • MASTERING THE CCSS GR 10 (837103) • Geometry, Regular 1206310 S23100 • PRACTICE & PROBLEM SOLVING TEST PREPWORKBOOK (837402) • Geometry, Honors 1206320 Q00700 • PRACTICE & PROBLEM SOLVING TEST PREPWORKBOOK (837572) • Liberal Arts Math 1208300 S23300 • Consumer Math 1205370 S23400 • MASTERING THE CCSS ALGEBRA I STUDENT EDITION (834223) • Advanced Topics in Math 1298310 S23450 • Trigonometry 1206330 S23500 • PreCalculus 1202340 S23600 • Calculus, Honors 1202300 S23700 • HIGH SCHOOL TITLE CODES, COURSE CODES, • AND AVAILABLE CONSUMABLES 122 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards Exhibit B • Student Progression Plan/Codes • http://www.Districtschools.org/StudentProgression/2010­
2011HighSchoolStudentProgressionPlan_12­8­10c.pdf Exhibit C Letters: Virtual Support, Founding Board Start­up Loan Provide a copy of the executed contract with the Approved Virtual Provider. The contract must align with the explanations and descriptions contained within this application and must comply with applicable law. CAHS will get the online mentor support from the Allied Health Institute’s President, who is the chairman of CAHS, see section 9. Dear Board Members, This letter is to certify that Dr. Lois Smith has a contractual agreement with Allied Health Institute to utilize our campus for administrative offices in conducting school business, as well as Technical support of the FLVS/Cornerstone Virtual Academy. This arrangement is temporary until she has located a proper facility in the County. We support Dr. Smith in her efforts in establishing a charter school. If you need further information or have any questions regarding the above arrangement, please feel free in contacting me. I support the Founding Board President’s loan amount for the start­up funds of $25,000. Allied Health and its Staff support Dr. Smith’s success in her future endeavors and are happy to assist her organization in any way possible. Sincerely, Jennifer Anglin President Allied Health Institute Cypress Lakes Center at 1291 South State Road 7 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 (866) 251­3244 or (954) 491­7777 123 Cornerstone Academy for High Standards III. STATEMENT OF ASSURANCES This form must be signed by a duly authorized representative of the applicant group and submitted with the application for a charter school. As the authorized representative of the applicant group, I hereby certify that the information submitted in this application for a charter for __Cornerstone Academy_ is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge and belief; and further, I certify that, if awarded a charter, the school: • Will be nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, employment practices and operations. • Will enroll any eligible student who submits a timely application, unless the school receives a greater number of applications than there are spaces for students, in which case students will be admitted through a random selection process. • Will adhere to the antidiscrimination provisions of section 1000.05, F.S. • Will adhere to all applicable provision of state and federal law relating to the education of students with disabilities, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974; and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. • Will adhere to all applicable provisions of federal law relating to students who are limited English proficient, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974. • Will participate in the statewide assessment program created under section 1008.22, F.S. • Will comply with Florida statutes relating to public records and public meetings, including Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, and section 286.011, F.S., which are applicable to applicants even prior to being granted a charter. • Will obtain and keep current all necessary permits, licenses and certifications related to fire, health and safety within the building and on school property. • Will provide for an annual financial audit in accordance with section 218.39, F.S. The governing board, at its discretion, allows ________ (name), _____(title) to sign as the legal correspondent for the school. ______________________________________________ Signature Date ______________________________________________ Printed Name 124