This issue of the Charter Leader News features information on . .
NCLB Teacher Certification Resources
Scoring Plan for State ELA
Funding Grants
Feb 13 Lobby Day
Community Forums in Manhattan and Queens
The Charter Center, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education, is proud to have played a part in the development of a qualified pool of scorers
for this year's State English Language Arts (ELA) exam.
More than 45 NYC charter school teachers and administrators were introduced to
the content and general scoring rubrics of the State ELA exam during the ELA Coach
Training last December. For details on scoring dates see "Scoring Plan for State ELA" under OPERATIONS NEWS.
The Charter Center congratulates four new charter schools approved this week
by the New York State Board of Regents to open in fall 2006. They are: International Leadership Charter School in the Bronx, Achievement First Endeavor Charter School in Brooklyn, Ross Global Academy Charter School (location TBD) and Hyde Leadership Charter School in northern Manhattan.
Twelve new charter schools have now been approved to open next fall in New York
City. Three to four additional NYC charter schools could be approved on Jan. 24
when the SUNY Board is scheduled to vote on the last remaining charters available
under the state law.
The good news is 12 to 15 new charter schools will open in New York City next
fall serving more deserving families who want educational options for their children.
The bad news is the state will hit the "cap" this month and no more charters will
be available for future schools.
Throughout the current legislative session, the Charter Center will advocate
for a lifting of the cap by working with its allies in the State Legislature,
promoting charter schools in the media and holding events to raise public awareness.
We will also ask school leaders, parents, funders and board members to support
our efforts by contacting lawmakers and attending the Feb. 13 Lobby Day in Albany, as well as other events designed to keep attention on this issue.
Thank you.
NCLB "Highly Qualified" Teacher Certification Resources Available
The "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) law requires all public school teachers who
provide direct instruction in one or more core academic subjects be "highly qualified"
(HQ) by the end of the 2005-06 school year. The Charter Center has developed assessment
tools for school leaders to determine if their teachers meet HQ requirements.
We encourage you to first download the document entitled NCLB Introduction and
Instructions which gives an overview of the NCLB requirements. You should then
provide each member of your teaching staff with the appropriate self-assessment
checklists, which are also available on our Web site.
The Center is preparing a professional development seminar on NCLB certification
requirements – stay tuned for details. In addition, one-on-one consultations will
be available to all schools. If you have specific questions about NCLB or the
documents on our Web site, please contact Caryl Cohen at ccohen@nycchartercenter.org or 212-437-8326. Caryl will be available to follow up with teachers once they
have taken the self-assessment if they do not meet the minimum requirements under
NCLB.
NYC Charter School Collaborative Scoring Plan for the State ELA Exam
All charter school leaders and coaches should have received a memorandum summarizing
the NYC Charter School Collaborative Scoring Process on January 10th. Please review this document to help with resource allocation during the scoring.
Scoring is scheduled to occur between February 7th and 17th from 8 am to 5 pm at the Charter Center.
Grade Specific Scoring Dates:
February 7 - Grade 7
February 8 - Grade 3
February 9 - Grade 4
February 10 - Grade 4 (grade 3 as needed)
February 13 - Grade 5
February 14 - Grade 8
February 15 - Grade 8 (Grade 7 as needed)
February 16 - Grade 6
February 17 - Grade 6 (Grade 5 as needed)
State Stimulus Fund Grants:
In preparation for the next round of State Stimulus Fund Grant Awards (six NYC
charter schools received grants last round), the Charter Center is sponsoring
a forum next Friday, January 20, 2006, from 9-11am, for current grant applicants and new charter school operators.
The purpose of the forum is to share examples of winning proposals and prepare
applicants for a competitive process. To that end, the Charter Center has hired
a consultant to review grant applications, answer questions and make recommendations
for improvement. This service will be most beneficial to the people tasked with
developing and writing the grant proposal.
Charter Schools Program Planning and Implementation Grants:
This week the New York State Education Department (SED) announced a Request for
Proposal (RFP) for Charter Schools Planning Implementation Grants under the Public
School Choice Program.
This RFP is for continuation grants for charter schools currently holding a Charter
Schools Program (CSP) grant. The maximum amount of time any school may be funded
through CSP is 36 months. Eligibility is limited to current grant recipients
only. This means that the 2005-06 academic year counts as year two or year three
of an existing grant. If a school falls within this grant cycle, the school should
check its initial award letter to make certain that it has been approved for two
years. Continuation grant applications must be received (by SED)as soon as possible,
but no later than 5 pm on February 28, 2006.
On Friday, Jan. 27, the Charter Center will hold a workshop for grant applicants needing technical
assistance. The session will run from 9-11 am at the Center’s 111 Broadway (Suite
604) offices. Please RSVP by Friday January 20, 2006, to Tony Lopez at 212-437-8304 or email: alopez@nycchartercenter.org.
February 13 Lobby Day in Albany:
The debate in Albany over lifting the statutory "cap" on charter schools is heating
up. To capitalize on the attention this issue is generating the Center is holding
a Lobby Day on Feb. 13 in Albany.
Our goal is to bring educators and organizations applying for charters in 2007
- along with their board members, funders, supporters and prospective parents
- to Albany to press lawmakers to lift the cap. Our message to lawmakers is: unless
the cap is lifted, the pipeline for the development of quality charter schools
will dry up.
Our message to those applying for charters in 2007 (and beyond) is: Come to the
Feb 13 Lobby Day. Meet your lawmakers. Tell them about the human and fiscal investment you've
made in your school plans. Urge them to lift the cap!
We are also asking everyone with a stake in the charter school movement to attend and support this effort.
The Charter Center is working with the New York State Charter Schools Association to schedule meetings with individual lawmakers and to advise school leaders on
how to advocate on behalf of their schools and a cap lift. Bus transportation
will be provided from NYC to Albany (arrive back in NYC by 6:30 pm), as well as
meals for all who attend.
Community Forums Scheduled in Manhattan and Queens:
The Hispanic Federation and the Charter Center will sponsor two charter school community forums in February.
The first is Feb. 9, in Manhattan at the Amber Charter School (220 East 106th St., New York, NY. 10029). The next is Feb. 28, in Queens at the Elmhurst Senior Center (75-01 Broadway, Elmhurst, NY, 11373).
The purpose of the forums are to raise public awareness about charters schools
among parents, community organizations and individuals who may be interested in
starting schools in their community. The forums, which run from 5:30 pm to 7:30
pm, feature presentations by charter school leaders, parent representatives, education
officials and community leaders.
