Volume III, Issue 1, January 5, 2007

Charter Leader News

This issue of the Charter Leader News features information on the following . . .

Cap Lift

ELA Assessments

Teacher Recruitment

Writing and Thinking Skills Workshop

Best in CLASS Award

GOVERNOR SPITZER CALLS FOR RAISING CHARTER SCHOOL CAP

The New Year started on an auspicious note with Governor Eliot Spitzer stating his strong support for lifting the cap on public charter schools in his State of the State address before the Legislature on Wednesday, January 03, 2007.

In the Governor's words:

"...we must raise the charter school cap. Not only must we invest in what we know works today, we must continuously experiment with new approaches. Charter schools can play a critical role here. Yet the increase in charter schools must be accompanied by transitional aid for districts - like Buffalo and Albany - that have been most affected by a high level of enrollment in charter schools."

Governor Spitzer's call for lifting the cap is welcome news, and confirmed the support he expressed for a cap lift during his campaign. His support for transition aid, while helpful to local school districts, would have no impact on public charter schools.

Even with his support, it is clear that securing a cap lift will require our vigilance in the coming months. To that end, the Charter Center will aggressively engage lawmakers and policymakers in the Spitzer Administration during these crucial first weeks of the session.

In our communications to date with the new administration, we have outlined several issues affecting charter schools, specifying proposals to strengthen these public schools and those that would have a punitive effect. We requested favorable consideration and action by the administration on the following:

Lifting the Charter Cap: From 100 to 300, including up to 50 which could be granted directly by the NYC Schools Chancellor.

Funding Equity: Public charter schools should be allowed to access state building aid for eligible projects. They are presently at a disadvantage by having to use operating funds and philanthropy for lease or debt service costs.

Strengthening Governance: Trustee boards of high-quality public charter schools should be allowed to govern more than one school, subject to authorizer approval.

The Charter Center will keep you informed of developments as the process moves forward.

Thank you.

OPERATIONS NEWS

New York State Grades 3 - 8 ELA Assessments Update:

In an effort to summarize some of the most frequently asked questions by schools leaders regarding Grades 3-8 ELA Assessments, the Charter Center offers the following updates:

The most recent ELA Testing Memorandum, Memo #6-2006-07, has been posted on the NYC Department of Education Web site:http://schools.nyc.gov/daa/testmemos_06-07. Please review important instructions about deadlines, materials delivery, test administration, procedures and test packaging procedures.

Missing ELA Test Booklets: Charter schools that have not confirmed that they will be either receiving or picking up materials for the ELA exams scheduled for next week should immediately notify Josh Morales at jmorales5@schools.nyc.gov and follow up with Richard Bishop of SED at 518-474-5099.

CHANGE IN PROCEDURE: Schools MAY NOT go to the scan center to pick up missing or extra testing booklets this year. All missing material will be distributed by appointment only on the day of the test from the regional offices. Your listening passages were sent to schools from SED separately. Make sure you have them available prior to testing.

Missing Scan Documents: All schools must use the NYCDOE answer documents. If you have not received "pre-slugged" answer documents, please contact Josh Morales immediately at jmorales5@schools.nyc.gov. You should have received a box of blank scan sheets and extra packaging material at the beginning of the year. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not use SED-issued answer documents.

Scoring: The Charter Center will be working in conjunction with NYCDOE to host the scoring process for the open response portions of the ELA and Math tests again this year. We held a scoring conference call on January 4^th at 2pm to discuss the logistics of this year’s event. If you did not receive an information packet via email or were unable to be on the call, contact Nathan Hood at nhood@nycchartercenter.org for more information.

Change in the ELLs ELA Testing Policy: Please refer to Attachment #3 of the ELA Testing Memorandum, Memo #6-2006-07 (http://schools.nyc.gov/daa/testmemos_06-07) for more information.

Charter School Teacher Recruitment Initiatives:

Assisting public charter schools with recruitment needs and building staffing capability is an important part of the Charter Center’s mission. As such, the Center proposes, for the second year, an intensive recruiting initiative with the following elements:

Launch a Marketing Campaign to educate the public about the benefits of being part of charter school teams.
Co-sponsor Job Fairs by partnering with K12connect to offer the NY Charter School Career fair on March 3, 2007, at Teachers College.
Reinvest in the Resume Bank and Job Posting Collection. Additionally, we will expand our site, http://www.nyccharterjobs.com/, to allow for easier school access and vacancy posting.
Increase teacher sourcing options by renewing our Teach For America grant and developing NYC Teaching Fellow access for charter schools.
Define and share Best Practices in staff sourcing, selection process and screening.

More information on each of these recruitment initiatives will be provided. Please direct any questions to Jessica Nauiokas at jnauiokas@nycchartercenter.org.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:

Developing Writing and Thinking Skills Training:

This workshop will target writing skills for middle school students. The presenter, John Collins, is well respected across the country for his work on developing a program for teaching writing across curriculum. If you are interested in learning more about his writing program, visit his Web site at: http://www.collinseducationassociates.com/

The workshop is FREE and will take place on Thursday, February 1, 2007, from 8 am – noon, at Hyde Leadership Charter School, 730 Bryant Avenue, Bronx, New York, 10474. Take the # 6 subway to Hunts Point. Please RSVP to Betsy Olney at bolney@hydebronx.org if you’re interested in attending.

CURRENT EVENTS:

NYC Charter School Best in CLASS Award:

The Charter Center is still accepting applications for the NYC Charter School Best in CLASS Award (Charter Leadership Achievement Sharing System). This award will be given to a team of NYC charter school leaders who join together and design a project that will drive academic achievement in participating schools.

The objective of this award is to stimulate natural networks of charter school leaders to drive academic achievement. For the 2006-07 school year, the award will be $5,000 to each participating school, plus a non cash prize significant to each school (4-5 schools).

Selection will be made by April 2007. Winners will be announced at the 2007 Charter School Leadership Network Summit. For additional details and an application, visit the FOR SCHOOL LEADERS page of our Web site or contact Jessica Nauiokas at jnauiokas@nycchartercenter.org.

MISSION:

The mission of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is to stimulate the supply of high-quality charter schools and support ongoing student excellence in all NYC charter schools, impacting the effectiveness of public education. As an independent nonprofit, the Charter Center is an advocate, bridge and catalyst for the achievement of academic and operational success and sustainability of all NYC public charter schools for each young person.