COOPERATIVE INNOVATIVE HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATION In accordance with N.C.G.S. 115C-‐238.50-‐.55 | APPLICATION CYCLE 2015-‐16
APPLICATION DUE SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
Submitted to the NC State Board of Education NC State Board of Community Colleges and University of North Carolina Board of Governors
PART A – INITIAL APPLICANT INFORMATION Proposed Cooperative Innovative High School (CIHS) Name: Chatham County School of Science and Engineering Planned Location: Siler City, NC -‐-‐ on the existing campus currently housing both SAGE Academy (alternative school for Chatham County Schools) and the Central Carolina Community College Welding Lab Local Education Agency (LEA) Name: Chatham County Schools (CCS) LEA Number: 190 Institute of Higher Education Partner Name: Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) Other Partner Names: n/a
PREVIOUS STATUS: Is this school already an approved CIHS?
No
FUNDING REQUEST: Are you requesting additional state funds?
Yes
No
Yes
PART B – BASIC OVERVIEW OF PROPOSED CIHS PRIMARY CONTACT INFORMATION LEA Contact Name: Dr. Kelly Batten
Role: Executive Director for Secondary Programs
Email:
[email protected]
Phone: 919-‐930-‐7094
IHE Contact Name: Mrs. Virginia Mallory
Role: Director of Secondary Partnerships
Email:
[email protected]
Phone: 919-‐718-‐7370
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF CIHS (LESS THAN 150 WORDS) Chatham County School of Science and Engineering connects the needs of our students for a high-‐interest, highly-‐concentrated academic pathway with the identified economic needs in our community. Specifically, For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
1
architectural and engineering services, technical and research services, and information services through technology are strategic focus areas in our local (and regional) plan for economic growth. Our proposed Early th College high school will recruit students to enter as first-‐time 9 graders. Through our IHE partner, Central Carolina Community College, students will begin full-‐time college coursework on the CCCC campus by the third year of high school. Following completion of six semesters of CCCC coursework, students will graduate with a high school diploma and an Associate of Science with a focus in Engineering. The Associate of Science is transferable for university enrollment.
STUDENT TARGET POPULATION Indicate the population(s) to be served: High school students at risk of dropping out before attaining a high school diploma. High school students with parents who did not continue education beyond high school, defined as “first generation college students” by the USED.
* US Department of Education (USED) defines a first generation college student as a student from a family in which neither parent (whether natural or adoptive) received a baccalaureate degree or a student who, prior to the age of 18, regularly resided with and received support from only one natural or adoptive parent and whose supporting parent did not receive a baccalaureate degree.
High school students who would benefit from accelerated academic instruction.
GRADE LEVELS OFFERED Check all grades that apply:
Grade 9
Grade10
Grade 11
Grade12
Grade 13
PROGRAM CONFIGURATION Indicate which program best fits your CIHS program of study: Career and Technical Education CIHS prepares students in grades 9-‐13 for a career pathway to graduate with a high school diploma and a post-‐secondary credential such as an Associate’s Degree, diploma, or certificate from the cooperating college and/or industry based certifications. Early College CIHS prepares students in grades 9-‐12 or 9-‐13 to graduate students with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree or two years of transferrable credit. Middle College CIHS prepares students in grades 10-‐12/13 or 11-‐13 to graduate students with a high school diploma and transferrable college credit.
How will the CIHS serve students beyond what is already available through the College Transfer pathway and/or Career Technical Education pathway of Career and College Promise? th
This school recruits students entering 9 grade and offers a full Associate degree by year 13, which is not an available option for all traditional students in our district. Also, there is currently no Early College option for students within the Chatham County Schools. Participating students in our Early College program of study may access accelerated opportunities for core content and elective courses during the school year and the summer beyond the sequence available to other students through the traditional College Transfer pathway and CCP offerings. This course sequence is detailed in the curriculum template attached to this application.
STUDENT SELECTION AND ADMISSION PROCESS Describe the student selection and admissions process, include specific selection criteria and recruitment efforts. For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
2
th
Targeted recruitement of students through 8 grade counselors, middle school principals, and core content teachers will provide an initial pool of candidates. Significant factors and criteria for consideration include parent education history and student interviews, along with using academic data to identify students with strong assessment results in Math in spite of low levels of classroom engagment. For our community, we are also mindful of the imperative to connect with families with undocumented citizenship status during the recruitment process. This represents an increasing percentage of our student population and our community. The student selection and recruitment process will therefore include community information events targeted for Spanish native speakers. in terms of numbers, the goal of all recruitment efforts is to offer admission to a range of students balanced across the three traditional high school attendance zones.
PROJECTED STUDENT ENROLLMENT, INDICATE APPROPRIATE GRADE LEVELS
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Grade 9
30
30
30
30
30
25 to 30
25 to 30
25 to 30
25 to 30
25 to 30
25 to 30
25 to 30
25 to 30
25 to 30
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 12
Grade 13
25 to 30
PART C – PROGRAM INFORMATION COMPREHENSIVE DESCRIPTION Describe fully the CIHS, addressing all relevant purposes outlined in the N. C. G. S. 115C-‐238.50 (a,b). How will this proposed CIHS better prepare students to be college and career ready? This proposed school targets first generation college students and students who would benefit from accelerated academic instruction. In the absence of such innovation, our community defers such opportunities for high school students to the availability of online instruction or upperclassmen access to community college courses. It is important to note that our community includes a growing number of students and families with undocumented citizenship status. Perceived and real limits to these post-‐secondary options for these students is a contributing at-‐risk factor for many of them. Access to post-‐secondary credentials and degrees through an accelerated learning opportunity, such as the Early College model, becomes a targeted strategy in reducing the potential for such students to drop out of school prior to graduation. In embracing the purpose of the CIHS Early College model, students at this school enter as 9th graders to obtain a high school diploma and concurrently complete an Associate of Science with a focus in Engineering by year 13. Both degree programs provide transferable credit toward university enrollment. As further indication to the community of the important partnership between Chatham County Schools and Central Carolina Community th th College (CCCC), it is our intent for students to complete 9 and 10 grade high school courses in an existing available school building of the Chatham County Schools in Siler City, NC. Though the students will be exclusively completing college courses on the CCCC campus during the third, fourth, and fifth years the dedicated building space in Siler City provides a central academic hub for all Early College students to utilize. In addition, this academic building holds significant legacy value for the greater school community, as it was a community school prior to integration and a consolidated junior high school prior to district expansion of
For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
3
facilities. Utilizing an approved CIHS location waiver for this instructional space strengthens our anticipated success with parental involvement, family counseling, and progress monitoring -‐-‐ the community embraces this facility as safe, inviting, and personal. These are significant traits to value as we target first generation college families and students at-‐risk of dropping out.
RESPONSE TO REGION’S ECONOMIC VISION Explain how the CIHS relates to the Economic Vision Plan adopted for the economic development region where the school is located. The Chatham County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been charged with facilitating strategic plan development by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners. The current plan was adopted in November 2008, with revisions completed in 2014. identified focus areas from the strategic plan that area aligned with the vision of our Early College program of study include the following: architectural and engineering services, technical and research services, and information services through technology. A common action step across each of these focus areas in the economic vision plan is the importance of education. Establishing a purposeful and targeted academic opportunity for our students through the School of Science and Engineering connects the vision of the school with the economic development goals for our community.
CURRICULUM Provide a description of the overall instructional program and how it will introduce innovation into the classroom. Address how the CIHS will ensure graduates are prepared for college and career. Project Based Learning (PBL), as advanced by research from the Buck Institute for Education, provides the cornerstone for the school's instructional program. The PBL framework (which was revised as recently as 2014) provides a comprehensive and research-‐based model for sustained inquiry, student "voice and choice", critique, and challenging problems. As an avenue for innovation in the classroom, PBL increases both the levels of student engagement and the opportunities for authentic demonstrations of content mastery. Access to collabortive learning spaces described in the "Part D -‐ Operations" portion of this application complement the st PBL instructional focus for this school. College and career readiness embraces 21 century technologies and skills, including teamwork, entreprenuership, critical thinking, and problem solving. PBL in the high school develops these competencies among students and enhances their preparation for college and career.
Develop a proposed curriculum map for the CIHS. Include courses that will support completion of a high school diploma and the IHE program of study aligned to the CIHS program configuration. Submit a completed CIHS Curriculum Map with this application. Templates are available in a separate document. The proposed curriculum map is attached to this application. To streamline the opportunities for students to access college coursework, this school will use a 22-‐credit diploma for purposes of high school graduation. This accelerates the full-‐time college course participation for these students to encompass the entirety of years three, four, and five at the school. The pre-‐college supports, both academically and socially, that are available through advising and counseling of students will be used throughout the first and second years at the school. The approved location waiver is an important element of this strategy, as it allows the selected facility described in our application to become the academic hub for our Early College students and families. Where feasible, an appropriate college level course is planned as the credit opportunity for high school graduation requirements. Credit examples noted on the proposed curriculum map include the fourth Social Studies requirement, the third Science reqirement, and the fourth Math requirement.
STUDENT GOALS/EXPECTATIONS
For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
4
Describe expected student academic and career/technical achievement goals and the measures used to demonstrate how students have attained the skills and knowledge specified for the goals. GOAL
INDICATOR
Students study and develop college & career planning skills.
College & Career Development Plan for each student. Revisited each semester with advisement. E-‐ portfolio resources developed.
Students explore options and actively create portfolios related to college & career planning
College & Career Development Plan for each student. Revisited each semester with advisement. CFNC accounts (or other comparable resource) used by each student to develop post-‐ secondary portfolio.
Students demonstrate mastery of college & career planning and navigate available college resources; students synthesize financial literacy and post-‐ secondary planning.
Post-‐secondary & post-‐Associate degree applications for each student; FAFSA for each student; EverFi online modules completed.
Students will demonstrate college eligiblity through graduation & degree completion.
Annual graduation rate and calculation of Associate degree completion.
Students will self-‐assess academic rigor needs and develop a plan of study through college readiness estimated scores.
PLAN performance indicators and PSAT performacne indicators for college readiness; subsequent course of study selections for th academic electives for 11 and th 12 grades.
Students will enhance post-‐ secondary planning through self-‐ assessment of college readiness benchmark data.
ACT performance indicators and SAT performance indicators for college readiness; subsequent course of study selections for th academic electives for 12 grade and year 5.
Students will exhibit academic rigor throughout high school.
Enrollment in Honors or advanced level coursework each semester for each core content area.
Students will demonstrate a growth mindset toward college readiness in seeking advanced coursework beyond program requirements.
TARGET th
100% of 9 grade students establish a College & Career Development Plan by the end of st th the 1 semester of 9 grade. th 100% of 9 grade students attain a Grade Point Average of 3.5 or higher. Thereafter, 100% of 10th grade students have expanded the College & Career Development Plan to include an account and post-‐secondary portfolio through CFNC (or other comparable resource). 100% of year 5 students will complete FAFSA materials; 100% of year 5 students will be accepted into an IHE; 100% of students will complete selected EverFi (or other comparable resource) modules to demonstrate financial literacy. 100% of each class cohort graduates on-‐time (or earlier); 100% of each class cohort sustains enrollment requirements and completes the Associate degree by the conclusion of year 5. th 100% of 10 grade students will attain an estimated ACT composite score of 18 or higher on th the PLAN. 100% of 10 grade students will score at or above PSAT designated college readiness benchmarks. th
100% of 11 grade students meet or exceed the minimum score of 17 used for college admission.
100% of students (grades 9-‐10) will participate in either Honors, Advanced Placement, or college level coursework each semester. th th th 100% of 11 , 12 , and 13 grade Enrollment in Advanced students will attain two or more Placement and college coursework credits of AP or other college beyond cohort requirements each coursework beyond the degree th th th year (11 , 12 , and 13 ). pathway requirements.
For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
5
th
Students will demonstrate academic focus.
Cumulative Grade Point Average each semester
End of Course testing results for Students will demonstrate content Biology, Math 1, and English 10; mastery and academic growth EVAAS growth indicators each annually. semester.
100% of 9 grade students attain a Grade Point Average of 3.5 or higher. Thereafter, 3.0 or higher is maintained each semester. 100% of students will meet Career & College Readiness standards (level 4 or 5) for EOC tests. 100% of students will meet or exceed growth expectations as measured through EVAAS calculations.
PARENT/FAMILY INVOLVEMENT Describe how the CIHS, including administrators and teachers, will partner with parents/families to support student success. Include how the CIHS will measure parent/family involvement. The School of Science and Engineering will collaborate with families to establish a Parent Advisory Council and parent representation within the School Improvement Plan team. Parent representation will be critical across the three high school attendance zones that the CIHS will represent. The CIHS will utilize community partnerships, such as the Chatham Education Partnership, Chatham Reads, and the YMCA, to build connections between local services and the school's families. Staffing needs noted in the proposed budget for the school will be targeted to include counseling services for students and families emphasizing academic success and college planning. Volunteer logs will directly measure parent and family involvement, along with annual surveys for families and community members. It is planned for the annual survey of families to include opportunities for open-‐ended responses and community focus groups. Outreach activities will be included as monitored action steps within the annual School Improvement Plan. Flexbility for staff during scheduled school system workdays will include the opportunity for home-‐visits for each of the enrolled students annually.
SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS MEASURES Describe how the CIHS, LEA and partner IHE will measure the school’s effectiveness with respect to meeting the purposes specified in NCGS 115C-‐238.50. For alignment between the CIHS legislation and the shared vision for the School of Science and Engineering, the NCGS 115C-‐238.50 CIHS purposes will serve as the framework for annual goals within the School Improvement Plan. This process for continuous improvement assures the effectiveness measures described below can also be monitored for benchmark progress throughout the academic year. The school, along with school system and CCCC, will monitor the initial enrollment cohort to assure compliance with the targeted audience of students. th During the initial years of operation, a flexible timeline will be used for recruitment such that a 9 grade student may apply and enroll at the CIHS during the first three weeks of school, if open seats are available. Specific data to be used for measuring the effectiveness of the CIHS are detailed in the "Student Goals / Expectations" section th above and include the following: PLAN test outcomes to gauge progress toward college readiness during the 10 th grade year; PSAT results to measure college readiness during the 10 grade year; ACT composite results to th measure college readiness in the 11 grade year; cohort graduation rate of 100%; and Associate of Science completion rate above the CCCC annual average. Qualitative data through the annual survey of parents, students, teachers, and community members will also be used as an indicator of school effectiveness. It is planned that the annual survey can include opportunities for open-‐ended responses and focus groups. Results of the data analysis, from test sources, surveys, and interviews, will be used for annual adjustments to the CIHS operating procedures.
PART D – OPERATIONS
For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
6
PROPOSED BUDGET Describe the budget development process for the CIHS. The budget for the School of Science and Engineering is modeled after the existing budget for the non-‐ traditional high school in the Chatham County Schools, SAGE Academy. During the most recent academic year, SAGE Academy enrolled 75 students in grades 9-‐12. Core content teachers in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies are employed at the school, along with a full-‐time counselor, principal, Exceptional Children's case manager, and media specialist. SAGE Academy also receives position allocations for Career and Technical Education, Health and Physical Education, and clerical support. Through contracted services supported with local funding, tutoring resources for students and instructional coaching for teachers are available at SAGE Academy. The features described above encompass our assessment of student needs for the first five years of the CIHS. In developing a CIHS budget for an initial cohort of 25 to 30 students, which expands annually thereafter, the operating budget for SAGE Academy provided a framework to gauge our estimated annual local expenses and our projected CIHS state funding request. Our IHE partner, CCCC, provided estimated student fees and textbook costs for the coursework included in the curriculum template. Our school system currently provides local funding for student fees and CCCC textbooks. This is reflected in the five year proposed budget attached to this application. Estimated expenses for salary and personnel benefits were calculated in consulation with the Chatham County Schools Office of Finance. The supplemental funding requested from PRC055 is targeted toward increased college textbook fees and student support through the hiring of an academic success college liaison counselor.
Complete the Proposed Budget Template for the next five years. Template is available in a separate document. Submit a completed Proposed Budget with this application. • • •
Include funding sources in the budget. If the CIHS is not requesting additional funding, the CIHS proposed budget is still required. Complete applicable sections. If the CIHS is requesting additional funding, the CIHS proposed budget is required. This budget is a five-‐year proposed budget and includes, Average Daily Membership (ADM) and Full-‐Time Equivalents (FTE), as well as personnel and equipment needs.
If your IHE partner is a University partner, describe how the tuition charges will be determined. (not applicable since our partner, Central Carolina Community College, provides waived tuition for students under the provisions of the Career and College Promise; student fees and associated costs for textbooks will be an annual budgeted expense of the Chatham County Schools)
PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS Describe the specific positions and qualifications of employees in the program. th
th
For the 9 grade and 10 grade sequence of courses, teachers must be certified in the appropriate content area and meet annual evaluation and renewal credit requirements for continued employment with the Chatham County Schools. For the college level coursework during the students' third, fourth, and fifth years of school, the faculty must meet annual requirements for continued employment established by our IHE partner. The acadmic success college liaison counselor shall be jointly evaluated by the school system and our IHE partner. This specfic role has the desired qualifications of prior university level counseling/advising experience, preferably within the degree fields associated with science and engineering. Contracted academic tutors for CIHS students will be recruited from current students attending CCCC and/or the universities in our economic region. Additional contracted academic tutors will be recruited from careers using degree coursework in science and engineering.
For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
7
CIHS LOCATION CIHS Address: 501 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Siler City, NC 27344 Is the CIHS located on the campus of the IHE partner?
No
Yes
If no, explain why the CIHS is not on the campus of the IHE partner? As noted in "Part C -‐ Program Information" above, it is our intent for students to complete 9th and 10th grade high school courses in an existing available school building of the Chatham County Schools in Siler City, NC. The students will be exclusively completing college courses on the CCCC campus during the third, fourth, and fifth years. The dedicated building space in Siler City provides a central academic hub for all Early College students, families, and staff. In addition, this academic building holds significant legacy value for the greater school community, as it was a community school prior to integration, a consolidated junior high school prior to district expansion, and an alternative high school with a Class of 2015 cohort graduation rate exceeding 90%. Utilizing an approved CIHS location waiver for this instructional space strengthens our anticipated success with parental involvement, family counseling, and progress monitoring -‐-‐ the community embraces this facility as safe, inviting, and personal. These are significant traits to value as we target first generation college families and students at-‐risk of dropping out. Specific to the academic benefits of this facility, we will have access to ten classrooms, two science labs, café commons, and media center. In addition, the facility is fully wifi compatible and includes collaborative technology for videoconferencing and digital media development.
Check here if you would like to request an official location waiver for the on-‐site requirement.
No
Yes
If this CIHS is already operational, describe facilities and indicate if there is an approved location waiver from the IHE Governing Boards. (see notes under "CIHS Location")
STUDENT TRANSPORTATION Describe how students are to be transported to the CIHS. Describe how the CIHS will ensure that no child is denied access due to transportation issues. th
Participating students will enroll as 9 graders. Because our district has three traditional high schools with comprehensive bus routes, the School of Science and Engineering students will travel to the base school with the peers from their community. A shuttle bus will then operate to and from the base school and the Early College daily. In similar fashion, beginning with the third year of operation, an additional shuttle will operate to transport students to and from the community college daily. Flexibility in the calendar and hours of operation for the Early College will be used appropriately to accommodate the daily transportation schedule.
OPERATING PROCEDURES Explain the CIHS operating procedures, including calendar and hours of operation. The School of Science and Engineering will follow the class calendar schedule of our partnering IHE, CCCC. Given the transportation needs of students and the 682 square miles of land (and 28 square miles of water) in Chatham County, the daily hours of operation for students will be 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This timeframe accounts for the shuttle bus operation since our traditional high schools are open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. During the contracted period for teachers, the School of Science and Engineering will be exempt from regularly scheduled teacher workday activities and may use this time for community engagement activities, student advisement home-‐visits, or professional development specificially tageted for the school's PBL curriculum framework. For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
8
SUBMISSION • • • • •
The application must be submitted jointly by a Local Board of Education and the Board of Trustees of the partner Institute of Higher Education. A complete application packet includes (1) CIHS Signature Page, (2) CIHS Application, (3) CIHS Curriculum Map, and (4) CIHS Proposed Budget. Submit all documents attached to one email. Only complete application packets will be reviewed and submitted to the State Board of Education and corresponding Board for action. An electronic version of the complete application packet, must be submitted to
[email protected] by September 15, 2015.
For questions, please contact NCDPI at
[email protected] or Sneha Shah-‐Coltrane, Director, Advanced Learning at 919-‐807-‐3849.
9
