Proposed School: Green Dot Charter HS opening in the 2017-18 School Year

Shelby County Charter Schools Application (Amended) Proposed School: Green Dot Charter HS opening in the 2017-18 School Year Commissioner, Dr Candice McQueen GENERAL INFORMATION NAME OF PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL: Green Dot Charter High School (HS) CHARTERING AUTHORITY FOR PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL: Shelby County Schools SPONSOR/SPONSORING AGENCY: Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee THE SPONSOR IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH 501(c)(3) STATUS: Yes MODEL OR FOCUS OF PROPOSED SCHOOL: College Preparatory 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 follow-up, interviews, and notices regarding this application NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Megan Quaile MAILING ADDRESS: 4950 Fairley Road, Memphis, TN 38109 PRIMARY TELEPHONE: (901) 881-7375 ALTERNATE TELEPHONE: (213) 220-1429 EMAIL ADDRESS: mquaile@greendot.org NAME OF PROPOSED SCHOOL LEADER (IF ANY): To be determined REPLICATION APPLICATION: Yes No PROJECTED YEAR OF SCHOOL OPENING: 2017-2018 CITY OR GEOGRAPHIC COMMUNITY: SOUTHEAST MEMPHIS Does the proposed school intend to contract or partner with a charter management organization (CMO) or not-for-profit education service provider? Note: Tennessee law currently permits an operator to contract with non-profit service providers It does not permit operators to contract with for profit service providers Yes No If yes, identify the CMO or other partner organization: Does this applicant have charter school applications under consideration by any other authorizer(s) in the United States? Yes No If yes, complete the table below, adding lines as needed STATE AUTHORIZER PROPOSED SCHOOL NAME APPLICATION DUE DATE DECISION DATE Indicate Applicant Type: New-Start Applicant Existing TN Operator Proposing New Focus/Grade Structure OR Existing non-TN operator Existing Tennessee Operator Proposing Exact Focus/Grade Structure Cover Sheet Detailing Revisions made to initial Green Dot Charter HS application SECTION FEEDBACK CHANGES INCORPORATED 1.2 ENROLLMENT SUMMARY “The acceptance list and waitlist will be made public as soon as practicable, posted in public locations.” This is not acceptable and violation of student privacy protections 1.4 ACADEMIC FOCUS AND PLAN “’Green Dot’s basic learning environment will be classroom-based with target student-teacher ratios of 20:1’ In section 1.4, Green Dot shows even at scale, 19 core content teachers for 616 students This is a 32:1 ratio Even adding in the 9-noncore teachers in the staffing plan only brings this ratio down to 22:1.” “More information is needed on differentiated instruction The section does not provide the appropriate level of detail.” “Indicator #1 on p 14 asks ‘is the school meeting its goals on internal assessments, state standardized tests, and student growth?’ However, the goals are not listed.” “More information is needed about the use of Carnegie math as an assessment.” Revised Attachment C to include that we post acceptance and waitlists in a de-identified manner using a confidential numeric identifier assigned to each applicant We have updated our student : teacher ratio to 22:1 across the application 1.4 ACADEMIC FOCUS AND PLAN 1.7 ASSESSMENTS 1.7 ASSESSMENTS 1.8 SCHOOL “More information is needed on the CALENDAR number of early release days (also AND SCHEDULE called minimum days) Schools are only allowed unless prior approval by Tennessee Commissioner of Education.” 1.9 SPECIAL Requested additional information on POPULATIONS the Response to Intervention process, AND AT-RISK identification of students with STUDENTS disabilities, processes for gifted students and clarifications around staffing and budget (including partners and plans for students with moderate / severe disabilities.) Added additional description on differentiated instruction practices and objectives Updated narrative to reiterate goals listed in section 1.1 and to note that student growth is pending assessment transition Updated narrative to include additional context on the Carnegie math assessment We have updated the calendar to reflect minimum days for parent conferences Students will have Advisory after completing exams We updated the narrative to provide additional detail around our Response to Intervention processes, including student identification We clarified alignment to the budget and provided additional detail on partners, Shelby County Schools Charter Application – Green Dot Charter HS MODIFIED PAGES 98 - 100 7-8 15-16 14 18 and 90 21-25 SECTION FEEDBACK CHANGES INCORPORATED 1.11 MARKETING, RECRUITMENT AND ENROLLMENT 1.14 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT “The application lacks a detailed timeline that includes all activities surrounding the plan.” providers and plans for students with moderate / severe disabilities We also provided detail on processes to identify and support gifted students We have included a graphic outlining planned activities and timeline 2.4 PERSONNEL / HUMAN CAPITAL “’Green Dot’s basic learning environment will be classroom-based with target student-teacher ratios of 20:1’ In section 1.4, Green Dot shows even at scale, 19 core content teachers for 616 students This is a 32:1 ratio Even adding in the 9-noncore teachers in the staffing plan only brings this ratio down to 22:1.” “The application contains insurance for their current schools The plan must address how the proposed school will meet the requirements set forth by SCS The required information was distributed at the applicant meeting which was attended by a representative of this organization.” 2.6 INSURANCE 2.11 NETWORK VISION, GROWTH PLAN AND CAPACITY “The section is missing the needed detail as outlined in the application requirements.” “Green Dot’s aggressive growth plan which includes 10 approvals in the ASD along with its marginal performance in the ASD is cause for concern An emphasis on turnaround efforts may have an impact on the opening of new start charters.” We have updated the narrative to include further detail on Hot Schools and other supporting performance management processes We updated our student : teacher ratio to 22:1 to reflect planned staffing The staffing itself is unchanged We elaborated on the specific insurance coverage we will obtain and confirmed that this aligns with requirements from SCS We have updated Attachment K with a letter from our existing insurance provider committing to insuring the new school We have added new data from SY 15-16 as proof points that performance at Fairley continued to improve even while adding Wooddale We are still awaiting some data points from the past year, but Shelby County Schools Charter Application – Green Dot Charter HS MODIFIED PAGES 30 33-34 57 60 and 179 - 181 70-72 SECTION FEEDBACK CHANGES INCORPORATED have included what’s currently available 3.1 & 3.2 “Management fees per pupil are We provided additional CHARTER 14.5% of public funds Contingency context on Green Dot’s SCHOOL plans are not detailed for management fees and FINANCING philanthropic funds.” shared data on comparable organization fees We expanded on contingency plans for philanthropic funding 3.3 FINANCIAL “A plan to resolve the outstanding We resolved the PLAN delinquency with SCS must be outstanding delinquency, submitted.” explained the reasons behind the error and described the processes in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again 4.1 PAST “A copy of the unaudited financial We added a page in PERFORMANCE statements are included but the Attachment X clarifying that application requires a copy of the the audited financials are audit.” already included as Attachment M We were unable to include the full audited financials a second time given page limitations OVERALL “The TVAAS score of a for 2014-15 We explained the forecasts possible challenges.” improvement plans put in place after receiving the TVAAS data OVERALL “In our interview, Green Dot We provided more context referenced their success in other on Green Dot’s overall communities as evidence for why they growth trajectory as a can manage the pace of change network and decisions effectively; in an amended application, made as a result of those we would like to see that data so as to growth decisions make a more informed decision.” Shelby County Schools Charter Application – Green Dot Charter HS MODIFIED PAGES Attachment Q (not numbered) 80 242 89 89 Table of Contents Academic Plan Design and Capacity .1 1.1 School Mission and Goals 1.2 Enrollment Summary 1.3 School Development 1.4 Academic Focus and Plan 1.5 Academic Performance Standards 11 1.6 High School Graduation and Postsecondary Readiness (high schools only) 12 1.7 Assessments 14 1.8 School Calendar and Schedule 17 1.9 Special Populations and At-Risk Students 20 1.10 School Culture and Discipline .25 1.11 Marketing, Recruitment, and Enrollment .29 1.12 Community Involvement and Parent Engagement 31 1.13 Existing Academic Plan (for existing operators) 32 1.14 Performance Management (for existing operators) .32 Operations Plan and Capacity 36 2.1 Governance 36 2.2 Start-Up Plan 40 2.3 Facilities 42 2.4 Personnel/Human Capital .43 2.5 Professional Development 57 2.6 Insurance 60 2.7 Transportation 61 2.8 Food Service 61 2.9 Additional Operations 62 2.10 Waivers 65 2.11 Network Vision, Growth Plan, & Capacity (for existing operators) 69 2.12 Network Management (for existing operators) 72 2.13 Network Governance (for existing operators) .76 2.14 Charter School Management Contracts (if applicable) 77 2.15 Personnel/Human Capital - Network-wide Staffing Projections (for existing operators) 77 2.16 Personnel/Human Capital – Staffing Plans, Hiring, Management, and Evaluation (for existing operators) 78 Financial Plan and Capacity 80 3.1 Planning and Budget Worksheet 80 3.2 Budget Narrative .80 3.3 Financial Plan 80 3.4 Financial Plan 81 Portfolio Review/Performance Record (For Existing Operators) .82 4.1 Past Performance 82 Shelby County Schools Charter Application – Green Dot Charter HS Attachments…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….90 A Annual School Academic Calendar……………………………………………………………………………………90 B Student Discipline Policy……………………………………………………………………………………………… 91 C Student Enrollment Policy………………………………………………………………………………………………98 D Student Handbook / School Forms………………………………………………………………………………… 102 E Pledged Support from Prospective Partners……………………………………………………………………… 107 F Letters of Support / MOUs / Contracts……………………………………………………………………………… 110 G Board Governance Documents……………………………………………………………………………………….115 G1 Articles of Incorporation…………………………………………………………………………………………115 G2 Proof of non-profit and tax exempt status………………………………………………………………… 124 G3 By-laws……………………………………………………………………………………………………………126 G4 Code of Ethics……………………………………………………………………………………………………151 G5 Conflict of Interest Policy……………………………………………………………………………………… 153 G6 Board member resumes……………………………………………………………………………………… 158 G7 Board policies, including policies on open meetings and open records……………………………… N/A H School Leader Resumes………………………………………………………………………………………………169 I Employee Manual / Personnel Policies……………………………………………………………………………… 173 J School Organizational Chart………………………………………………………………………………………… 177 K Insurance Coverage……………………………………………………………………………………………………179 L CMO Agreement…………………………………………………………………………………………………… N/A M Network Audit………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 182 N Network Organizational Chart…………………………………………………………………………………………223 O CMO Documents………………………………………………………………………………………………… .N/A P Planning and Budget Worksheet…………………………………………………………………… Not numbered Q Budget Narrative………………………………………………………………………………………… Not numbered R Network Budget…………………………………………………………………………………………….Not numbered S Budget Narrative……………………………………………………………………………………………………… N/A T School/Network Budget……………………………………………………………………………………………… N/A U Student Achievement/Growth Results……………………………………………………………………………… 225 V Portfolio Summary Template………………………………………………………………………………………… 226 W LEA Evaluations…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 229 X School Financials…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 242 Y Litigation Documents……………………………………………………………………………………………… N/A Z Additional Information for Charter School Applicants – Shelby County Supplement .Not numbered Shelby County Schools Charter Application – Green Dot Charter HS CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION NARRATIVE Academic Plan Design and Capacity 1.1 School Mission and Goals Mission and Vision Green Dot primarily serves low-income and minority students, and Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee (GDPST) has focused on narrowing the achievement gap for students in the bottom 5% of schools, by operating schools within the Achievement School District in TN Green Dot’s model is designed to create small, safe, high-performing learning environments to meet individual student needs Green Dot schools have small classroom sizes, effective, caring teachers, school counselors, student support services, intervention courses to accelerate student learning, Advanced Placement and Honors courses, a college-going culture, and a wide variety of athletic programs and extra-curricular activities The mission of Green Dot Charter HS will be to prepare students for success in college, leadership and life by providing a small, college-preparatory educational program The two and four-year college acceptance rate for graduating seniors at Green Dot schools in 2014-2015 was 95% Green Dot is proud to partner with the community to build a great school Goals The goals for Green Dot Charter HS are as follows: Category Student Achievement and Growth Indicator Student Achievement on State Assessments Graduation Rate ACT and College-Readiness Lexile Growth Student and Family Engagement Student Performance School Attendance Rates Chronic Absenteeism Rates Pupil Suspension Family Satisfaction Metric On TCAP Assessments: baseline 2017-2018 year; after that 10% growth in proficient / advanced each year from the 2017-2018 baseline On TN Ready Assessments: baseline 2017-2018 year; after that 5% increase each year on students scoring proficient / advanced (P/A) school-wide for each subgroup (or an aggregate of 25 percentage points over years) until 80% P/A is achieved Target is 90% graduation rate Baseline in 2017-2018 school year with target growth of +0.5 points per year from 2017-2018 baseline Baseline in 2017-2018 with target growth of 1.5 years or more from baseline Target is 15% D’s and F’s or less Target is 90% attendance Reduce the % of students classified as chronically absent by 1% a year until under 3% of population Reduce suspension rates by 25% each year, with end goal of schoolwide suspension rates below 5% 85% of Green Dot families will recommend Green Dot to a friend Shelby County Schools Charter Application – Green Dot Charter HS of 246 Family Support Quality Teaching and Leadership Effective Teaching College-Ready Teaching Course Offerings 85% of Green Dot families agree or strongly agree with the statements that “Teachers at this school have helped me to help my student get ready for their next step in their education” and “Teachers at my school have helped my student set high academic goals.” 100% of teachers highly qualified per NCLB and have either an overall TVAAS of or or a Green Dot effectiveness rating of Effective or Highly Effective 100% of teachers will attend professional development annually on TN Ready Standards, including specialized segments for teaching English Learners and students with disabilities through TNready aligned standards Principal to annually review master schedule to ensure course offerings best address needs of students 1.2 Enrollment Summary GRADE LEVEL 10 11 12 NUMBER OF STUDENTS YEAR YEAR 2017-2018 2018-2019 154 154 154 ANTICIPATED DEMOGRAPHICS 86% AA; 12% Hispanic / Latino YEAR 2019-2020 154 154 154 % OF ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS 93% YEAR 2020-2021 154 154 154 154 YEAR 2021-2022 154 154 154 154 AT CAPACITY 2021 154 154 154 154 % OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES % OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ~15% 10% Targeted Population of Students Green Dot aims to serve the highest need students within the community Nationwide, Green Dot serves low income and minority students and Green Dot Tennessee has an Economically Disadvantaged rate of 93% and a Special Education population of over 15% In addition, as an organization Green Dot has extensive experience with English Language Learners and an organizational goal is to help close the achievement gap that separates English Learners from their native speaking peers Need for Proposed School Green Dot Charter High School plans to locate in Southeast Memphis Southeast Memphis has multiple school options, yet significant academic deficits exist Wooddale High School is currently on the Priority Schools List, has an ACT of 14.9 and a graduation rate of 50.1% Students who are Limited English Proficient have a graduation rate of 30.4% Green Dot seeks to provide these students with a college preparatory education Shelby County Schools Charter Application – Green Dot Charter HS of 246