Berkeley Preparatory Academy
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2017 South Carolina Public Charter School Application (For charter schools that plan to open for the 2018–19 school year) Submitted by: Proposed School: Cane Bay Preparatory Academy Submitted on: October 2, 2017 Submitted to: The Charter Institute at Erskine College Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... i I. Educational Plan .......................................................................................................................... 1 1. Mission and Vision ...................................................................................................................... 1 a) Mission Statement ................................................................................................................................. 1 b) Vision ................................................................................................................................................... 2 c) School Values & Beliefs ....................................................................................................................... 2 d) School Culture ...................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Evidence of Need and Support..................................................................................................... 4 3. Curriculum and Instructional Model ............................................................................................ 8 a) Instructional Model ............................................................................................................................... 8 b) Educational Structure ......................................................................................................................... 37 c) Professional Development .................................................................................................................. 41 4. Serving Students with Special Needs ........................................................................................ 46 5. Goals, Objectives, and Assessment Plan ................................................................................... 52 a) Goals and Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 52 b) Assessment Plan ................................................................................................................................. 55 II. Organizational Plan .................................................................................................................... 63 1. Governance ................................................................................................................................ 63 2. Education Management Contracts ............................................................................................. 71 3. Leadership and Operations ........................................................................................................ 80 4. Employees .................................................................................................................................. 97 5. Enrollment ............................................................................................................................... 103 6. Student Conduct, Rights and Responsibilities ......................................................................... 109 7. Transportation .......................................................................................................................... 113 III. Business Plan ........................................................................................................................... 114 1. Budget and Finance .................................................................................................................. 114 2. Facilities ................................................................................................................................... 121 3. Insurance Coverage .................................................................................................................. 123 Executive Summary Description of the school’s philosophy for educating students; plan to provide new, innovative, and more flexible ways to educate children; explanation of key programmatic features of the school; explanation of how the school will close achievement gaps; and any unique features of the school. The Berkeley Charter Education Association (BCEA), the charter committee/governing board, submitted an application for Mevers School of Excellence to the South Carolina Public Charter School District (SCPCSD) during the 2016 application cycle, which was subsequently approved and is scheduled to open for the 2017-18 school year with Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) as the Education Management Organization (EMO). Appendix A includes two articles regarding an information session held about the school’s opening, one of which was written by a reporter who attended the session and the other was an interview with BCEA’s Chairman, Dr. Stewart Weinberg. The following application, although not a replication, is substantially similar to the application submitted for Mevers School of Excellence, as the charter committee will again be partnering with CSUSA and will implement similar education, operations, and finance practices as outlined in this application. Although both schools will be operated by the same governing board and EMO, they will be managed independently, especially with regard to operations and finances. If approved for a second school, BCEA will also alternate the location of governing board meetings between both school sites to give parents of each school an equal opportunity to attend. The school proposed in this application, Cane Bay Preparatory Academy (CBPA), will be guided by the philosophy that every child can learn, and when provided a rigorous, personalized learning environment, students from all socioeconomic levels can become self-motivated, lifelong learners by realizing their academic and personal potential. CBPA’s Education Model is innovative in that it provides individualized, data-driven instruction within a culture of high expectations and achievement for both students and staff; sets school, classroom, and individual student goals; develops Personalized Learning Plans (PLP) for every student and Instructional Focus Plans (IFP) to re-teach standards when necessary; and allows for continual support and professional development, to enhance teacher effectiveness. Students will benefit through the use of innovative, differentiated instructional methods. CBPA will close achievement gaps by utilizing a recurring, data-driven decision making process that allows teachers to implement research-based instructional strategies, including Marzano’s Thirteen High Probability teaching strategies, to target students’ individual skill deficits. This process enhances students’ opportunities to learn the specific skills identified, and achieve CBPA’s mission of building a strong foundation of academic and critical thinking skills, strong character, and a love for learning. To promote a love for learning and the use of real-world application skills, technology resources will be used for a variety of student-centered instructional methods, including interactive direct and guided instruction, blended learning, and research projects. In order to further challenge students, CBPA will apply for the implementation of the Cambridge Program, which increases higher order learning opportunities by providing a rigorous, international pre-university curriculum and examination. It is planned for CBPA to be located in the Cane Bay Plantation community. A key partner is the developer for Cane Bay Plantation, who would like a school to be built within the community. It is BCEA’s intent to replicate the educational and operation model of our first school, Mevers School of Excellence, in CBPA. The schools will work collaboratively on professional Copyright © 2017 by Charter Schools USA, Inc. All rights reserved. i development opportunities for teachers and share a similar school culture in which each child will have a PLP. The school’s grade levels; the grade levels upon opening and the growth plan; the size of the school at full capacity; number of classes per grade level and number of students per class. Projected Student Enrollment Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 (at capacity) Grades Students Class Size Students Class Size Students Class Size Students Class Size Students Class Size Classes* K 120 20 120 20 120 20 120 20 120 20 6 1st 92 23 115 23 115 23 115 23 115 23 5 2nd 92 23 92 23 115 23 115 23 115 23 5 3rd 69 23 92 23 92 23 115 23 115 23 5 4th 69 23 92 23 92 23 92 23 115 23 5 5th 69 23 92 23 92 23 92 23 115 23 5 6th 150 25 150 25 150 25 150 25 150 25 6 7th 0 25 150 25 150 25 150 25 150 25 6 8th 0 25 0 25 150 25 150 25 150 25 6 Enrollment 661 903 1076 1099 1145 49 *The number of classes listed are at full projected enrollment. The student body to be served. A brief summary of the evidence of a community need. Below is CBPA’s projected demographics: • Free and Reduced Meal Eligibility: 56% • Minority: 41% • English Language Learners (ELL): 6% • Special Education (SPED): 11% • SPED including Gifted: 22% Cane Bay Plantation is a large, master-planned community in Berkeley County. 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