Margarita Muñiz Academy School Innovation Plan January 2018
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2017- SY 2018 Margarita Muñiz Academy School Innovation Plan January 2018 0 Submitted on: May 25, 2017 Submitted by: Dania Vázquez for Margarita Muñiz Academy Table of Contents Section Section Title Page Number I School Information Sheet 2 II Executive Summary 4 III Mission, Vision, and Statement of Need 9 IV Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment 24 V Operations 57 ● Building ● Schedule & Calendar ● Leadership, Staffing & Professional Development ● Policies & Procedures ● Projected Budget VI Capacity of Applicant Group 63 VII Timetable for Expansion 72 VIII Measurable Goals 74 IX Attachments 78 1 I. School Information Sheet Current School Name Margarita Muñiz Academy Proposed School Name (if changing) Current Grades 9 to 12 Proposed Expansion 7 to 12 Contingent on Facility Approval Current School Address 20 Child Street, Jamaica Plain, MA Proposed School Address 20 Child Street, Jamaica Plain, MA Primary Contact Dania Vázquez, Headmaster Name/Address/Phone/Fax/Email 20 Child Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 781-424-8640 Cell 617-635-8198 School 617-635-7835 Fax Proposed School Expansion Year(s) September, 2019-20 Expansion Plan Overview School Year Grade Levels Total School Total Number of Enrollment Staff 2017-2018 9 to 12 300 28.5 FTE 2019-2020 7 and 9 to 12 380 to 390 39.9 FTE 2020-2021 7 to 12 460 to 470 45 FTE Will this school serve students from multiple districts? Yes √No Attachments Item Dual Language Policy School Profile Grade Guide for Universities Sample Schedule 2 Budget Planning Administrator Resumes Letters of Support 3 II. Executive Summary A. Current School Mission The Margarita Muñiz Academy is the first dual-language high school in the Boston Public Schools dedicated to preparing citizens and leaders who are fluent in English and Spanish. Every student will be ready for college and contribute to the community and beyond. Muñiz Academy partners with families and community to realize our mission together. Margarita Muñiz Academy implements a college preparatory, culturally relevant two-way bilingual curriculum that provides students with the 21st century skills necessary for success in higher education and beyond. The Muñiz Academy has three critical platforms for dual language: Expeditionary Learning (formerly known as Expeditionary Learning and now EL Education), the arts, and technology. Our collective work as a community is grounded in the shared values of diversity, inclusion, community, citizenship, scholarship, and creativity. Key details about the innovation plan Planning is underway by the school for the innovation plan to include grades 7 and 8, tentatively proposed to begin with expansion to grade 7 in September 2019. This timeline is contingent upon the district solving the school's facility need that would provide the space necessary for expansion. Facility approval and grade expansion will be accomplished through a separate vote of the Boston School Committee. The current school enrollment of 300 students in grades 9-12 will expand by 80-90 students each year, reaching 460-470 students by the 2019- 2020 school year. There are no entrance requirements for enrollment in Muñiz, making it unique as a two-way, bilingual, arts focused school within the Boston Public Schools. Muñiz Academy is currently located in Jamaica Plain, central to the school’s student population that is largely drawn from Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Dorchester, South Boston, and Mattapan. The current demographic makeup of the student body is expected to continue: English language learners 83% 47% are designated as ELL levels 1 to 5; 36% are formerly ELL Students with disabilities 12% Overage 1 year or more 40% Innovation plans are based on current experience at the school and needs identified by the Boston Public Schools: 4 Boston’s Need for Muñiz 7-12 Grade Configuration Boston is in the process of reconsidering grade pathways, moving toward aligning more schools in a binary system of K-6/7-12 and K-8/9-12 grade configuration models. In addition, Boston is in need of additional elementary seats for dual language students. Expanding Muñiz Academy to grades 7 and 8 will free elementary seats at the current district K-8 dual language schools, increasing needed capacity for Boston students, and will offer another school beyond the current exam schools in the district with a grade 7-12 configuration model. Adding grades 7 and 8 will also provide expanded educational opportunities for students and families who are recent immigrants in an instructional model that embraces language and diversity and empowers students as citizen leaders. All references to a 7-12 school are contingent upon finding a facilities solution as part of the BuildBPS process and will require a separate vote by the School Committee. Muñiz Academy’s Need for a 7-12 Grade Configuration In its first five years, teachers and administrators have found that students enter with skills that are well below grade level. Intensive supports provide a pathway to success, but having students enter in grades 7 and 8 will enable an earlier start on language and skill acquisition and college preparation. Key Changes with Expansion A continued progression towards more rigorous college-going culture bolstered by starting to focus students at earlier grades on both mindset and academic skills. A focus on both skills and mindset with targeted academic interventions in both language and math literacy for incoming students. Increased focus on developing strong learning habits framed as RAICES, our school values (responsibility, advocacy, integrity, compassion, excellence and stretch); strong learning habits are a clear correlate to student success. Increased access in the arts and deepening art-making skills, considered another language frame at Muñiz Academy. Improved staffing patterns benefitting school-wide instructional supports with additional staff for English as a second language, Spanish as a second language, and a new position for a math interventionist. Continued partner development to establish a college-going culture starting with incoming our 7th grade, supported activities. A newly formed leadership team that fully supports a two-house design – Lower House with grades 7 to 9 and an Upper House with grades 10 to 12; the new leadership team allows for a more sustainable leadership model over time. 5 Key Anticipated Challenges Three core challenges are identified at this time yet all three do have potential solutions as we collaborate with the district and school partners. These challenges include: 1. We have been able to sustain our growth over the first five years largely on the BPS district allocated budget, even in difficult budget years. The current budget models need to be further developed to reflect the needs of a dual language high school using the complex design of Muñiz Academy that includes an extensive arts program and is structured to make the school sustainable over time. Our autonomies have been key in ensuring budget sustainability to this point in time. The BPS budget office has worked with Muñiz Academy to develop a preliminary budget framework attached in this document. 2. The expansion would require additional space central to the population we serve in Boston. 3. The enrollment processes in BPS would need to support our expansion, ensuring communication with families for this new and exciting opportunity. Our deep collaboration and the benefits to our partner dual language K-8 schools will facilitate changes that support benefits to many school communities and Boston as a whole. Key prior successes Dual Language Instructional Model: Our dual language model embraces what students bring as much as it strives to deepen and enrich their skills and knowledge in both language and subject matter. Learning in both languages and across content is designed to engage students as they construct meaning from their experiences and become bi-literate. Students learn in a dual-language model, with classes taught in Spanish and English in a 50-50 split. Expeditionary Learning: Muñiz Academy draws on EL Core Practices to inform our model for curriculum development, assessment, instruction, and school culture. Authentic learning encompasses a depth of content and an approach for engaging in new ideas and skills development. Authentic learning at Muñiz Academy incorporates strategies to ensure students own their learning and progress. The Arts: The arts are a daily component of each student’s schedule. Students choose from an array of offerings, including visual art, technology, theatre, instrumental instruction/band, and choir. The Venezuelan model called El Sistema is used as a basis for instruction; music is a daily 6 class, with approximately 160 of 280 current students playing an instrument. Visual arts, theater, and technology follow a sequence of learning throughout the four-year program and are also scheduled daily. Knowing Students Well: We believe that an important element in every student’s success is knowing each well as learners and members of the community. Knowing students well happens through an ongoing focus on cultural competence and structures that support personalization. Three key school structures support knowing students well: relationships with Crew leaders, grade team meetings, and the Student Support Team. Through the formation of personal relationships as well as team dialogue, we come to know each student and their needs and interests. Academic impact The implementation of a comprehensive program at Muñiz has supported considerable academic