Argosy Collegiate Charter School A Proposed Fall River Public Charter School for Grades 5 Through 12 Application for Charter November 14, 2012 Respectfully submitted for consideration to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Argosy Collegiate Charter School Founding Board Kristen Pavao, Lead Founder, Building Excellent Schools Fellow, Proposed Executive Director Julie Almond, CEO, HealthFirst Family Cary Center, Incorporated Paul C. Burke, President and Part-owner, Hadley Insurit Group Insurance Agency Domenic DiNardo, VP of Strategic Marketing, Tuatara Corporation, Co-Founder & President, Valcourse Michael Grimo, President, Cool Geeks, Incorporated Israel Navarro, Nurse Supervisor, Brockton Area Multi-Services, Incorporated Michelle Pelletier, Owner, Jefferson Realty Lisa Rocha, Associate Attorney, Morrison Mahoney, LLP Teri Theberge, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, Southcoast Hospital Group Pamela E. Viveiros, President, Ultimate Marketing, Incorporated Table of Contents Information Sheet 4 Certification Statement 6 General Statement of Assurances 7 Statements of Assurances 10 Executive Summary 11 Public Statement 13 I. Charter School Mission, Vision, and Description of the Community(ies) to be Served 14 A. Mission Statement 14 B. Vision Statement 14 C. Description of the Community(ies) to be Served 16 II. How will the school demonstrate academic success? 20 A. Educational Philosophy 20 B. Curriculum and Instruction 25 C. Promotion and Graduation Standards 32 D. Assessment System 35 E. School Characteristics 37 F. Special Student Populations and Student Services 47 III. How will the school demonstrate organizational viability? 51 A. Enrollment and Recruitment 51 B. Capacity 53 C. School Governance 54 • Governance Structure 54 • Roles and Responsibilities 55 • Policy Development 56 • Board Development 56 • School Management Contract 57 D. Management Structure 57 • Roles and Responsibilities 58 • Policy Development 58 • Educational Leadership 58 • Human Resources 58 E. Facilities and Student Transportation 61 F. School Finances 62 • Fiscal Management 62 • Budget and Budget Narrative 63 G. Action Plan 67 IV. How will the school demonstrate that it is faithful to the terms of its charter? 69 A. Process 69 B. Goals 69 C. Narrative 71 D. Dissemination 72 V. Attachments (Counts toward 40 page maximum) 74 A. Draft Bylaws 74 Argosy Collegiate Charter School 2 B. Draft Recruitment and Retention Plan 78 C. Draft Enrollment Policy and Admissions Application 84 D. Draft Organizational Chart 86 E. Operating Budget: Projected Revenues and Expenditures 87 Attachments (Do not count toward 40 page maximum) F. Founding Board of Trustee Resumes 89 G. Letters of Commitment 104 H. High School Curriculum Outline 114 I. 2014-2015 Argosy Collegiate Charter School Academic Calendar 126 J. Letter of Financial Commitment from the Founding Board of Trustees (Header) 128 K. Letters of Support (Header) 129 L. Signatures of Support from the Community/Families (Header) 142 M. Amelia Peabody Start-Up Funds Letter of Commitment (Header) 143 N. A Day in the Life of an Argosy Collegiate Scholar 144 O. Building Excellent Schools Proven Provider Documents 152 Argosy Collegiate Charter School 3 COMMONWEALTH CHARTER APPLICATION INFORMATION SHEET This form must be attached to the letter of intent, prospectus, and final application. Please type information. Name of Proposed Charter School: Argosy Collegiate Charter School____________________ School Address (if known):__To be determined______________________________________ School Location (City/Town REQUIRED): _______Fall River_________________________ Primary Contact Person: Kristen Pavao____________________________________________ Address: __207 Oliver Street, Apt #3_______________________________________________ City: ___Fall River______________________ State: _____MA________ Zip: ____02724___ Daytime Tel: (508)_982-6121______________________ Fax___(617) 227-4551_________ Email: [email protected]________________________________________ 1. The proposed school will open in the fall of school year: 2013-2014 x 2014-2015 School Year Grade Levels Total Student Enrollment First Year 5 81 Second Year 5,6 162 Third Year 5,6,7 243 Fourth Year 5,6,7,8, 324 Fifth Year 5,6,7,8,9 397 2. Grade span at full enrollment: _____5-12_________________________________ 3. Total student enrollment when fully expanded: _585 ____ _ 4. Age at entry for kindergarten, if applicable: ___N/A___________________________ 5. Will this school be a regional charter school? Yes x No If yes, list the school districts (including regional school districts) in the proposed region. Please only list districts that are included in Appendix B. (Use additional sheets if necessary.) _____________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ ______________________ If no, please specify the district’s population as reported in the most recent United States census estimate for the community the school intends to serve: ___88,857__. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Argosy Collegiate Charter School 4 Education shall not approve a new Commonwealth charter school in any community with a population of less than 30,000 as determined by the most recent United States census estimate [available at http://www.census.gov/], unless it is a regional charter school. (MGL c. 71 § 89(i)(1). 6. For all proposed charter schools, list the districts that are contiguous with the proposed school’s district or region. Please only list districts that are included in Appendix B. (Use additional sheets if necessary.) ___Westport____________ ____Somerset__________ ______________________ ___Dartmouth__________ ______________________ ______________________ ___Freetown___________ ______________________ ______________________ 7. Is the proposed school to be located in a district where overall student performance on the MCAS is in the lowest 10 percent, as designated in Appendix B? X Yes No 8. Will the proposed school be located in a district or districts in which the 9 percent net school spending cap is, or could be, exceeded by 2012-2013 applications? Yes X No 9. Is the applicant group currently the board of trustees of an existing charter school? Yes x No 10. Is the applicant group/board of trustees intending to create a network of schools? Yes X No 11. If the applicant group/board of trustees is intending to create a network of schools, how many applications is the group submitting in the 2012-2013 application cycle? __N/A___ 12. Do members of the applicant group currently operate or are they employed by a private or parochial school? Yes X No Argosy Collegiate Charter School 5 Argosy Collegiate Charter School Certification Statement Proposed Charter School Name: _____Argosy Collegiate Charter School________ Proposed School Location (City/Town): ________Fall River___________________________ I hereby certify that the information submitted in this prospectus/application is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and that this prospectus/application has been or is being sent to the superintendent of each of the districts from which we expect to draw students and from any contiguous districts. Further, I understand that, if awarded a charter, the proposed school shall be open to all students on a space available basis, and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age, ancestry, athletic performance, special need, proficiency in the English language or a foreign language, or academic achievement. I further understand that the information submitted in this prospectus/application serves as an initial application for start-up assistance funding under the federal Charter Schools Program grant. This is a true statement, made under the penalties of perjury. Signature of Authorized Person________________________________ Date__11-13-12__ (Please label the copy that has original signatures.) Print/Type Name ___Kristen Pavao__________________________________________________ Address _207 Oliver Street, Fall River, MA., 02724 Daytime Phone __508-982-6121_______________ Fax ____617-227-4551_____________ Argosy Collegiate Charter School 6 GENERAL STATEMENT OF ASSURANCES This form must be signed by a duly authorized representative of the applicant group and submitted with the final application. An application will be considered incomplete and will not be accepted if it does not include the Statement of Assurances. As the authorized representative of the applicant group, I hereby certify under the penalties of perjury that the information submitted in this application for a charter for Argosy Collegiate Charter School to be located at Fall River, MA is true to the best of my knowledge and belief; and further, I certify that, if awarded a charter, the school: 1. Will not charge tuition, fees, or other mandatory payments for attendance at the charter school, for participation in required or elective courses, or for mandated services or programs (Mass. Gen. Laws c. 71, § 89(m), and 603 CMR 1.03(3)). 2. Will not charge any public school for the use or replication of any part of their curriculum subject to the prescriptions of any contract between the charter school and any third party provider (Mass. Gen. Laws c. 71, § 89(l)). 3. Will permit parents to enroll their children only voluntarily and not because they must send their