INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES ACADEMY A LONG BEACH PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL CHARTER PETITION FOR FIVE-YEAR TERM July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2021 Submitted to the LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT on September 25, 2015 AFFIRMATIONS AND ASSURANCES As the authorized lead petitioner, I, James McGrath, hereby certify that the information submitted in this petition for a California public charter school to be named the “Intellectual Virtues Academy” (“Academy,” the “Charter School,” or “School”), and to be located within the boundaries of the Long Beach Unified School District (“LBUSD” or the “District”) is true to the best of my knowledge and belief. I also certify that this petition does not constitute the conversion of a private school to the status of a public charter school; and further, I understand that if awarded a charter, the Charter School will follow any and all federal, state, and local laws and regulations that apply to the Charter School, including but not limited to: • The Charter School shall meet all statewide standards and conduct the student assessments required, pursuant to Education Code §§60605 and 60851, and any other statewide standards authorized in statute, or student assessments applicable to students in non-charter public schools. California Education Code §47605(c)(1). • The Charter School shall be deemed the exclusive public school employer of the employees of Charter School for purposes of the Educational Employment Relations Act. California Education Code §47605(b)(5)(O). • The Charter School shall be non-sectarian in its programs, admissions policies, employment practices, and all other operations. California Education Code §47605(d)(1). • The Charter School shall not charge tuition. California Education Code §47605(d)(1). • The Charter School shall admit all students who wish to attend the Charter School; unless the Charter School receives a greater number of applications than there are spaces for students, in which case admission will be determined through a public random drawing process. Except as required by Education Code §47605(d)(2), admission to the Charter School shall not be determined according to the place of residence of the student or his or her parents within the State. Preference in the public random drawing shall be given in accordance with Education Code §47605(d)(2)(B). In the event of a drawing, the chartering authority shall make reasonable efforts to accommodate the growth of the Charter School in accordance with Education Code §47605(d)(2)(C). • The Charter School shall not discriminate on the basis of the characteristics listed in Education Code §220 (actual or perceived disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in §422.55 of the Penal Code or association with an individual who has any of the aforementioned characteristics). California Education Code §47605(d)(1). • The Charter School shall adhere to all provisions of federal law related to students with disabilities including, but not limited to, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act of 2004. INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES ACADEMY CHARTER PETITION I • The Charter School shall meet all requirements for employment set forth in applicable provisions of law, including, but not limited to credentials, as necessary and as applicable to charter schools. Title 5 California Code of Regulations §11967.5.1(f)(5)(C). • The Charter School shall ensure that teachers in the Charter School hold a Commission on Teacher Credentialing certificate, permit, or other document equivalent to that which a teacher in other public schools is required to hold. As allowed by statute, flexibility will be given to noncore, non-college preparatory teachers. California Education Code §47605(l). • The Charter School shall at all times maintain all necessary and appropriate insurance coverage. • The Charter School shall, for each fiscal year, offer at a minimum, the number of minutes of instruction per grade level as required by Education Code §47612.5(a)(1)(A)-(D). • The Charter School shall, for each fiscal year, meet or exceed the legally required minimum of school days as applicable to charter schools. Title 5 California Code of Regulations §11960. • If a pupil is expelled or leaves the Charter School without graduating or completing the school year for any reason, the Charter School shall notify the superintendent of the school district of the pupil’s last known address within 30 days, and shall, upon request, provide that school district with a copy of the cumulative record of the pupil, including a transcript of grades or report card and health information. California Education Code §47605(d)(3). • The Charter School shall maintain accurate and contemporaneous written records that document all pupil attendance and make these records available for audit and inspection. California Education Code §47612.5(a). • The Charter School shall, on a regular basis, consult with its parents and teachers regarding the Charter School's educational programs. California Education Code §47605(c). • The Charter School shall comply with any jurisdictional limitations to locations of its facilities. California Education Code §§47605 and 47605.1. • The Charter School shall comply with all laws establishing the minimum and maximum age for public school enrollment. California Education Code §§47612(b), 47610. • The Charter School shall comply with all applicable portions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (“ESEA”) as applicable to charter schools. • The Charter School shall comply with the Public Records Act. • The Charter School shall comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. • The Charter School shall comply with the Ralph M. Brown Act. • The Charter School shall not require any child to attend the Charter School, nor any employee to work at the Charter School. INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES ACADEMY CHARTER PETITION II • The Charter School shall comply with federal, state, and district mandates applicable to charter schools regarding English Learner (EL) education and re-designation of EL students and meet all requirements of federal and state law regarding equal access to the curriculum for English Learners. • Charter School shall meet or exceed the legally required minimum number of school days. _______________________________________________ James McGrath, Founding Director, Lead Petitioner INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES ACADEMY CHARTER PETITION III INTRODUCTION I. INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES The Intellectual Virtues Academy (“Academy,” or “Charter School”) high school is based on an “intellectual virtues” educational model, which aligns directly with new California Common Core State Standards and 21st century learning attributes in fostering nine Master Intellectual Virtues: curiosity, attentiveness, intellectual autonomy, intellectual carefulness, intellectual thoroughness, creativity, open-mindedness, intellectual humility, and intellectual perseverance (see Element 1.II.A.). “Intellectual virtues” reflect a different concept of intelligence – we believe that intelligence is not simply a fixed ability, but rather can be cultivated through development of virtues such as curiosity and perseverance. In other words, students can learn how to be intelligent and engage in deeper learning in secondary school and beyond by developing these critical “intellectual character” traits. As secondary schools struggle to prepare students without a clear understanding of how rapidly developing technologies will change the workplace of their future, we believe that cultivation of intellectual virtues will position students to succeed in post-secondary school and become active and engaged members of the 21st century community and workplace. The goal, quite simply, is to cultivate the personal qualities of every student as a good thinker. In essence: [I]ntellectual virtues cultivate students’ relationship to learning—their beliefs, attitudes, and feelings about thinking, and knowledge and understanding. To understand these habits of thinking is to understand the personal basis upon which education rests—from what motivates individuals to which skills are required to think well to how we develop capacities of discernment and judgment. What we’re doing is articulating and implementing a terminological and conceptual framework that will allow excellent teachers to better understand, articulate, and practice what they’re already doing. When teachers ‘teach to the test,’ the de facto goal is often the short-term memorization of information or the rote application of rules or formulas. Intellectual virtues aim at a different kind of understanding. It’s about educating the whole person—beliefs, attitudes, feelings, and other personal attributes. (Intellectual Virtues: Towards a New Education of Character, Templeton Report, April 3, 2013 (internal quotes omitted).) II. ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY AND SUCCESS The Academy builds on the highly successful Intellectual Virtues Academy of Long Beach middle school (IVAMS), authorized by the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD or District) in 2012 and opened in 2013-14. IVAMS was founded by Dr. Jason Baehr, a professor at Loyola Marymount University and leading expert in intellectual virtue epistemology, and Dr. Steve Porter, an associate professor at Biola INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES