District/School Administration Administration
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Charter Renewal - Excel Academy Charter School

I recommend that the Board of Education vote to renew the charter for the Excel Academy Charter School, a Commonwealth charter school located in East Boston.

Basis of Recommendations Regarding the Renewal of Charters

The charter school regulations state that "[t]he decision by the Board to renew a charter shall be based upon the presentation of affirmative evidence regarding the success of the school's academic program; the viability of the school as an organization; and the faithfulness of the school to the terms of its charter" 603 CMR 1.12. Consistent with the regulations, recommendations regarding renewal are based upon the Department's evaluation of the school's performance in these areas. In its review, the Department has considered both the school's absolute performance at the time of the application for renewal and the progress the school has made during the first four years of its charter.

The summary document that follows this memorandum was prepared for you as a compilation of the school's record for the term of this charter. The accountability process for charter schools recognizes that in exchange for increased freedom, a school must demonstrate results within the term of its five-year charter or risk non-renewal. I recommend that the Board renew the charter for Excel Academy Charter School based on the evidence gathered in the attached Summary of Review and as further summarized below.

I. Academic Success

• Excel serves students in grades 5-8 with a rigorous curriculum based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and designed to prepare students for college-preparatory high schools and college. Teachers draw on a number of sources for lessons, including materials created by themselves, other Excel teachers, and by teachers at other schools.
• Curriculum is extensively documented and aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
• Site visit teams from the Charter School Office and members of the renewal inspection team found instruction to be primarily teacher-centered and creative. Student engagement levels were consistently high.
• Excel made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in ELA in the aggregate and for all subgroups in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Excel made AYP in mathematics in the aggregate and for all subgroups in all years from 2004, 2006, and 2007. In 2005, the school did not make AYP in the aggregate or for the Low Income and Hispanic subgroups.
• The school uses the TerraNova for measuring student progress in math, reading, and language, and participates in the Massachusetts Public School Performance Project (MPSPP), which provides MCAS-aligned assessments and teacher training in the usage and analysis of data.

II. Organizational Viability

• Excel is fiscally sound and stable.
• Site visit teams and the renewal inspection team reported highly effective leadership at the school.
• The Excel Board of Trustees consists of twelve members, six of whom are founders of the school. Site visit and renewal inspection teams reported effective management and appropriate levels of oversight.
• The school reports high levels of parent satisfaction through the results of a parent survey.
• Excel maintains full enrollment and a waiting list.

III. Faithfulness to Charter

• Excel's mission is to "prepare middle school students to succeed in high school and college, apply their learning to solve relevant problems, and engage productively in their communities." In order to realize its mission, Excel provides a range of support services to students and has created a High School Placement Program manual and the positions of director of high school placement and director of graduate services.
• A full Coordinated Program Review (CPR) was conducted in March 2005. By September of 2007, the school had satisfactorily remedied all areas of non-compliance identified in the CPR, including the appropriate assessment of students with disabilities, the reconvening of IEP teams, and the identification, assessment, and provision of services for students who might be limited English proficient.

IV. Dissemination

• During the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years, Excel hosted groups of teachers and administrators from the Umana Barnes Middle School of East Boston, four Massachusetts charter schools, and two out-of-state charter schools.
• Excel hosted over 500 individuals during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 school years.
• Excel guidebooks including its Student-Family Handbook, Classroom Management and Discipline Manual, and Operations Manual were shared with schools and distributed during school visits hosted by Excel.
• Excel served as a training site for the Building Excellent Schools fellowship program and served as a residency site for a participant in the program.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Jeff Wulfson, Associate Commissioner, at 781 338-6500, Mary Street, Director of Charter Schools, at 781 338-3200, or me.

Enclosure:    Summary of Review