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

Charter Renewal - Rising Tide Charter Public School

I recommend that the Board of Education vote to renew the charter for the Rising Tide Charter Public School (RTCPS).

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 superintendent of Plymouth, the district served by RTCPS, was invited to submit written comment to the Department regarding the renewal of the school's charter. No written comment was received from the superintendent.

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 Rising Tide Charter Public School based on the evidence gathered in the attached Summary of Review and as further summarized below.

I. Academic Success

• Rising Tide Charter Public School serves students in grades five through eight. Utilizing a documented inquiry- and project-based curriculum aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, the school focuses on skill acquisition and has created a list of school-wide benchmark skills reflective of the proficiencies and content in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. The faculty has the freedom to adjust curriculum based on student and teacher need.
• Site visit teams from the Charter School Office and members of the renewal inspection team found that the academic program was appropriately challenging, and the level of student engagement was high.
• In response to assessment results, in 2006 RTPCS lengthened the school day and introduced two academic intervention programs, Writer's Workshop and Math Lab.
• Rising Tide Public Charter School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in ELA and mathematics in the aggregate and for all statistically significant sub-groups in all years between 2003 and 2007, exceeding state targets in most years.

II. Organizational Viability

• Rising Tide is fiscally sound and stable.
• In 2004, the Rising Tide board of trustees severed its relationship with its management company, Innovation Schools.
• The renewal inspection team found a board consisting of ten members and eight committees. There has recently been a significant turnover in board membership, with several of the board's founding members stepping down.
• The renewal inspection team found a well-developed leadership team, with the responsibilities of each leadership position defined in the school's 2007-2008 Staff Handbook and well understood by staff.
• Faculty play an active part in decision-making processes at the school.
• The school reports strong parent satisfaction as determined through the results of a parent survey.
• RTCPS maintains full enrollment and a waiting list.

III. Faithfulness to Charter

• The renewal inspection team noted that Rising Tide provides a challenging academic program and a supportive school community and maintains involvement with Plymouth cultural organizations in ways that are consistent with the school's mission.
• The renewal inspection team concluded that the board of trustees and school leadership have made significant and effective efforts to remain true to the school's charter.
• RTCPS has successfully completed all Coordinated Program Review requirements for this cycle.

IV. Dissemination

• Rising Tide faculty gave a presentation entitled "Philosophy and Practice: Creating a Supportive School Environment Through Effective Discipline" at the Massachusetts Charter School Association's best practices workshop in March 2006.
• Rising Tide received funding from a charter school dissemination grant to collaborate with six charter schools in order to disseminate best practices and share development and training ideas for boards of trustees.
• Rising Tide participates in bi-monthly meetings of school leaders from the South Shore, Cape and the Islands Consortium of Charter Schools to share best practices and ideas for improving their schools.

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