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

Charter Renewal - Initial Discussion for River Valley Charter School

This month, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) will have its initial discussion of the charter renewal application of River Valley Charter School (RVCS). The Board will vote on this renewal at its meeting on February 24, 2009.

River Valley Charter School

RVCS, a regional Commonwealth charter school, is located in Newburyport. The school opened in 1999 and received its first charter renewal early, applying for consideration and receiving renewal in 2002. RVCS is chartered to serve grades K-8 with a maximum enrollment of 288. In 2008-09, RVCS is fully enrolled and serving students in grades K-8. As described in its original charter application, RVCS is a Montessori school.

The mission statement of RVCS reads: "The mission of the River Valley Charter School is to provide a rigorous academic program based on the Montessori philosophy and rooted in the history, culture, and ecology of the Merrimack River valley. Students will reach their full potential as scholars and become self-reliant, productive members of society. They will be adept at critical thinking and creative problem solving and will be fully prepared to succeed in future schools, careers, and civic life."

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 of Elementary and Secondary Education's (Department) 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 superintendents of the Amesbury, Haverhill, Newburyport, Pentucket, and Triton Public Schools, the districts sending students to RVCS, were invited to submit written comment to the Department regarding the renewal of the school's charter. No written comments were received.

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. 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.

Recommendation for Renewal

Based on the evidence gathered in the attached Summary of Review and as further summarized below, I recommend that the Board renew the charter of RVCS.

Areas of Charter School Accountability

I. Faithfulness to Charter

• RVCS provides a Montessori educational program, which uses multi-age classrooms, extended work periods, and hands-on learning. Materials are designed for students to work independently following plans established by teachers with student input. Lessons and projects are designed to be interdisciplinary and research-based, with an emphasis on critical thinking skills.
• The school has undergone highly successful audits by external Montessori evaluators in every year of the charter term.

II. Academic Success

• The school's aggregate Composite Performance Index in English language arts (ELA) is 93.2 and is 83.9 in mathematics in 2008.
• RVCS made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in ELA and mathematics in the aggregate and for subgroups in all years of both the previous and current charter terms. The school has no status under NCLB in either subject.
• The curriculum is largely based on published Montessori materials merged with the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks.

III. Organizational Viability

• RVCS is fiscally sound and stable.
• The fourteen-member board of trustees provides appropriate academic, organizational, and financial oversight of the school.
• Both the school's director and assistant director have served in their current roles for eight years; the curriculum coordinator has been at RVCS since the school's inception.
• The school reports high levels of parent satisfaction through the results of a parent survey.
• RVCS maintains full enrollment and a substantial waiting list.

IV. Dissemination

• RVCS faculty and administrators regularly present at Montessori and charter school showcases and conferences.
• RVCS trustees and staff advised and supported the founding group of the Hill View Montessori Charter Public School in Haverhill.
• RVCS regularly hosts visitors from a wide range of schools and other institutions including students, teachers, professors, and professionals from a variety of fields.
• In May 2008, RVCS hosted the first Massachusetts Montessori Public School Conference.
• In 2004, the school received a Massachusetts Department of Education Dissemination Program Grant which enabled it to create a 20-minute video/DVD entitled "Montessori Made Public" focusing on three Montessori public schools: River Valley; a school in Jefferson County, Colorado; and one in Yonkers, New York.

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

   Summary of Review