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

Charter School Applications - Recommendations for New Charters - Application Cycle 2008-2009

In this charter application cycle, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) received seven prospectuses in August 2008. Following a review of these prospectuses by the Department's staff and external reviewers, three applicant groups were invited to submit final applications in November:

Gloucester Community Arts Charter School, serving students in grades K-8 from Gloucester. Enrollment capacity: 240.

Rediscovery Academy Charter School, located in Waltham and serving students in grades 9-12 throughout the Commonwealth. Enrollment capacity: 220.

Spirit of Knowledge Academy Charter School (SOKA), serving students in grades 6-12 from Leicester, Oxford, and Worcester. Enrollment capacity: 585.

The Department's Charter School Office conducted a rigorous, multi-step review of the final applications that included:

• A panel review of each application that included both Department staff and external reviewers. Panel members individually reviewed each application based on published evaluation criteria, and then the entire panel met as a group to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each application.
• Public hearings were held in each of the three districts where the proposed charter schools would be located. Recordings of these public hearings and records of which individuals signed up to speak are available. Additional public comment was solicited through the Department website. The superintendent and school committee in each district proposed for the charter schools received copies of the application and were invited to comment.

Interviews were conducted with members of the founding groups and proposed boards of trustees, focusing on the concerns and questions raised in relation to the application criteria in the panel review, public hearings, and public comment.

After a careful review of the results of this process, I recommend the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education award the following charter:

Gloucester Community Arts Charter School

As a result of the review process, I determined that the two other proposals needed further development and revision with respect to one or more of the criteria. I strongly encourage these groups to consider reapplying during next year's application cycle. Each of the applicant groups will be offered an opportunity to receive feedback on their application from the Charter School Office staff. I would also note that it is not uncommon for applicant groups to return with a second or even third application, after improving the quality of their application based on feedback from the Department. Since 2001, seven of the twenty-three schools that have been chartered have gone through the application process twice.

Included in this packet are a detailed description of the final application review process and criteria for review; a list of all submitted applications; a list of reviewers; and a schedule of public hearings. The packet also includes, for the recommended applicant, an application summary, proposed board of trustees, summary of public comment, the written record of the interview with the applicant group, data on the overall student performance of its composite proposed sending district, information related to net school spending in the proposed district, and copies of written comments submitted to the Charter School Office by superintendents and public officials. Copies of all written public comment, audio/video recordings or public hearings, and sign-in sheets at public hearings are available at your request.

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.

Attachments:

	The Final Application Review Process and Criteria for Review
	List of All Submitted Applications
	List of Prospectus and Final Application Reviewers
	Schedule of Public Hearings - Application Cycle 2008-2009
	Information on application recommended for a charter:    Charter Applicant Information Sheet    Application Summary    Proposed Board of Trustees    Summary of Public Comment   Copies of Public Comment received from Public Officials    Interview Record    MCAS Performance and Net School Spending of Proposed Sending District