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

Charter Renewal - Vote on Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School

This month, the Board will vote on the charter renewal application of Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School (AKFCPS), a regional charter school.

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 superintendents of districts sending students to each school have been invited to submit written comment to the Department regarding the renewal of each school's charter. No written comment was received from these superintendents.

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 Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School based on the evidence gathered in the attached Summary of Review and as further summarized below.

I. Academic Success

• AKFCPS serves students in grades K-12 with a program focused on a classical liberal arts education that includes art, music, French, and Latin.
• The school has recently reviewed, further developed, and documented its curriculum across all grades and subjects, including alignment with the standards in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
• Site visit teams from the Charter School Office and members of the renewal inspection team found a variety of instructional practices and levels of student engagement with whole class, teacher-directed strategies being prevalent. Student engagement was high in the elementary school and decreased from the middle school to the high school. Relationships between students and teachers are reported as strong.
• AKFCPS made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in ELA in the aggregate in all years between 2003 and 2006. AKFCPS did not make AYP in ELA in 2003 for African-American students. AKFCPS made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in Mathematics in the aggregate in all years between 2003 and 2006. AKFCPS did not make AYP in Mathematics in 2003 or 2006 for African-American students.
• AKFCPS utilizes an appraisal system known as the All School Review (ASR) that requires all homeroom teachers to report on the educational, social, and emotional strengths and needs of each of their students to a team comprised of teachers, support staff, and administrators.

II. Organizational Viability

• AKFCPS is fiscally sound and stable.
• Despite a number of changes in the structure and personnel of AKFCPS's administration over the past three years, three site visit and renewal inspection teams reported effective leadership of the school.
• The AKFCPS Board consists of seven members, three of whom are founders of the school. The site visit and renewal inspection teams reported effective management along with positive development of board governance practices, including the addition of subcommittees and the practice of conducting an annual self-evaluation.
• The school reports high levels of parent satisfaction through the results of a parent survey.
• AKFCPS maintains full enrollment and a waiting list.

III. Faithfulness to Charter

• The mission of AKFCPS is to "assist parents in their role as primary educators of their children by providing a classical liberal arts education grounded in the great works of Western Civilization and aimed at academic excellence, musical competence and character formation." The music program permeates the school and curriculum, all students begin to study Latin in seventh grade, and pupils are familiar with the ten character virtues, one of which is emphasized each month.
• Subsequent to a Coordinated Program Review in October of 2002, AKFCPS developed a Corrective Action Plan (CAP). A Department summary prepared after the school's most recently submitted CAP progress report indicated that the school has yet to implement several significant aspects of the CAP regarding special education and English language learners.

IV. Dissemination

• Four members of the staff made a presentation on the All School Review at the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association Best Practices Showcase in March 2007.
• Administrators and teachers have hosted professional development sessions regarding behavior management, character education, and teaching techniques to charter and non-charter public schools.

If you have any questions regarding this renewal recommendation 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