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

Charter Renewal - Vote on Foxborough Regional Charter School

This month, the Board will vote on the charter renewal application of Foxborough Regional Charter School (FRCS).

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, the 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 Foxborough Regional Charter School based on the evidence gathered in the attached Summary of Review and as further summarized below.

I. Academic Success

• FRCS offers students a college preparatory program in grades K-12 based on a comprehensive set of curriculum maps that are aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
• Site visit teams from the Charter School Office and members of the renewal inspection team consistently observed positive relationships between teachers and peers and sound instructional practices in FRCS classrooms.
• FRCS attained AYP in the aggregate for English language arts (ELA) and Mathematics in all four years of the current charter term at levels higher than state targets, though the school's CPI has decreased each year during this charter term in both subjects. The school did not make AYP in ELA in 2005 for the subgroups of Special Education and African-American students or in Mathematics in 2003 or 2006 for the subgroup of Special Education students.
• FRCS met state Competency Determination targets in all years between 2003 and 2006, with 100 percent of its seniors passing both the ELA and Mathematics sections of the grade 10 MCAS exams.

II. Organizational Viability

• FRCS is financially sound and stable.
• The FRCS Board consists of seven members. Four are longstanding members who have been with the school since its early years, and three have been added to the Board within the past year as part of a recent effort to increase its size. The Board has met regularly throughout the term of its second charter and has eight committees: curriculum, development, personnel, enrollment, board development, facilities, finance, and technology.
• The school reports high levels of parent satisfaction through the results of a parent survey.
• FRCS maintained full enrollment with waitlists for most years during this charter term.

III. Faithfulness to Charter

• The renewal inspection team found that the FRCS curriculum and instruction reflect the school's commitment to providing its students with a challenging academic program that prepares them for college and that the school's Student Life and Community Service Learning Program reflects and promotes the school's mission to prepare students to be good citizens and community leaders.
• FRCS has successfully completed all Coordinated Program Review requirements for this cycle.

IV. Dissemination

• In 2006 and 2007, members of the FRCS community presented a workshop at the spring Charter School Best Practices Showcase focused on the Student Life and Community Service Program.
• Throughout the 2005-06 school year, representatives from the Foxborough and Stoughton school districts attended curriculum-mapping training offered by FRCS; in return, FRCS faculty attended sessions on data-driven analysis offered by the Stoughton school district.
• FRCS has hosted teams from other charter schools to share information on FRCS programs.

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