Family & Community Alternative Learning
Charter Schools Best Practices

Boston Collegiate Charter School

Key Design Elements of a Successful College Prep Program

Topics:	School Mission School Culture and Classroom Management Practices Instructional Practices At-risk Learners Developing, refining, and documenting curricula Internal and/or external student assessment systems Using school-wide and individual student assessment data to inform curriculum and instruction Community involvement
Mission:	To prepare each student for college.
Goals:	The goal of the “Keeping the Promise” dissemination and replication project is to document and disseminate best practices from five high performing charter schools serving high need communities.
Summary:	"Five Keys to Creating a Successful College-Prep Program. Boston Collegiate Charter School has identified the following key design elements as central to achieving its success: (1) a community where students are known as individuals; (2) strict structures balanced with positive reinforcement; (3) an outstanding faculty with retention initiatives; (4) a data driven approach to curriculum and programs; and (5) explicit teaching of college readiness skills. The school also identifies and acknowledges challenges it faces in meeting its goals, such as the sustainability of its teaching force and facility needs. Keeping the Promise: The Massachusetts Charter School Dissemination and Replication Project” is sponsored by a National Leadership Grant of the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter School Program in the Office of Innovation and Improvement. This project was envisioned and convened by the Massachusetts Charter School Association, which applied for federal funding support project activities. In addition to Boston Collegiate Charter School, four other high performing charter schools in Massachusetts were selected to participate in the three-year dissemination project, including Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School, Community Day Charter Public School, MATCH Charter Public High School, and Roxbury Preparatory Charter School. Each school wrote and published a paper highlighting effective practices, and will host school visits and workshops for other schools and educators. Educators from around Massachusetts and the country will visit the schools and attend workshops facilitated by the five participating charter schools, including Boston Collegiate.
Partner(s):	Various district partners through Project for School Innovation and the Massachusetts Charter School Association
Dates:	01/01/2006 01/01/2007 01/01/2008
Contact:	Kathleen Sullivan, Executive Director (ksullivan@bostoncollegiate.org/617.265.1172) Cindy Snow, Massachusetts Charter School Association (snow@masscharters.org/413-625-0135)
Resources:	Whole School Paper: “Five Keys to Creating a Successful College-Prep Program” (http://www.masscharterschools.org/wholeschool/docs/175/BCCSapp.html) Workshop session materials provided to school visitors.
Federal Charter Schools Program Funds?	MCPSA Keeping the Promise

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