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EXCELLENCE GIRLS

CHARTER SCHOOL

2010-11 ACCOUNTABILITY

PLAN

PROGRESS REPORT

Submitted to the SUNY Charter Schools Institute on:

July 29, 2011

By Samantha Tweedy, Co-Director for Operations

Excellence Girls Charter School

794 Monroe Street, 3rd

Floor

Brooklyn, NY 11221

(718) 638-1875

Excellence Girls Charter School 2010-11 Accountability Plan Progress Report

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Samantha Tweedy, Excellence Girls Charter School Co-Director for Operations, prepared this 2010-

11 Accountability Progress Report on behalf of the school’s Board of Trustees:

Trustee's Name Board Position

Laura Blankfein Program Cmte; Finance Cmte

Cecily Carson Program Cmte

Loren Compton-Williams Program Cmte; Finance Cmte

Sabrina Dycus Program Cmte; Finance Cmte

Paul Tudor Jones II

Shakima Jones Program Cmte (Chair)

Alison Mass Program Cmte; Finance Cmte

Tony Pasquariello

Brett Peiser Governance Cmte; Finance Cmte

Rosa Pizzi Program Cmte; Governance Cmte

Evan Rudall

David Saltzman Board Chair; Governance Cmte (Chair); Finance Cmte

Tokumbo Shobowale

Chrystal Stokes Williams Program Cmte; Finance Cmte

Joseph Wayland Finance Cmte (Chair)


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INTRODUCTION

Excellence Girls Charter School (Excellence Girls), an all-girls charter public school, was

founded in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in August 2009. The mission of Excellence Girls is to

prepare its students to enter, succeed in, and graduate from outstanding high schools and

colleges. In pursuit of this mission, the school successfully completed its second year of operation in

June 2011.

Enrollment & Demographics

During the 2010-11 school year, Excellence Girls served 226 scholars in Kindergarten-2nd

Grade.

Of these students, 95% were African American, 4% were Latina, and 1% were Southeast Asian.

Seventy-two percent of Excellence Girls students were eligible for free or reduced price lunch.

Three percent were English Language Learners. Eight percent were identified as requiring

special education services.

Most Excellence Girls students, like most students in Central Brooklyn, enter school far below

grade level. This school year, only 26% of our incoming Kindergarteners entered school on

grade level in Reading and only 24% of them entered school on grade level in Math, according to

the CTB/McGraw-Hill TerraNova Assessment.

Excellence Girls was founded to respond to these community trends and to ensure that young

girls in Central Brooklyn are being prepared to enter and graduate from the nation’s top colleges

and universities. Based on the positive academic indicators of our first two years, we are

confident that we are off to a good start in our efforts towards achieving our mission.

Academic Program

At Excellence Girls, we ensure that our scholars have every possible opportunity to learn. This

means that we not only have a longer school day that begins at 7:10 AM and ends at 3:50 PM

with six or more hours of instruction, but we also have a longer school year. Over the course of

the school year, this is equivalent to at least 25% more instructional time than the New York City

Department of Education’s minimum requirements.

Each day consists of over 3 hours of literacy instruction,75 minutes of math instruction, 45

minutes of instruction in social studies or science, 10 minutes of grammar instruction, 45 minutes

of writing instruction, 45 minutes of instruction in fitness, character development, or structured

choice time, and 45 minutes of instruction in music or art. In addition, scholars in need of extra

help to reach proficiency receive 1 hour per week of after school tutoring from their teachers.

Because we understand that literacy is the key to unlocking all future information, understanding

and knowledge, the Excellence Girls program has a strong focus on literacy instruction,

beginning in the earliest grades:

In the early grades, scholars have nearly 3 hours of reading instruction each day, which

includes a systematic decoding program (Reading Mastery), a teacher-designed reading

comprehension curriculum, and daily read alouds.

In the key literacy-building years of K-3rd

grade, classrooms are staffed with two

teachers, in order to ensure that the student-to-teacher ratio never exceeds 15:1;


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Students are expected to read for at least 15-20 minutes at home each night in

Kindergarten and 1st grade, and for at least 30 minutes each night starting in 3

rd grade;

Students write in every class, and use the Writer’s Workshop method to cultivate

creativity and voice.

After the school day comes to a close, the learning continues. Each scholar, including each

Kindergarten scholar, takes home at least 20 minutes of Life’s Work, which is what we call

homework, every evening – including weekends and holidays. Parents/guardians review and sign

each evening’s assignment upon completion. Families and scholars are expected to read together

for 20 minutes each night as well.

High Behavioral Expectations & Code of Conduct

To maintain an environment where teachers can focus on teaching and students can focus on

learning, we implement a strict code of conduct and have incredibly high behavioral expectations

for our scholars.

Character Development Program

At Excellence Girls we know that academic excellence is not enough. To achieve our mission, it

is imperative that we instill in them the character traits that will allow them to persevere along

the long and often difficult road to college. We therefore explicitly teach our scholars about key

character traits as well as community involvement.

We provide daily instruction in our Creed Values (courage, loyalty, justice, respect, hope,

honesty, love, scholarship and sisterhood). Additionally, each week ends with a Friday

Community Meeting where we reinforce and celebrate our Creed Values, as well as the

academic successes of the week. Each Community Meeting closes with the presentation of

awards from classroom teachers to the scholar in their class who best demonstrated the

designated Creed Value of the week.

Family Involvement

We know that the road to college is a long and difficult one, and that it is even longer and more

difficult without parental/family support. We therefore work tirelessly to involve our scholars’

families in their education.

Before our scholars start their first day of Kindergarten with us, their parents have already

attended two mandatory orientations and one small-group meeting with our Dean of Students.

Parents receive information about their scholars’ academic and behavioral performance on the

behavior log attached to the Life’s Work packet that teacher fill out and send home daily.

Teachers call parents constantly, to share both positive news and information about scholars’

struggles, so that parents can support teachers in celebrating scholars’ successes and working to

resolve scholars’ issues. Parents are required to pick up report cards in person at report card

conferences, held twice each year. The school also hosts a series of Families for Achievement

Events (e.g. Literacy Night, Math Night, Community Service Day, Health & Wellness Night),

which bring together scholars, their families, and teachers around academic and character

development topics.


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School Enrollment by Grade Level and School Year

School

Year K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10 87 57

2010-11 84 86 56

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Goal 1: English Language Arts

All students at Excellence Girls Charter School will be proficient readers and writers of the English

language.

Background

The Excellence Girls reading program overcomes our scholars’ early literacy deficits by

aggressively accelerating them through a coherent set of curricula that addresses five

components of early literacy: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and

comprehension. The foundation of our reading curriculum lies in four complementary, research-

based programs – Direct Instruction (Reading Mastery); Riverdeep Destination Reading Program

(computer program); reading comprehension instruction based on the Urban Education Exchange

Concepts of Comprehension; and explicit vocabulary instruction through Text Talk (designed by

noted vocabulary expert Isabel Beck) – that incorporate these five components of early literacy

to provide a rigorous reading education.

This year, the Excellence Girls English Language Arts program continued to reflect our

understanding that literacy is the foundation upon which all future knowledge is built. We

provided our scholars with 160 minutes of reading instruction each day. Scholars started the day

with a 25-minute Read Aloud, where they sat on the rug, listened to their teacher read to them

from a text taken from the Text Talk Program or a teacher-selected text, and answered questions

that increase their reading comprehension skills and vocabulary base. Teachers selected texts

which allowed them to introduce particular comprehension concepts that they then expanded

upon during Reading Comprehension.

The Reading Mastery program, which teachers used as the curriculum for one of the daily 45-

minute reading blocks, has an extremely strong research base. It is particularly effective in

building the core decoding and fluency skills of students; moreover, the program is designed in a

very linear, sequential manner. Students are not allowed to move on until they show mastery of

the reading material. The Excellence Girls program gave scholars five 45-minute Reading

Mastery lessons a week in order to rapidly accelerate them to mastery.


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Scholars spent five 45-minute blocks each week doing Reading Comprehension and Guided

Reading, using a teacher-created curriculum that is based on the Urban Education Exchange

Concepts of Comprehension. During this time, scholars delved into authentic literature and

practice independent reading strategies.

Kindergarten and First Grade scholars spent their third 45-minute reading block each day of the

week on the classroom computers using the Riverdeep Destination Reading Program, which

provided engaging individualized early literacy instruction that reinforces both phonics and

comprehension skills. Second Graders spent some days using the Riverdeep Program and other

days independently reading during their third reading block.

This year, we again had two teachers in each classroom, allowing all of our scholars to rotate

through the above-mentioned three 45-minute reading blocks each day in groups of 10-11.

This year, we again administered several different Engligh Language Arts assessments

throughout the year. Commerical assessments included the TerraNova and the STEP

Assessment (see “Summary of ELA Goal” section for details). School-created assessments

included: bimonthly writing compositions and school-created Interim Assessments.

Beginning in Summer Staff Training and throughout the school year, our Co-Director for

Curriculum and Instruction developed and led extensive and intensive professional development

workshops, some in collaboration with other Uncommon Elementary Schools, to ensure that

Excellence Girls’s English Language Arts Goals were met.

Goal 1: Absolute Measure

Each year through 2008-2009, 75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at least their

second year will perform at or above Level 3 on the New York State English language arts

examination.

In 2009-10, 75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at least their second year will

perform at or above a Scale Score of 650 on the New York State English language arts examination.

For the 2010-11 school year, Excellence Girls Charter School enrolled students in Kindergarten,

First Grade, and Second Grade, as per the enrollment plan set forth in our charter. Thus the

school did not participate in any of the New York State examinations.


Each year, the school’s aggregate Performance Index (PI) on the State English language arts exam

will meet the Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) set forth in the state’s NCLB accountability

system.





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Goal 1: Comparative Measure

Each year, the percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at least their second year and

performing at or above Level 3 on the state English language arts exam will be greater than that of all

students in the same tested grades in the local school district.





Each year, the school will exceed its predicted level of performance on the state English language

arts exam by at least a small Effect Size (performing higher than expected to a small degree)

according to a regression analysis controlling for students eligible for free lunch among all public

schools in New York State.




Goal 1: Growth Measure

Each year, all grade-level cohorts of students will reduce by one-half the gap between the percent at

or above Level 3 on the previous year’s state English language arts exam and 75 percent at or above

Level 3 on the current year’s state English language arts exam. If a grade-level cohort exceeds 75

percent at or above Level 3 in the previous year, the cohort is expected to show a positive gain in the

current year.





Each year, on the TerraNova, a nationally-norm referenced reading assessment, all grade-level

cohorts of students enrolled in Kindergarten through 3rd grade will reduce by one-half the gap

between their average NCE in the previous year and an NCE of 50 in the current year. If a grade-

level cohort exceeds an NCE of 50 in the previous year, the cohort is expected to show a positive

gain in the current year.

Method

The Excellence Girls Charter School Accountability Plan includes measures directly linked to

the New York State examinations and Excellence Girls is operating in accordance with the

knowledge that it will be accountable for all of the measures listed above beginning in the 2011-

12 school year – the first year in which the school will have a cohort of third graders.

In both 2009-10 (our school’s founding year) and 2010-11, we administered the CTB/McGraw-

Hill TerraNova Assessment, a nationally recognized standard assessment of academic skills in

Reading, Language, and Math, to all of our students. The skills measured by the TerraNova

assessment mirror the skills measured by the New York State examinations. The TerraNova


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provides us with the data we need to assess our school’s progress towards our Accountability

Plan goals, which is particularly valuable in the absence of New York State Examination data.

Results

For the 2009-10 school year, we enrolled students in Kindergarten and First Grade. For the

2010-11 school year, we enrolled students in Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade. Each

school year, we administered the TerraNova to all grades in June. We also administered the

TerraNova to our Kindergarten class in the near the beginning of the school year (this school

year, in October 2010). This assessment administration cycle allowed us to measure the amount

of growth that each of our scholars made in Reading, Language Arts, and Math over the course

of one school year.

Kindergarten Results

In October 2010 (the beginning of the 2010-11 school year):

o Kindergarteners’ Mean NCE in Reading was 42

o Kindergarteners’ Mean NCE in Language Arts was 44

In June 2011 (the end of the 2010-11 school year):

o Kindergarteners’ Mean NCE in Reading was 74

o Kindergarteners’ Mean NCE in Language Arts was 78


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o 26% of Kindergarteners scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in

Reading


Language Arts



Reading


Language Arts


Page 9 of 54

First Grade Results


o 1st Graders’ Mean NCE in Reading was 78

o 1st Graders’ Mean NCE in Language Arts was 73


o 1st Graders’ Mean NCE in Reading was 71

o 1st Graders’ Mean NCE in Language Arts was 74


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o 100% of 1st Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Reading

o 90% of 1st Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Language

Arts


o 92% of 1st Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Reading

o 92% of 1st Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Language

Arts

Second Grade Results


o 2nd Graders’ Mean NCE in Reading was 65

o 2nd Graders’ Mean NCE in Language Arts was 67


o 2nd Graders’ Mean NCE in Reading was 63

o 2nd Graders’ Mean NCE in Language Arts was 79


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o 85% of 2nd Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Reading

o 90% of 2nd Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Language

Arts


o 73% of 2nd Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Reading

o 94% of 2nd Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Language

Arts

Summary of the English Language Arts Goal

Both this year and last year, all cohorts achieved an average NCE of at least 50 on both the Reading

and Language Arts sections of the TerraNova we administered at the conclusion of the school year.

This year, we met our TerraNova growth goal in Kindergarten Reading and Language Arts (cohort

made positive gains from beginning of 10-11 school year to end of 10-11 school year), First Grade

Language Arts (cohort made positive gains from end of 09-10 school year to end of 10-11 school

year), and Second Grade Language Arts (cohort made positive gains from end of 09-10 school year

to end of 10-11 school year).

This year, we did not achieve our TerraNova growth goal in First Grade Reading (cohort’s average

NCE was greater than 50 but did not demonstrate a positive gain from end of 09-10 school year to

end of 10-11 school year) or Second Grade Reading (cohort’s average NCE was greater than 50 but

did not demonstrate a positive grain from end of 09-10 school year to end of 10-11 school year).


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Type Measure Outcome

Absolute

75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at

least their second year will perform at or above a

Scale Score of 650 on the New York State English

language arts examination.

N/A for 2010-11

Absolute

Each year, the school’s aggregate Performance Index

(PI) on the state English language arts exam will meet

that year’s Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) set

forth in the state’s NCLB accountability system.

N/A for 2010-11

Comparative

Each year, the percent of all tested students who are

enrolled in at least their second year and performing at

or above Level 3 on the state English language arts

exam will be greater than that of students in the same

tested grades in the local school district.

N/A for 2010-11

Comparative

Each year, the school will exceed its predicted level of

performance on the state English language arts exam

by at least a small Effect Size (performing higher than

expected to a small degree) according to a regression

analysis controlling for students eligible for free lunch

among all public schools in New York State.

N/A for 2010-11

Growth

Each year, all grade-level cohorts of students will

reduce by one-half the gap between the percent at or

above Level 3 on the previous year’s state English

language arts exam and 75 percent at or above Level 3

on the current year’s state English language arts exam.

If a grade-level cohort exceeds 75 percent at or above

Level 3 in the previous year, the cohort is expected to

show a positive gain in the current year.

N/A for 2010-11

Growth

Each year, on the TerraNova, a nationally-norm

referenced reading assessment, all grade-level cohorts

of students enrolled in Kindergarten through 3rd

grade

will reduce by one-half the gap between their average

NCE in the previous year and an NCE of 50 in the

current year. If a grade-level cohort exceeds an NCE

of 50 in the previous year, the cohort is expected to

show a positive gain in the current year.

Achieved for Kindergarten in Reading

and Language Arts. (Kindergarten

cohort’s average NCE exceeded 50 in

June 2011.)

Did not achieve for 1st Grade in

Reading. (Cohort exceeded NCE of 50

in both years but did not show positive

gain from 2009-10 to 2010-11.)

Achieved for 1st Grade in Language

Arts. (Cohort exceeded NCE of 50 in

both years and showed positive gain

from 2009-10 to 2010-11.)

Did not achieve for 2nd

Grade in

Reading. (Cohort exceeded NCE of 50

in both years but did not show positive

gain from 2009-10 to 2010-11.)

Achieved for 2nd

Grade in Language

Arts. (Cohort exceeded NCE of 50 in

both years and showed positive gain

from 2009-10 to 2010-11.)


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Action Plan

As the TerraNova assessment data shows, in both 2009-10 and 2010-11 Excellence Girls made great

progress in moving students toward reading and language fluency. We are confident, as evidenced

by both all grades performing above the 50 NCE level, that we are providing a firm foundation for

even greater reading and language achievement for our students in the upcoming school year and in

the years to come.

However, in 2010-11 we did not meet our TerraNova growth goal in First Grade Reading or Second

Grade Reading, which greatly concerns us. We therefore have spent time – and plan to spend a great

deal more time at the start of the school year – analyzing the assessment and our scholars’ errors to

determine what they were underprepared for, looking back at our First and Second Grade Reading

curriculum and instruction from the past two years to see what we were not doing enough of or were

doing incorrectly, and creating an action plan for this coming school year and future years.

Below are some of the issues that we identified in our academic program, reading instruction,

and data analysis last school year that may have led to us not meeting our TerraNova growth

goals in First and Second Grades:

We concentrated our new teachers on the First Grade team last year and we placed two

new teachers together in one First Grade classroom. This created a situation where four

of our six First Grade teachers had never taught reading at our school before last year.

During the second half of the school year, we allowed an inexperienced teacher to plan

the reading lessons in First Grade. Due to this teacher’s inexperience in planning high-

quality, user-friendly lessons, the lessons were often implemented inconsistently across

the grade.

We did not sufficiently focus on the key reading level bottom-lines in our observations of

our First Grade teachers’ reading lessons and the subsequent feedback we gave them.

We did not push our First and Second Grade teachers to sufficiently use the data they

collected from our English Language Arts interim assessments in their instructional

plans.

At the start of the year, we were unsure of how to properly adjust our Guided Reading

plans for students at lower reading levels than the other students in their class, and so for

a few months students in Second Grade received lessons that were above their

developmental reading level.

Our analysis of our English Language Arts interim assessments in First and Second

Grades was superficial and focused solely on the most obvious skill tested in a question.

We did not push teachers to dive deeply enough into the data to determine the actual

skills students had difficulty with in a particular question that students missed.

Based on our preliminary analysis, we are planning to take the below listed action steps to

improve our reading instruction in First and Second Grades this year and, as a result, to better

prepare our First and Second Graders – and all of our students – for the June 2012 TerraNova

exam. Please note that this list is a work in progress, which we will add to and adjust in the

coming weeks and months as we dedicate more time and attention to this area of growth for our

school


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We will have two instructional leaders in the school this year, and so will be able to

divide the work of observing, giving feedback, reviewing lesson plans, and planning

professional development between two people. This will allow us to give greater support

to each of our teachers, particularly in reading planning and instruction.

This year we are providing additional instructional leader support to all classrooms with

no returning teacher.

We moved a Kindergarten Lead Teacher with great success in reading instruction to First

Grade so that she can serve as Grade Team Chair and can assist the First Grade reading

planner in the creation and implementation of the First Grade reading curriculum.

We will provide a greater amount of feedback on Guided Reading plans and our focus

will be on providing feedback to new teachers and to the lower groups in each grade.

We are providing our teachers with professional development on how to analyze data for

a particular standard strand in order to create tighter and more aligned instructional plans.

We will then hold teachers accountable for making these adjustments in their

instructional plans and, in our observations, we will be sure that teachers are not focusing

only on the simple, straightforward skill. Teachers’ instructional plans will live with

their lesson plan folder outside of their classroom doors so that our instructional leaders

can review them before observing and hold teachers accountable for adhering to them.

This year, to further support our scholars’ growth in reading, we will also continue to do the

following:

Implement the STEP Program (Strategic Teaching and Evaluation of Progress), a

developmental literacy assessment that includes a set of tools tightly aligned with

scientifically established benchmarks in reading development.

As they did in preparation for the 2010-11 school year, Excellence Girls teachers will

participate in two days of Reading Mastery training. This training will be supplemented by a

series of multi-day visits throughout the fall by a nationally recognized Reading Mastery

professional developer who will observe teachers, provide feedback, and deliver model

lessons.

Excellence Girls teachers again convened during July to develop K-7 Curriculum Alignment

Templates (CATs) for Writing using the Lucy Calkins Writers’ Workshop Model. Teaching

pairs also integrated their grade-level Reading Comprehension lesson plans with their

Writing and Read Aloud.

The Excellence Girls Learning Support Coordinator and Learning Support Teacher will

continue to provide literacy intervention for those scholars who need additional help in

developing their print knowledge, alphabet awareness, phonological awareness, phonemic

awareness, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and spelling. For this intervention work,

Excellence Girls will continue to employ the Wilson Fundations Program Wilson. The

Learning Support Coordinator and Learning Support Teacher will continue to receive on-

going training and support from the Uncommon Schools Director of Special Education.

We are very hopeful that all of these action steps will allow us to meet all of our ELA

Accountability Plan goals in 2011-12.


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MATHEMATICS

Goal 2: Mathematics

Students will demonstrate competency in the understanding and application of mathematical

computation and problem solving.

Background

At Excellence Girls, we employ a Math curriculum that is designed to ensure that our students

master both math procedures and problem-solving skills. Our math curriculum uses various

methodologies and approaches to move students towards competency in the understanding and

application of mathematical computation and problem solving. At Excellence Girls, scholars

have 75 minutes of Math instruction 5 days per week.

We use the Saxon Math program, which relies upon a two-pronged method – explicit instruction

and a distributed practice-and-assessment approach to instruction – and has extensive research

behind it demonstrating its effectiveness with low-income student populations. Saxon’s

distributed approach to math instruction is based on breaking down complex concepts into

related increments, recognizing that smaller pieces of information are easier to teach and easier

to learn, and systematically distributing the instruction, practice and assessment of those

increments across a grade level, ensuring that students have the opportunity to master each

increment before being introduced to the next related one.

The Saxon lessons include the following components:

o The Math Meeting

o The Lesson

o Lesson Practice / Handwriting Practice

o Guided Class Practice

o Fact Practice – Beginning in 1st Grade

Teachers supplement Saxon lessons with additional materials, based on the skill needs reflected

in students’ Saxon Assessments, Interim Assessments, and TerraNova results.

A new Saxon lesson is taught every day. By completing a lesson each day, Excellence Girls

Kindergarten students were able to move to First Grade math by the end of the Spring this year.

By mastering a complete Saxon lesson every school day, our students remain on pace to

complete at least a year of high school algebra by the end of eighth grade.

At Excellence Girls, the Math Meeting is conducted whole-group on the rug. The Lesson is

conducted in two groups, based on current skill level of the scholars. One group is led by the

Lead Teacher in one part of the room, while the other is led by the Teacher in another part of the

room.


Each year through 2008-09, 75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at least their second

year will perform at or above Level 3 on the New York State mathematics examination.


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In 2009-10, 75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at least their second year will

perform at or above a Scale Score of 650 on the New York State mathematics examination.





Each year, the school’s aggregate Performance Index (PI) on the state mathematics exam will meet

that year’s Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) set forth in the state’s NCLB accountability system






performing at or above Level 3 on the state mathematics exam will be greater than that of students in

the same tested grades in the local school district.





Each year, the school will exceed its predicted level of performance on the state mathematics exam

by at least a small Effect Size (performing higher than expected to a small degree) according to a

regression analysis controlling for students eligible for free lunch among all public schools in New

York State.





Each year, all grade-level cohorts of students will reduce by one-half the gap between the percent at

or above Level 3 on the previous year’s state mathematics exam and 75 percent at or above Level 3

on the current year’s state mathematics exam. If a grade-level cohort exceeds 75 percent at or above

Level 3 in the previous year, the cohort is expected to show a positive gain in the current year.





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Each year, on the TerraNova, a nationally-norm referenced math assessment, all grade-level cohorts

of students enrolled in Kindergarten through 3rd grade will reduce by one-half the gap between their

average NCE in the previous year and an NCE of 50 in the current year. If a grade-level cohort

exceeds an NCE of 50 in the previous year, the cohort is expected to show a positive gain in the

current year.

Method

The Excellence Girls Charter School Accountability Plan includes measures directly linked to

the New York State examinations and Excellence Girls is operating in accordance with the

knowledge that it will be accountable for all of the measures listed above beginning in the 2011-

12 school year – the first year in which the school will have a cohort of third graders.

In both 2009-10 (our school’s founding year) and 2010-11, we administered the CTB/McGraw-

Hill TerraNova Assessment, a nationally recognized standard assessment of academic skills in

Reading, Language, and Math, to all of our students. The skills measured by the TerraNova

assessment mirror the skills measured by the New York State examinations. The TerraNova

provides us with the data we need to assess our school’s progress towards our Accountability

Plan goals, which is particularly valuable in the absence of New York State Examination data.

Results

For the 2009-10 school year, we enrolled students in Kindergarten and First Grade. For the

2010-11 school year, we enrolled students in Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade. Each

school year, we administered the TerraNova to all grades in June. We also administered the

TerraNova to our Kindergarten class in the near the beginning of the school year (this school

year, in October 2010). This assessment administration cycle allowed us to measure the amount

of growth that each of our scholars made in Reading, Language Arts, and Math over the course

of one school year.

Kindergarten Results


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o Kindergarteners’ Mean NCE in Math was 40


o Kindergarteners’ Mean NCE in Math was 88


o 24% of Kindergarteners scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Math


o 99% of Kindergarteners scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Math

First Grade Results


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o 1st Graders’ Mean NCE in Math was 83


o 1st Graders’ Mean NCE in Math was 87


o 98% of 1st Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Math


o 99% of 1st Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Math

Second Grade Results


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o 2nd Graders’ Mean NCE in Math was 73


o 2nd Graders’ Mean NCE in Math was 83


o 85% of 2nd Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Math


o 98% of 2nd Graders scored at or above grade level (NCE of 50 or higher) in Math

Summary of the Mathematics Goal

Both this year and last year, all cohorts achieved an average NCE of at least 50 on the Math section

of the TerraNova we administered at the conclusion of the school year.

Additionally, this year, we met our TerraNova growth goal in all grades in Math. Our 2nd grade and

1st grade cohorts both demonstrated growth from the end of last school year to the end of this school

year, and our Kindergarten cohort demonstrated growth from the beginning of this school year to the

end of this school year.


Absolute

75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at least their

second year will perform at or above Level 3 on the New York

State mathematics exam.

N/A for 2010-11

Absolute

Each year, the school’s aggregate Performance Index (PI) on the

state mathematics exam will meet that year’s Annual Measurable

Objective (AMO) set forth in the state’s NCLB accountability

system.

N/A for 2010-11

Comparative Each year, the percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at

least their second year and performing at or above Level 3 on the N/A for 2010-11


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state mathematics exam will be greater than that of students in


Comparative

Each year, the school will exceed its predicted level of

performance on the state mathematics exam by at least a small

Effect Size (performing higher than expected to a small degree)

according to a regression analysis controlling for students eligible

for free lunch among all public schools in New York State.

N/A for 2010-11

Growth

Each year, all grade-level cohorts of students will reduce by one-

half the gap between the percent at or above Level 3 on the

previous year’s state mathematics exam and 75 percent at or

above Level 3 on the current year’s state mathematics exam. If a

grade-level cohort exceeds 75 percent at or above Level 3 in the

previous year, the cohort is expected to show a positive gain in

the current year.

N/A for 2010-11

Growth

Each year, on the TerraNova, a nationally-norm referenced math

assessment, all grade-level cohorts of students enrolled in

Kindergarten through 3rd

grade will reduce by one-half the gap

between their average NCE in the previous year and an NCE of

50 in the current year. If a grade-level cohort exceeds an NCE of

50 in the previous year, the cohort is expected to show a positive

gain in the current year.

Achieved in all grades.

(2nd

and 1st Grade cohorts

exceeded NCE of 50 in both

years and showed positive

gain from 2009-10 to 2010-

11; Kindergarten cohort’s

average NCE exceeded 50

in June 2011.)

Action Plan

Based on our scholars’ TerraNova performance, Saxon Mathematics assessment data, and internal assessment performance throughout 2010-11, we are confident that our mathematics curriculum is successfully guiding our scholar to mastery in problem solving and procedures. However, as always, there is much room for growth. In 2011-12, Excellence Girls will:

Direct teachers to incorporate math instruction into their weekly tutoring sessions with scholars who need additional help.

Continue to employ the Saxon math curriculum and differentiated instruction, methodologies and approaches to move students towards competency in the understanding and application of mathematical computation and problem solving;

Provide our math teacher with a half day of Saxon training during August Professional Development;

Continue to direct our Learning Support Coordinator and Learning Support Teacher to provide additional push-in and pull-out support to our scholars struggling in math.

We are confident, based on our 2010-11 results and our action steps planned for 2011-12, that our scholars will continue to develop high-level skills in both mathematical procedures and problem solving and that we will meet our Accountability Plan goals in math again next year.


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SCIENCE

Goal 3: Science

Students will demonstrate proficiency in the understanding and application of scientific principles.

Background

Excellence Girls’ curricula in Science and Social Studies are based on a combination of the NYS

Science and Social Studies Standards and the Core Knowledge curriculum, designed by

Professor E. D. Hirsch, Jr., author of Cultural Literacy and The Schools We Need. The school

meets all New York City and State Standards and will go beyond them in our coverage of some

units, such as Science Biographies for each grade level.

The Excellence Girls curriculum for Core Knowledge (Science and Social Studies) relies on the

Scott Foresman textbook series, which are aligned to NYS standards, and associated multi-media

resource materials. Both the Science and Social Studies curricula from Scott Foresman contain

teacher-friendly materials with extensive professional development resources. The curricula are

highly adaptable so teachers have the freedom and flexibility to modify the curricula based on

the needs of their particular students. Each curriculum contains a test-preparation component

which is valuable for assessments. Finally, the Science and Social Studies programs provide

ample opportunities for integration across all subjects, especially reading and writing.

Teachers within each grade level follow a set scope and sequence that alternates between units of

Science and Social Studies, which ensures that teachers have uninterrupted stretches of time to

develop scholars’ depth of knowledge and to support their mastery of the material.


Each year, 75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at least their second year will perform

at or above Level 3 on the New York State science examination.






performing at or above Level 3 on the State science exam will be greater than that of all students in





Summary of the Science Goal Based on the significant strengths of the Scott Foresman Science and Social Studies programs, Excellence Girls believes that implementing these new curricula will prepare our students to


Page 23 of 54

perform well on Science and Social Studies state assessments as we work towards our Accountability Plan goals.


Absolute

Each year, 75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in

at least their second year will perform at or above Level 3 on

the New York State examination.

N/A FOR 2010-11

Comparative

Each year, the percent of all tested students who are enrolled

in at least their second year and performing at or above Level

3 on the State exam will be greater than that of all students in


N/A FOR 2010-11

Action Plan

In 2011-12, Excellence Girls will continue to employ the Scott Foresman Science and Social Studies programs and extensive hands-on experiments to move students towards competency in the understanding and application of Science and Social Studies. Excellence Girls remains strongly committed to ensuring that our scholars develop the core knowledge that will allow them to become critical thinkers in all areas and, as E.D. Hirsch demonstrates, will support their development in reading comprehension. We are equally committed to meeting our Accountability Plan goals in Science.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Background Please see Goal 3: Science - Background section above.

Goal 4: Social Studies

Students will demonstrate proficiency in the understanding and application of principles related to

the social sciences.


Each year, 75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in at least their second year will perform

at or above Level 3 on the New York State social studies examination.





Page 24 of 54



performing at or above Level 3 on the state social studies exam will be greater than that of students in





Summary of the Social Studies Goal

Based on the significant strengths of the Scott Foresman Science and Social Studies programs, Excellence Girls believes that implementing these new curricula will prepare our students to perform well on Science and Social Studies state assessments as we work towards our Accountability Plan goals.


Absolute

Each year, 75 percent of all tested students who are enrolled in

at least their second year will perform at or above Level 3 on

the New York State examination.

N/A FOR 2010-11

Comparative

Each year, the percent of all tested students who are enrolled

in at least their second year and performing at or above Level

3 on the State exam will be greater than that of all students in


N/A FOR 2010-11

Action Plan

In 2011-12, Excellence Girls will continue to employ the Scott Foresman Science and Social Studies programs and extensive hands-on experiments to move students towards competency in the understanding and application of Science and Social Studies. Excellence Girls remains strongly committed to ensuring that our scholars develop the core knowledge that will allow them to become critical thinkers in all areas and, as E.D. Hirsch demonstrates, will support their development in reading comprehension. We are equally committed to meeting our Accountability Plan goals in Social Studies.

NCLB

Goal 5: NCLB

The school will make Adequate Yearly Progress.


Under the state’s NCLB accountability system, the school’s Accountability Status will be “Good

Standing” each year.


Page 25 of 54

Method

Each year, New York State issues School Report Cards which indicate each school’s status under

the state’s NCLB accountability system. For a school’s status to be “Good Standing” it must not

have failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years.

Since all students are expected to meet the state's learning standards, the federal No Child Left

Behind legislation stipulates that various sub-populations and demographic categories of students

among all tested students must meet the state standard in and of themselves aside from the

overall school results. New York, like all states, established a system for making these

determinations for its public schools.

Results

Excellence Girls anticipates being in “Good Standing” under the NCLB accountability system. The school has diligently worked to meet each NCLB requirement and comply with all stated guidelines.

NCLB Status by Year

Year Status

2009-10 N/A

2010-11 N/A

Documents

excellencegirls.uncommonschools.orgexcellencegirls.uncommonschools.org/sites/default/files/pdf/... · Paul Tudor Jones II ... Excellence Girls was founded to respond to these community