neighborhood house charter school annual report...neighborhood house charter school letter from...

Neighborhood House Charter School

Annual Report

2016-2017

Kate Scott, Executive Director


21 Queen Street

Dorchester, MA 02122

Phone: (617) 825-0703

Fax: (617) 825-1829

[email protected]

www.thenhcs.org

Submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Aug 1, 2017

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.thenhcs.org/

1 Neighborhood House Charter School

Table of Contents

Introduction to the School ........................................................................................................................ 2

Letter from Chair of the Board of Trustees ............................................................................................... 3

Faithfulness to Charter ................................................................................................................................. 4

Mission and Key Design Elements ............................................................................................................ 4

Amendments to the Charter ..................................................................................................................... 5

Dissemination Efforts ................................................................................................................................ 6

Academic Program Success .......................................................................................................................... 7

Student Performance ................................................................................................................................ 7

Program Delivery ...................................................................................................................................... 8

Social, Emotional, and Health Needs ........................................................................................................ 9

Organizational Viability ................................................................................................................................ 9

Organizational Structure of the School ..................................................................................................... 9

Network Structure or Multiple Campus Organizational Structure ......................................................... 10

Teacher Evaluation.................................................................................................................................. 10

Neighborhood House Charter School Organization Chart ...................................................................... 11

Budget and Finance .................................................................................................................................... 12

A. Unaudited FY16 Statement of Revenues, Expenses, and Changes in Net Assets ........................... 12

B. Statement of Net Assets for FY17 ................................................................................................... 13

C. Approved School Budget for FY18 .................................................................................................. 14

D. Capital Plan for FY18 ....................................................................................................................... 15

Appendix A ................................................................................................................................................. 16

Appendix B.................................................................................................................................................. 20

Appendix C .................................................................................................................................................. 30

Appendix D ................................................................................................................................................. 35

Key Leadership Changes ......................................................................................................................... 35

Facilities .................................................................................................................................................. 35

Enrollment .............................................................................................................................................. 35


INTRODUCTION TO THE SCHOOL


Type of Charter

(Commonwealth or Horace Mann)

Commonwealth Location of School (Municipality)

Boston

Regional or Non-Regional Non-Regional

Chartered Districts in Region

(if applicable)

N/A

Year Opened 1995

Year(s) the Charter was Renewed

(if applicable)

2000, 2005, 2010, 2015

Maximum Enrollment 468 (in 2016-2017)

5 566 (in 2017-2018)

Enrollment as of 6/19/17

466

Chartered Grade Span K1-12 Current Grade Span K1 -8

Number of Instructional Days per School Year

180 Students on Waitlist as of 7/25/17

3,421

School Hours

Gr. K1-5:

8:15-3:45 (M,T,R,F);

8:15 – 12:30 (W)

Gr. 6-7:

8:00 – 3:35 (M,T,R,F);

8:00 – 12:45 (W)

Gr. 8-9

8:15 – 3:45 (M,T,R,F);

8:15 – 12:45 (W)

Age of School as of 2016-2017 School Year

22 years

Mission Statement

Neighborhood House Charter School combines rich and structured learning with extensive social/emotional programming to help all our students succeed in school and in life. We strive to develop scholars who seek knowledge, embrace effort, act thoughtfully, and commit to the common good.

Many children come to us with significant needs. We don’t give up on them. Our goal is that all of our students thrive at Neighborhood House, graduate from high school, and pursue post-secondary education on the path to life success.


LETTER FROM CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Neighborhood House Charter School (NHCS) has had a tremendous year in 2016-17 thanks to the sustained efforts

of our staff, families, and partners. Currently a K1-8, though poised to grow to a K1-12 by adding a grade per year

starting in school year 2017-18, NHCS serves more than 460 mostly low-income students of color in one of

Boston’s most diverse neighborhoods. Our mission is to combine rich and structured learning with extensive

social/emotional programming to help all our students succeed in school and in life. We strive to develop scholars

who seek knowledge, embrace effort, act thoughtfully, and commit to the common good.

We increased our enrollment this year by adding 68 new spots in grades 3-8 including entire new sections in

grades 5 and 6. Through our successful integration of new families and teachers, the school is well-positioned to

continue growing outward and upward. We are on the brink of welcoming our inaugural ninth grade class this fall

in the location of the former Elizabeth Seton Academy in Dorchester. Our Founding High School Principal

Jahmeelah Bai-Grandson has been hard at work laying the foundation for a successful school year to come.

NHCS’ students continue to demonstrate excellence on end-of-year assessments. Our results from last year’s

computerized PARCC exams showed that NHCS 8th graders ranked 1st in the state in ELA performance and ELA

growth. In addition, NHCS 7th graders performed in the top 1% of schools in the state in both ELA and math

growth.

While we are incredibly proud of these results, test scores alone don’t measure what makes Neighborhood House

truly special. Our goal is to see 100% of our alumni graduate from high school, further their education beyond high

school, and achieve life success. To do this, we must ensure that our students learn to think critically, work hard,

be curious and creative, and communicate and collaborate well. This requires our teachers and staff to go above

and beyond, inside the classroom and out, every single day; that’s what makes NHCS truly special.

At our board meeting in June, we welcomed three new board members as others stepped down at the end of their

terms. We thank all our trustees for their dedicated service and are extremely grateful that the retiring trustees

plan to remain involved with the school in a variety of ways.

The number of friends and supporters of Neighborhood House continues to grow. I thank everyone who has been

so generous with their time as well as with financial support. We truly couldn’t do this important work without

you.

Regards,

Joseph Corrado

Chair of the Neighborhood House Charter School Board of Trustees


MISSION AND KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS

Neighborhood House Charter School, one of the first charter schools in Massachusetts, has a long

history of putting students on the path to life success. Our success rests upon four key design elements

that have supported the implementation of our school’s mission:

1. Delivering rich and structured learning

2. Building social/emotional well-being

3. “We don’t give up on students so students don’t give up on themselves”

4. Developing extraordinary teachers and staff

As enshrined in our mission, we believe that quality lessons are both rich and structured. The richness is

designed to stimulate engagement and foster a love of learning by providing deep, meaningful, multi-

modal learning experiences. The structure ensures that all students meet or exceed standards to

develop 21st century skills and that teachers are well-organized, focused, and make use of data and

assessments. As an example, in the 2016-17 academic year, students in 4th grade researched access to

clean water around the world. While this problem mostly affects developing countries, students learned

that residents in Flint, Michigan did not have access to clean drinking water, and the students developed

a plan to raise money and donate it to a group providing clean water in Flint until the larger

infrastructure problems can be solved. Through this Rich and Structured Learning Experience (RSLE),

they were able to brainstorm and strategize collectively, connecting a global issue to a cause they could

affect within the United States.

Another key piece of our mission is to provide social and emotional learning (SEL) to all our students.

We believe that SEL is crucial to lifelong success. As in years past, we provided a multi-tiered system of

supports in 2016-17. All students received direct SEL instruction through their participation in regular,

class-wide, and age-appropriate SEL groups. Students with higher levels of need received additional

individualized support through the Student Support Team.

Our school’s final key design elements are: not letting kids give up on themselves, and developing a

corps of extraordinary educators. This year we sustained and strengthened our work in both areas. In

the first area, students in all grades K2 through 8 were identified as at-risk based on academic

performance and received academic interventions designed to help put them back on track. And in the

second area, teachers throughout the school received frequent observation, feedback, and professional

development from principals, department chairs, mentors, and each other, resulting in high morale as

well as high expectations for students.

Faithfulness to Charter


AMENDMENTS TO THE CHARTER

Date Amendment Requested Pending or Approved?

10/17/16 Enrollment policy amendment to incorporate use of the Online Boston Charter Application.

Approved


DISSEMINATION EFFORTS

Best Practice Shared

Vehicle for Dissemination (describe the method, format, or

venue used to share best practices)

Who at the school was

involved with the dissemination efforts? (Title)

Criteria that best aligns to the shared best

practice (choose from the drop down menu)

With whom did the school disseminate its

best practices? (Partners and Locations)

Result of dissemination (List any resulting artifacts, materials, agendas, or results from partners. Also indicate if the school received grant funding to disseminate and if a grant

report was written.)

Effective priority-setting and use of common planning time

Phone calls, planning meetings, emails

Principal School

Leadership Mildred Ave. K-8 School, Mattapan

NHCS received a grant from the Barr Foundation to provide 20 hours of dissemination services to the Mildred Ave. School. Student performance on standardized assessments improved as a result (more detail provided under dissemination objectives in Appendix A). A grant report was written.

Successful teaching around informational texts

Phone calls, planning meetings, emails, in-person training and workshops, observation and feedback, curriculum development

Principal, Department Chairs, and Teachers

Instruction Donald McKay K-8 School, East Boston

NHCS received grants from the Barr Foundation and the Esther B. Kahn Charitable Foundation to provide 94 hours of dissemination services to the McKay School. Student performance on standardized assessments improved as a result (more detail provided under dissemination objectives in Appendix A). Grant reports were written.

Using data to inform instruction

Planning meetings, in-person training and workshop

Principal, Teachers

Instruction Charles H. Taylor School, Mattapan

NHCS provided 14 hours of dissemination services to the Taylor school. Educators attending the training had actionable takeaways around standards alignment and use of data to inform instruction.


STUDENT PERFORMANCE

A. Here is a link to our school’s 2016 DESE School Report Card:

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/reportcard/rc.aspx?linkid=37&orgcode=04440205&fycode=2016&orgtype

code=6&

B. Here is clear and concise information, in the aggregate, about 2016-2017 student performance on internal or external assessments (other than MCAS or PARCC) that we would like the Department to consider as evidence of academic progress.

During the 2016-2017 school year, Neighborhood House Charter School students in grades 2-8 participated in four online English/Language Arts (ELA) assessments through the Achievement Network (ANet): A1, A2, A3, and A4. In addition, students in grades 2-5 participated in four online mathematics assessments, while students in grades 6-8 participated in three math assessments. In comparing NHCS’ performance across assessments to the average performance of all online-testing schools in the national network (up to approximately 270 schools, depending on grade level and interim, in ELA, and up to approximately 120 schools, depending on grade level and interim, in math), NHCS performed an average of 10 points above the network in both ELA and Mathematics, outperforming the network in both subjects, at every grade level, as seen below. 2016-2017 Difference from the Network (A1-A4*)

ELA Math

Gr2 +14 +19

Gr3 +9 +2

Gr4 +13 +8

Gr5 +13 +14

Gr6 +7 +5

Gr7 +6 +9

Gr8 +10 +11

Academic Program Success

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/reportcard/rc.aspx?linkid=37&orgcode=04440205&fycode=2016&orgtypecode=6&

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/reportcard/rc.aspx?linkid=37&orgcode=04440205&fycode=2016&orgtypecode=6&


PROGRAM DELIVERY

Instructional Model: During the 2016-2017 school year we expanded the number of students in grades 5

and 6. To accommodate this growth we moved from semi-departmentalized instruction in these grades

to departmentalized instruction with 1 teacher for each content area (math, science, social studies, and

ELA) We have also altered our approach to arts instruction in grades K1-3 to reflect Artistic Choice-

“Teaching for Artistic Behavior”. There is a shift from teacher chosen projects, media, or themes, to a

learner-directed classroom where students are given voice and choice over what they create. They are

responsible for developing their own ideas, subject matter, materials, and techniques; setting up their

workspace; and working to completion. There is a strong emphasis on personal reflection, and artist

statements and critique are important elements of the studio community.

Assessment Methods: NHCS only made slight tweaks to our assessment program this year. The only

changes were to our lower school literacy assessments where we collected teacher feedback and then

altered the schedule and worked to streamline the assessments. We have gone through this process

before and as our teachers continue to improve their knowledge of data and assessments we will

continue to revise assessments so they take the least amount of time and provide the most

information. This year we administered literacy assessments in grades K-4 quarterly instead of

beginning, middle, end as we have done in the past. This frequency of assessments provided teachers

with the most up to date information to communicate with parents at each report card cycle. We also

evaluated longitudinal performance data to determine clearer proficiency bands which allowed us to

“test out” more students on various subtests which minimized assessment time for both kids and

teachers.

Supports for Diverse Learners: NHCS expanded enrollment by 68 seats during the 2016-2017 school

year. The majority of these seats were in the 5th and 6th grades and with these new students came

increased need for special settings and plans to educate some of our most struggling learners. A

number of new students came to NHCS from substantially separate placements and in order to meet

their needs as well as some students already attending NHCS we created a sub-separate

classroom. Multiple teachers shared instruction in this room as we worked to meet the many needs

across grades and develop the program. For this coming year we have hired a full time teacher who will

lead sub-separate instruction next year, building on our learnings from this past year.

Science and Technology/Engineering Standards: NHCS is aware of the revised standards. In order to

implement the 2016 Science and Technology/Engineering Standards, NHCS created a two-year

implementation plan. During the 2016-2017 school year, science teachers made specific modifications

to the curriculum they have created and used in the past so that it aligned to the new

standards. Curriculum for standards that have not been taught previously will be created and taught

during the 2017-2018 school year. Allowing two years to transition to the new standards ensures that

students do not repeat a unit they have learned before when standards are moved from one grade to

another. At the conclusion of the 2016-2017 school year, science teachers devised a plan on how to


incorporate the science practices into their curriculum and brainstormed specific grade-level goals. By

the end of 2017-2018, science curriculum will be completely aligned to new standards.

At the start of the year, standards are clustered together into units and mapped out for the entire

year. Before teaching each unit, teachers will create a plan that outlines how the concepts will be

taught. Teachers will look in depth at the revised standards and list out the key ideas that students need

to master. They will brainstorm essential vocabulary, map out the lessons of the unit, and create an

end-of-unit assessment. This process will make sure revised learning standards are incorporated into

curriculum.

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND HEALTH NEEDS

NHCS has always been ahead of the curve in providing social/emotional support to its students and

families. Recognizing that many of our children face obstacles such as community or home based

trauma, behavioral disabilities, or mental health issues, and knowing that these hurdles can severely

undermine their efforts in the classroom, NHCS prides itself on the strong team of social and human

services it has built over the years.

In addition to its dedicated staff of teachers, NHCS employs a team of professionals—a speech-language

pathologist, an occupational therapist, social workers, a psychologist, a nurse, and a family outreach

coordinator—to support our students and their families. We provide each student with age-appropriate

social and emotional learning groups throughout the year. Additionally, we provide our highest-need

students with targeted interventions designed to help them harness their strengths and address their

challenges in order to succeed at school. The student support team process helps ensure that NHCS is a

school where all children feel a sense of belonging.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE SCHOOL

During this school year, our organizational structure underwent some anticipated changes related to our

ongoing expansion in enrollment and upcoming expansion in gradespan. As foreshadowed in our

previous Annual Report, we restructured the school’s “Management Team” into smaller groups that

each met regularly: a Leadership Team, an Education Team, and an Operations Team.

Next year, we will be increasing the size of the Leadership Team by adding the Director of Operations

(formerly the Deputy Director of Policy and Operations). The Operations team will grow to include an

Operations Manager and a Dining Coordinator at our second campus for grades 8-9. Our Director of

Special Education and Student Support is leaving her role here at NHCS and we have hired an external

Organizational Viability


candidate to serve in the newly created position of Director of Student Services (a member of the

Leadership Team and the Education Team). The Director of Student Services will supervise the newly

created positions of Special Education Coordinator and the Student Support Coordinator, who will

supervise, respectively, the special education teachers and the social worker/social work interns. We

had hoped to have the Special Education Coordinator role for the 2016-17 school year, but had been

previously unable to fill the position.

Additionally, we will be transferring responsibility for the 8th grade from the Middle School Principal to

the High School Principal. Due to space constraints in our Queen Street facility, 8th graders will be in the

same building as the 9th graders for the next two school years. Thus grouping them under the High

School Principal makes sense from a practical standpoint; we believe there may be pedagogical and

social/emotional benefits in having these grades grouped together as well.

Please see the next page for an up-to-date organizational chart.

NETWORK STRUCTURE OR MULTIPLE CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

In 2016-17 NHCS operated only one building. However, in 2017-18, we will be operating two buildings:

one for grades K1-7 and a second for grades 8-9. Several committees of the board are overseeing the

success of the expansion across multiple sites, including the real estate and facilities committee as well

as the education committee, by tracking progress against high-level workplans.

TEACHER EVALUATION

There were no changes to our system of teacher evaluation.


NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE CHARTER SCHOOL ORGANIZATION CHART

2017-18

Executive Director

Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction K1-7

KidLab Teacher

Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction 8-9

Data & Accountibility Manager

ELL Teachers

Technology Teachers

Lower School Principal

Grades K1-4 Teachers and Fellows

Dean of Student Culture

Building-Level Substitute

Middle School Principal

Grades 5-8 Teachers and Fellows


Middle School Guidance Counselor

High School Principal

Grades 8-9 Teachers and Fellows


Alumni Services Coordinator

College Persistence Counselor

Director of Student Services

Special Education Coordinator

Special Education Teachers and Fellows

Student Services Coordinator

Social Worker and Interns

School Psychologists, Nurses, Related Service

Providers (OT and Speech)

Instructor of Specialized Programming

ABA Specialist; Paraprofessionals (as

needed)

Director of Creative Arts

Visual & Performing Arts Teachers

PE Teachers

Chief Financial Officer

Finance Manager

Human Resources Director

Facilities Manager

Assistant Facilities Manager

Director of Development

Campaign Manager

Development Associate

Director of Operations

Out-of-School Time Manager

Afterschool, Summer School, Recess Staff

Operations Manager K1-7

Front Office Staff

Operations Manager 8-9

HS Dining Coordinator

Dining Hall Manager

Family Services Coordinator

Director of Strategy

Board of

Trustees


Budget and Finance A. UNAUDITED FY17 STATEMENT OF REVENUES, EXPENSES, AND CHANGES IN NET

ASSETS


B. STATEMENT OF NET ASSETS FOR FY17


C. APPROVED SCHOOL BUDGET FOR FY18

REVENUES Core MA DESE 8,366,612

Gov't Entitlement Grants 671,823 Program Fees & Misc. 181,882 Private & Comp. Grants 639,912 Interest Income 25,000

9,885,229

Non-Core Rest. Program Grants 53,088

Capital Campaign Funds released 300,000 Dissemination Revenues 4,000 Release of Prior Restr. Funds 218,000

575,088

TOTAL REVENUES 10,460,317

EXPENSES Core Teacher Salaries & other Academic 5,273,024

Admin Salaries 948,989 Fringe & Other 953,212 Consultant Fees 15,000 Program, Admin. & Tech 1,156,677

Total Core Program Expenses 8,346,902

Utilities & Maintenance 509,000 Lease expense - St. Gregory's space 200,000 Interest on LT Debt & Other Fees 145,341 Debt Amortization (principal pymts.) 147,681

Total Core Occupancy Expenses 1,002,022

Total Core Expenses 9,348,924

Non-Core Grant expenses 189,028

Strategic Planning and Campaign Costs 386,060

Total Non-Core Expenses 575,088

TOTAL EXPENSES $9,924,012


D. CAPITAL PLAN

Long-term

Estimate FY 17

Actual FY18

Budget FY19

Budget FY20

Budget FY21 Budget

FY22 Budget

Expansion budget

Renovation of space for high school 33,743 307,000 5,000

5,000

5,000

Technology acquisition

117,541 45,000 35,000 35,000 30,000 30,000

Furniture, Fixtures and equip 28,290 35,000 10,000 15,000 15,000

15,000

Subtotal expansion budget 179,574 387,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000

21 Queen St. Property

Window replacement (B&C) total left 20; 10 in FY15 and FY16 each

Masonry re-pointing (B&C) 50k for north wall (+10k for headers)

Parking Lot patch and pave Train St. path

Furniture Acquisition 25,000 5,045 5,000 50,000 5,000 5,000

5,000

Technology 205,000 50,000 50,000 35,000 35,000

35,000

Smartboards 15,000 18,462 15,000

Library wall reconfiguration 3,000

Misc internal and external work 40,000 19,800 20,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000

Classroom add'n capex - technology, FF&E, property repair* 322,000 * * 178,500 98,500 45,000

Subtotal Queen St. Property 46,307 90,000 105,000 223,500 143,500 90,000

TOTAL 607,000 225,881 477,000 155,000 273,500 193,500 140,000

* NHCS has a capital project planned related to the renovation of the building at 21 Queen Street, the cost of which will not be properly

estimated until September 2017. These costs will be included in the FY18 Annual Report.


Appendix A Accountability Plan Evidence 2016-2017

END

Below, we list each objective and measure contained in the school’s current and approved Accountability Plan. For each listed measure, we state whether the school has met, is making progress toward meeting, or has not met the measure, and provide data or other evidence supporting the statement

Faithfulness to Charter

2016-2017

Performance

(Met/Partially

Met/Not Met)

Evidence (include detailed evidence

with supporting data or examples)

Objective: NHCS will provide students with rich and structured learning experiences (RSLEs): lessons that are

engaging and experiential, with objectives, outcomes, and assessments.

Measure: Each year, at least 90% of classroom

teachers will deliver four RSLEs to their students. Met

Classroom teachers in all grades

were given a formal goal in their

evaluation documents to deliver

at least 4 RSLEs this year, and

principals tracked the number of

RSLEs each teacher completed

based on evidence brought to

mid-year and end-of-year

meetings. Of 25 core classroom

teachers, 24 delivered at least

four RSLEs this year, which

equals 96%.

Measure: Of the teachers who deliver RSLEs to

their students, 80% of their students surveyed will state

that they felt more interested or excited about learning

as a result of RSLEs.

Met

As often as possible this year,

teachers who had delivered

RSLEs gave their students an exit

ticket asking whether the

student felt the RSLE was more

interesting and exciting than

other lessons. We tallied 3,047

exit tickets from 169 RSLEs

submitted across grades K1

through 8. Of those, 2,576

tickets stated that student felt


more excited or interested,

which equals 84.5%.

Objective: NHCS will build a school climate that supports the social and emotional health of all students.

Measure: NHCS will provide at least 10 hours of

structured and age-appropriate Social Emotional

programming to all students in each grade every year.

Met

This year, each student received

between 12 and 16 hours of direct

instruction in age-appropriate

social and emotional learning

groups:

K1 & K2 – Social Thinking

1st & 2nd – Ready, Set, Action

3rd – Harmony

4th – Identity

5th – Photo Justice

6th (boys) – Men in the Making

6th (girls) – Who is She?

7th & 8th – Real Talk Advisory

Measure: 75% of students who participated in

social/emotional learning groups will report in the

concluding session that the group was beneficial.

Met

This year we conducted

“retrospective” evaluations in

groups for grades 1-7. Of 218

student responses, 193 stated

that their group was helpful to

them. This translates to 88.5%.

Measure: Each year, the average Holistic Self-

Assessment scores for each grade-level cohort (grades

6 – 8) will increase from that cohort’s prior-year results

on at least one resiliency: Action Orientation, Emotion

Control, Assertiveness, Trust, Empathy, Reflection, or

Optimism.

Met

Comparing Fall 2016 with Fall

2015: All grades increased in

“Action Orientation” and

“Assertiveness,” with 6th also

increasing on “Optimism,” 7th

on “Reflection,” and 8th on

“Emotion Control” and

“Reflection.”

Objective: NHCS will maintain an environment where “we don’t give up on students so students don’t give up

on themselves.”

Measure: Each year, 100% of students who are at

risk of failing (in grades 4-8) or are scoring at the “at-

risk level” (in grades K1-3), will receive additional

learning time, homework support, or other structured

interventions designed to boost academic success.

Met

After each progress report this

year, teachers reviewed those

students who were at-risk of

failing and recommended

interventions including math

and ELA learning time,

homework club, course

coaching, or Wilson (through

the students’ IEPs). Three times


an administrative staff member

reviewed the at-risk list against

the intervention rosters and

ensured that 100% of students

were receiving interventions.

Measure: At least 90% of students in grades 3-8

will respond to an end-of-year survey and 80% of

respondents will agree with the statement that “my

teachers care about me.”

Not Met

This year, 269 students out of

308 in grades 3-8 completed the

student survey. Thus, at 87%

completion, we were just shy of

our target for the response rate.

Of the 269 that responded, 184

students agreed or strongly

agreed with this statement,

equaling 68%. Our Leadership

Team has begun to review this

data to determine if there are

any patterns among the

students who did not respond

favorably, for example,

particular subgroups, grade

levels, or students newer to

NHCS. The results of this review

will allow us to make

programmatic adjustments for

the upcoming school year

Objective: NHCS will build and retain a corps of extraordinary teachers and staff.

Measure: At least 80% of teachers will respond to

an annual survey and 80% of respondents will agree

with the statement that “My school is committed to

improving my instructional practice.”

Met

This year, 94% of teachers

responded to the Insight survey.

Out of 44 survey recipients, 41

responses were collected.

Exactly 80% of teachers agreed

with the statement.

Measure: Each year NHCS will retain at least 80% of

teachers who are highly effective or high-potential, as

decided by educator evaluations or Management Team

consensus.

Met

Of the 37 teaching staff who are

highly effective or high

potential, 30 will be returning in

August 2017, which equals

81.1%


Dissemination Objective: NHCS will provide professional development and coaching to struggling public schools

whose demographics are similar to our own, on practices such as alignment with the Common Core, use of

assessments to inform instruction, creation of systems to document curriculum, and literacy and math

intervention practices that we have found to be successful.

Measure: Each year, NHCS will provide a combined

total of at least 30 hours of professional development

and coaching to partner schools.

Met

NHCS far surpassed this goal,

providing over 138 hours of the

listed services to partner schools

this year

Measure: At least 85% of attendees of NHCS-led PD

sessions will state that the content and delivery were of

high quality.

Met

NHCS received exceptionally

high praise, with 100% of

respondents to post-session

feedback forms stating that the

content and delivery were of

high-quality.

Reach Objective: NHCS will assist in turnaround at a lower performing school

Measure: In the aggregate, student proficiency

rates in at least one partner school will show

improvement from beginning-of-year assessments (e.g.

A1) to end-of-year assessments (e.g. A4) in either Math

or ELA.

Met

Student proficiency rates

showed improved from A1 to A3

at partner schools this year. At

the McKay school in particular,

there was an 8 - 18 % increase

vs network in grades 4, 5, 6, and

7 in ELA.

Reach Objective: NHCS will build a diverse corps of educators

Measure: The Management Team (TMT) will

prioritize the recruitment of effective, diverse new

teachers and staff for available vacancies. Each year,

50% of new hires will come from under-represented

groups (in terms of race, gender, gender identity, and

disability).

Met

NHCS met this goal, with 13 of

27 new hires for fall 2017 plus 5

out of 8 new staff from

winter/spring 2016 from

underrepresented backgrounds,

equaling 51.4%.


Appendix B Charter School Recruitment and Retention Plan

Recruitment Plan 2017-2018

School Name: Neighborhood House Charter School

2016-2017 Implementation Summary:

1. In a brief narrative, what were the successes and challenges of implementing the school’s recruitment strategies from the 2016-2017 Recruitment Plan?

NHCS’s 2016-17 recruitment was overall a success; we received over 3,600 applications for grades K1 through 9. In the past, we have usually received around 1,000 or fewer. The large increase this year was overwhelmingly due to NHCS’ participation in the Boston Online Charter Application, a web interface created by the private company SchoolMint with consultation from all of the participating Boston-area charter schools and the Department. This system allowed a family to apply at once to all of the Boston-area charter schools of their choice, eliminating the need for a family to apply to each school individually. The fact of a single application shared across all schools meant that the NHCS was able to pool its limited marketing resources with other charter schools. This meant that NHCS was able to market itself in more languages than was previously practical, since all schools pooled their resources to translate the application and marketing materials in multiple prevalent languages of Boston. It also meant that parents could more quickly learn about all of their school options, even if they were only interested in a particular charter school at first. Despite the large success of this new initiative, it did present slight challenges. Foremost of those was that NHCS lost a bit of autonomy with respect to the look and feel of our application. Additionally, the application itself, while available in paper, was much easier to complete online and favored families who had internet capability. Finally, it was difficult for NHCS to strategically advertise and market the application for the local target populations (e.g. Vietnamese- and Haitian-Creole speaking families in Dorchester) because the application cast a very wide net. NHCS implemented most but not all of the specific strategies laid out in the recruitment plan. We did focus on those items we felt were highest priority: translating materials in Vietnamese and working with a Vietnamese community center, recruiting volunteers to post door-hangers in selected neighborhoods, tabling at community events, advertising in newspapers, and getting the word out through our families and through social media. 2. Is there additional information that gives context for subgroup enrollment figures (e.g., high number of

siblings enrolled in entry class, re-classification of student subgroup status, etc.)?

About 50% of the entry K1 class consisted of siblings of current students. Thus, recruitment activities only affected half of the entering K1 class. However, NHCS did admit many new students from non-sibling families in grades 5 and 6 and these students’ demographics are more closely aligned with the comparison index than was the case with K1. As we will have new major entry points in 5

th and 9

th grade moving forward, we expect to see a number

of new families entering the school who can shift our demographics, but this will take time. Another factor


affecting the enrollment figure for the low-income subgroup is the relatively new definition of “economically disadvantaged.” “EcoDis” has had a marked impact on our demographic statistics. While many of our families are low-income, several of these families are not captured by the EOHHS database for reasons related to their undocumented status, lack of knowledge of public benefits, lapse of public benefits enrollment, different spellings of their names, and myriad other database-related factors that negatively impact our school’s official percentage of economically disadvantaged students. 3. Please provide a brief explanation if you think that your incoming class of students (as captured in the October

1, 2017 SIMS report) will meet the comparison index or the school’s gap narrowing targets. Please explicitly state if you would like further discussion with the Department regarding the school’s Recruitment Plan once your school has submitted October 1

st SIMS demographic information.

We do not believe that the incoming class of students will meet the comparison index or gap narrowing targets for English Language Learners or Economically Disadvantaged students. While our numbers are increasing steadily, the margins are not as large as we would like them to be. There are many factors that may be affecting our ability to recruit from these two subgroups and we would welcome further discussion with the Department.

Describe the school’s general recruitment activities, i.e. those intended to reach all students.

General Recruitment Activities for 2017-2018:

1. Continue participating in the Boston Online Charter Application consortium 2. Promote the school through partnerships with key social service agencies, childcare centers, and

community centers 3. Ensure participation of bilingual speakers in recruitment activities 4. Distribute school promotional materials in key neighborhoods 5. Attend and recruit at key community events and meetings 6. Host informational sessions and tours at the school


Recruitment Plan –Strategies

List strategies for recruitment activities for each demographic group.

Special education students/students with disabilities

(a) CHART data

School percentage:

15.1%

GNT percentage: 14.5%

CI percentage: 14.5%

The school is above

GNT percentages and

above CI percentages

(b) 2016-2017 Strategies

Met GNT/CI: no enhanced/additional strategies needed

Strategies used in the past:

Clearly identify on NHCS website offered services that support special education students, (e.g., wrap‐around services, inclusion service model, handicapped accessibility, social service agency partnerships, full‐time nurse, social worker, speech/language therapist, occupational therapist, school psychologist, etc.)

All recruitment materials convey that children with special needs are welcome at our school

Ensure that special education staff in BPS are aware of the services we provide to special education students

Promote NHCS at BPS SPED PAC meetings/events

Advertise in special education newsletter (e.g., MASSPAC)

Limited English-proficient students/English learners

(a) CHART data

School percentage:

6.7%

GNT percentage: 14%


The school is below

GNT percentages and

below CI percentages



Complete staff survey of languages and create Working Group to develop comprehensive recruitment and welcoming strategy for LEP families

Participate in the Common Application for Boston Charter Schools. Applications available at all Boston Public Schools Welcome Centers.

Mail‐based outreach in several languages through BPS mailing lists

Attend local events that cater to non‐English‐speaking communities (e.g. Vietnamese Lunar New Year)

Work with NHCS Parent Council to involve current LEP students and their families in recruitment events

Take out ad space in foreign-language newspapers (e.g., El Mundo Newspaper, Boston Haitian Reporter, La Semana, El Planeta, El Mundo, Asian Times, Boston Chinese New, Brazilian Times, World Journal (Chinese), Sampan (Chinese), and


Thang Long (Vietnamese)) to reach LEP students and families

Promote the school through other media outlets serving foreign‐language populations.

Coordinate recruitment efforts with the community organizations that serve immigrant and limited English populations (e.g., Vietnamese Aid, St. Peter’s Teen Center, Bowdoin Street Health Center, DCF‐Park Street, Haitian Multi‐Service Center, the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center etc.)

(c) 2017-2018 Additional Strategy(ies), if needed

Did not meet GNT/CI: additional and/or enhanced strategies below: Include

the time allotted for each strategy for data change (i.e. 2-3 years, 1 year) and/or

if the school collaborated with a local community organization on these

strategies.

Establish stronger partnership with VietAID through school’s existing parents who are Vietnamese. (2-3 years)

Establish stronger partnership with Haitian Creole-speaking community through school’s existing parents who are Haitian (2-3 years)

Translate more of school’s information into Spanish through involvement of new Spanish-speaking Operations Manager (2-3 years)

Students eligible for free or reduced lunch (Low Income/Economically Disadvantaged)

(a) CHART data

School percentage:

33.5%


The school is below CI

percentages



Strategies:

Work with families to assist with enrollment in SNAP, TADF, and MassHealth where eligible

Set key deadlines and follow through to ensure eligibility applications are completed by all families.

Better tracking on sibling/household students to ensure more accurate eligibility statuses.

Simplify and streamline application and enrollment process to remove barriers to acceptance for families with many competing priorities

Outreach to homeless/shelter organizations

Continue to recruit and enroll students from neighborhoods surrounding school

Post advertisements and promotional materials at organizations that serve low-income populations (e.g., low-income housing developments, Social Security Administration offices, United Homes for Children, ABCD-Park Street, DCF-Park Street, Boston Housing Authority, Family


Nurturing Center, Family Resource Center, HeadStart, free tax preparation locations)

Make contact with community resources used by low income families, including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) food stamp programs, food pantries, thrift shops, social service agencies, and the Department of Transitional Assistance.

Offer rides to informational sessions from select locations above


Did not meet GNT/CI: additional and/or enhanced strategies below: Include

the time allotted for each strategy for data change (i.e. 2-3 years, 1 year) and/or

if the school collaborated with a local community organization on these

strategies.

While NHCS believes the strategies listed above would be effective in increasing

this subgroup, we were unable to dedicate the resources necessary to

implement these strategies during the year. Thus our primary strategy this

coming year will be:

Plan resources and staffing appropriately so that NHCS can follow through on key recruitment strategies for the Economically Disadvantaged population, namely: Work with families to assist with enrollment in SNAP, TADF, and

MassHealth where eligible

Simplify and streamline application and enrollment process to remove barriers to acceptance for families with many competing priorities

Outreach to homeless/shelter organizations

Continue to recruit and enroll students from neighborhoods surrounding school

Make contact with community resources used by low income families, including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) food stamp programs, food pantries, thrift shops, social service agencies, and the Department of Transitional Assistance.

Students who are

sub-proficient

(d) 2016-2017 Strategies

Strategies:

Ensure that our promotional materials state that we do backfill seats and clearly outline offered services that support students who are sub-proficient (e.g., rich and diverse academic program, after school program, social/emotional support services, homework and course coaching support programs, consistent parent/school communication policies and procedures)


Attend at least one school fair aimed at middle school students

Use strategies outlined above to attract low-income and special education Kindergarten students as these students may be at risk for sub-proficiency

Students at risk of

dropping out of

school

(e) 2016-2017 Strategies

Strategies:

Ensure that our promotional materials clearly outline offered services that support students at risk of dropping out of school (e.g., backfilling seats throughout the year, small class size in core academic classes, student advisors, homework and course coaching help, academic enrichment periods, a graduate services coordinator that supports NHCS graduates through their high school and college years)

Target backfill advertising to students with low grade 3 ELA scores, as this is a strong indicator of students who may drop out

Provide information about NHCS to educational coordinator at DCF

Students who have

dropped out of

school

(f) 2016-2017 Strategies

Strategies:

Enroll students up to age 21

Backfill in grades 10 and 11 (when those grades are launched in 2018 and 2019, respectively)


Retention Plan 2017-2018

Please provide a brief narrative report on the successes and challenges of implementing last year’s retention strategies from the 2016-2017 Retention Plan.

2016-2017 Implementation Summary:

With an attrition rate of 8.1%, and therefore a retention rate of 91.9%, NHCS met our student retention goal of 90%. During the 2016-17 school year, NHCS continued to utilize available services as appropriate to meet the individual needs of all of our students, whether special educations, ELL students, economically disadvantaged students or students otherwise at-risk and/or struggling academically. These services included early intervention, a co-teaching inclusion model, and resource room and special education teachers at each grade level. Targeted groups were run for both identified and potential (in K1) ELL students to accelerate language development, and students identified through social/emotional assessments as needing additional supports received individual services from mental and emotional health service providers. NHCS proved to be particularly strong in its ability to find creative solutions to maintaining students with significant socio-emotional challenges. These creative solutions involved creating strong working relationships with outside resources (i.e. Children’s Hospital Psychiatric Department, BEST, National Trauma Center, etc.), including parents as active members of the problem solving process, and finding creative staffing models.

Overall Student Retention Goal

Annual goal for student retention

(percentage): 90%

Retention Plan –Strategies

List strategies for retention activities for each demographic group.

Special education students/students with disabilities

(a) CHART data

School percentage: 3.8%


Below third quartile: no enhanced/additional strategies needed

Continue to utilize available services, as appropriate, to meet individual student needs


Third Quartile: 18.2%

The school is below third

quartile percentages.

Continue to utilize all members of the students’ team for input when writing thoughtful IEPs tailored to meet the individual needs of each student

Continue to implement effective intervention models, including early intervention, co-teaching inclusion model (in which a special education partners with a regular education teacher), resource room and special education teachers at each grade level

Continue to make mental, emotional and health service providers available to students, including advocates, a full-time nurse, school psychologist, school social worker, speech therapist, and occupational therapist

Teaching fellows will work in the content areas of social studies and science to provide supports to special education students beyond what is outlined in the IEP •

Targeted small group homework clubs implemented to provide intensive homework support to students with IEPs

Involve one or more parents of IEP student(s) to serve on the Executive Board of the Parent Council


Above third quartile: additional and/or enhanced strategies

described below: Include the time allotted for each strategy for data

change (i.e. 2-3 years, 1 year) and/or if the school collaborated with a

local community organization on these strategies.

Limited English-proficient students/English learners

Limited English-proficient students

(a) CHART data

School percentage: 0%

Third Quartile: 19%





Strategies:

Continue to utilize available services, as appropriate, to meet individual student needs

Continue to service both identified and (in K1) potential limited English proficient students

Continue to make additional resources available to limited English proficient students, including an ELL teacher, student support services, a tutoring program and a course-coaching program

Increase number of SEI-endorsed educators so that each grade level will have at least one classroom taught by an SEI-endorsed teacher




described below. Include the time allotted for each strategy for data



No ELs were enrolled during the 2016-2017 school year. No retention

strategies needed.

Students eligible for free or reduced lunch (low income/economically disadvantaged)

(a) CHART data

School percentage: 4.3%

Third Quartile: 19.6%





Strategies:

Continue to monitor family need and help to complete applications when needed

Continue to provide programs and services for students and families, including a homework club, vision /hearing screenings (Mass Eye and Ear), dental exams (Smile Initiative) and an emergency evaluation team

Continue to provide low-cost programs, with sliding-scale payment, for NHCS students and families, including after school/summer programs

Support middle school students with summer employment opportunities



described below. Include the time allotted for each strategy for data



Students who are sub-

proficient

(d) 2016-2017 Strategies

Strategies:

Continue to provide academic supports and resources, including tutors, homework help, a course coaching program that includes daily parent contact and a high school placement and graduate services program that helps to ensure that NHCS graduates continue to receive the support needed to stay focused and stay in school

Continue to use formative and interim assessments to tailor differentiate lessons and identify strengths and weaknesses


at every grade level

Continue to involve students’ families and share information with students and their families through a family learning contract, progress notes and reports, and teacher and administrative availability

Continue to provide high-interest programming to students, including physical education, music, visual and creative arts, KidLab (an art/science curriculum unique to NHCS), as well as high-interest field trips such as trips to the Berkshires, Washington DC, Costa Rica, New York City and visits to Harbor Islands, colleges, and businesses.

Continue to offer programming focused on college and career readiness through which students build knowledge of different college and career opportunities, create life plans, and research what actions to take to be successful

Students at risk of

dropping out of school

(e) 2016-2017 Strategies

Strategies for students who are at risk for academic reasons:

See section above, “Students who are sub-proficient.”

Strategies for students who are at risk for other reasons:

Continue to use disciplinary systems that minimize lost learning time and removal from the classroom

Continue to provide multiple pathways for students to demonstrate proficiency

Continue to provide students opportunities to regain credit on missed assignments

Continue to support students via mentors, tutoring, and role models

Continue to make additional social/emotional support available to students, including counselors, school psychologist, Director of Student Support, and Director of Student Affairs

Build teachers awareness and understanding of the social emotional strengths/challenges of individual students so they may create learning environments in which they can be successful.

Students who have

dropped out of school

(f) 2016-2017 Strategies

Continue using techniques to establish strong community-building and new student integration practices

Establish links with social service and other agencies that may be able to assist with outside-of-school needs

Provide additional support including persistence counseling


Appendix C School and Student Data Tables

EN

Student demographic information can be found on the Department’s website using your school’s

profile. Please provide the link to your school’s profile on the Department’s website.

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/general/general.aspx?topNavID=1&leftNavId=100&orgcode=04440205

&orgtypecode=6

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC AND SUBGROUP INFORMATION

Race/Ethnicity # of students % of entire student

body

African-American 233 51.0

Asian 20 4.4

Hispanic 74 16.2

Native American 4 0.9

White 96 21.0

Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander 0 0

Multi-race, non-Hispanic 30 6.6

Special education 69 15.1

Limited English proficient 30 6.6

Economically Disadvantaged 153 33.5

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/general/general.aspx?topNavID=1&leftNavId=100&orgcode=04440205&orgtypecode=6

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/general/general.aspx?topNavID=1&leftNavId=100&orgcode=04440205&orgtypecode=6


ADMINISTRATIVE ROSTER FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR

Name, Title Brief Job Description Start date

End date

(if no longer employed at

the school)

Kate Scott,

Executive Director

Responsible for working

with the Board of

Trustees, staff, and

families to ensure

successful attainment of

the School’s educational

goals and strategic

priorities

08/05/96 (at NHCS)

05/14/14 (in this

role)

Emily Pratt, Director of

Curriculum and

Instruction

Responsible for

professional development,

dissemination,

standardized assessments,

and implementation of

educational philosophy

2/01/01 (at NHCS)

9/01/13 (in this role)

Sean Shirley-Davidson,

Principal of 5 - 8

Responsible for

implementing the

educational goals of the

Upper School.

08/05/98 (at NHCS)

08/01/04 (in this

role)

Cara McCarthy,

Principal of K1 – 4

Responsible for

implementing the


Lower School.

12/1/2005 (at NHCS)

07/01/2015 (in this

role)

Michelle Arons,

Director of Special

Education & Student

Support Services

Responsible for

coordination

/implementation of all

aspects of special

education, full service and

other student/ support

services.

08/15/11 7/31/2017

Maura Jereb, Creative

Arts Department Head

Responsible for

implementing the


08/21/06 (at NHCS)

12/1/09 (in this role)


arts and physical

education programs.

Jahmeelah Bai-

Grandson, High School

Principal

Responsible for designing,

planning, and overseeing

the NHCS High School

7/15/2016

Molly Stearns,

Director of Strategy

and Operations

Responsible for

implementing NHCS’

strategic goals as well as

overseeing the Operations

team

08/04/08 (at NHCS)

07/01/16 (in this

role)

Paula Timmins, Chief

Financial Officer

Responsible for oversight

of financial, facilities and

administrative functions

of the school.

08/01/11

Bodi Luse,

Development Director

Responsible for

setting/achieving

fundraising, marketing

and public relations goals.

06/04/12

TEACHERS AND STAFF ATTRITION FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR

Number as of the

last day of the 2016-

2017 school year

Departures during the

2016-2017 school

year

Departures at the

end of the school

year

Reason(s) for

Departure

Teachers 36 3 9

Personal (5)

Relocation (5)

Graduate School (1)

Position Eliminated (1)

Other

Staff 64 8 10

Personal (9)

Relocation (3)

Graduate School (2)

Position Eliminated (3)

Termination (1)


BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR

Name Position on

the Board Committee affiliation(s)

Number

of terms

served

Length of each term

(including date of

election and

expiration)

Joe Corrado Chair Executive, Finance &

Audit, Governance &

Nominating, Education

3.6 Serving 4th 3-year

term, 2006-2018

Susan Donahue Vice Chair Executive, Governance &

Nominating, Development

1 Serving 1st 3-year

term, 2014-2017

Eric Riak Treasurer Executive, Finance & Audit 0.6 Serving 1st 3-year

term, 2015-2018

Linda Cabot Teachers’ Compensation &

Benefits

2.6 Serving 3rd 3-year

term, 2009-2018

Alicia Cooney 0.3 Serving 1st 3-year

term, 2016-2019

Cassandra

Cumberlander

Real Estate & Facilities,

Education

0.3 Serving 1st 3-year

term, 2016-2019

Carol Downs Education 5 Serving 5th 3-year

term, 2002-2017

JB Dulac Development, Governance

& Nominating

0.3 Serving 1st 3-year

term, 2016-2019

Chuck Grigsby Real Estate & Facilities,

Education

5 Serving 5th 3-year

term, 2002-2017

Patrece Joseph Education 0.3 Serving 1st 3-year

term, 2016-2019

Bob Melzer

Executive, Governance &

Nominating, Teachers’

Compensation & Benefits,

Finance & Audit

5 Serving 5th 3-year

term, 2002-2017


Rob Perriello Finance & Audit, Real

Estate & Facilities

1.6 Serving 2nd 3-year

term, 2012-2018

Patricia Simboli Real Estate & Facilities 1.6 Serving 2nd 3-year

term, 2012-2018

Elissa Spelman Education 1.3 Serving 2nd 3-year

term, 2014-2019

Christy Strawbridge Executive, Development,

Education

.6 Serving 1st 3-year

term, 2015-2018

Janice Ramsay 0.3 Serving 1st 3-year

term, 2016-2019

Connie Walkingshaw Executive, Development 2.6 Serving 3rd 3-year

term, 2011-2019

Appendix C


Appendix D Additional Required Information

KEY LEADERSHIP CHANGES

Position Name No Change/

New/Open Position

Board of Trustees Chairperson Joe Corrado No Change

Charter School Leader Kate Scott No Change

Assistant Charter School Leader NA No Change

Special Education Director Dana Reder Change

MCAS Test Coordinator Emily Davidson No Change

SIMS Coordinator Hammad Ahmed No Change

English Language Learner Director

Emily Davidson No Change

School Business Official Paula Timmins No Change

SIMS Contact Hammad Ahmed No Change

FACILITIES

NHCS is renting a space to be used as the temporary high school space until a permanent site can be

acquired:

Location Dates of Occupancy

2220 Dorchester Avenue, Boston 7/1/2017 – 6/31/2020

ENROLLMENT

Below is our estimated student application deadline and lottery date for students who are interested in

enrolling for the 2017-2018 school year

Action 2018-2019 School Year Date(s)

Student Application Deadline February 28, 2018

Lottery March 9, 2018

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