Final Recommendation to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board 2018

Recommendation Accept the Application of Basis BR

School Information School Basis BR Home District EBR Type Type 1 Districts

Served/Specific School EBR

CMO/EMO BASIS.ed Year Opening 2020-21 Grade Configuration at Start

K-6 Grade Configuration at Scale

K-12

Enrollment at Start 450 Enrollment at Scale 866

Reasons for Recommendation

The educational philosophy at BASIS.ed managed schools is based on several key tenets: 1. Creating and reinforcing a belief that learning is exciting, rewarding and worthwhile 2. Teaching personal responsibility 3. Teaching good study habits and providing support 4. Mastery of the basics

BASIS uses a co-teaching model in grades 1-4 with a Learning Expert Teacher (LET) who

possesses a deep knowledge of effective pedagogical techniques and a Subject Expert Teacher (SET) who possesses a deep knowledge of the content being delivered.

The curriculum for the proposed school is college preparatory with students in grades 1-4

receiving instruction in literacy, humanities, math/science, Mandarin, physical education, health and fine arts including music, performing arts and visual arts, Connections (project-based learning), engineering and technology.

Academic support for students is comprehensive. Struggling students may be placed in the Academic Support program which revolves around three central objectives: motivation, communication and intervention. Each student is assigned an Academic Advisor who meets weekly with the student to discuss his/her individualized plan. Students may receive individual tutoring, assistance with organization skills, important resources, assigned peer mentoring and modifications to assignment and assessments.

Past performance shows BASIS high schools ranked as some of the best in the nation.

While it may cause some concern regarding lack of a School Performance score, based on the track record of BASIS.ed schools and the milestones met at the current school, I recommend the application be approved.

 

 

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CHARTER PROPOSAL REVIEW SUMMARY (Rubric) EXPERIENCED OPERATOR APPLICATION 2019 Basis Baton Rouge

Section Evidence

Past School Performance

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: Applicable to groups currently operating schools in LA *Demonstrate that the proposed school has either a “C” or higher letter grade or a “D” letter grade with a progress index equivalent to an “A.” Applicable to groups not operating schools in LA*Demonstrate that, at the time of proposed school’s application, they would meet the renewal standards of each state in which they operate. *Demonstrate that, using data collected from nationally normed testing, the applicant group demonstrates that the operator’s schools are high performing and that they outperform their peer schools by meeting one of the standards below: ***In tested subject areas, the applicant group’s schools’ consistently have a higher level of proficiency than their peer schools with an equal or higher percentage of their target school population OR ***In tested subject areas, the applicant group’s schools’ student performance growth consistently outpaces that of their peer schools with an equal or higher percentage of their target student population. Applicable to groups not operating schools in LA that serve grades 9-12 ***Show that, over multiple years, the applicant group’s schools have a consistently higher graduate rate than peer schools with an equal or higher percentage of their target student population OR ***Show that, over multiple years, the applicant group’s schools have consistently higher growth in their graduation rate than peer schools with an equal or higher percentage of their target student population

BASIS BR currently has 392 students and 142 on the waitlist. The application states that almost half of the current students at BBR come from outside the EBR parish school system (private/parochial). According to PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), BASIS Charter Schools in the US outscored students in every other educational system in the areas of mathematics, reading and science. BASIS students begin AP-level coursework before they enter high school. BASIS has an AP exam passage rate of 85.5% with an average score of 3.7. Graduates average 11.8 AP exams. 100% of BASIS graduates are accepted into a 4-year university or college and earn, on average, $125,758 in scholarship dollars. The educational philosophy of BASIS Charter Schools:

1. Creating and reinforcing a belief that learning is

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Applicable to groups not operating schools in LA that serve grades 9-12 ***Show that, over multiple years, the applicant group’s schools have a consistently higher college matriculation rate than peer schools with an equal or higher percentage of their target student population OR ***Show that, over multiple years, the applicant group’s schools have consistently higher growth in their graduation rate than peer schools with an equal or higher percentage of their target student population. Applicable to groups not operating schools in Louisiana ***Show that the applicant group’s schools consistently academically outperform surrounding schools with an equal or higher percentage of their target student population OR ***Show that the applicant group’s schools’ student performance growth consistently outpaces that of surrounding schools with an equal or higher percentage of their target student population.

exciting, rewarding and worthwhile.

2. Teaching personal responsibility

3. Teaching good study habits and providing support

4. Mastery of the basics

Academics

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: *Make accurate estimates of baseline performance for the student population that they propose to serve. *Provide a logical plan to establish student performance goals that rely on diagnostic data that uses the same metrics as the performance goals themselves. *Establish performance goals for all student achievement data considered in calculating the school’s performance scores. *Provide a plan to improve student performance at a rate that they show is reasonable and ambitious and takes into consideration the extension performance standards of the Charter School Performance Compact.

BASIS employs a co-teaching model with two full-time highly qualified teachers in each classroom in grades 1-4, a Learning Expert Teacher (LET) and a Subject Expert Teacher (SET). Basis uses the LA State Student Standards as minimum guidelines for students and supplements with increased rigor where appropriate while recognizing and accounting for social, emotional and physical benchmarks.

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*(If applicable) Name mission-specific, measurable, ambitious, feasible goals. *Select curricula that are either rated Tier 1 by the LDOE, OR if the LDOE has not yet rated the selected curricula, the applicant correctly demonstrates using the LDOE’s Instructional Materials Review Rubric and meets the standards of a Tier 1 rating for English Language Arts and Mathematics. For all other core content subject areas, the applicant has identified the curriculum they will use and correctly demonstrates how these curricula will prepare students for the Louisiana State Standards. *Select assessments that are rated either Tier 1 by the LDOE, are produced as part of a Tier 1 rated curriculum, are part of Louisiana’s Comprehensive Assessment System (LEAP 360), OR if the LDOE has not yet rated the selected assessments, the applicant correctly demonstrates that by using the LDOE’s Instructional Materials Review Rubric they meet the standards of a Tier 1 rating. *Demonstrate that the professional development plan for all teachers corresponds with and supports both the proposed curricula and the school’s student performance goals. *Provide a process by which teachers will receive differentiated coaching that is data-driven. *Create professional development that ensures teachers are trained to use targeted supports in addition to, rather than in place of, high quality instruction to support Students with Disabilities, English Learners (ELs), and academically struggling students. *Present a logical process by which they will screen all students, identify students requiring additional supports, and consult with a decision-making team to plan supports and interventions for those students. *(If applicable) Detail a feasible plan for how struggling students at the virtual school will receive at least twenty percent of instruction in person. *(If applicable) Detail a plan for how transportation services will be provided to

BASIS uses Saxon math K-4 which is an integral part of the spiraled curriculum and allows students to master material that is approximately one grade level ahead of the standard Saxon sequence according to the application. BASIS measures the effectiveness of teachers’ instruction using ISA, AIMSweb and DIBELS and internal assessments including readiness, baseline, benchmark and classroom tests. Student progress is monitored and, when needed, teachers/staff create student intervention plans. Professional development is on-going in the areas of the BASIS curriculum, instructional planning, effective pedagogy, accommodations and modifications for ESS and EL, differentiated assessment and student engagement. Teachers are observed on a regular basis and receive feedback with differentiated coaching as needed. The Academic Support Program offers support to struggling students including ESS and EL students. Not Applicable

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struggling students at the virtual school for in-person instruction. *(If applicable) Detail a plan for how struggling students will be evaluated on at least a monthly basis. *Demonstrate that the selected structures, policies, and practices are shown to be effective by sound research and will drive the intended student goals. *(If applicable) Allocate time daily throughout the year in such a way that all students will complete all courses required to graduate on time.

Not Applicable BASIS BR will use a positive behavior intervention system. A Student Code of Conduct is in place.

Growth Plan

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: *Demonstrate with data that there is demand from the target student population they intend to serve. *Articulate a logical plan by which they will adapt to meet changing community needs for any school opening later than the first year in the growth plan.

BASIS BR currently has a waiting list of 142 students in grades K-4. The proposal is for BASIS BR in 2018-19 to serve students in grades K-6 with 450 students; K-12 at scale with 866 students. According to the response to interview questions, “The reference to and inclusion of 10% economically disadvantaged and at-risk students in the application is not a target set by BBR schools but rather a minimum provided to complete a component of the application.” The proposed school expect to attract a diverse population reflective of EBR.

Scale Strategy

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: *Establish a central office for the proposed school that provides enough financial and human

BASIS BR operates in partnership with BASIS.ed, a national network of schools.

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capital resources to support the successful launch of new schools in a new district. *List and differentiate between the responsibilities of the central office and local implementers. *Identify threats to the organization’s ability to achieve its mission and corresponding contingency plans that would mitigate those threats.

Threats are identified as teacher recruitment, preparation of a new facility and adapting to a new city. Threats are mitigated through dedication of staff, exhaustive preparation and strength of the management company.

Board Readiness

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: *Ensure that each board member’s described role on the board matches their professional skill set. *Ensure that at least one board member is able to provide expertise in each of the following areas: academics, finances, legal issues, management and operations, and community relations. *Enumerate for each role listed above that there is a clear division of roles among the board members. *Articulate a set of metrics by which they will monitor and gauge the school’s academic, operational, and financial effectiveness using, at a minimum, the expectations listed in the Charter School Performance Compact. *Ensure that the board has a clear decision-making process for how they will respond to information they gather in monitoring the school’s effectiveness demonstrating that there are clear roles and responsibilities among the board members in considering information that facilitates informed board decision-making. *Articulate a set of standards that the school leader must satisfy in order to keep the school on track to achieve its vision. *Ensure that the board provides logical evidence that the school will achieve its vision if the school leader satisfies the standards set forth by the board for the school leader. *Identify the information that will be used to determine if the school leader has satisfied each standard and the process by which they will collect that information.

The board of BASIS BR self-assesses on a regular basis making sure that members skilled in areas of legal, financial, academic and community engagement are represented. BASIS BR facilitates onboarding sessions for all new members that review board responsibilities, bylaws, etc. in order to facilitate a smooth transition for the new member. The Head of School and Head of Operations are evaluated twice a year by faculty, staff and parents. This information combined with data from student assessments, staff/parent surveys, student/staff attrition levels, financial/operational performance and regular school visits comprise the evaluation. Additional information used towards the evaluation will be collected

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*Ensure that the board has a logical decision-making framework and process to support and hold the school leader accountable according to a set of standards that will further the school’s mission. *Describe the steps the board and leader will take in the event the leader does not meet accountability measures making sure there are clear metrics that trigger different courses of action, and that the board has specific metrics it will use to make personnel decisions. *Articulate a logical process by which the board identifies conflicts of interest and ensures that they do not impact board decisions. *Articulate a logical process by which the board will assess their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as a training plan that corresponds with lacking areas of expertise. *Ensure that the board articulates a logical new member recruitment plan that prioritizes the required areas of expertise, as well as a logical new member on-boarding plan that ensures that all new members are familiar with board bylaws and requirements. *Ensure there is a clear plan for obtaining regional board representation for any new proposed schools in regions the operator does not currently operate in.

during regular school visits. According to the application, the school leader will be replaced for failure to meet evaluation standards. Regarding conflict of interest, the party will disclose the conflict and abstain from voting or influencing the vote. The board plays a critical role in maintaining the mission of the school and self-assesses on a regular basis to make sure the necessary areas of expertise such as financial, academic, operational, legal, etc., are represented. The Executive Director works to ensure effective governance over all schools, serves as a liaison with management, assists with recruiting board members, trains new members and facilitates board meetings.

Financial Readiness and Finances

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: *Make projections that are based on accurate, conservative, and legally compliant assumptions. *Ensure that all funds from external sources are demonstrated to be reasonably expected. *Ensure that no essential services are funded at amounts that would preclude the applicant group from implementing their plan.

BASIS.ed will manage, administer, oversee and supervise the operations and activities of BBR #2. BASIS.ed will furnish BBR #2 with curriculum, testing materials, analysis, reports, programs, procedures and other information and materials

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*Ensure that there is no evidence that the school will ever become insolvent or lack access to the necessary amount of liquidity. *(If applicable) Ensure that there are no material findings in the non-profit organization’s most recent audited financial statements. *Ensure that assumptions about facilities in all financial statements correspond to a conservative facility plan and account for possible contingencies. *Ensure that either the school has a plan to hire a financial manager who has at least a bachelor’s degree in finance and/or accounting, or the school has partnered with an organization staffed by individuals with the necessary expertise that will provide financial management services. *Ensure that the charter applicant group protects mission-critical expenses when faced with budget cuts. *Ensure that there is appropriate segregation of financial duties. *Put in place control systems to ensure that only allowable expenses will be made and that all expenses will be coded appropriately.

as indicated during quarterly board meetings. Accounting software is Intaact. Financial reports include but are not limited to vendor transactions, aged payable, general ledger transactions, gain/loss reports, balance sheet and statement of cash flow functionality. Controls currently in place provide for segregation of duties, cash handling policies, etc. and subject to local and state-based guidelines.

Educational Service Provider (ESP) Contract

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: *Ensure that the board maintains independence from the ESP by articulating strong accountability provisions and avoiding opportunities for the ESP to gain leverage over the board. *Ensure that the ESP cannot control board membership. *Ensure that the ESP contract does not allow for any form of leverage—including but not limited to severance fees and facilities ownership by which the ESP can ensure renewal of their contract. *Ensure that there are no material findings in the ESP’s most recent audited financial statements.

The application lists the Educational Service Provider as BASIS.ed. BASIS.ed provides reports to monitor key areas of business, legal and regulatory compliance/risk at regularly scheduled board meetings. BASIS.ed can terminate their relationship with BASIS BR schools at any time with no risk

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School Leadership Team Capacity (If applicable)

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: *Show that the identified leadership team has managed a school, a team of teachers, or an academic program that showed some level of growth or success under their responsibility. *Ensure that the school leadership team has held past leadership positions in which they held a high level of responsibility for the operations and/or finances of a given organization. *Ensure that the identified leadership team has established a track record of improving student achievement, and/or provides enough data to demonstrate the leadership team’s ability to develop a high performing team of teachers across multiple years. *Ensure that the leadership team has established a track record of leading operationally and/or financially viable organizations.

BASIS.ed was founded in 1998 and the first school opened in 2003. BASIS schools have regularly topped U.S. national school rankings earning top honors from U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools 2017 ranking.

Virtual School Standards (If applicable)

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: *Ensure that the applicant has a logical plan for orienting new students and parents to the school such that both students and parents are given clear expectations on student participation and performance at the beginning of the student’s enrollment. *Ensure that the applicant has clear expectations for student participation that differentiates between what it means for a student to be engaged in learning, in attendance, and truant in the virtual setting. *Ensure that the applicant has a plan for clearly communicating expectations regarding student participation in the virtual setting to teachers, students, and their families. *Ensure that the applicant has a plan in place for measuring, monitoring, and reporting student participation in the virtual setting including, but not limited to, monitoring how often students are logging on, how long students are staying logged on, and what amount of time logged on is spent

Not Applicable

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actively engaging in the curriculum and instruction. *Ensure that the applicant has an actionable intervention plan for students who are not meeting the school’s expectations for engaging and participating in the virtual setting involving teachers, students, and parents in increasing engagement and preventing truancy. *Ensure that the applicant has a plan to ensure that all enrolled students have access to the online learning environment within a reasonable amount of time once they enroll at the virtual school. *Ensure that the applicant has a logical plan for how they will provide timely support in the event of technical difficulties that minimize the loss of instructional time. *Ensure that the applicant provides a plan that outlines the nature, frequency, and location of all required and optional in-person meetings and interactions between parents and school staff, including but not limited to parent/teacher conferences, open houses, and school community meetings. *Ensure that the applicant has a plan for complying with Title 28, Charter 11, {1119, Health Screening as part of enrollment and the ongoing functioning of the school.

School Leader and Board Member Performance Tasks

The charter school proposal should discuss the extent to which the leadership team possesses the ability to: School Leader Performance Tasks (In addition to the standards listed below, the school leader’s responses to performance tasks presented on the interview day may be assessed using the vision, academic, special student populations, school staff, culture, and school leadership team capacity standards) *Build investment in their school by presenting a coherent vision for an engaging, rigorous, and inclusive school. *Demonstrate that they can apply the plans outlined in their application to real world

BASIS usually promotes leadership from within the organization. The interview team was comprised of several individuals from the corporate office as well as a sitting principal who was instrumental in helping the interview team understand the day-to-day workings of a BASIS aligned school and how the school is designed in order to promote and fulfill the mission of improving student achievement.

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scenarios related to instructional oversight and teacher development. *Ensure that the applicant uses questioning, analysis, and reflection to develop will-reasoned and creative ideas, conclusions, and solutions to common challenges faced by new charter schools. *Ensure that the applicant strives for continuous improvement, is receptive to feedback, and takes ownership of school outcomes. Board Member Performance Tasks (In addition to the standards listed below, the board members’ responses to performance tasks presented on the interview day may be assessed using the school staff, mission-critical partners, and board readiness standards) *Ensure that the applicant uses questioning, analysis, and reflection to develop well-reasoned and creative ideas, conclusions, and solution to common challenges faced by new charter schools. *Ensure that the applicant demonstrates that they can apply the plans outlined in their application to real world scenarios related to school leader accountability, financial oversight, and equity issues.

Strengths In the interview, the leadership team stated that the pupil/teacher ratio is 16:1. In addition, BASIS uses a co-teaching model in grades 1-4 with a Learning Expert Teacher (LET) who possesses a deep knowledge of effective pedagogical techniques and a Subject Expert Teacher (SET) who possesses a deep knowledge of the content being delivered. The curriculum for the proposed school is college preparatory with students in grades 1-4 receiving instruction in literacy, humanities, math/science, Mandarin, physical education, health and fine arts including music, performing arts and visual arts, Connections (project-based learning), engineering and technology.

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Academic support for students is comprehensive. Struggling students may be placed in the Academic Support program which revolves around three central objectives: motivation, communication and intervention. Each student is assigned an Academic Advisor who meets weekly with the student to discuss his/her individualized plan and the student’s progress toward stated goals. Students are eligible to receive individual tutoring, assistance with organizational skills, important resources, assigned peer mentoring and modifications to assignments and assessments. Students will be graded Pass/Fail during the assistance program. Assistance is tiered so entrance into and out of the program is possible. Past performance shows BASIS high schools ranked as some of the best in the nation. The application is comprehensive in nature, i.e., no essential pieces of information regarding the school’s plan are omitted and submissions are supported with data. Pieces of the plan are working together and integrated with each other.

Areas in Need of Improvement

Demographics: Asian 9.3% Black/African American 27% Hispanic 8.2% White 52% Students w/Disabilities 13% Free/Reduced lunch 33% Because BASIS BR has only been open a short while, the LDOE did not issue a School Performance Score and predicting a School Performance Score with fidelity would be very difficult to do.

 

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APPLICATION SCORING SHEET 2019 

Experienced Operator 

 

Name of Proposed Charter School: BASIS Baton Rouge

Reviewer’s Name: Katie Blunschi Date: April 29, 2019

Section Maximum Points

Reviewer’s Score

Past School Performance 9 9 Academics 12 10 Growth Plan 2 2 Scale Strategy 3 3 Board Readiness 13 13 Financial Readiness and Finances 10 10 Educational Services Provider (ESP) Contract (If applicable) 4 4 School Leadership Team Capacity (If applicable) 4 4 Virtual School Standards (If applicable) N/A N/A School Leader and Board Member Performance Tasks 6 6 Total Score 63 61 =

96.8%

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