Appendix A E.L. HAYNES PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT SCHOOL YEAR 2012-2013 Elementary School Middle School High School 4501 Kansas Avenue, NW 3600 Georgia Avenue, NW 4501 Kansas Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20011 Washington, DC 20010 Washington, DC 20011 (202) 706-5828 (202) 667-4446 (202) 706-5838 Michael Hall, Chair, Board of Trustees TABLE OF CONTENTS I. School Description ....................................................................................................................................... 2  A. Mission/Vision Statement ....................................................................................................................... 2  B. School Program ......................................................................................................................................... 2  1. Curriculum Design and Instructional Approach .............................................................................. 2  2. Parent Involvement Efforts ................................................................................................................ 9  II. School Performance .................................................................................................................................. 11  A. Performance and Progress ..................................................................................................................... 11  1. Goals and Priorities for 2012-13....................................................................................................... 11  2. Our DCCAS Results ........................................................................................................................... 13  3. Meeting Early Childhood Targets .................................................................................................... 16  B. Lessons Learned and Actions Taken ................................................................................................... 16  C. Unique Accomplishments ...................................................................................................................... 17  D. List of Donors ........................................................................................................................................ 19  Data Collection Template: Elementary School ........................................................................................... 23  Data Collection Template: Middle School ................................................................................................... 25  Data Collection Template: High School ....................................................................................................... 26  Appendix A: Staff Roster 2012-2013 ............................................................................................................ 27  Appendix B: Board Roster 2012-2013 .......................................................................................................... 29  Appendix C: Unaudited Year-End Financials ............................................................................................. 30  Appendix D: Approved 2013-2014 Budget ................................................................................................. 31  1 |E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Annual Report I. SCHOOL DESCRIPTION A. MISSION/VISION STATEMENT Our Mission Every E.L. Haynes student of every race, socioeconomic status, and home language will reach high levels of academic achievement and be prepared to succeed at the college of his or her choice. Every E. L. Haynes student will be adept at mathematical reasoning, will use scientific methods effectively to frame and solve problems, and will develop the lifelong skills needed to be successful individuals, active community members, and responsible citizens. Our Vision E.L. Haynes will be a model of educational excellence and make a lasting impact on urban education in Washington, DC and across the nation. B. SCHOOL PROGRAM 1. CURRICULUM DESIGN AND INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH The curriculum at E.L. Haynes is founded on the belief that in an environment with excellent teaching and a strong partnership with families, every student can reach high levels of academic achievement. The school expects students to: ► Meet rigorous expectations ► Produce authentic, interesting work ► Actively engage with real-life problems and questions ► Become passionate and skillful life-long readers and writers ► Develop mathematical and scientific thinking, problem solving and inquiry skills ► Build strong interpersonal, communication and collaborative skills Differentiated Instruction: We are committed to intellectually engaging every student, every day at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School. Our curriculum, our classrooms, and our culture are designed to challenge each student to deepen his/her understanding of critical concepts and skills. Curriculum: Teachers plan each unit by starting at the end. What should every student know and be able to do when the unit ends and how will they show it? Evidence of learning might include a presentation, an answer to a challenging math question, a public book talk, or a published piece of work. All students are expected to meet grade level standards. For students who already meet the standards, the final product provides an opportunity to go beyond. Classrooms: Within each unit, teachers draw on multiple differentiation strategies to enhance their daily instruction. Common strategies include: 2 |E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Annual Report ► Small group teaching/individual conferences – After teaching a mini-lesson on a critical concept or skill, teachers meet with individuals or groups, customizing instruction to meet the needs of each student. ► Daily Assessment – Teachers use daily assessments to monitor student understanding. This feedback allows the teachers to make instructional decisions that support each student. ► Stretching Questions – During instruction, teachers challenge students to think out loud by asking stretch questions like: How do you know that’s true?, What’s another way of explaining it?, How would that work in a different situation? These questions consistently push students to deepen their understanding. ► Multiple Approaches – Teachers present concepts and skills in multiple ways (visually, orally, kinesthetically) to meet the needs of students with different learning styles. ► Choice – Teachers regularly provide students with choice so that they can read, write, and problem solve in ways that appeal to their interests and abilities. Culture: Teachers cultivate a culture of self-directed learning. Students learn that education is not something they are spoon-fed. It is an active endeavor. Teachers expect students to push themselves by asking interesting questions and pursuing answers. This habit propels students forward when they might otherwise be bored. This habit also promotes differentiation, since an active mind seeks out the learning experiences that match his/her interests and aptitudes. Ongoing Assessment: At E.L. Haynes, students at all grade levels are assessed in a variety of ways through the year. The goal of assessment is two-fold: ► To give the teacher(s) information about what a student does and does not know to inform instruction; ► To give the school and our stakeholders information about the effectiveness of our program. Assessment is critical to ensuring that every E.L. Haynes student succeeds academically. E.L. Haynes administers a variety of assessments including observational instruments, teacher-student interviews, teacher-created tests and quizzes, quarterly performance assessments, externally developed exams, portfolios, and the District of Columbia’s standardized assessment, called the DC- CAS, which begins in grade 3. Some of the assessments are administered to students individually and others are given to the whole class or smaller groups of students. Students in pre-school and pre-kindergarten are assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and Teaching Strategies Gold. Students in kindergarten and above also take the Terra Nova, a national standardized test, in reading and math. Results from standardized tests are shared with families. Social Development: E.L. Haynes’ curriculum is supported by the use of Responsive Classroom®, which is both a classroom management model and a social curriculum. E.L. Haynes recognizes that academic achievement goes hand in hand with social growth. Responsive Classroom® is an 3 |E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Annual Report approach to teaching and learning that fosters safe, challenging, and joyful classrooms and schools. This program incorporates social learning into students’ daily program; embraces E.L. Haynes’ remarkable cultural, ethnic, socio-economic, and linguistic diversity; emphasizes the peaceful and fair resolution of conflicts; and highlights the critical need for parental partnership with the school. To supplement Responsive Classroom, E. L. Haynes has also adopted the research-based Second Steps Program, which uses grade-appropriate activities to teach students empathy, problem solving, conflict resolution and management of impulses and emotions. E.L. Haynes also has developed the E.L. Haynes Promise, similar to a Code of Conduct, which explains in student-friendly language the behaviors that constitute the school’s motto: Be Kind, Work Hard, Get Smart. Literacy: Balanced literacy is a framework for instruction built on the premise that all children will learn to read and write when given a wide variety of real-life experiences appropriate to their current level. Students are given daily opportunities to practice reading and writing skills with varying levels of support and scaffolding. At the heart of E.L. Haynes’ balanced literacy model is the independent workshop, in both reading and writing. The workshop structure allows students to spend long periods of time reading at their independent level and writing within a variety of genres; the workshop also promotes opportunities for small group and individualized instruction. All students are given ongoing reading assessments that identify their independent reading levels – the levels at which they can read with deep understanding and independence. Students are expected to dramatically increase their reading levels over the course of the school year. Information about reading levels will be given to families at each quarterly conference, but caregivers are always welcome to ask their student’s teacher for specifics about their children’s levels and progress. In addition to the reading and writing workshops, all students engage in phonics or word study lessons and participate in interactive read aloud. Mathematics: E.L. Haynes employs Singapore Math in grades Pre-K through 5th. This year was the first year of using Singapore Math as the primary resource for grades three through five. Singapore Math is a curriculum and set of teaching methods based on the resources and syllabus from the national curriculum of Singapore, one of the nations that ranks highest in mathematics performance according to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The Singapore Math curriculum is well aligned to the philosophy behind and skills and competencies addressed in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS). There is a focus on in- depth understandings of essential math concepts in each grade, as well as problem solving, procedural fluency, and model drawing. In 6th through 8th grades, our curriculum draws from a variety of resources and is aligned to the CCSS. The resources used in our middle grades include Singapore Math, the University of Chicago School Math Program (UCSMP), and Connected Math. We continue a strong emphasis on deep understandings of the key strands in the CCSS, problem solving, and algebraic thinking. 4 |E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Annual Report At every level, teachers use small groups and modified assignments to differentiate instruction for students who are working below or above grade level and we use resources such as Marilyn Burns' Do the Math program for students with holes in their foundational mathematical knowledge. Additionally, we implement several technology resources to supplement our curriculum, including Conceptua and Fastt Math. Science: As a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)-enhanced school, the development of scientific thinking is an important goal at E.L. Haynes. Students in all grade levels study life, earth and physical science throughout the year, developing both scientific content knowledge and an understanding of scientific processes and communication. The FOSS (Full Option Science System) science units are the basis for much of our science instruction. FOSS is an inquiry-based program that provides students with hands-on opportunities to engage in authentic scientific inquiry that requires increasingly complex cognitive skills. Each grade addresses science standards through study of the FOSS science units. Social Studies: Students at E.L. Haynes learn grade level social studies content and concepts by reading and listening to texts on their level. Students are challenged to discuss, think and write about important events, people, places and ideas. Teachers give students background knowledge through direct instruction, using reference texts, primary documents, maps, atlases, etc. Social studies units are often integrated with literacy units. Students simultaneously gain skills in reading or writing about a particular genre and knowledge of a particular historical period or social studies topic. Arts: E.L. Haynes integrates the arts into the curriculum to encourage both creative expression and arts appreciation, and to accommodate students’ multiple learning styles. The arts emphasis is particularly helpful to students with special needs and English-language learners. The arts program in 2012-2013 provided students with regular instruction in the performing and visual arts, including dance, music, and painting. Teachers use the arts as a tool for helping children learn in a developmentally appropriate manner about social studies, literacy, science, and math. Health and Fitness: Health promotion and wellness at E.L. Haynes is based on DC standards and in accordance with the Healthy Schools Act. Haynes students are expected to understand, explain, and apply concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention in order to achieve and maintain healthy lifestyles. E.L. Haynes students are able to access, interpret, evaluate, and communicate age-appropriate health information. E.L. Haynes students engage in activities using interpersonal communication skills that respect differences among people and demonstrate responsible personal and social behavior. Students are provided with regular opportunities for exercise and other healthy recreation. World Language Instruction: In elementary school (Pre-K to 4th grade), students at E.L Haynes receive Spanish instruction twice a week for 45 minutes each time. In middle and high school (5th to 12th grade), take world language four times per week. Students in 6th grade and above have the 5 |E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Annual Report opportunity to take Arabic or Spanish. World language instruction focuses on speaking practice, development of vocabulary and learning beginning reading and writing skills. Students participate in age-appropriate activities and games in their world language. The world language teachers work closely with the classroom teachers to teach expedition-related vocabulary words and support other academic areas. Introducing students to a second language also validates the linguistic experience of the school’s students who speak other languages at home and reinforces Haynes’ commitment to diversity. Inclusion Program: E.L. Haynes values diversity of all kinds in our community. Our strong belief is that all students, including those with disabilities, can achieve at high levels. We also believe that all students benefit from the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom. Both research and our own experience demonstrate that students with disabilities perform better with greater access to the general education curriculum and non-disabled peers. Our special education program is designed to provide access to our students with disabilities through Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans. The E.L. Haynes Inclusion team is comprised of inclusion teachers, social workers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, reading intervention teachers, and a psychologist. These team members collaborate with general education teachers, English Language Learner (ELL) teachers, and each other to provide students with disabilities the necessary instructional environment, tools, and support to access the general education curriculum. The inclusion program and team has two main priorities to: ► Identify students with disabilities through a rigorous and timely referral, evaluation, and eligibility process; and to ► Provide excellent services to students with disabilities so that they may meet their IEP goals. At E.L. Haynes, students with exceptionalities receive all or the majority of their services within the general education setting through the collaborative efforts of therapists, inclusion teachers, and general education teachers. General and special educators share teaching responsibilities in the general education classroom in a variety of ways: one teaching/one supporting, leading small groups, parallel teaching, alternative teaching, and team teaching. In addition, both teachers provide environmental and lesson-specific modifications and accommodations to support students’ success throughout the day. When it better meets a student’s instructional needs, therapists and inclusion teachers work with students individually or in small groups outside of the general education classroom. This instruction may be alternative instruction in areas that are not addressed in the classroom, such as Wilson Language System instruction in reading and spelling. This instruction may also be additional practice in skills that have been taught in class or previews of lessons to come. 6 |E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Annual Report To allow special education teachers to focus primarily on instruction, the Director of Student Support Services manages the evaluation, eligibility and IEP process and meets weekly with special education teachers, social workers, and related service providers to monitor the success of the inclusion program, to facilitate cohesion in instruction, and to assess school-wide professional development needs. English Language Learning (ELL) Program: E.L. Haynes has developed its English Language Learning (ELL) program to support the success of our students who are culturally and linguistically diverse in the general education curriculum. The purpose of our ELL program is to: ► Develop the language and literacy skills of non-native English speakers; and to ► Ensure access to the general education curriculum for students who are still developing cognitive academic language proficiency. Our ELL team achieves these goals through identification of students, direct instruction, consultation with general education teachers, professional development for staff, and participation in Academic and Social Student Support Team (AS3) and Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meetings. Our ELL teachers monitor the progress of students’ language and literacy acquisition quarterly by conducting assessments, making observations, and soliciting input from general education teachers. They prepare quarterly ELL progress reports for families of students who receive services. In accordance with guidelines determined by the OSSE, we use annual ACCESS test scores to track the progress of students’ language and literacy development over time. Year Round Programs: In order to ensure that every child at E. L. Haynes is academically and socially successful regardless of socioeconomic status, school readiness, race/ethnicity, home circumstance, or home language, E.L. Haynes adopted a year-round calendar with 1,000 additional hours of out-of-school time programming so that all of its students have access to consistent, comprehensive, high quality educational experiences throughout the year. E.L. Haynes’ out-of- school time programming takes place both throughout the year (the Extended Day Program) and during quarterly breaks (Intersession). The Extended Day and Intersession Programs are embedded in the school’s mission, goals, and design. Extended Day Program. The Extended Day Program, which consisted of a Before School and After School Program, incorporates the philosophies and activities of the classroom, carrying them over into the before and after school hours. The Before School Program begins at 7:30 AM and provided breakfast to students who arrive before 8 AM. Quiet classical music played while students activated their minds with educational games, read books, or drew pictures until they began “Morning Math” or “Morning Reading” in their classrooms. The After School Program begins when the students are dismissed from their classes and ends at 6:00 PM. The program is offered Mondays through Fridays when school is in session and during summer Intersession. The program consists of an Afternoon 7 |E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Annual Report Meeting with a greeting, initiative, and snack; time to play at a local playground; “Quiet Time” for students to complete their homework; and, for our younger students, “Choice Time” when they played educational games, read books, or drew pictures with friends and adults. Students in second grade and above participate in electives, including sports teams, newspaper, chess, Latin club and step club. Intersession. In 2012-13, E.L. Haynes offered Intersession programming for two weeks in October, one week in January, one week in April, and four weeks across June and July. Taught by E.L. Haynes teachers, teaching fellows, and local experts, twelve to fifteen students and a leader embarked on week-long investigations involving classroom, community, and museum-based work. Students took advantage of Washington, DC resources such as the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Society, the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, historic theaters and parks, among many others. Trips were coupled with learning from local experts brought in to speak with the students on whatever topic was being studied. All Intersession classes aligned to the school’s academic standards and involved daily reading, writing, and math; incorporated Responsive Classroom; used the framework of active pedagogy and learning expeditions; and shared their learning through a weekly newsletter and individual student progress reports written by the teacher. Learning Expeditions: In spring 2012, every class at E.L. Haynes embarked on a multi-week learning expedition in order to tackle a science topic more deeply. Expeditions are in-depth, long- term investigations of significant real-life problems and questions. These topics are compelling and relevant to students, but also address issues important to the community or discipline at large. Classes began preparing for their expeditions early in the year. E.L. Haynes’ learning expeditions last year were typically nine weeks long and contained the following components: ► In-depth investigations that address guiding questions; ► A high-quality product that meets an authentic need and has an audience and purpose beyond families and the classroom teacher; ► Many opportunities for fieldwork that have a clear purpose, often related to collecting data or research in an authentic way; ► Service learning; ► Visits from outside experts; and ► Student performances and presentations of expertise and high-quality work. Shared Leadership: Leadership at E.L. Haynes is widely shared at every level. Teachers have a voice in decision-making related to curriculum and instruction through weekly professional development sessions and the Instructional Leadership Team comprised of teachers and specialists. Students have a voice in determining classroom rules and choosing their activities through the use of Responsive Classroom. Parents and staff work together to advise the Head of School and Principals 8 |E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Annual Report