pdf, 6.1mb - Public Schools of North Carolina

345 Pages·2013·6.07 MB·English

APPENDIX LIST
A. Evidence of Educational Need
B1. Proposed Curriculum – Elementary
B2. Proposed Curriculum – Middle Grades
C. Sample Instructional Calendar
D. Student Handbook (Draft)
E. Federal Documentation of Tax Exempt Status
F. Organizational Chart
G. Charter School Board Member Information Form & Resume
H. Proposed By-laws
I. Articles of Incorporation
J. Non-Profit Organization Board Policies
K. Meeting Minutes
L. EMO Contract
M. Projected Staff
N. Employment Policies (Draft)
O. Insurance Quotes
P. Facility Form
Q. Completed Facility Inspections
R. Revenue Assurance
S. IRS Form 990
T. Additional Appendices
 CSUSA Innovation Letter
 CSUSA Network of Schools and Fund Balances
 CSUSA Highlights
 Enrollment Policy
Appendix A

Evidence of Educational Need

A-1
APPENDIX A
LEE SCHOLARS CHARTER SCHOOL

Lee Scholars Academy will be open to all students in North Carolina seeking an educational
alternative, but will most likely pull its students from the border of southwest Durham County
and southeast Orange County.

Enrollment White% Non- FRL% EC% LEP%
White%
Southwest Durham 3,930 24.06% 75.94% 54.06% N/A N/A
Southeast Orange 2,837 47.30% 52.70% 32.10% N/A N/A
Durham County 32,472 19.33% 80.67% 63.56% 13.83% 14.30%
Chapel Hill-Carrboro 12,122 51.53% 48.47% 26.41% 9.52% 11.85%

The demographics above for southwest Durham County and southeast Orange County were
measured using data from 5 public non-high schools in each region, and this includes data from
at least one middle school per data set. The 9 charter schools in Durham County in 2012-13 had
a non-white student enrollment proportion of 73.35%, which generally aligns to the
demographics present in the southwest Durham schools as well.

The board of Lee Scholars Academy chose the border region primarily because of the high need
for quality school choice options in Durham County, which has enrolled over 4,500 students in
local charter schools since the first one opened in 1997. Orange County is also in need of quality
school options because at the time that these measurements were taken there we no charter
schools at all.

Both counties are in supreme need for enrollment alleviation. Durham County is also one of the
neediest districts in terms of school capacity; the county recently allocated $154,688,403 over 5
years (into 2015-16) toward school construction, renovation, and expansion (10th in the state).
Likewise, a News & Observer article from August 2011 reported that Chapel Hill-Carrboro
elementary schools were approaching 105% capacity. For instance, one of the southeast Orange
County schools used in the measurements above (Glenwood Elementary) has a capacity of 423
students, but had a 2012 ADM figure of 508 (120% over capacity).

School performance is also a pressing issue. Durham County possessed 10 of the state’s 160
Priority Schools as of 2011-12, which are defined as being among the lowest 5% of Title 1
schools in the state. Those schools had an average Performance Composite score of 54.8%,
which is almost twenty percentage points below the state average of 75.9%. In addition to those
Priority Schools, Durham County also contained 9 of the state’s 130 Focus Schools, which is
defined as having a significant in-school achievement gap. Chapel Hill-Carrboro fortunately
lacks any Priority Schools, but does possess two Focus Schools.

Board members have participated in various community outreach events over the past two years
that the school has been planning to open. To date the list of perspective parents totals 232 with
numbers increasing as this application cycle continues. Board members distributed flyers
throughout the community to inform prospective parents of the proposed school’s
website www.leescholarsacademy.org to allow them to participate in an online survey to confirm
and determine the educational need for the school. Survey results shows that parents are
interested in a school that places an emphasis on a college prep focus and also in a school that
places emphasis on school culture, character education, citizenship, school uniforms and active
parental involvement. Other areas of programming identified as special areas of interest included
the arts, which will in fact be a part of the curriculum offered at Lee Scholars Academy.
A-2
EXPECT MORE
from your school!
Learning
More
Commitment
More
Care
More
Educating Grades K-6 Focus
More
Proposed to open for the
2015-2016 school year.

Why
Choose
Lee Scholars Academy?
(cid:127) Dedicated, caring, certified teachers (cid:127) Focus on character education and
(cid:127) Core curriculum and enrichment classes to leadership to prepare students for
keep students engaged the future
(cid:127) Personal learning plans to assure each (cid:127) Students wear school uniforms to avoid
student’s success distractions and enhance security
(cid:127) Instruction is based on individual strengths
and weaknesses
(cid:127) Meaningful parental involvement helps
students perform better
LLEEEE SSCCHHOOLLAARRSS
Lee Scholars Academy s a tuition-free public charter school and a AACCAADDEEMMYY
proud member of the Charter Schools USA family of schools.
For employment opportunities, please visit www.charterschoolsusa.com/careers
Fill out our survey/petition
Online LeeScholarsAcademy.org
A-3
1. Lee Scholars Academy Survey
The Howard and Lillian Lee Scholars Charter School is a North Carolina not-for-profit entity organized exclusively for educational purposes. The
Howard and Lillian Lee Scholars Charter School is comprised of respected leaders in the state of North Carolina that are committed to providing high
quality educational options for the students and families of North Carolina.

Thank you for your interest in a proposed charter school in your county. Help us as we plan and develop a charter school in your community.
Please share with us your feeling about public education, charter schools and what academic programs are important to you in North Carolina
schools. This survey should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

2. Background Information
*1. Which county do you reside in?

*2. Do you have pre-school or school-age children that live with you?

No

Yes, How many?

3. School Questions
*1. What type of school do your currently send them to?

Public

Faith-based Private

Private non-denominational

Home School

Not in school yet

*2. Charter schools offer a tuition-free alternative from regular public schools. They are publicly funded, but privately operated under a performance
contract with the local school district and/or the State Department of Education. Charter schools are given flexibility from regulations in exchange
for higher accountability. If given the choice, would you like there to be a charter school option in the County where you live?

*3. Would you consider sending your child(ren) to a charter school?

Yes

No

4. Would you like to see a charter high school option in your community?

Yes

No

*5. Would you be interested in a school that places an emphasis on school cultural factors such as character education, citizenship programs,
school uniforms, and active parental involvement?

Yes

No

*6. Would you be interested in a school that places an emphasis on a college prep focus?

Yes

No

*7. Are there special areas of focus or programming you would be interested in seeing offered at the proposed charter school in your area?

No

Yes, Please explain.

*8. Please provide any additional comments that will help us in the planning and design of a potential charter school in the area.

4. Thank you for your participation!
1.
Your time and responses are appreciated, as they help us as we plan and develop a charter schools throughout the State of North
Carolina.oo A-4
Appendix B1

Proposed Curriculum – Elementary

B1-1
PROPOSED K-5 CURRICULUM
The content that teachers are expected to address must be adequately covered in the
instructional time teachers have available. The GVC ensures that students have both the time
and opportunity to learn and master the content expected of them within the CCSS and NC
Essential Standards. The NC Essential Standards and CCSS are the core of the instruction and
represent what the state of North Carolina considers accountable for teaching in all public
schools. The Academy will utilize the CSUSA-developed proprietary month-by-month scope and
sequence. For each quarter, core subject Curriculum Maps are aligned to the standards, which
helps guide teachers toward meeting and exceeding the standards in the instructional time
available. This ensures that the curriculum is both guaranteed and viable.
The Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (GVC) ensures academic excellence in every classroom
and encourages steady academic progress as students build their knowledge and skills from one
year to the next. CSUSA’s curriculum uses a spiral approach to curriculum design, which means
that a skill is introduced, practiced, applied, and ultimately mastered at a specific grade level. A
spiral curriculum model recognizes the need for a skill to be introduced again at a higher level
of learning and mastery. In order to meet and exceed the standards in a standards-based
curriculum, it is imperative that the textbooks and materials that would be best suited for the
educational needs of the students are taken into consideration. Some instructional resources
might include the Reading Wonders program for K-5 reading and Envision for K- 5 math, in
addition to a variety of other instructional resources (included blended learning) that are
aligned to the GVC and meet the needs of the student population.
The following provides an overview of the core subjects.
K-5 Reading/Language Arts
The Reading/Language Arts program will be seamlessly integrated into all subjects. As
exemplified by Common Core State Standards, reading and language arts are blended to
provide for an integrated approach to learning in a reading/writing workshop. The Academy will
not focus on one specific curriculum, but incorporate a variety of genuine texts, with a 50/50
blend of fiction and nonfiction in all grade levels. The basis for the reading program will be the
Common Core Text Exemplars and a reading program, such as Reading Wonders. This
combination of short stories, novels, non-fiction texts, poetry, and drama will prepare the
student for real-life reading application. The teacher will scaffold the reading processes by
following the steps of direct instruction, modeling, guided practice, and independent practice.
Small groups will be used for individualized instruction where students may have access to
leveled readings for individualized instruction. Teachers will be encouraged to use a variety of
strategies to reach all students at their level. When students enter the school reading below
grade level, they will have the opportunity to receive extra reading minutes to increase their
growth throughout the year. To support the Reading and Language Arts teachers, the Academy
has included a Reading Specialist in the budget beginning in the second year of operations.

B1-2
K-5 Mathematics
The GVC focuses students on accuracy of computation and mastery of basic operations,
fundamental math concepts, and developing the ability to apply their knowledge to practical
problem solving. All grades use word problems to promote analytical thinking skills. Teachers
use various manipulative materials, including technology, before moving students to paper and
pencil tasks.
K-5 Science
The science curriculum is delivered through a discovery instructional process with emphasis on
scientific thinking and real world experiences. One example of an application-based science
class is science lab. Students may have the opportunity to attend a science lab special during
the week. This class will be focused on experiments and inquiry.
K-5 Social Studies
In social studies, students will acquire essential knowledge and develop and apply skills as they
investigate society, explore issues, make decisions, and work independently and cooperatively
with others. An effective social studies program provides a coordinated, systematic study,
drawing upon the disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. It prepares students to be
personally and socially aware, promotes multiple perspectives, encourages intellectual
curiosity, enhances critical thinking skills, reinforces a broad range of communication skills,
fosters positive character development, and charges students to assume responsibility for
positive change and civic action.
B1-3
Unit
 Title/Topic
  First
 Grade
 Unit
 1:
 Alphabet
 Books
 and
 Children
 Who
 Read
 Them

Estimated
 Time

  6
 weeks

Why
 do
 authors
 write
 books?

Why
 do
 we
 need
 to
 use
 punctuation?

Essential
 Questions

What
 is
 a
 topic?

How
 do
 details
 help
 a
 topic?

In
 this
 first
 six-­‐week
 unit
 of
 first
 grade,
 students
 are
 welcomed
 to
 school
 as
 readers
 and
 begin
 reviewing
 the
 alphabet
 and

concepts
 of
 print
 through
 books
 about
 the
 library,
 friendship,
 and
 the
 ABCs.
 By
 conducting
 shared
 research,
 students

learn
 that
 investigating
 is
 foundational
 to
 learning.
 By
 using
 books
 that
 require
 conversation,
 such
 as
 The
 Graphic

Alphabet,
 students
 understand
 that
 ideas
 are
 processed
 through
 inquiry,
 thought,
 and
 conversation.
 After
 the
 students

Evidence
 of
 Learning
  perform
 shared
 research
 based
 on
 a
 class
 question,
 they
 write
 a
 class
 ABC
 book
 about
 their
 topic.
 During
 this
 writing,

they
 review
 the
 formation
 of
 a
 sentence
 with
 proper
 punctuation.
 Students
 respond
 to
 a
 question
 (prompt)
 to
 write

what
 they
 know
 about
 healthy
 habits
 (e.g.,
 exercise,
 healthy
 eating),
 focusing
 on
 their
 topic
 and
 supporting
 it
 with
 facts.

Finally,
 they
 apply
 their
 knowledge
 of
 questioning
 to
 poetry
 and
 perform
 the
 poetry
 as
 a
 choral
 reading.

  • W.1.7:
 Participate
 in
 shared

• RL.1.1:
 Ask
 and
 answer
  research
 and
 writing
 projects
  • SL.1.1:
 Participate
 in
  • L.1.1:
 Demonstrate
 command
 of
 the

questions
 about
 key
  (e.g.,
 explore
 a
 number
 of
 “how-­‐ collaborative
  conventions
 of
 standard
 English

details
 in
 a
 text.
  to”
 books
 on
 a
 given
 topic
 and
  conversations
 with
  grammar
 and
 usage
 when
 writing
 or

• RI.1.1:
 Ask
 and
 answer
  use
 them
 to
 write
 a
 sequence
 of
  diverse
 partners
  speaking.

questions
 about
 key
  instructions).
  about
 grade
 1
 topics
  • L.1.1j:
 Produce
 and
 expand

details
 in
 a
 text.

  and
 texts
 with
 peers
  complete
 simple
 and
 compound

  and
 adults
 in
 small
  declarative,
 interrogative,

and
 larger
 groups.
  imperative,
 and
 exclamatory

  sentences
 in
 response
 to
 prompts.

Procedural
 Knowledge
  Declarative
 Knowledge

Unwrapped
 Standards
  (Skills)
  (Content)

• Use
 pictures,
 illustrations,
 and
 details
 in
 a
 text
 to
 discern
 and
  • The
 author
 is
 the
 person
 that
 writes
 the
 story
 or

  describe
 key
 ideas.
  information
 in
 a
 story,
 book,
 piece
 of
 literature,

• Help
 shape
 research
 questions.
  etc.

B1-4
• Gather
 information
 on
 a
 given
 topic.
  • The
 illustrator
 is
 the
 person
 that
 draws
 or
 creates

• Listen
 to
 one
 another
 in
 conversations
 and
 speak
 one
 at
 a
  pictures
 for
 a
 story,
 book,
 piece
 of
 literature,
 etc.

time.
  • A
 research
 question
 requires
 a
 person
 to
 find

information
 about
 a
 topic
 in
 order
 to
 answer.

• Capitalize
 names,
 places,
 and
 dates.

• A
 topic
 is
 what
 something
 you
 are
 reading
 and

• Punctuate
 sentences
 correctly
 with
 a
 period
 and
 question

writing
 about.

mark.

• Informational
 means
 providing
 useful

• Perform
 poetry
 as
 a
 choral
 reading.

information
 or
 knowledge.

• Key
 details
 are
 important
 details
 of
 a
 text
 that

help
 support
 and
 understand
 the
 main
 idea,
 plot,

etc.

• Shared
 research
 is
 exploring
 a
 number
 of
 books
 s

by
 a
 favorite
 author
 and
 expressing
 opinions

about
 them.

Alphabet
 books,
 Author,
 Capitalization,
 Illustrator,
 Informational,
 Key
 details,
 Periods,
 Poems,
 Question
 marks,

Vocabulary

Questions,
 Research
 question,
 Shared
 research,
 Sort,
 Stories,
 Topic

• Reading
 Literature,
 Speaking
 and
 Listening

As
 you
 read
 the
 book
 Tomas
 and
 the
 Library
 Lady,
 pause
 periodically
 and
 encourage
 students
 to
 ask
 questions.
 By
 using

“I
 wonder”
 as
 the
 beginning
 of
 the
 question,
 have
 students
 predict
 what
 is
 coming
 next
 in
 the
 story
 and
 clarify

understanding.
 Use
 sticky
 notes
 or
 whiteboards
 to
 keep
 each
 child
 engaged
 in
 the
 questioning.
 (RL.1.1)

Informative
 Writing,
 Research

Using
 the
 ABC
 books
 as
 a
 model,
 generate
 some
 ideas
 for
 writing
 a
 class
 ABC
 book.
 Work
 together
 as
 a
 class
 to
 come
 up

Sample
 Activities
 and

with
 potential
 research
 questions.
 Begin
 by
 asking
 questions
 such
 as,
 “Is
 it
 possible
 to
 create
 an
 ABC
 book
 with
 Games
 to

Assessments

Play
 as
 our
 title?”
 Allow
 the
 class
 to
 give
 some
 ideas
 (e.g.,
 names,
 authors,
 books,
 plants,
 insects).
 After
 ideas
 have
 been

shaped
 into
 a
 research
 question,
 allow
 the
 children
 to
 vote
 on
 a
 theme
 for
 the
 class
 ABC
 book.
 Once
 the
 theme
 is

chosen,
 gather
 information
 from
 a
 variety
 of
 texts
 and
 digital
 resources
 for
 each
 letter
 of
 the
 alphabet.
 Decide
 on
 a

design
 for
 the
 book.
 Assign
 each
 student
 a
 letter
 in
 the
 book.
 Each
 page
 should
 include
 an
 upper
 and
 lower
 case
 letter,

the
 key
 word,
 an
 illustration,
 and
 a
 sentence
 using
 the
 key
 word.
 Be
 sure
 to
 have
 them
 follow
 rules
 for
 spelling
 and

punctuating
 correctly.
 (SL.1.1,
 W.1.7,
 W.1.2,
 W.1.8,
 L.1.1
 a,
 L.1.1j,
 L.1.2b,
 L.1.2d,
 L.1.2e,
 RF.1.1a)

Language
 Mechanics,
 Speaking
 and
 Listening

Introduce
 the
 writing
 of
 declarative
 and
 interrogative
 sentences
 by
 focusing
 on
 an
 informational
 ABC
 book,
 such
 as

B1-5