The Board of Education this week has scheduled a special hearing for 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 8 to hear six Charter School presentations.

The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the applications at its legislative meeting on December 13.

Additional comment on the proposals may be provided at the regular, monthly public hearing on December 6. A November 15 meeting has also been scheduled to allow comment from district staff and members of the District Schools Improvement and Accountability Council.

Under state law, a charter school is a public school operated by a group of parents, teachers and/or community members as a semi-autonomous school of choice within a school district. Charter schools operate under a contract or "charter" contract between the members of the charter school community and the local board of education.

In a charter school, each student, parent and teacher chooses to be there. The "charter," as defined in the Charter Schools Act spells out the school goals, standards, education design, governance and operations. The degree of autonomy to be exercised by the charter school on such issues as personnel, curriculum and facilities is negotiated between the charter applicants and the local school district and reflected in the charter. School-centered governance, autonomy, and a clear design for how and what students will learn are the essential characteristics of a charter school.

Under Colorado law, a charter school is not a separate legal entity independent of the school district, but rather is a public school defined uniquely by a charter and partially autonomous while remaining within the school district.

Denver Public Schools is currently home to six charter schools - Challenges, Choices, and Images; Denver Arts & Technology Academy; Odyssey Charter School; Pioneer Charter School; P.S.1 Charter School; and Wyatt Edison Charter School.

Following are brief summaries for each of the six proposed schools.

THE DENVER SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The Denver School of Science and Technology applicants are proposing to establish a small, charter high school to serve 125 ninth-grade students in 2003-2004, growing to a total of 400 students in 2007-2008 and each year thereafter. The applicants intend to create a high achieving school that focuses on science and benefits all segments of the student population, most notably minorities and children from low-income household and girls. The school proposes small classes with a 20 to 1 student-teacher ratio, block scheduling and a trimester system with two week long breaks for winter and spring and an eight-week break in the summer.

The Denver School of Science and Technology will be located on the Community College of Aurora's Lowry campus, giving students access to sophisticated science and technology facilities. The applicants have reached a tentative joint-use agreement with the Community College of Aurora. The Denver School of Science and Technology has already received a challenge grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The charter school applicants are requesting charter school status a full year earlier than normal. This will allow them to take advantage of a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant and devote substantial resources towards recruitment of under-served population; hiring a Recruiting Coordinator; refining a very high-achievement, project- based curriculum; conducting a national search for and hiring a Head of School; and raising money to finance construction of a commons building for the school.

Ninth- and tenth-grade students will focus on content and basic skills development and will transition from traditional, direct instruction to a hands-on, projected-based, learning approach. Students in grades eleven and twelve, the Senior Academy, will work on in-depth, projected based curriculum and will have opportunities to participate in college courses, internships and take AP exams.

Relevance of academic work will be accomplished through such activities as job sharing, internships, service projects and presentations of student work to industry and community leaders for evaluation. Every student will maintain a digital portfolio using a web page format to include a resume with learning objectives and achievements, as well as, showcasing student work.

Contact: Amy Slothower, 303-377-9062

COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL OF DENVER CHARTER
The Colorado High School of Denver applicants propose to convert an established, independent, 501(C)3 non-profit alternative high school to a charter school.

For seven years, Colorado High School of Denver has offered an educational program with a core curriculum, small classes (15), block scheduling with flexible enrollment periods and a school environment that allow students to work closely with teachers to concentrate on academic requirements, as well as, personal development. This educational program for at-risk students has resulted in 173 students having graduated with a high school diploma (approximately 40 percent are the first in their families to receive a high school diploma) and 30 percent of these students have gone on to college. The applicants wish to duplicate the same program in a charter school setting serving more students.

The Colorado High School of Denver applicants are proposing a charter school that will open in the fall of 2002 and will serve 90, primarily at-risk, students over the age of sixteen. The Charter school will be located at the present school site at 1111 Osage Street in Denver. The school will offer classes Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., which includes the availability of an hour of individual tutoring and make-up sessions. Enrichment activities are held from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition, Colorado High School of Denver will hold night school on Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The educational program would include:

• Monthly Block System - The curriculum is designed in four-week blocks that enable students to enroll at the beginning of each block or month throughout the school year. Students take four core classes each day during a block. The subjects change with each block.
  
• Student Block Books - The student is responsible for building a block book or portfolio of all assignments throughout the month. Teacher grade and students self assess the block books.
  
• Core Curriculum - The curriculum focus is on the core areas of Math, Science, Language Arts and Social Studies. Typically, students do not take electives. In order to engage students, a variety of topics and resources are chosen.
  
• Math - Investments and Finance Algebra- Equation Solving and Motion Problems, Algebra II-Inequalities and Equation Solving, Geometry I, Geometric Measurements, Business Accounting I, Trigonometry I, Trigonometry-Probability Theory.
  
• Science - Psychology, Ancient and Interesting Diseases, Earth and Solar System, Basic Chemistry, Chemistry II, Biochemistry, Cells and Evolution, Plant Biology, Reproductive Systems.
  
• Language Arts - Writing and Reading Autobiography, Shakespeare I, II, III; Evolution of the English Language, Reading and Writing to Change the World; Chaucer Stories from Africa and America, Reading and Writing Poetry, Argument and Debate, Latina Literature, and I Search.
  
• History - Geography, Persian Gulf War, History of Film, Election Process, History of Tobacco in America, Individual Freedom and Civil Liberties, The Russian Revolution, American Wars of the 20th Century, U.S. Government.
  
• Computer Proficiency - Three blocks per year in the Math class focus on computer and technology.

Colorado High School of Denver also encourages high school students to take advantage of the opportunity to earn college credit at the Community College of Denver, which is located three blocks away from the school.

Contact: Lori Deacon, 303-892-8475

METRO ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE (MTECH)
The Metro Academy of Technology and Science (MTech) charter school applicants are proposing a ECE through grade 12 charter school that is open to all Denver students at their physical site and students in Pueblo District 60, Brighton School District 27J, Grand Junction and other school districts throughout the state through MTech Academy virtual school.

MTech intends to target at-risk, minority students from northeast Denver, Director District #4. The school will open with 300 students in ECE-grade eight on campus and up to 100 students through the virtual reality program in the fall of 2003. The school will add a grade level each year, growing to 750 ECE-grade twelve students on campus and 250 students through the virtual reality program by 2007.

MTech proposes to use a technology-based curriculum developed for at-risk children of color. Each on-site classroom will have maximum of 30 students and at least one teacher on campus and physically in the classroom. In addition, each classroom third grade or higher will have a master teacher/professor from one of the following schools through a virtual reality platform:

• Participating Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) schools
  
• John Hopkins University
  
• University of Merida, Venezuela through Ciencas Aplicadas Y Technologias Organizcionalices (CATO)
  
• University of Mexico through General Consulate of Mexico

MTech proposes a researched-based educational program that is aligned with state standards, emphasizes the basic skills, uses phonetic awareness, uses a variety of educational programs and instructional strategies in each subject area. All students will be required to be proficient in all subject matters.

MTech will provide staff development opportunities for its teachers, other staff members and parents. School-based reading specialists to support literacy will also be hired.

Contact: James Sutherland, 303-832-7388

LIVING-EDUCATION CENTER CHARTER
The Living-Education Center applicants propose to establish a charter school to serve 250 at-risk/high-risk students age three to grade five in 2002-2003, growing to a total of 500 students age three to grade 12 in 2006-2007.

The applicants intend to create a school with a 12-month, (205 days) operating schedule and an eight-hour student contact day, with a student/teacher ratio of 20/1.

The applicants have not yet determined a location for the charter school.

The school will be structured into five learning clusters based on student age, with a teacher and counselor in each classroom: students age three through five, students age six through eight, students age nine through eleven, students age twelve through fourteen and students age fifteen through eighteen.

The Living-Education Center will use the AEGIS Education Program, an integrated, trans-disciplinary educational continuum of six academic programs and one affective education/counseling program. The six academic programs are:

• Core Knowledge Sequence
  
• Open Court/Words Their Way Reading
  
• Saxon Mathematics
  
• Six Trait/Step Up to Writing
  
• Odyssey Living-Learning
  
• Gateway Outreach

The affective education program will be the Revitalize Transitions program. Each student will have a Personalized Education Plan (PEP) that addresses the student's unique academic and behavioral needs.

The educational program will focus on mastering the content standards in reading, reading comprehension, writing, spelling, vocabulary, oral communications, science, mathematics, geography, history, physical fitness/health education. The school will use the DPS curriculum and graduation requirements as a basis of the educational program.

The applicants intend to develop a network of interactive educational and support partnerships with community members, civic organizations, businesses, other educational institutions and government agencies. These partnerships will provide on-site learning opportunities and School-to-Career internships for students.

The Revitalize Transition Affective Education/Counseling Program is designed to collaborate with school districts, the juvenile justice system, community organizations, businesses and social service organizations to work with at-risk students and their families. At-risk students include students that are experiencing academic failure, expelled, cognitively dysfunctional, drop outs and adjudicated. Students transition from this program to a pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education program, post-secondary educational program, vocational program, employment and inter-dependent, independent/self-sufficient living.

The affective education program incorporates learning through small/large/gender group discussions, team-based focus projects, small-group and large-focus projects, community service projects and peer-assisted learning. The program includes a PEP, Life-Success Plan, School to Work Plan, learning readiness/preparation classes, and instructional modules in language arts, math, science and social studies and extended learning activities.

Student's social and behavioral status and progress is recorded in a Daily Progress Report maintained for each student by the Revitalize Transition Affective Education counselor.

The school also will offer a wide range of co-curricular and enrichment activities, during the regular school day, and during the school's Gateway Outreach Program from 3:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily.

Contact: Henry Tschopp, 303-399-3247

NEW CONNECTIONS ACADEMY
The New Connections Academy (NCA) applicants propose to establish a school without walls that will serve students from their family or guardians' preferred site for learning, which may include community settings, residential youth programs and homes.

NCA will target students that may be homebound, home-schooled, in group homes or institutional settings, at-risk and need individual instruction, artistic or athletic in need of flexible scheduling or isolated in rural settings with limited transportation.

This school intends to serve student in grades five through eight in year 2002-2003 and ultimately for kindergarten through grade eight by 2006.

Instruction will be delivered primarily via a computer with appropriately configured software that is provided to each student at no cost. In addition, each student will have: a learning coach and a NCA teacher committed to his or her educational achievement. The charter school will operate on a year-round, tri-semester calendar comprised of three, twelve-week sessions with a five or six week break between each session.

NCA will contract with Sylvan Ventures for instructional, business, and student services.

The educational program will be delivered primarily via an appropriately configured computer. Each student will have a parent or other caring adult (learning coach), on site in the learning location, who makes a commitment to be consistently involved with the student's education and receives on-going training and support from NCA for this role.

Each student also will have a NCA teacher who communicates via phone, computer or other technologies with the learning coach and student to develop and monitor a Personalized Learning Plan. This teacher will coordinate the student's academic work, including classes and instruction delivered by others on the NCA faculty. NCA will maintain a student/teacher ratio of 30/1.

The Personalized Learning Plan defines the educational goals and measurable objectives for each student. The plan will focus on the mastery of the Colorado Model Content Standards as measured by the "State's end of grade and gateway assessments". For each Colorado Model Content Standard, NCA will develop benchmarks for monitoring student progress, multiple assessments to measure mastery and a diverse, flexible menu of curriculum options and instructional modes to build mastery.

The curriculum will be drawn from selected print and multi-media materials from a variety of publishers, licensed online courses, publicly available resources from the Internet and elsewhere, teacher developed materials and NCA's own materials.

NCA includes a combination of "real time" classroom learning experience and "flex time" activities that give students and their learning coaches the flexibility to structure the school day to best meet the student's learning needs. While NCA expects to exceed the state-required student instructional hours, the mastery-based focus of the program means that student achievement, not time, serves as the key variable.

NCA also links each student to the online community of learners and to the real-world community of hands-on learning experiences. Students will demonstrate their acquisition of basic skills through collaborative projects with other NCA students, organized around areas of interest and identified needs in the community. NCA will provide building blocks for each student's commitment to community, fostering a real sense of citizenship.

Contact: Gail Klapper, 303-592-1117

KIPP: SUNSHINE PEAK ACADEMY
The Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy charter school applicants propose a charter school that will serve primarily Hispanic and Asian students in grades five through eight on the west side of Denver.

Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy intends to serve students from neighborhoods where dropout rates are too high, literacy rates are too low and children face problems with drugs and violence. The school will open with 80 students in the fifth grade in the summer of 2002, growing by the same number each consecutive year, totaling 320 in 2006.

Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy will have longer school days (7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), a longer school year (an extra month during the summer) and Saturday school, (9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. twice a month). The school will have high expectations and an attitude of no excuses and no shortcuts to achieve success. The proposed school is modeled on the successful Kipp Academies that are presently operating in inner-city neighborhoods in Houston and the South Bronx.

The school philosophy is based on the following five pillars:

• High expectations
  
• Choice and commitment from parents, student and faculty
  
• More time
  
• Power to lead in the Director
  
• A focus on results

Students at Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy will wear uniforms Monday through Friday.

The Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy curriculum will focus on the remediation of basic skills coupled with emphasis on higher order thinking process in all content areas. The school will use the District's matrix as a foundation in all subject areas and will add higher standards where deemed appropriate. Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy will provide the basic age-appropriate curriculum for reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, health, PE, fine arts and foreign language at each grade level. Courses will be supplemented with test preparation, character education, extra-curricular activities, technology, and community service.

By eighth grade students will learn the advanced curriculum, including Biology and Algebra, in preparation for entering the Honors/AP track in high school.

Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy will provide a learning environment that allows more time to teach. Teachers will use a variety of strategies, such as: direct whole-class instruction, indirect whole class instruction, teacher-directed small group instruction, one-on-one instruction, peer tutoring, cooperative learning, phonetic-based instruction, inquiry-based learning, project-based learning and computer activities.

Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy also will use multiple assessments to measure student achievement. These will include CSAP, nationally-normed reference tests, grade reporting and weekly progress reports, student folders, writing portfolios, journals, unit tests, daily subject monitoring, projects, parent surveys and class attendance. The school will eventually administer the Educational Research Bureau (ERB) test to measure their students against other successful groups in order to maintain a college preparatory pace.

Students who are in jeopardy of retention will be individually counseled and given individual help in their specific areas of concern. Students who continue to struggle will be provided with tutoring from outside sources.

Twice a month, students will attend Saturday enrichment classes that will provide opportunities for students to work with professionals in the field and to practice the social and critical thinking skills learned during the week. Seventh and eighth grade students will stay longer for SAT training. In addition, teachers will provide assistance to parents, such as family support services, GED classes and ESL classes.

The extended school year at Kipp: Sunshine Peak Academy consists of a summer school program that provides students, parents and teachers a head start for the coming school year. The first segment of summer school will consist of a week-long staff development program. The second summer school component includes student orientation, an assessment of the student's strengths and weaknesses, basic reading, writing, math, science and social studies instruction and team building.

Time will be allowed on a monthly basis for vertical team planning, sharing of best practices, in-services, observation of other teachers, and evaluations with the School Direct and/or professional development staff.

Contact: Richard Barrett, 281-650-9132