GDMPERS PREPARATURY ACADEMY a 1005 47th Street. San Diego, CA 921023523 619.263.2171 1 619.264.4342 Gomparsprap.org Chairman of the Board Cecil H. Steppe May 11,2017 Mr. Ra/qino, As 1 stated during the interview on Tuesday, May 9, 2017, the Director has been instructed by the board to run the school and leave the communication regarding this story in my hands. I was surprised to see that you reached out to him directly after this had already been communicated. With that said, in collaboration with school leadership here is our response to your additional questions. As GPA continues to grow, we are committed to building a school of professionals who share a common belief that all students can learn and achieve great things when given the supports they need and deserve. The GPA mission I co?wrote in 2005, con?rms our beliefthat ?all students can learn? and continues to guide our work. The dedicated professionals who choose to work in an inner-city environment, and who share this belief system understand the obstacles they will face in regards to students being below grade-level and coming to them with learning gaps and resource challenges. When a group of professionals shares a mindset of educational equity, skill gaps are not seen as ?almost impossible? to ?ll, instead they are viewed as opportunities for exponential growth. For some it can be a daunting task, for others a welcomed challenge. The work that we do here is not for everyone. In an effort to support our college readiness across grade levels, our instructional leaders ?flip? classes by modeling professional development to implement strategies, included but not limited to, room design, attitudes, behaviors, and a focus on learning that all promote student achievement and higher engagement. Our staff studies strategies found in professional texts, including but not limited to, Teach Like A Champion and Teach Like A Pirate, in order to grow skills in engaging all types of learners no matter where students might be on their own personal learning continuum. As is common knowledge in the education setting, there is a direct correlation between student engagement and student learning and achievement. So, it is not surprising to hear that if a classroom was ??ipped? by the director, or other members of the instructional leadership team, there may be an increase in grades. Our staff meets to collaborate within their subject matter to share best practices, study approaches to support students in reaching grade level standards, and discuss vertical alignment. In addition, staff attends professional development on and off site to take part in hands?on engagement techniques designed to be used in their classrooms. To support and improve graduation rates, structures are in place that provide grade?level teams time to collaborate, so they can GUMPERS PHEPARATURY ACADEMY a 1005 47m Street, San Diego, CA 619.263.2171l 619.264.4342 Gompersprepmg individualize instruction in order to support students with essential skills in remediation and acceleration. As an organization, we strive to provide the supplies needed for teachers to exercise their creativity and bring learning to life. We invest in a fully stocked teacher supply room. Teachers are not required to purchase materials, however some teachers may choose to purchase additional supplies. What began as a culture of chaos in 2003, is now a culture of learning for students and staff. As a young organization in our 6th year of the same grade configuration, we continue to evaluate how best to serve our students and provide our staff with the tools they need. Staff, parents, and students, are informed consistently regarding grades, and interventions are implemented as needed. GPA follows a school-wide grading policy and offers transparency through the Powerschool software, so parents and students are able to follow grades closely assignment by assignment, while also maintaining communication with instructors and staff. As stated in the interview, ?sounding the alarm? is another practice to ensure student grades are transparent and students are given every opportunity to take advantage of available supports. All graduates of GPA have met the graduation requirements specified in our charter document. Summer school, retaking courses, and daily interventions (including extended evening campus hours several days a week for lth/thh grade students) are some of the ways our students who receive a can improve their grades. To knowledge no grades have ever been changed unless done so by the teacher of record with proper documentation in adherence to our grade change procedures. GPA is fully accredited through WASC and in our most recent WASC visit was praised for developing effective and numerous academic supports to ensure we fulfill our mission of educating all students. While we pride ourselves in our ability to promote a learning culture, we are also committed to bringing joy to our students. When students feel supported, joyful, and accepted, they are better prepared to learn. The experience of learning is as important as the subject being taught. Dancing, music, and laughter are all proven strategies to support a positive learning and working environment for staff and students, as evidenced by staff retention, improved discipline and increased attendance. In an effort to find the right peOple for the work, our interview process involves candidates ability to be creative and share their joy. In the same way that we expect our students to show the (Enthusiasm) in our REACH values, the bedrock of our school culture, we want to be certain to hire staff who can display the same enthusiasm for their content and for students. As we have only had five graduations to date, our graduation ceremony is an historical landmark and celebration as it exemplifies the journey of our community. During our transition to becoming a charter, one of our students asked the Board of Education ?Don?t we deserve good things?? As we have grown, our commitment to bring ?good things? to our students and the community has been unwavering. Myself, fellow board members, and parents fundraise specific donations dedicated to our graduation ceremony to honor our students, their families, our staff, and the greater community. Staff are given an opportunity to volunteer to be a part of joyful '.4. dance videos you refer to in your question regarding the graduation video, as many have known our graduates and their families since 6th grade. GUMPERS PREPARATURY ACADEMY a UCSD 1905 47th Street, San Dlego, CA 92102-3525 619.263.2171 619.264.4342 Gomparspreporg To be clear, in regards to the speci?c question you asked about a former employee, GPA will not disclose speci?c personnel data/information as there are privacy policies that we adhere to and honor for current and former staff. GPA staff strive to use all of these conditions for learning as tools to continue building connections with students and continue to provide an environment that encourages con?dence, a love of learning, and a foundation for future growth and social mobility. As I said in our interview, you will write whatever you are going to write despite not having spent time on our campus; however, I would be more than happy to give you a scheduled personal tour in order for you to get a ?rst hand vantage point on what we do at GPA. Sincerely, MSW Cecil H. Steppe P.S. Below you will ?nd the information requested by Brandon Quester. 13/14 SAT: Average Composite Score: 1077 SAT Math Mean: 397 SAT Reading Mean: 345 SAT Writing Mean: 335 Teacher and Staff Retention 16/17: Based on staff employed on 20/5/2016 CBEDS Information Day Teacher: 9/61 teachers are no longer employed at GPA- 85% retention Annual Attendance Rate: O?icz'a/ annual attendance as submitted to the SDC OE Average Daily Attendance Rate 96.69% 7 3 a L: .-. \ul? I .1 . GUMPERS PHEPAHATUHY ACADEMY a 1005 47th Street, San Diego, CA 92102-3626 619.263.2171 61926414342 Gompersprap.org 1 ?x 5 r' 9" College Persistence Data: University of California, San Diego CASP Scholarship Recipients As oprrz'l 26, 2017 Class of 2013 Class of2014 Class of 2015 Class of 2016 Class of2017 Total Accepted 6 10 20 47 51 134 Entered 5 9 19 42 Withdrew 0 1 1 1 - Dismissed 2 2 4 - Persisting 3/5 - 60% 6/9 67% 14/19 74% 40/42 95% - 3.6% of 6.5% of 14% of 32.5% of graduating graduating class graduating graduating class class class National Student Clearinghouse (NCS) Data Postsecondary (PS) Enrollment Activity of 2014 District (SDUSD) Graduates Class of 2014: Of 89 graduates, 59.6% continued to be enrolled in postsecondary education in October 2015