CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION SUMMARY This application summary will be used by the CSDE for a quick analysis and administrative processing of the applications received. The information provided must be an accurate representation of the application and must correspond to the information provided in the body of the application. Community First School Inc. Proposed Charter School Name Hartford, CT (North Hartford Promise Zone Neighborhoods) School Location (city, town) August, 2018 Proposed Opening (month, year) Timothy R. Goodwin Contact Person: Organization: Community First School Inc. Street: 2550 Main Street City: State: CT Hartford N/A 860-977-9149 Telephone: Fax: Returning Applicant: TYPE OF SCHOOL Local charter school State charter school Yes No Zip: 06112 E-mail: tgoodwin@communityRirstschool.org (please circle) X YES FACILITY Do you presently have access to a facility suitable for a school? If yes, when will you be able to take occupancy? PROJECTED STUDENT ENROLLMENT PK K 1 2 3 4 5 Year 1 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Year 2 40 40 40 40 40 40 Year 3 Year 4 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Year 5 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 Timothy R. Goodwin ____________________________________ Signature (Charter Applicant Representative) 6 7 NO X Date 8 9 10 11 12 40 8/8/2017 ______________________ Date Total COMMUNITY FIRST CHARTER SCHOOL Final Application to the Connecticut State Department of Education Office of the Commissioner August 15, 2017 Submitted for consideration by founding members: Timothy R. Goodwin Denise Best Matthew J. Conway LaTroya Blue Anthony Byers Lashawn Robinson Alexander Curtis Thomas Trudi Lebron Nyesha McCauley TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. SCHOOL VISION AND DESIGN Mission and Vision Statements Educational Philosophy Curriculum Instruction Student Assessment 1 1 10 32 45 II. STRENGTH OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFORT Experience and Expertise of Founders School Governance and Management School Leader Evidence of Support 56 61 68 69 III. STUDENT COMPOSITION, SERVICES, AND POLICIES School Demographics Special Education and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 English Learners Admissions Policy and Criteria Student Discipline Policies Human Resource Policies Child Day Care Services Student Health and Welfare 72 79 84 88 92 100 105 105 IV. SCHOOL VIABILITY Building Options Financial Plan Self Evaluation and Accountability Timetable Transportation 106 106 110 112 114 V. PREFERENCES Serving High Needs Populations Improving the academic performance of a an existing school Opening in a Priority District Being a Higher Education Institution Locating at a Work Site 116 117 118 118 118 TABLE OF CONTENTS - APPENDICES Authentic CFS Curriculum Maps, Tools, and Templates Build Up Pictures Board of Directors Resumes Organizational Chart Community Partner MOUs CFS Bylaws Founder Success at Weaver High School The “Listening Tour” Feedback Letters of Support for CFS Promise Zone Demographic Charts CFS Job Descriptions Budget Documents CFS 501c3 IRS Determination Letter Appendix A B C D E F G H I J K L M I. SCHOOL VISION AND DESIGN 1. Mission and Vision Statements Community First Charter School (“CFS”) will place the whole child at the center of the learning process, with a rigorous academic program incorporating community partners, to develop the greatness within each individual. CFS hopes to open in North Hartford in August of 2018 to serve 120 students in Kindergarten through 2nd grades, ultimately scaling to serve students in Prekindergarten through 8th grades, from the federally designated Promise Zone neighborhoods of Clay Arsenal, Upper Albany, and Northeast. CFS believes in the inherent greatness of each student, and the school’s mission, vision, and core values embody this philosophy. Mission By partnering with community groups and implementing a rigorous academic program that educates the whole child, CFS will ignite a life-long passion for learning in its students from Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. With high academic standards for students and staff members, the school will help each student realize their own greatness by developing accomplished, independent learners able to compete, collaborate, and innovate in a diverse world. Vision The founding team’s vision for the proposed school expands upon its mission. CFS will combine strong academics, a comprehensive array of social and emotional supports, and a robust community partnership initiative to establish a learning environment that maximizes each student’s potential and delivers: o An experiential learning program built on the highest academic standards. o A comprehensive spectrum of community-supported human services to meet the needs of students from predominantly under-resourced neighborhoods. o Student and family supports including health and nutrition and financial planning workshops, a variety of field learning experiences, and more to ensure all CFS families have the necessary supports to improve their lives and advocate for themselves and their children. o Opportunities for students to build academic skills through enrichment activities such as visual and performing arts and computer science, to prepare them for success in high school, college, and beyond. 2. Educational Philosophy In May 2016, the CFS Board of Directors began a “Listening Tour” in North Hartford Promise Zone neighborhoods in response to ongoing local concerns about the lack of quality academic programming and persistently low rates of student achievement 1 outcomes in their neighborhood schools. As shown on the map below, both traditional and magnet school options within the CFS target areas have received consistently low ConnCAN report card grades1. Families expressed a desire for an alternative to the traditional options. In particular, canvassed individuals overwhelmingly articulated their needs for the following:  more transparency in schools  more welcoming environment for parents and the community  purposeful instruction  a reduction in seemingly unconnected standardized testing  culturally sensitive school staff willing to build meaningful relationships with their children ConnCAN. School Report Cards by District: 2013. Retrieved from http://reportcards.conncan.org/ report-cards/schools-map?ct=Hartford_41.778974_-72.675951 1 2 As the majority of families in Hartford’s Promise Zone areas experience pervasive poverty 2 , few can afford private school tuition or supplement their children’s education with tutoring or extracurricular activities. Promise Zone residents live in the capital of the state with the nation’s most significant and persistent achievement gap 3 ; they also face the region’s highest rates of obesity, heart disease, infant mortality, and homicide. These families deserve a school designed to close these gaps and serve the academic, as well as social emotional needs of their children. The CFS founders aspire to fill these needs; therefore, the CFS educational philosophy is grounded in a whole childcentered and relationship-based academic program intertwined with a communitycentered mission, specifically designed for children and families in these neighborhoods, that will provide opportunities above and beyond the existing traditional public schools available to them. The CFS philosophy prioritizes positive child development principles and opportunities for community and student voice, an emphasis on student context as well as academic content, frequent out of classroom field learning experiences connected to students’ Individualized Learning Plans, and meaningful collaborations with community partners. Together, these core concepts will lead to significant academic achievement as students develop their passions by becoming independent learners able to compete, collaborate, and innovate in a diverse world. By serving the Carlesso, Jenna and Vanessa de la Torre. (April 28, 2015.) Hartford's North End Designated Federal 'Promise Zone.' Retrieved from http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-promisezone-0429-20150428-story.html 3 Beecher, Lara. (January 27, 2016). Office of Legislative Research Research Report: 2015 ACHIEVEMENT GAP DATA. Retrieved from https://www.cga.ct.gov/2016/rpt/pdf/2016-R-0026.pdf 2 3 whole child and family, CFS will ensure life-long student success that will benefit each member of the community. This philosophy will inform each element of the school’s model, from its pedagogical approach to a palpable school culture of inclusion and academic rigor. When one walks into CFS they will see the following examples of this philosophy in action: o Students who greet you with a firm handshake and warm smile as they live up to the student-created CFS standards for academic and social excellence. o Students actively participating and learning through purposeful project-based experiential learning, tied to individual student interests and goals. o Students getting on a bus, or taking a walk to a local landmark to participate in a field learning experience, involving collecting and analyzing data, formulating ideas in the larger world, and expanding their critical thinking skills. o Teachers utilizing hands-on engaging instructional techniques, positive behavior interventions and supports, and trauma informed practice, while regularly evaluating and assessing student performance to ensure growth toward grade level expectations. o Teachers visiting each other’s classrooms through an Instructional Rounds process that encourages the open display of best practices and a willingness to receive collaborative feedback to improve instruction. o Certified Special Educators supporting at-risk students and teachers in order to guarantee access to the general education curriculum while also targeting students with disabilities’ individual needs within an inclusive, warm setting that celebrates all milestones to success. o A Child Development Specialist with a Social Work background at each grade level, co-teaching and adding to the academic program by incorporating essential social emotional support for students and families. o Visual representations and student work representing the cultural diversity of North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods displayed prominently in hallways, offices, and classrooms. o A morning meeting where student culture and diversity is on display through positive child development strategies using music, call and response, staff and community testimonies, and other culturally relevant activities. 4 o An inviting Student and Family Support Center with information on school events, community support networks, and light refreshments. o Community partner organizations providing student and parent services in the visual and performing arts, health and nutrition, financial skills, and after school academic tutoring and homework support. a.) Describe the founding group’s core beliefs and values about education: 1. Life-Long Learning for All CFS will provide a relevant and rigorous, standards based curriculum, within a whole child-centered framework to further the academic achievement of all students who wish to enroll, including students with disabilities and English learners. The curriculum will specifically engage students in North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. It includes three trimesters, each with an overarching focus on community, family, and self-growth, respectively. Instructional units and lessons will include hands-on components and experiential learning, including multiple field learning experiences to engage students and reinforce key concepts. The whole child-centered education at CFS will be personalized, challenging, competency based through differentiation, aligned to common core standards, and include family engagement though regular coaching sessions that empower parents with strategies to effectively participate in and support their child’s learning. Teachers will be included and supported through training in child development strategies to inspire whole child-centered classrooms where culture, community, and individual passions are developed and celebrated. The founding team is confident that these program elements will synergize to produce enthusiastic, life-long learners that will succeed inside and outside of the classroom in high school, college, and beyond. 2. Positive Child Development CFS believes if you can reach the child, you can teach the child. By providing a curriculum infused with positive psychology strategies and trauma informed practice, the school will ensure each child is given the opportunity to learn and grow. The whole child-centered learning model seeks to identify and build on each child’s unique greatness. Students and adults are taught to build sincere relationships, helping to create and nurture a strong sense of community. Relevant and culturally responsive strategies will help students find meaning in their learning. Character development will be infused into curriculum to help build traits that lead to life-long success. 5 3. Shared Power When students, families, and teachers are invested in their work, they will be highly engaged. At CFS these stakeholders will have a voice and participate in the learning model. Transparency through open discussion sessions, community meetings, and professional development workshops will foster trust, healthy debate, and a strong accountability plan. Students and parents will be given a voice in creating school policy, planning events, evaluating learning strategies, and exploring innovative uses of technology. Teachers will be given voice in exploring and creating learning strategies, developing standards based and relevant curriculum, sharing in the school improvement process, and building effective teacher training. Teacher leaders will help design and implement the Community-Family-Self curriculum, the six-week summer teacher’s institute, and biweekly PD activities during the school year. 4. Direct Access to Field Experiences and Individualized Learning CFS will promote and facilitate initiatives to increase student engagement. Field experiences, small group collaborations, and individualized activities will be aligned to student Individualized Learning Plans. Students will explore the wonder of the natural world just outside the classroom walls, as well as, career explorations connected to personal interests. As students are exposed to the larger world it sparks the mind, instills hope, and inspires a vision for the future by creating critical thinking opportunities and motivating the learner within. 5. Community First CFS will be supported by the foundational strength of the school community working together to support the child. CFS will strategically and authentically partner with local non-profits, community-based organizations, local corporations, and government agencies to provide specialized family support and student opportunities. Community partners will support CFS by providing their expertise in character development, field learning experiences, health and nutrition services, and visual and performing arts. The Community-Family-Self curriculum will teach students to appreciate the unique strength and cultural capital of their local community through field-work and volunteer experiences. Students will benefit from community partners working in the school, who will demonstrate the strength of people working together to achieve success. These opportunities will lead to an understanding that people can support each other as they aspire for greatness, and there is greater motivation to achieve it. CFS has multiple draft memoranda of understanding with local and regional partners to provide services to the school. Hartford Youth Scholars will provide student 6 support services, the Artists Collective will provide instruction in the visual and performing arts, Supreme Athlete will provide instruction in health, nutrition, and physical fitness, Junior Achievement will provide instruction in financial skills, Hartford City Mission will provide after school homework support, and the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology will provide entrepreneurial training and career exploration. b.) Demonstrate that the philosophy will serve the diverse needs of individual students: The CFS model will infuse high academic standards, social and emotional growth curriculum, and trauma informed practice into daily school lessons and activities, and will comprise a significant part of teacher training and development. The whole-child centered, relationship-based approach will build on student assets and potential, and helps counter problems that may affect them. The CFS model will increase student engagement of children living in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods by valuing the unique greatness of the community, family, and each individual child. Families will be supported, and all children, including those with Individualized Education Programs, 504 Plans, and English language acquisition needs will find success as each child’s individual needs will be addressed through the following whole-child centered relationship-based initiatives: o Teacher Training will empower teachers and build capacity around current issues including, student cultural diversity, brain research and trauma informed practice, authentic curriculum development, theories about multiple learning styles and differentiation, and multiple restorative justice interventions. o Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) will provide each child with academic learning targets and a plan to meet them including direct access to field experiences, hands-on project-based learning, and career exploration. ILPs will ensure that every student’s exceptionality, whether it is a learning disability, health impairment, language barrier, or need for acceleration in a particular subject, will be comprehensively monitored to maximize individual outcomes. o The Community-Family-Self Curriculum will position the mindset of staff, parents, and students toward the big idea, which is to value and strive for a healthy community, family, and self all working together for success. Each child has a unique role in the local community and teachers provide opportunities for children to show understanding through the use of 7 compelling questions, individualized standards based learning targets, and relevant performance tasks. o The Responsive Classroom Model will provide a safe and positive learning culture, fostering relationships between children and caring adults, and engaging children as active partners and leaders who can help move communities forward. CFS knows that developmentally appropriate and effective disciplinary systems result in more time on task and therefore stronger learning outcomes. The Responsive classroom model will enable children to demonstrate that they care about others and society while promoting healthy lifestyles and teaching positive patterns of social interaction. o Family Support and Parent Coaching sessions will be designed to extend services to each child’s family by providing information on health and human services and introducing parents to the enriched CFS classrooms modeled after safe homelike environments. Parents also receive coaching in the CFS relationship-based responsive interventions that can be used in their homes for effective parent/child interactions. o Community Partners will provide services to ensure children have individualized opportunities to build academic skill in preparation for success in high school and beyond, and necessary supports to families to improve their lives and help them advocate for themselves, their children, and the community as a whole. The CFS model of whole child-centered relationship-based learning combined with positive child development strategies and community partner support will promote high levels of student engagement, affirmation of different learning styles and interests, and cultural connections that affirm identity and value. This is the approach needed to address the quality and achievement gaps that currently exist for students in North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. c.) Explain how the philosophy will lead to student academic achievement: While urban educators have emphasized achievement through testing and review of academic data, the achievement gap in Hartford has persisted. Families and community stakeholders believe it will take a more holistic approach to meet the diverse needs of all Hartford students. The CFS philosophy of whole child-centered relationship-based learning combined with positive child development will provide an opportunity for community and student voice, emphasize student context as well as academic content, promote out of classroom field learning experiences connected 8 to ILPs, and establish meaningful collaborations with community partners. Together, these core concepts will lead to significant academic achievement and ultimately narrow and close the achievement gap for CFS students. According to Martin Seligman, the founder of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, in his book Flourish (2011), a sense of well-being is important for students, because it “enhances learning, produces broader attention, more creative thinking, and more holistic thinking.” The CFS approach will create a sense of well-being in students and increase learning. A continued sense of well-being will be established and maintained in the CFS wholechild centered relationship-based approach in the following ways: o By providing community and student voice, CFS will enable children, their families, and the community to be leaders in creating a safe, healthy, and inspirational school. As all stakeholders take ownership in their learning it will inspire ever-greater effort and focus. o An emphasis on student context as well as academic content will have a significant effect on student effort. CFS staff will be trained in understanding the social context of the students served and strategies for connecting with their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. o An emphasis on the social and emotional aspects of child development will provide a personal connection that allows for ready acceptance by students of the academic content delivered by teachers. o Each student at CFS will have an Individualized Learning Plan that takes into account competency in English language arts and mathematics, as well as their interest levels. This differentiated approach will focus on creating relevant unit and lesson plans, as well as, performance tasks that will lead to an increase in student engagement. o Field learning experiences will enable students to explore the world around them and identify different careers connected to their unique interests, expanding their worldviews of future prospects. o The variety of community partnerships will provide students with in school and after school opportunities that enhance daily curriculum and inspire hope for a future college or career experience. All the CFS Core Values will work cohesively to promote a holistic approach to academic achievement. Additionally, CFS will collect essential data to regularly evaluate the efficacy of its academic program and allocate resources appropriately. Data that will focus on the whole-child includes, academic performance data such as 9 individualized learning target inventories, summative and formative classwork and standardized test scores, relevant performance tasks, social and emotional well-being data such as the school culture survey, and teacher professional development including cultural competency data as collected through the Danielson Framework for Teaching. 3. Curriculum a.) Explain the process utilized to identify or develop the curriculum and provide the criteria for selecting the curriculum: The CFS team envisions a curriculum that will operationalize its whole-child and community-centered educational philosophy in vibrant, rigorous, and engaging ways for students at all grade levels. The proposed authentic CFS curriculum is designed to ensure that all students experience challenging Common Core State Standardsaligned learning in a model that prioritizes strong family involvement. The CFS Board of Directors (BoD) guided by CFS founder Timothy R. Goodwin worked in partnership with Authenticity & Co., other independent consultants, and received pro bono support from school administrators from successful charter, magnet, and public schools to identify key curriculum resources and develop an authentic model to directly serve North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. Several curriculums were reviewed in the course of the past year. The CFS team considered student data, cost, and cultural relevancy in searching curriculum and curriculum resources. The decision was made in February of 2017 to hire an independent consultant, Authenticity & Co., and begin work on a unique curriculum, designed specifically with Promise Zone neighborhood children in mind. The decision was made to build a curriculum rich in experiential learning to help address the needs of students growing up in generational poverty. The CFS curriculum has been developed and based largely on a project-based, experiential learning model inspired by the ELEducation (formerly Expeditionary Learning) model. ELEducation is a non-profit educational corporation that grew from the collaborative work of Outward Bound and some of the very best thinkers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The fruit of this collaboration was a new school model, formed in 1991, which was among the top 1% of recipients of start-up funding from the New American Schools Initiative. It now serves a network of over 150 schools, and has received accolades for its whole school transformation, open source curriculum, ground-breaking work in literacy, embedded professional learning, focus on student work, and celebration of teachers and teaching, as represented in the best-selling books featuring teacher contributions (Leaders of 10 Their Own Learning – Transforming School Through Student-Engaged Assessment and Transformational Literacy). Both resources contributed to the CFS curriculum design. The ELEducation philosophy is organized around ten design principles that align with the CFS vision and core values. These documents and resources are likely to be a key model for the ongoing curriculum design work. The ELEducation vision encompasses the idea that academic learning and achievement flourish in an environment in which teachers are empowered to create authentic, engaging learning experiences that require perseverance, build character, and honor diversity. Additionally, teachers will utilize the CFS ILP and recorded students interests and ability levels to further deepen experiences through student learning tasks. 11 The results bear out the appropriateness of an ELEducation-informed model as a source of inspiration for the curriculum. According to the above table4 students in ELEducation schools outperform their district peers in state assessments of Reading/English Language Arts, and Mathematics by as many 12 points. These performance levels are true for white, black, Hispanic, low income, and students who qualify for special education services. An independent Mathematica study5 reports gains of 10 months in math achievement and 7 months of ELA achievement after three years of attendance in an ELEducation Network School. CFS may eventually pursue an ELEducation partnership, however, in the meantime, the team found the model to serve as a strong exemplar that is demonstrating results in diverse communities with high needs. Thus, the curriculum contained herein includes a school-wide curriculum map for the anticipated kindergarten through 2nd grade level opening. In addition, the curriculum contains a deep-dive look at the proposed second grade curriculum map and a deep-dive into the proposed culminating kindergarten student work titled, “We are Entomologists!” For a look at the authentic CFS Curriculum, Maps, Tools, and Templates, please see Appendices A1A12. This unique curriculum will ensure that children learn to read, as well as read to learn, help children answer compelling questions, create quality work, become kind and ethical people, build strong relationships with peers and adults, and engage their ELEducation newsletter. Retrieved from https://eleducation.org/results/by-the-numbers, p4. Mathematic Policy Research Education Brief. (September 2013). Evaluation of Expeditionary Learning Middle Schools. Retrieved from Mathematica-MPR.com. 4 5 12 families in their learning. The CFS Curriculum will be a framework, and will be implemented effectively, requiring regular teacher input, involvement, and reflection. The organizing principle will be that the lens of history, science, and community can provide a context for students and teachers to connect the dots of standards, rather than learning and teaching them in isolation. The curriculum will take a backwardsdesign approach, which keeps an unyielding focus on standards-based evidence in the products and performances of student learning, while allowing for differentiation and teacher input in day-to-day instructional activities. Big ideas and compelling questions will focus students’ inquiry. The curriculum was developed with several key concepts in mind: o Meeting the Needs of the Whole Child - The concept of “whole childcentered education,” as referenced consistently throughout this application, is foundational to the curriculum vision. The unique educational philosophy of CFS will prioritize respect for the greatness in each individual child, a holistic approach to learning, and the importance of strong community relationships to undergird rigorous curriculum choices. CFS’s core beliefs represent its desire to propose a unique school model, a charter school that will serve families and children in the Promise Zone community seeking deep family engagement, academic success, and community partnerships. o North Hartford’s Promise Zone Student Population – The CFS curriculum will meet the specific needs of the student population and will ensure that the charter requirements are met and that the school curriculum and curriculum resources meet the founders’ proposed purpose. The curriculum will take into consideration content and skills standards and contextualized learning, as well as an individualized understanding of each student. CFS recognizes that students come to the school with a history of low academic achievement, are economically disadvantaged as defined by their free and reduced price lunch status, and have a history of behavioral or social challenges. CFS will also prepare for a significant population of students with disabilities, and English language learners. o Standards Alignment – CFS curriculum will be informed by research into the Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, The Connecticut State Frameworks, and other curriculum design products as necessary to assure that the curriculum aligns with CFS core values of high achievement and individualized student learning goals. CFS will utilize a historical/scientific lens to facilitate engagement, relevance, and high quality literacy. The C3 – Curriculum Framework will also be incorporated, and an 13 integrated approach to curriculum mapping will illustrate the interconnectedness of big ideas. Teachers will be expected to know, understand, and be able to unpack these standards as the source of all curriculum planning, unit, and lesson planning. o Poverty - The CFS model seeks to address the effects of poverty on academic achievement and education. In a vociferous critique entitled “The Pedagogy of Poverty versus Good Teaching,” 6 first published in the Kappan, in 1991, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Martin Haberman stated, “Education will be seriously reformed only after we move it from a matter of “importance” to a matter of “life and death” both for society and for the individuals themselves.”7 He went on to explain, “The pedagogy of poverty is sufficiently powerful to undermine the implementation of any reform effort, because it is a pedagogy in which learners can “succeed” without becoming either “involved or thoughtful.” 8 Haberman’s research, after castigating the pedagogy of poverty, goes on to describe characteristics of effective teaching in urban settings. One of the tenets he describes is an organizing feature of the CFS curriculum - that of the big idea. He states, “Whenever students are being helped to see major concepts, big ideas, and general principles and are not merely engaged in the pursuit of isolated facts good teaching is going on.”9 CFS’s unique curriculum tackles the big ideas, and therefore stands to serve well the students in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. o Deep Learning - The CFS curriculum model will focus on deep learning, curiosity, inquiry, investigation and problem solving, authentic contexts for writing, reading a range of compelling and complex texts, balancing fiction and non-fiction, balancing learning to read and reading to learn, mathematical practice and automaticity, fieldwork, research, and creating work in authentic contexts for students growing up in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. According to Haberman’s article, “Whenever students are involved with applying ideals such as fairness, equity, or justice to their world, it is likely that good teaching is going on. Students of any age can, at some level, try to apply great ideals to their everyday lives.… Character is built by students who have had practice at comparing ideals with reality in their own lives and in the lives of those around them.” 10 The CFS curriculum will connect students purposefully to issues, places, people, and ideas that matter to them. Whole Haberman, Martin. The Pedagogy of Poverty Versus Good Teaching. Retrieved from https://www.det. nsw.edu.au/proflearn/docs/pdf/qt_haberman.pdf 7 Ibid. p1 8 Ibid. p. 2 9 Ibid., p. 6 10 Ibid., p. 6 6 14 child-centered learning, a core value of the CFS team, underlies the curriculum decisions. o Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) - The CFS Curriculum will enhance the development of the ILP, which is integral to the founders’ philosophy. These plans reflect the CFS founders’ student-centered philosophy, and will create a system for promoting family involvement, incorporating students’ interests, fostering students’ academic and social-emotional strengths, using data to inform progress monitoring and goal setting for standards-based achievement, and differentiating the curriculum as needed. The ILP will create a context for effective Response to Intervention, facilitating the selection of texts based on reading difficulties and/or strengths, providing an opportunity to create materials that meet the needs of English Language Learners, and more. For a copy of the preliminary CFS ILP please see Appendix A9. o The Hartford Community - The local community presents a wealth of resources for deep learning through the lens of history. The vision for the curriculum is that each individual arrives in the community and leaves a footprint in it. To build connections, foster family engagement and service, and inspire deep learning, reading, and passion in students, staff, and families, research into the community’s resources will be essential to take the curriculum from a paper document to an operational and foundational tool to assure that the Connecticut State Department of Education deliverables are met. o A Real - World Curriculum Map - The CFS curriculum map itself is based upon the work of Heidi Hayes Jacobs, whose latest book, Bold Moves for Schools, co-authored with Marie Hubley Alcock, 2017, argues for “cultivating personalized learning possibilities”11 for children and professional educators in a “refreshed” view of curriculum and assessment planning. Hayes Jacobs’ work on the visual process of curriculum mapping, along with standards alignment, and digital collaboration opportunities, is the core structure of the CFS curriculum documents. Additionally, the process to create the maps relies strongly on the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, whose backwards design model first proposed in Understanding by Design is now ubiquitously cited as a best practice. Hence, the curriculum documents will all derive from compelling questions and authentic student work products. Additionally, ELEducation’s module format was adapted for use in a kindergarten and 2nd grade curriculum map. Heidi Hayes Jacobs and Marie Hubley Alcock, Bold Moves for Schools – How We Create Remarkable Learning Environments, Alexandria, VA, ASCD,2017, pp 208-209. 11 15 o Community-Family-Self Curriculum Organization - The CFS curriculum will be organized into trimesters. To promote the community focus of the school, to facilitate professional learning and collaboration, and to promote family and student continuity, each trimester will have a common theme, regardless of grade level. This structure will focus the first trimester on community, the second trimester on family, and the third trimester on my community and me. This vertical alignment will allow for a strong systemic foundation to integrate the arts and to incorporate fieldwork. In addition, it will facilitate the strong social emotional connections desired by parents. o Curriculum Model - The curriculum model itself was developed based on a desire to provide hands-on experiential learning and the exploration of big ideas for children living in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. According to the National Research Council, “people learn best when instruction occurs around a meaningful exploration into important ideas in the discipline. A novice learner does not build expertise in a discipline by memorizing facts. Instead, the novice learner ultimately masters the discipline because the learner changes his or her thinking in fundamental ways. Meaningful learning occurs when novice learners come to understand the usefulness of organizing knowledge around big ideas and can use the big ideas to help make sense of new situations. They now understand and ‘see’ the world in different ways” (Schell, 2013)12. The CFS design will foster life-long learning, and combat the challenges that at-risk learners in the Hartford Promise Zone face. o Curriculum Resources - The vision for the CFS curriculum document is an authentic curriculum with carefully chosen and curated resources that further the mission, and increase student individualizing learning. This approach, rather than that of purchasing programs around which the elements of the mission must be retrofitted and pre-packaged learning materials adapted for individualized use, fits the CFS core values. If the charter is approved curriculum planning will continue. Once teachers are hired they will be empowered to join the process, helping to choose standards-based texts, manipulatives, technology, play activities, experimentation, and primary documents that best meet the needs of individual learners. Diversity, differentiation, text complexity, thematic unity, effectiveness research, and The NGSS derive from A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas, published in 2012 by the National Research Council (National Research Council. 2012. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13165.). 12 16 teacher and family input will also be important considerations as the BoD approves and purchases recommended resources. In addition, the leaders’ formal research and routine monitoring via the practice of instructional rounds will explore the extent to which professional learning may be needed, determine a schematic for best practice implementation considerations, and provide evaluative criteria and data. b.) Demonstrate that the curriculum is aligned to the CCSS for English language arts and mathematics and NGSS for Science. In addition, please provide research on the curriculum, including citations, that demonstrates the potential of the curriculum to result in high student achievement: The CFS curriculum will be integrated based on essential questions and big ideas with both local and global significance. The architecture of the curriculum is a map, in which standards are aligned vertically as grade levels progress and scaffolded horizontally, within grade levels. CFS teachers will organize learning experiences for students through the lens of the Next Generation Science Standards and the C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards. All learning will connect with content and context that begins with real life in North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. The CFS curriculum will be aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the National Social Studies Standards C3 Framework (C3F), and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The CFS curriculum will emphasize several of the common core shifts in English Language Arts, including a balance of fiction and non-fiction texts, a staircase of text complexity, deep reading, nuances of language and academic vocabulary, and evidence-based writing. In addition to its authentic and original modules for grades K-2, CFS will utilize modules made available by ELEducation as an open source curriculum. The modules, originally developed for grades three through eight, align with the instructional shifts of the CCSS. The CFS curriculum will also be aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics. The CFS curriculum will utilize the free and open resource curriculum, A Story of Units13, which is an adaptation of the Eureka math program by the same name, available at EngageNY, the curriculum resource of the New York State Education Department. This curriculum emphasizes the rigor and shifts required in the CCSS, which, much like those for English Language Arts, emphasize the importance of deep conceptual learning and foundational skills. The CCSS in August, Diane. American Institutes for Research. (2014). Scaffolding Instruction for English Language Learners: A Resource Guide for Mathematics. Retrieved from https://www.engageny.org/ resource/scaffolding-instruction-english-language-learners-resource-guides-english-language-artsand/file/106266 13 17 mathematics differentiate between mathematical practice standards, which must be present across grade levels, and mathematical content standards, which are carefully scaffolded through the grade level progression. The CFS curriculum maps align with the progression of CCSS mathematics standards, in the full scope and sequence, as recommended in the EngageNY model. The structure of A Story of Units is that of a yearlong CCSS-aligned curriculum map, comprised of modules. The curriculum contains a complete resource base, including research, day-to-day instructional guides, curriculum overview documents, student materials, and scaffolds for at-risk learners. In the 2nd grade Curriculum Map (Appendix A1) as an example of the authentic CFS curriculum, the 8 modules in A Story of Units have been spread throughout the timeline of the 3 learning modules. Where possible, mathematics standards are incorporated into the summative performance assessments, as evident in the maps. Please note, however, that mathematics instruction is intended to be taught in a discrete mathematics block. To illustrate the integration of mathematics standards into the overall curriculum vision, please see the Standards Targets and Assessments Planning Tools for 2nd and the Morning Meeting Planner for Kindergarten (Appendix A2, A7). Because the NGSS and C3F crosswalk the CCSS in English Language Arts and Mathematics, great effort and care has been taken in assuring that, in an integrated curriculum, that intended disciplinary skill, content, and conceptual learning in fact occur. The CFS Curriculum Maps and associated tools and templates emphasize these connections. As required by the CCSS, the CFS curriculum will align with the standards that address college and career readiness and encourage an intensive community focus by providing a context for fieldwork and service. One of the overarching themes emphasized in the CCCS is the idea that they do not in and of themselves represent a curriculum. Rather, they frame a set of targets and allow for flexibility in the design of curriculum maps or the endorsement of pedagogies. CFS will utilize modules made available by ELEducation as an open source curriculum. The modules, developed for grades three through eight, align with the instructional shifts of the CCLS, incorporating a balance of fiction and non-fiction texts, a staircase of text complexity, evidentiary writing, research-based writing, and building academic vocabulary. CFS will ensure that the curriculum meets students’ needs. CFS will seek to improve students’ reading skill and comprehension as a means of improving all aspects of student learning. The curriculum will provide for scaffolded instruction, close reading and annotation of text, writing to think, navigating new literacy, building background knowledge, and more. The curriculum design adapts the structure of the ELEducation 18 modules, with a North Hartford Promise Zone focus and unique curriculum tools. These tools are located in Appendices A1-A12 and include: o CFS Curriculum Map for Kindergarten and Grade 2 o CFS Curriculum Reading Planner o CFS Standards/Targets/Assessment Planning Tool o CFS Morning Meeting Plan o CFS Individual Learning Plan (ILP) CFS will intentionally design learning experiences with an individual student focus. To ensure that student’s learning experiences and outcomes specified in the English Language Arts Standards are achieved, CFS teachers will intentionally gather text resources from those recommended in CCSS, as well as from those recommended by The Great Books Foundation. The Great Books Foundation emphasizes close reading and annotation of complex literary and informational text, as well as Socratic inquiry and dialog as a precursor to and foundation for writing. The CCLS in English Language Arts and Mathematics prioritizes this style of deep learning, over cursory content coverage. To promote this deep learning, the CFS curriculum will be organized into three integrated, interdisciplinary modules, which will follow a thematic progression from community to family to self. This progression will accomplish deep learning by contextualizing a common frame, one that provides multiple connections to previous knowledge and experience, which students will revisit each year. This organization allows students to experience not only a common horizontal progression of learning, but a common vertical progression as well, revisiting and deepening learning around similar topical and contextual information. Much care has been taken to align student learning and the CCLS aligned NGSS and the College, Career, and Civic Life C3F. The work by these organizations to examine important knowledge, skills, concepts, and paths of inquiry provides a verifiable source of curriculum exemplars, many of which inspired and informed the CFS preliminary curriculum map and will form a basis for lesson planning. As reflected in the model unit plan, the CFS curriculum will lead to performance tasks requiring reading and writing in the disciplines, anticipating the shift expected by the CCLS for students in grades 6 through 12. The ELEducation grades 3 through 8 modules will serve as a resource for the growth of the curriculum. In addition, ELEducation’s primary modules have recently been 19 approved following a rigorous pilot in select schools, and are also now available as open-source documents. These documents will serve to guide the ongoing curriculum development work. The attached Appendices (A1-A12) reflect ELEducations’s influence, but have been authentically created, as learning modules to meet the specific learning needs of children living in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. Much care was taken in creating the CFS curriculum documents. The team reviewed key data to inform its design and appropriateness for closing gaps for the most at-risk learners, specifically students living in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. The curriculum is based on ELEducation, C3F, and NGSS. The CFS curriculum reflects much research on these three foundational resources, which will undergird the curriculum itself. CFS curriculum research and development has also taken into consideration data regarding student performance results. The data regarding performance results 14 , as reported on the Connecticut State Department of Education website, indicates students attending Hartford Public Schools fall below the state average in all indicators. Fewer than 75% of all students are on track for graduation, with a gap in ELA, Math, and Science Performance and graduation rates occurring between those in high need categories and those not in high need categories. Most notable is the 14.3% passing rate on CCR testing. Also reviewed were data on the Connecticut Mastery Test in Science15. According to the State by District/School Report for Grade 5 (Science), results for Hartford’s educationally at-risk (sub-categorized for NCLB and ESEA accountability reporting), Black/African American, Hispanic, Students with Disability, and English Language Learners, as compared with those statewide, are all lower. These data present compelling need for a curriculum that prioritizes science, as the authentic curriculum proposed here does. Fostering Deep Inquiry Through the C3 Framework In the C3F, “Scholarly Rationale for the C3 Framework,” it is noted that the Framework was informed by a twenty-year history compiling data on the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), showing that the United States’ progress, has remained flat (p 82). The article states students “develop precious few deep understandings of what they are called upon to learn in social studies” (p 83). The C3F “signals a significant departure from past practices because it seeks to take advantage of this research and address the messages sent by NAEP tests. The Connecticut State Department of Education. 2015-16 Next Generation Accountability Results. Data for All Districts and Schools. (Excel File) Retrieved from http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/ view.asp?a=2683&Q=334346 15 Data Interaction for Connecticut Mastery Test, 4th Generation. Retrieved from http://solutions1. emetric.net/cmtpublic/CMTCode/Report.aspx 14 20 Framework’s four Dimensions build directly from the findings laid out in research on how students learn; they seek to redress the limits on learning repeatedly noted by NAEP tests” (p 83). The C3F states, “A growing body of research on how students learn school subjects such as social studies repeatedly teaches us that students need opportunities to ask questions, pursue those questions under the tutelage of expert teachers who can show them how to discipline their thinking processes, and take part in opportunities to communicate and act on their understandings” citing “(Torney-Purta, Hahan, and Amadeo, 2001)” (p 83). The CFS curriculum provides multiple opportunities for students to ask questions and pursue their unique interests through field experiences and ILPs. The C3F begins with student questions and discipline-specific questions (p 84) and is organized into domains of thinking, economic, geographic, historic, and civic-minded. Students are evaluated through grade level bands of understanding including evidence as understanding, working collaboratively to show understanding, progressions in socio-cultural understanding, and understanding as civic engagement. Each of these questions and understandings uniquely fit the CFS curriculum focus on community, family, and self. They also allow for students to identify their own unique interests, place in the world, and purposeful plan for future success. Fostering Deep Inquiry Through the NGSS According to an article16 entitled “Lessons Learned from the NGSS Early Implementer Districts: Instructional Materials,” published in March 2017, districts transitioning to the NGSS have begun to transition their instructional materials, developing their own or modifying existing materials. And, in many cases teachers were involved in the process. Commercially developed materials have also been considered, but according to the article, “a district leader said that the district preferred to use its time and funds ‘to look at the entire learning experience and back map’ to create resources down to the lesson level as opposed to ‘taking what already exists and aligning it to the NGSS.’ The leader stated that the district felt this approach would help create a more coherent experience for students”17. Benefits to this approach included a lower cost, and a deeper teacher understanding of the standards. Challenges existed as well, included difficulty, time, and a necessity for teachers to have deep content knowledge. Recommendations included use of the Achieve. (March 2017) Lessons Learned from the NGSS Early Implementer Districts: Instructional Materials. Retrieved from https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Instructional%20Materials %20Lessons%20Learned%20-%20FINAL.pdf 17 Ibid. p4 16 21 EQuiP Rubric for lessons and units, and the PEEC-Alignment: NGSS Publishers Criteria for purchased materials. The article also cites the experience of “High Tech High, a network of K-12 charter schools, [who] asked its teachers who were implementing the standards to work together to develop lessons from scratch. The schools in the network think of the teachers as ‘designers.’ The charter network noted that it used some of the funds it would have spent to purchase materials to instead provide teachers with the time to collaborate and create instructional materials. Additionally, it used funds to purchase other tangible supplies needed for lessons” (p 5). This approach is one that CFS will adopt through its Teacher Training Institute. The CFS Teacher Training Institute will seek to provide teachers with the skills, compensation, and voice to be able to participate in the curriculum, unit, and lesson design process. These concepts also align with the CFS philosophy to create a curriculum that speaks directly to the community need in Hartford’s Promise Zone, and for teachers to become deeply knowledgeable concerning the community and each child’s ILP. The article was also aligned to CFS philosophy in that it noted instructional materials: o Be written with all students in mind. o Include specific strategies to engage and support diverse learners. o Include opportunities to elicit evidence of student learning. o Provide an opportunity for students to have a voice. o Have a primary focus on the phenomena. o Include opportunities for students to make sense of phenomena in their own way. Like the C3F, the NGSS has multiple dimensions. In the NGSS, these are disciplinary core ideas, scientific and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts. An Executive Summary document18 published in 2013 aligns the research supporting the C3F for K-12 Science Education and the resulting NGSS, emphasizing, “the integration of rigorous content and application reflects how science and engineering is practiced in the real world”19. 18Achieve. (March 201June 2013) The Next Generation Science Standards Executive Summary Retrieved from https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Final%20Release% 20NGSS%20Front%20Matter%20-%206.17.13%20Update_0.pdf 19 Ibid. p1 22 According to the Executive Summary, “the real innovation in the NGSS is the requirement that students are required to operate at the intersection of practice, content, and connection... If implemented properly, the NGSS will result in coherent, rigorous instruction that will result in students being able to think and reason scientifically…”20. Additionally, the summary explained, “Curriculum and instruction should be focused on ‘bundles of performance expectations to provide a contextual learning experience for students. Students should not be presented with instruction leading to one performance expectation in isolation; rather bundles of performances provide greater coherence and efficiency of instructional time. These bundles also allow students to see the connected nature of science and the practices” 21. The C3F and NGSS incorporate well with other subject areas. The NGSS ensures “that students’ learning in science coheres well with their learning in mathematics…[and] worked with Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) writing team members to help ensure that the NGSS do not outpace or otherwise misalign to the grade-by-grade standards in CCSSM”22. Additionally, the NGSS provides consistency with the CCSS for English Language Arts, stating that “Literacy skills are critical to building knowledge in science. As the CCSS affirm, reading in science requires an appreciation of the norms and conventions of the discipline of science, including understanding the nature of evidence used, and attention to precision and detail, and the capacity to make and assess intricate arguments, synthesize complex information, and follow detailed procedures and accounts of events and concepts. Students also need to be able to gain knowledge from elaborate diagrams and data that convey information and illustrated scientific concepts. Likewise, writing and presenting information orally are key means for students to assert and defend claims in science, demonstrate what they know about a concept, and convey what they have experienced, imagined, thought, and learned”23. This consensus aligns with the CFS ideal of holistic learning and provides a detailed overview of the need to look differently at science education, and all education as a whole. It is this type of thinking around holistic education that led ultimately to the creation, publication, piloting, and adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. CFS understands that all learning is connected, first to prior knowledge, but also to each content subject area, the CCSS, and social and emotional growth. The foundational core of the CFS curriculum is rooted in this view, which is why the ELEducation modules have been chosen, along with C3F and NGSS. Ibid pp3,4 Ibid. p6 22 Ibid. p10 23 Ibid. p10,11 20 21 23 Deep Learning - Putting It All Together As CFS students engage in their learning, make connections to daily life, have teachers trained in curriculum development and aligning lessons to the standards, and see learning as purposeful, it will lead to high student achievement. CFS curriculum based in the ELEducation modules, C3F, and NGSS will invoke historical development as a story of scientific discovery, address the context of a current problem or issue, allow for investigation, and take into consideration the diverse student backgrounds of students living in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. According the research cited in the NGSS study 24 there is a need to create a curriculum that meets the standards in an integrated approach. Finally, the article also stated, “Critical to the curriculum, in the final analysis, is the extent to which the teacher matters.” The study notes, “Ultimately, the interactions between teachers and students in individual classrooms are the determining factor in whether students learn science successfully. Thus, teachers are the linchpin in any effort to change K-12 science education. And it stands to reason that in order to support implementation of the new standards and the curricula designed to achieve them, the initial preparation and professional development of teachers of science will need to change”25. The CFS Teacher Training Institute is uniquely designed as a key element in the CFS design to change teaching and learning for Promise Zone Children. It will allow for significant teacher voice in the curriculum process. It will provide teachers with invaluable training in the concepts desired most by urban teachers, therefore building the capacity for teachers to utilize their unique knowledge of the community to create individualized and differentiated lesson plans. Importantly, the Teacher Training Institute will help ensure that the CFS vision for teaching science requires strong understanding of the very scientific ideas and practices teachers are expected to teach, as well as what initial conceptual and experiential ideas children themselves bring to the classroom. The study recommends “science-specific pedagogical content knowledge – such as the ability to recognize common prescientific notions that underlie a student’s questions or models – in order to choose the pedagogical approaches that can build upon those notions while moving students towards greater scientific understanding.”26 The CFS philosophy goes one step further in that the curriculum is one that teachers will be expected to co-create. Becoming scientists and experts requires inquiry and curiosity in all. The curriculum model envisioned for CFS will demand a backwards Ibid. p 255 Ibid. p 255 26 Ibid. p 256 24 25 24 design process for teachers, a process that begins with unpacking the standards to design learning experiences that support ELEducation, C3F and NGSS. The CFS team reviewed much research data in identifying the potential of the curriculum to result in high student achievement for all learners. Multiple curriculum support documents and resources have been collected and will be utilized to help teachers understand and support the challenges associated with growing up in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. Please note that all recommended texts within the CFS curriculum have been examined using a lexile/grade equivalent chart to include a range of text complexity27. c.) Explain why the curriculum is appropriate for the students Community First School (CFS) intends to serve as well as students with disabilities, English learners, student below or above grade level, and other at-risk students: The proposed curriculum is appropriate to meet the needs of a wide range of learners. The hands-on, project-based, and expeditionary model engages all learners and is tied to their individual needs. Additionally, the substantive research cited within the standards documents, explains how an integrated approach that crosswalks and interconnects the standards is essential to assure that students make connections with their learning. On June 12, 2017, The Hartford Public School District hosted a community conversation 28 at the Artists Collective, described as the first in a series of opportunities for gathering community input. Of the participants attending, 45.1% identified their role as a “Parent/Family Member” of a Hartford Public Schools student. This was the largest percentage of attendees, by role, and confirms that Hartford families care deeply not only about their children, but also about the opportunity to engage in community events that empower them and value their input. The Parents noted that students in Hartford need opportunities for improved academic achievement, meaningful involvement for families, strong relationships with teachers, and improved data communication concerning academic progress29. Providing these opportunities is often challenging, as children in Promise Zone neighborhoods must overcome the effects of generational poverty. Eric Jensen describes poverty as, “a chronic, mind/body condition exacerbated by the negative, synergistic effects of multiple adverse economic risk factors. Kids from The Lexile Framework for Reading. Retrieved from https://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/gradeequivalent/grade-equivalent-chart/ 28 https://www.hartfordschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Report-on-June-12-2017Community-Conversation-on-District-wide-Redesign-Final.pdf 29 https://www.hartfordschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Summary-of-What-Makes-aGreat-School-Participant-Feedback-on-HPS.pdf 27 25 poverty are different because their brains adapt to suboptimal conditions.” 30 Most children in the Promise Zone neighborhoods live in families where the per capita income is below $13,60031. In the Clay Arsenal and Northeast neighborhoods over 50% of families32 are part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The effects of poverty on the brain can be substantial. Perhaps the greatest impact is due to chronic stress, caused by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The following research indicates that ACEs significantly impact children from poverty. o Unhealthy food choices because appetite and eating habits becomes altered by chronically higher levels of cortisol. (Cartwright, et al., 2003). o Poor families move twice as often, get evicted five times as much (Federman et al., 1996). 
 o Children of poverty face 50 percent more street crossings with a six times greater risk in pedestrian accidents (McPherson et al., 1998). 
 
 o They experience more community violence; from an unsafe home neighborhood or a dangerous path to school which can hurt academic performance (Schwartz & Gorman, 2003). 
 o Greater safety concerns, leading to academic underperformance (Pratt et al., 1997). 
 o Significantly more daily stresses--up to 35 percent more daily hassles and the toll on the body adds up (Attar et al., 1994) o Poor children have more contact with aggressive peers (Sinclair et al., 1994). But according to Jensen, “brains can and do change every day... those from poverty can (and do) succeed... The schools that succeed with those from poverty are doing the right things, doing them over time and, as a result, changing young brains for the better.”33 One of the “right things” CFS intends to do daily, over-time, is the structure of Morning Meeting, as depicted in the work of Responsive Classroom. Morning Meetings will occur daily, as a social-emotional support that provides a structured welcoming http://thesciencenetwork.org/docs/BrainsRUs/Effetcs%20of%20Poverty_Jensen.pdf American Community Survey estimated per capita income between 2011-2015. (May 2017) Retrieved from www.policymap.com/maps 32 2011-2015 US Census Bureau, American Fact Finder. (May 2017) American Community Survey, Food stamps/ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Retrieved from https://factfinder.census.gov 7 33 http://thesciencenetwork.org/docs/BrainsRUs/Effetcs%20of%20Poverty_Jensen.pdf 30 31 26 routine, while infusing important content learning, skill-building, confidence, and consistency. The CFS curriculum includes a plan for this social emotional learning, including a planning template (Appendix A7). These resources have the potential to create a common language for teachers and students, a welcoming routine for families, a structure to be emulated among staff, and an explicit language-rich context for entering the classroom and beginning the day. CFS will utilize The Morning Meeting Book34 and The First Six Weeks of School,35 by Responsive Classroom, as an approach to support a culture that embraces diversity, builds character and social emotional learning, welcomes family, interweaves academic learning, and meets the needs of at-risk learners. The relationship-based CFS approach along with the interdisciplinary, project-based, service-oriented curriculum will infuse a sense of purpose for learning in all children. A sense of hope and purpose is extremely important for engaging students in learning and improving capacity to learn. The work of Eric Jensen suggests that reduced stress through personalized instruction increases memory and learning. Additionally, he stated, “Many schools do this routinely with low socioeconomic class kids. Each of them has a slightly different focus, but all of them use focused skill building, and relationship building, in a positive, hopeful environment, and they offer any needed accommodations by being a full-service school.” 36 Additionally, there are many unique aspects to the CFS curriculum design that will engage children in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. Teaching and learning will come alive, meeting the needs of the whole child, and in an individualized manner as follows: o The CFS curriculum utilizes a wide range of texts selected to represent the balance of fiction and non-fiction required by the CCLSs. These texts also honor the cultural heritage, diversity, learning needs, and language acquisition needs of the students in the Hartford Promise Zone. o Performance based tasks and clear rubrics enable all students, along with their teachers, to monitor academic progress aligned to ILP’s. o The ILP acknowledges each student’s learning styles, providing a road map for best methods of instruction for each student. The Morning Meeting Book/Edition 3, Roxann Kriete and Carol Davis, Center for Responsive Schools, Inc. 2014. 35 The First Six Weeks of School/Edition 2, Responsive Classroom, Center for Responsive Schools, Inc., 2015. 36 http://thesciencenetwork.org/docs/BrainsRUs/Effetcs%20of%20Poverty_Jensen.pdf 34 27 o At risk students and those below grade level are also accommodated through the ILP as instruction is competency-based and goal oriented to assure accelerated progress toward grade level expectations o The community-family-self theme of the curriculum naturally provides a safe space for children to understand and talk about potential ACEs. o The community-family-self theme of the curriculum also naturally provides a safe space for student with disabilities and English learners to show multiple ways of understanding, and cultural expression. o Students with IEPs will be supported in the inclusive model, and learning alongside their peers, can develop strong content knowledge that motivates them to progress with their same-age peers. o English learners will show significant progress through a rich curricular environment with high academic standards, research-based scaffolds, and strong behavioral and community supports. o A range of text complexity will promote equity of access for learners, and allow teachers the opportunities to differentiate without removing purpose and engagement for students. o Students will be challenged to read and write daily, becoming experts in engaging work, and contributing to the community in which they live. o Opportunities for collaborating with other students, adults, and community partners with expertise will enrich the experiential learning, opportunities for research and exploration, arts integration, and expose them to academic vocabulary in meaningful contexts. o As noted in Appendix A1, 2nd graders can become Botanists, Hydroponics Designers, and Urban Entrepreneurs using and creating complex text, while also learning along a continuum of foundational literacy skills. o As noted in Appendix A4, Kindergartners can become Entomologists, Writers and Authors as they uncover and deepen their literacy learning through a scientific lens. 28 CFS Educational Leaders and teacher teams will continue building and enhancing the CFS curriculum, developing scaffolds, and using best practice research for students with disabilities and English learners. Over the course of the next year, in the preopening curriculum process, CFS Founder, Timothy R. Goodwin, will work will continue to work with Authenticity & Co., along with other consultants and educational leaders from charter, magnet, and public schools to further develop the CFS Teacher Training Institute. This process will include curriculum additions that are specific to the particular modules and resources necessary for all learners including those with disabilities and those identified as English learners. CFS Educational Leaders will develop, in accordance with its core values, a set of resources to welcome, support, engage, and meet the needs of families with students with disabilities and/or English learners. The resources will include information on the unique CFS curriculum. Resources will be available in the CFS Family Welcome Center and an effort will be made to provide all documents in the native language of the family. The American Institute for Research has supported the Hartford Public Schools with curriculum audits and recommendations for practice. Resources based on their research will be consulted to support curriculum enhancements and growth. The research is synchronized with the needs of urban children with a community focus. The CFS team has researched and collected numerous curriculum documents and resources to support educational leaders and teachers in building fluency, scaffolding instruction for English learners, and supporting students with disabilities. d.) Describe a plan that will facilitate ongoing development, improvement, and refinement of the curriculum. Please also explain the process that will be used to evaluate whether the curriculum is effective and successfully implemented: Once a charter is approved, CFS will continue the curriculum development process. To deliver the curriculum and meet the standards, unpacking the standards will encompass uniquely developed planning tools. The foundational tool is the Curriculum Map. The routine curricular design focus is on the CFS Standards Targets Assessments Tool. This process may be time-consuming, but it is essential if teachers are to ensure that cognitive engagement and not merely engagement occurs for students. This will involve teachers taking a deep dive themselves into the very standards in which proficiency for students is the expectation. The tools will explicitly describe what students will be expected to know and understand and will include student friendly learning targets derived from the standards, and formative and summative 29 assessments. This process will include a close monitoring of every students’ progress and achievement aligned with ILPs. Yet, CFS understands that the development and implementation of curriculum is a process that includes a holistic look at student learning. According to McTighe & Wiggins, 2012, the authors of Understanding by Design, curriculum assessment often begins with "a checklist of discrete skills and a fostering of skill-and-drill instruction that can fragment and isolate student learning in such a way that conceptual understanding, higher order thinking, cohesion, and synergy are made more difficult.”37 CFS curriculum work is meant to combat this concept, and instead, allow educators to build synergy that will be created when teachers and child development specialists reassemble foundational skills into a cohesive whole. The themes of community, family, and self will become the foundational curricular core that will allow for continuous teacher involvement in the writing, adapting, adjusting, and assessing of the curriculum. This structure is flexible enough that it can evolve in time. At the outset, it is mission aligned to help the leaders, staff, families, and students of the school appreciate the uniqueness of their model’s community focus and ILPs. The structure is designed to galvanize the school community as strong, engaged, capable learners. The CFS plan for ongoing development, improvement, refinement, and evaluation of the curriculum is as follows: o Kindergarten and 2nd grade curriculum overviews have been developed, will be reviewed, and are planned to be examples in developing the 1st and 3rd grade curriculum overviews. o The CFS BoD will familiarize themselves with all tools and recommended resources proposed by founding Principal and Executive Director, Timothy R. Goodwin as he works to follow the proposed curriculum development timeline. o Mr. Goodwin will continue to seek input, advisement, expertise, and collegiality with Authenticity & Co., independent consultants, and other educational leaders from local charter, magnet, and public schools who have a similar mindset aligned with the high academic standards, whole childcentered, relationship-based CFS philosophy to develop unit plans within the curriculum. o As teachers are hired in the Spring of 2018, they will be inducted during the Teacher Training Institute and trained in expectations for delivering the CFS curriculum, unit plans, and lesson plan formatting template. As teachers 37 http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/UbD_WhitePaper0312.pdf 30 become familiar with the curriculum and other tools, they will begin preparing lesson plans for opening in August of 2018. o All curriculum tools from map to lesson plans will be reviewed by the Principal/Executive Director, or Academic Dean, for curricular and CCSS alignment, as well rigor and individualized learning. o Common planning time will be provided during the daily schedule so that teacher teams can review the curriculum, unit plans, and develop lesson plans aligned with student ILPs. o Teachers participating on the Guided Data Team, will continually review standardized test score results from the NWEA MAP test, as well as formative classroom assessments to review student progress toward learning goals. The Guided Data Team will collaborate with the full teaching staff at bi-weekly staff meetings, and adjust and differentiate, unit plans, and daily lesson plans as necessary to meet student needs and improve teaching and learning. o The CFS Teacher Training Institute will include modules on curriculum development, improvement, refinement, and evaluation. Ongoing professional development during the school year will include regular feedback sessions from teachers on the level of student engagement and progress experienced in a real-time classroom setting. o Before and after each field experience, administrators, teachers, other school staff, and volunteers will be asked to complete appropriate instructional tools and a survey to measure key learning indicators such as evidence of planning, student engagement, connection to unit and curriculum themes, differentiation of learning activities, and connection to ILPs. The results will be disseminated by the Guided Data Team and used in the continuous CFS improvement process. o During and after the first year of operation, CFS will communicate data to families and the community, as well as, seek input through a community forum and survey process with questions specifically asking for input on the curriculum as a whole. o A teacher leadership team will be established in the winter of 2018, and will work for a portion of the Teacher Training Institute with the Principal/Executive Director and Academic Dean to develop the 3rd grade curriculum for the coming school year. They will also take input from the Guided Data Team and other survey information to refine and improve current curriculum. o All the steps listed here will continue in consecutive years, with adjustments made as necessary and captured in a proposed timeline to ensure the highest quality curriculum process and high levels of student achievement. 31 The ultimate assessment of the effectiveness of the curriculum to ensure that students are achieving grade level learning aligned with the CCSS are the results of formative, performance, benchmark, and state assessments. This data will inform practice over time. Weekly reflection, a tool built into curriculum planning templates, provides a way for staff to focus on what is working, what is not working, and what their needs are. Over time, these reflections can provide a context for differentiating in curriculum development training, identifying strengths, providing mentoring, and establishing individualized and strength-based goal setting. Student work protocols, tuning exercises, and curriculum modifications are likely to occur as part of the ongoing curriculum development and evaluation process. Anecdotal surveys of students, staff, families, and community field-work partners will also provide useful information about the value of the selected experiences, the quality of learning, and learning preferences. Student led conferences and the ILP planning process will focus staff on curriculum deliverables for the whole child and each individual child. A curriculum audit, conducted by an independent evaluator on an annual or bi-annual basis may, depending on the availability of resources, provide a means of important feedback to help inform the continuous improvement of the curriculum. 4. Instruction a.) Describe the instructional methods and techniques that will be used in the proposed school, including any specific requirements for implementing a particular pedagogical approach (i.e., co-teaching or aides, technology, physical space, etc.): CFS will utilize instructional methods that have been especially designed or selected to meet the specific needs of children in Kindergarten through 2nd grades, ultimately scaling to serve students in Prekindergarten through 8th grades, growing up in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, that will bring a wide range of abilities to the school. The whole-child centered, relationship-based methods are aligned to the CCSS, differentiated to meet individual student performance levels and interests, infused with positive psychology, and take into account diverse social and emotional needs. Specific instructional methods will include the following: o Project-based, hands-on, experiential learning will emphasize critical decision-making, increase student engagement, and allow for career exploration. Projects are part of the authentic CFS curriculum and will be aligned with content standards, include compelling questions, relevant performance tasks, and be closely tied to real world endeavors. The CFS founders believe that as students make connections with the world around them they will be more motivated to learn. 32 o Grade level team teaching will utilize certified Teachers, a Special Educator, and a Youth Development Specialist with a social work background to ensure a collaborative approach to meeting the holistic needs of every child. The grade level teams will meet weekly to confer on and share or solicit ideas regarding the progress of individual students and to generate possible interventions and support strategies. They will discuss students’ collaborative learning teams, potential inter-grade curricular activities, performance assessments, enhancement activities, and plan real world field learning experiences. o Small group instruction and collaborative student teaming will create frequent opportunities for all children to participate in the learning process through friendly competition in a safe and uplifting environment. Students can fix content as they teach or discuss it with peers, increase the number of sources of knowledge available when learning a new skill, and provide a safe space for building social skills. o Readers’ and writers’ workshops will support interaction between readers and text and writers and their work. Students learn to make connections with prior knowledge and previously read and written texts, and ask questions to clarify comprehension. o Math, Science, and technology are infused throughout the authentic CFS curriculum and aligned to the NGSS. The CFS founders are committed to helping students learn to think critically. The building of a strong number and conceptual sense of elementary math topics will be supported through the frequent use of math manipulatives, writing about their mathematical thinking, and incorporating use of math in each project-based curriculum unit and field learning experiences. Environmental Science, utilizing the outdoor world in and around Hartford will expand students’ exposure to resources in the city of Hartford and the region, providing for hands-on exploration. Technology will be utilized to research and write about what students are learning. Additionally, it can be expected that many students at CFS will have experienced trauma due to an adverse childhood experience38 (ACE). The chart below shows the three types of ACEs CFS children are likely to have experienced. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-andlearn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean 38 33 Students exposed to ACEs are more likely to experience depression, act out in negative ways, and not complete schoolwork 39. All CFS instructional and behavior management methods will take into account the research on ACEs. The execution of the CFS instructional approach will rest upon the ability of the school staff, primarily the school’s leadership team and teachers. CFS will carefully recruit and thoroughly train staff, so they can meet the diverse needs of North Hartford’s Promise Zone residents. The key elements of staff recruitment and training will include deep investment in building capacity to implement positive childdevelopment strategies effectively, as well as trauma informed practice, cultural competencies, and students’ ILPs. In its initial year, CFS plans to serve students in kindergarten through 2nd grades. Grade level teacher teams will develop units and lessons with support and oversight from instructional leaders and their peer teams. Each grade level team will consist of two certified Teachers, a certified Special Educator, and a Child Development Specialist with a social work background. An instructional leader will review unit and lesson plans to ensure an appropriate level of rigor and alignment with the CCSS, as well as social emotional supports and individualized student needs are being met prior to delivery and provide feedback as necessary. 39 Ibid. 34 Lesson plans will be relevant and differentiated according to ILPs. The grade level teams, with student and parent input, will develop the ILPs. Growth goals and learning targets will be established in September and student progress regularly monitored during the school year through both classroom and benchmark assessments, as well as teacher observations. Multiple learning strategies will be implemented to ensure effectively differentiated instruction. The Child Development Specialist works alongside certified teachers to ensure the unique social and emotional needs of children are addressed in the learning process. Students report out on their growth to their families during bi-annual student led conferences held in the fall and spring. The cultural and ethnic backgrounds of students will always be considered and will be explicitly formulated as part of the common lesson plan. Teachers will utilize students’ collective context in order to activate prior knowledge about a specific topic. CFS will also utilize a hands-on experiential approach, and social emotional support strategies to engage and meet the diverse needs of all students. There are three key components to the CFS whole child-centered instructional approach: 1. Community-Family-Self Curriculum will be an overall learning mindset that orients staff, parents, and students toward one of the school’s big ideas, which is to value and strive for a healthy community, family, and self, working together for success. The essential understandings are as follows: o Community - The local community will be viewed as a village, with the ability to teach students about historical greatness, and how to embrace ethnicity and culture. The community will be seen as a means of providing academic, social, and emotional tools for success, and the opportunities to develop them. o Family - The school will be an extension of the family in the best sense of the word. The school family will seek to build up and be inclusive. All cultures will be respected and embraced. It will be committed to a hands-on, relevant, and engaging classroom experience, one that appeals to a sense of progress. Learning targets and standards will be seen a means of measuring school growth and will be positively viewed as a roadmap to success. o Self - Each student will be taught that they are unique and special, created by design to accomplish great things. Students will understand that everyone can learn and all have a significant and uplifting purpose. It will be expected that each student will seek and find individual purpose in learning and make a contribution to the greater good. 35 2. Student Centered Learning will place the student as the focus of the educational process. Students and parents will be empowered and given voice in their learning. o Learning is Personalized - Teachers will know students and have strong relationships with them, and meet students where they are in their development. Teachers will work with each student and his/her family to develop a unique and differentiated approach to learning through the ILP. o Learning is Competency Based - Emphasis will be placed on students’ individual mastery of skills, not just learning a series of facts. The authentic CFS curriculum enables students to proceed at their own pace, with teachers regularly monitoring progress through classwork, formative, and summative assessments to adjust pedagogical strategies and supports as students move toward grade level goals established in ILPs. Additionally, the CFS authentic curriculum is rich in hands-on experiential learning to increase student motivation and inspire purposeful learning. o Learning Happens Anytime, Anywhere, and Everywhere - Students are taught and understand through field learning experiences and project-based instruction that important discoveries can and will be made beyond the traditional classroom walls. Students’ passions will be ignited as they realize life-long learning is continuous and doesn’t start and stop when the bell rings. o Students Take Ownership - Classroom and school decisions are not made without student input as students actively engage in all stages of the learning process. Student led conferencing will be developed for all grade levels, as even kindergarten students are empowered to understand and communicate their unique learning targets and progress toward them. 3. Family Engagement will give parents/guardians and students a key voice in school functions and student learning. The community (village) and family (school) will work together with parents/guardians and students to cultivate and nurture an effective, exciting, and standards based learning environment. o Community Events – CFS will hold regular community events to promote whole child-centered learning and provide challenging yet fun learning opportunities to children in the school and others in the local community. o Regular Family Meetings & Parent Coaching – Regular parent empowerment meetings and newsletters will inform parents of local events 36 and other forms of support for their children. Parent coaching sessions will inform and train parents to implement the school’s Responsive Classroom practices at home through Systematic Training for Effective Parenting. o Student-Led/Family Informed Conferences – Students and teachers will practice and run student led conferences to report on their progress towards the goals and learning targets set forth in ILPs. Students will engage in problem solving and critical thinking skills as they are empowered to own their learning. Resources to support and enhance lesson planning with positive psychology strategies will include the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, The Responsive Classroom, Froh and Parks, Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology, and Taran and Lineger, Project Happiness Handbook. Resources to support and enhance lesson planning with cultural competency strategies will include Juwanza Kunjufu, Hip Hop Street Curriculum, Janice Hale’s, Institute for the Study of the African American Child, Gary Howard, Courageous Conversations about Race, and Chris Emdin’s Reality Pedagogy for Urban Students. b.) Describe how these instructional methods support high standards of achievement and are accessible and appropriate for all students at all levels, including English learners, special education students, students who enter below grade level, and other at-risk students: Research suggests that much of what people learn throughout their lifetime happens outside the four walls of the classroom. In areas where students and families have access to adequate financial resources, school fits nicely into the overall picture of lifelong learning. However, as seen in the following table, in urban districts such as Hartford with high rates of generational poverty and limited opportunity40, there is much less access to resources such as uninterrupted Internet service, consistency of good nutrition, travel, summer employment or other opportunities outside the local community, etc. Therefore, school must seek to provide alternative strategies to address this lack of access and increase opportunities for students. Dabrowski, Lisa. (April 20, 2015). The Opportunity-Race Gap in Connecticut. Retrieved from http://www.ctoca.org/opportunity_race_gap 40 37 The CFS whole child-centered, relationship-based model will naturally meet the needs of a wide range of student interests, abilities, and levels including English language learners (“EL”), students with disabilities, students who enter below grade proficiency level, and other populations at risk for academic failure. CFS staff will carefully assess each student to establish baselines and then thoughtfully and persistently work with each student to do whatever is necessary to bring each of them up to grade level expectations and beyond, through classroom supports and supplementary interventions as necessary. Multiple means of instruction will help ensure student individualized learning goals are met. According to the work of Howard Gardner, people learn according to 10 different modalities or intelligences41. Additionally, the work of Eric Jensen suggests that reduced stress through personalized instruction increases memory and learning. Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) will acknowledge student-learning styles, providing a road map for best methods of instruction for each individual student. Atrisk students and those below grade level are also accommodated through the ILP as instruction is competency-based and goal oriented to assure accelerated progress toward grade level expectations and learning targets. All CFS teachers will be trained in the formation and implementation of the ILP. The training will include an accurate understanding and facilitation of the traditional Individualized Education Program (IEP). Teacher professional development will be 41 http://www.niu.edu/facdev/_pdf/guide/learning/howard_gardner_theory_multiple_intelligences.p df 38 focused on creating a differentiated plan for each student and empowering teachers to engage students on many levels. Common planning time will be included in the daily schedule to ensure teacher teams have the time to collaborate and then develop differentiated and scaffolded lesson plans. All lessons will take into account the proficiency levels of the students. CFS will have a comprehensive plan to identify and serve students with IEPs, 504 Plans, and those who need English language acquisition support. The detailed plans are described later in this application, under Student Composition, Services, and Policies. The comprehensive Teacher Training Institute will also include modules on cultural competency, which includes EL strategies aligned to the CT English Language Proficiency Standards, and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. CFS will hire a certified EL teacher, and also seek paid and volunteer tutors proficient in the dominant language of EL students as needed to provide additional supports inside and outside the classroom guaranteeing full access to the school’s curricula and extracurricular activities. The school’s emphasis on affirming the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of students will enhance its staff’s ability to provide adequate support to EL students. During the teacher hiring process, emphasis will be placed on acquiring qualified bi-lingual candidates and those with English as a second language training and experience. Documents and other school communications will be translated into multiple languages as needed based upon the makeup of the student body. CFS will intentionally recruit students who speak languages other than English. As 6.4% of the student population attending Hartford Public Schools identified as ELs during the 2015-16 school year 42 , with higher percentages in the neighborhoods CFS will purposefully recruit within, it is crucially important for CFS to have a strong cultural voice that represents each facet of its community in authentic ways. CFS will authentically and purposefully integrate cultural instruction during the school day/year. Daily morning meetings will include positive child development strategies using music, call and response, staff and community testimonies, and other culturally relevant activities. The school and classroom environments will prominently feature materials, posters, and furniture to affirm the historical greatness of all cultures. In addition, the school will host at least five parent and student led events including the Hispanic Heritage Celebration in October, the Thanksgiving Celebration in November, a Holiday Door Decoration Contest in Connecticut State Department of Education. (2016) District Profile and Performance Report for School Year 2015-16. Retrieved from http://edsight.ct.gov/Output/District/HighSchool/ 0640011_201516.pdf 42 39 December, the Black History Celebration in February, and the Caribbean American Celebration in April. c.) Describe how Community First School will create a data driven culture to meet a wide range of student needs using differentiated instruction: CFS will regularly collect and analyze multiple data points to consistently and systematically monitor and improve school culture and instruction. Academic data along with social and emotional growth information will be used to monitor student progress. CFS will share all data, academic and non-academic, with parents and students via biweekly progress update reports. The School will use this data to engage and inform partner community groups who are providing services. The CFS Guided Data Team will consist of one instructional leader, one classroom teacher per grade level, two Child Development Specialists, and one Special Educator. The team will meet bi-weekly to monitor a variety of assessment results to improve teaching and learning. The team will guide the data driven culture of CFS, with the goal of sharing the process and findings with the entire staff. Halfway through the school year new teachers and Child Development Specialists will replace others to ensure more staff members have an opportunity to participate in the data team process. All CFS teachers will be trained in school structures that include an overview of Harvard Graduate School of Education’s “Data Wise” process43 as well as strategies outlined by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, in his book, Driven By Data. CFS will use the Data Wise method as follows: o The Guided Data Team will create a data overview for each student including multiple whole-child centered data points, such as student work, performance assessments, standardized test scores, behavioral referrals, and other information from the ILPs. o Bi-Weekly Guided Data Team meetings will examine the data and the Team will discuss connections to instructional techniques, school culture, and individual student learning. o The Guided Data Team will develop an action plan to improve instruction and classroom culture. They will collaborate with the full staff during a monthly all-staff meeting and build consensus to adjust or enhance the action plan in preparation for implementation. Fay, Brigham. (April 22, 2015). The Path of Data Wisdom: The Data Wise Project unveils a new portfolio of resources. Retrieved from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/15/04/path-data-wisdom 43 40 o The Guided Data team will continually assess student progress and monitor the Data Wise process, developing action plans on a monthly basis as necessary. To ensure instructional leaders at CFS possess full mastery of the Data Wise approach, and the subsequent ability to support teachers in implementing these techniques with fidelity, school leaders will be encouraged to complete the Data Wise Project’s online courses offered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Leaders will train classroom teachers to utilize data on a daily basis by attending to student ILPs, including points of emphasis for instruction, and short and long-term improvement goals. Daily and weekly progress monitoring will ensure students are always moving toward grade level standards and beyond. Classwork for each student will be continuously adjusted and differentiated based on student progress. Student voice will be encouraged and all students will be trained to lead their own conferences with staff and family aligned to the goals and learning targets in their ILPs. Additionally, once per month school cultural data will be shared during a Morning Meeting. This data will be in alignment with school wide cultural goals. An expanded Guided Data Team made up of teachers, parents, CFS Board Members, and community partners will review the data and prepare reports. The data will include the following: o The number of students scoring at/above grade level on standardized tests, specifically the NWEA MAP test and the Developmental Reading assessment. CFS will also look into using the DIBELS Next assessment. o A synopsis of student standards-based success on culminating performance assessments in the curriculum. o Attendance data for each student, and progress toward plans to engage families and community partners in combating chronic absenteeism, including individual accolades for high attendance44 and collective success by classroom and grade level. o The number of students exhibiting good behavior through Responsive Classroom and PBIS measures. To celebrate successes as a school community and foster an atmosphere of healthy and friendly competition, rewards and special recognition will be given to individuals, Ginsburg, Alan, Phyllis Jordan and Hedy Chang. (August 2014) Absences Add Up: How School Attendance Influences Student Success. Retrieved from http://www.attendanceworks.org/ wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Absenses-Add-Up_September-3rd-2014.pdf 44 41 classrooms, groups of students, or the entire school upon improved or exceptional results based upon the data analysis. d.) Explain how CFS will ensure that teachers are proficient in delivering the chosen instructional methods to students: CFS leaders will frequently monitor each teacher’s pedagogical development, in both informal and formal ways, to ascertain that all staff members are engaged in the authentic CFS curriculum and proficient in delivering daily lessons with appropriate instructional methods. Leaders will conduct weekly, if not daily, classroom walkthroughs to informally gauge teacher’s areas of strengths and weakness, as well as confirm the use of compelling questions, relevant performance tasks, and other skills and concepts covered in the school’s robust professional development program are being effectively transferred into classroom practice. Leaders will also formally observe teachers for longer periods of time, and schedule regular opportunities for feedback, to collect more comprehensive data about teacher efficacy. These observations, as well as student performance data and teacher requests, will inform the professional development programs discussed below. The foundation of teacher development and support at CFS will be its Teacher Training Institute, beginning with a six-week summer session that will continue with weekly professional development workshops during the school year. CFS instructional leaders including the Principal/Executive Director, Academic Dean, and teacher leaders will oversee each professional development session. CFS staff, community partners, or other professional staff development agencies will also facilitate training based upon school or staff needs. All new teachers will be required to participate in the full training, while veteran teachers will be required to participate based upon professional learning plans developed in collaboration with instructional leaders. CFS teachers and staff will pride themselves on being a transparent and professional learning community with an overarching focus on raising every student’s level of academic achievement. CFS will train staff in the process and practice of maintaining high standards by incorporating the CCSS, big ideas and essential questions, differentiated and scaffolded instruction, and language, math, and science goals into each lesson plan. Key elements of training will consist of the following: o Response to Intervention - The CFS process will begin with high-quality instruction and universal screening of all children through ILPs. Struggling learners will be provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning. These services will be provided by a variety of personnel, including teachers, special educators, and child development specialists. Progress will be closely monitored to assess both the learning rate 42 and level of performance of each individual student. Decisions about the intensity and duration of interventions will be based on individual student response to instruction. Each teacher and staff member at the school will demonstrate their understanding of each step of the established Response to Intervention process, as well as their responsibilities to implement them with fidelity, before students enter the building for the first day of instruction, the CFS founders are determined that no student will fall through the cracks. o Child Development Strategies – CFS will train staff to meet the needs of the whole child through a relationship-based approach. CFS understands the role trauma, poor nutrition, and other effects of generational poverty play in creating barriers to learning, and trains staff in positive psychology, the authentic CFS curriculum and the community-family-self theme, cultural competency, and how to address trauma to establish a loving and safe culture where learning and success are attainable. o Trauma Informed Practice – The proposed school’s founders recognize that a significant number of students who enroll at the school may have experienced at least one type of trauma in their young lives. Therefore, CFS will train staff to recognize the widespread impact of trauma in urban neighborhoods and understand potential paths for recovery. Staff will be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in families, students, and others involved with the school, understand the research around adverse childhood experiences, and respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, while seeking to actively resist re-traumatization. o Cultural Competency – CFS will train staff in creating a culturally responsive learning community where the collective ideas of community are valued equally to individuality. Families and students are affirmed in their cultural connections and the learning environment will be culturally inviting. Community partners will provide regular support to teachers and the Artists Collective will include teachers in a Rite of Passage ceremony. For more on the unique and authentic support for CFS by community partners please see Appendix E. o Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) – All families and students will work collaboratively with their teachers to create an ILP that takes into account parent experience, student preference, and family/student learning goals and targets, and outcomes based on results of performance tasks. The ILP relies 43 heavily on a holistic approach taking into account past schoolwork, but also family and student interest in developing a most informed instructional plan. o Multiple Restorative Interventions and PBIS – CFS will train staff in Responsive Classroom principles and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). These initiatives will be utilized to help create a positive school culture. Classrooms will be made to appear homelike in nature with soft lighting, inviting furniture, and student photos and artwork on the walls. PBIS rewards will be available for students who act in consistency with the studentdeveloped CFS standards for academic and social excellence. For students who display behavior outside these standards, a 6-tiered restorative intervention program will re-direct them back toward classroom instruction. o Instructional Rounds – Three times per year, once in the fall, winter, and spring, teacher teams will conduct instructional rounds, observing their coworkers and, then providing support and feedback aligned to CFS curriculum and instructional standards. Teachers will visit each other’s classrooms, observing best practices and then providing collaborative feedback to improve instruction. School leaders will provide guidance for these activities using Lee Teitel, School-Based Instructional Rounds, City, Elmore, Fiarman, and Teitel, Instructional Rounds in Education, and Robert Marzano, Classroom Assessment and Grading that Work. o Teacher Teaming – CFS professional development will provide training for multiple teacher teams concerning development, implementation, and support of curriculum, student attendance and response to intervention. Teams will be formed based upon individual student or schoolwide needs. All staff members will join a team, and teachers may join multiple teams. Specific teams will include the Guided Data Team, Student Assistance Team, Attendance Team, and Parent and Family Support Team. Professional development at CFS will strengthen each teacher’s capacity and understanding of positive child development philosophy and strategies, trauma informed practice, cultural connections, and the CFS commitment to high standards and academic rigor as delivered through daily lessons and ILPs. Other professional development topics related to the whole-child may be determined based upon careful analysis of observed teacher strengths and areas for growth as well as quantitative school data. Importantly, professional development activities will also provide regular opportunities for the staff to build healthy, professional relationships with each other and nurture a strong school culture that includes all the adults as well as the students. 44 CFS will use the Danielson Framework for Teaching to inform ongoing supports as well as assess the school leaders, teachers, and all staff growth over the course of each school year. The Connecticut system for teacher evaluation will be followed throughout the process. 5. Student Assessment a.) Describe the Community First School comprehensive assessment system, including formative, benchmark, and summative assessments in alignment to its curriculum and educational philosophy: As explained previously, the CFS educational philosophy is grounded in a rigorous academic program, which will incorporate social and emotional support services to meet the whole-child needs of each student. Traditional urban school models have placed great emphasis on standardized testing to help guide instruction, yet a wide achievement gap persists in many places. As mentioned in Section 2 within the School Vision narrative, the CFS Board of Directors began a “Listening Tour” in North Hartford Promise Zone neighborhoods in May of 2016 in response to local concerns about the lack of quality education in the neighborhood schools. Families expressed a desire to have an alternative to the traditional public schools and one of the key concerns was a lack of purposeful instruction and a seemingly disparate and stressful series of standardized tests that accounted for a significant amount of instructional time. In response to this insight, CFS teachers will build strategic purpose into the learning process through experiential learning, trauma informed practice, cultural competency, and other student-centered strategies. As student and family voice is established, students will take ownership of the learning process, and a stronger effort toward accomplishing the goals outlined in ILPs can be expected. Testing will be seen as one of many important tools for measuring this growth, and students will participate in formative and summative assessments with purpose. CFS will assess student learning with a wide range of formative, summative, and benchmark measures. Formative school-wide assessments will include: o Teacher and student presentations at daily morning meetings. o Numerous classroom checks by teachers including, question and answer, squad think-pair-square-share work, turn and talk activities, reader’s and writer’s workshop checks, and other strategies encouraging students to share their work. 45 o Regular walkthroughs by administration and teacher leaders, and the instructional rounds process by teacher teams to show evidence of compelling questions, relevant performance tasks, and alignment with CCSS. o Daily journaling assignments through the CFS Interactive Student Journal, and numerous other student writing initiatives. o Best practice discussions and monthly Guided Data Team presentations at staff meetings, collaborating and building consensus to improve instruction. o Student project updates connected to field learning experiences and career and college exploration. CFS will also utilize key summative assessments in determining student progress and overall skill level when compared to other students in the city of Hartford, the state of Connecticut, and across the nation. Summative measures will include: o Frequent checks for understanding such as peer-to-peer challenges and daily exit tickets at the conclusion of each lesson will provide teachers with real time assessments of student mastery and inform the next day’s materials. o The Kindergarten Entrance Inventory will be given to all students enrolled in Kindergarten at the beginning of CFSs first year of operations in August or September 2018. o Standardized tests (NWEA MAP, DRA or DIBLES Next, CMT Science, SBAC and LAS Links). The MAP test will be given at least twice during the year in the Fall and early Spring. The CMT Science and SBAC will be given during the state prescribed window. o Connecticut General Statutes (CGS Sec. 10-265g(b)) state that Priority School Districts, such as Hartford, must evaluate the reading level of students enrolled in grades 1-3 three times per year to identify students who are most at risk of failing to read on grade level by the end of each grade and to provide immediate and ongoing intervention for identified students until they are reading at a level determined to be proficient. To comply with this requirement, CFS will administer the DRA or the DIBELS Next assessment to students in grades K-2. CFS plans to administer the tests three times per school year. 46 o Classroom unit and lesson tests will be given on a bi-weekly basis to monitor student progress toward the goals outlined in ILPs. o Project-based assessments will take place regularly during each unit of study, with final projects taking place at the end of units. o When CFS is at full capacity and additional grade levels are added in subsequent years, the SSAT for students entering 7th, 8th and 9th grades will be administered at the end of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The CFS model will allow an element of student choice in learning activities, particularly as students mature into the upper elementary and middle school grades. Many units will provide students with an opportunity to explore a career aligned to the learning goals in the curriculum. They may research multiple aspects of the chosen career connecting grade level math, science, and English language arts throughout the process. Students will present their findings at a final “showing” in front of parents, school staff, community partners, and industry professionals. For an example of relevant and community focused career exploration in the CFS authentic 2nd grade curriculum please see the Keney Park Sustainability Project in Appendix A3. b.) Explain how the assessment system ensures the participation of all students, including those students identified as requiring special education, in the appropriate Smarter Balanced Assessments, CMT, and CAPT Science and SAT and/or other alternate assessments for students through the Planning and Placement Team process: The CFS holistic approach to assessments and grading will ensure all students are given multiple opportunities to explore, understand, and develop and demonstrate their unique greatness. Teachers will be responsible for regularly monitoring and updating the ILP for each of their students on a monthly basis based on the most recent assessment data. All students, regardless of identification or disability or lack thereof, will have an ILP. For students who qualify for Special Education services, alternate assessments and accommodations may be written into the ILP to ensure alignment with the IEP, and teachers will monitor both documents simultaneously through the year. The CFS Student Assistance Team will be responsible for identifying and recommending strategies to assist students not meeting the goals outlined in the ILPs. If a parent or CFS staff person notices a student not making sufficient progress, or suspects a child may have a disability, it can be reported to an Administrator, Special Education staff member, or a member of the Student Assistance Team at any time with accompanying performance data and documentation on instructional 47 techniques and strategies attempted. The Student Assistance Team will take the appropriate steps to provide multiple academic or behavioral intervention strategies to address the student’s need. During CFS formative and summative assessments, all students at-risk for academic failure, including those with disabilities, limited English language proficiency, and those currently performing below grade level will be closely monitored through the Student Assistance Team process, which will include the following: o Students with excessive absences during testing, or other issues prohibiting their successful participation will be identified immediately and families will be consulted to identify and address the root cause. o If a referral for special education services is made, the Student Assistance (Planning and Placement) Team will meet to determine if the child needs an additional accommodation, alternative test or testing environment, or other service to ensure participation in the assessment system. o If it is determined that the child is in need of additional services, the Student Assistance (Planning and Placement) Team will work to adjust and implement the new IEP. c.) Explain how assessments will be used to determine, monitor, and report individual student, cohort, and school progress over time. In particular, describe a purposeful approach for measuring student progress toward achieving academic and non-academic goals tied to Community First School’s mission and educational priorities: CFS will foster an environment of continuous growth and improvement. Students and families will be informed that assessments are meaningful and useful for the purpose of demonstrating student growth, improving the learning process, strengthening school culture, and setting the foundation for life-long learning. Student and schoolwide performance will be evaluated through the Data Wise and Guided Data Team process. Results will be communicated regularly during bi-weekly Guided Data Team meetings, monthly staff meetings, and monthly all-school morning meetings. Progress will be measured according to grade level standards, CCSS, and goals outlined in the ILPs. Regular assessments will also monitor cohort and school progress over time. A wide range of whole child-centered cohort and all-school goals will be developed in partnership with students. Students will be recognized during daily morning meetings and all school assemblies for showing significant progress in academic or 48 personal growth. The school culture will recognize that success takes hard work, and celebrate examples of persistence in pursuit of excellence. School administrators and staff will consistently monitor assessment results to ensure student progress remains strong and identify any areas of weakness within the school to assign supplemental supports. Results will be compared to the local district, state, and other schools nationally to inform continuous program improvements. The CFS emphasis on whole child-centered learning and positive child development will simultaneously provide students, families, and staff with a holistic view of growth, while also attending to the school’s mission of providing a high quality academic program that will put each student on a path to success. Although CFS staff will be uncompromisingly focused on student academic and personal achievement, student growth will serve a greater purpose than simply achieving a test score. Education is viewed as a life-long learning experience that provides children and families with a foundation for successful living as a community, family, and self. CFS will measure and communicate student and school-wide progress aligned with the school’s mission and educational priorities showing academic and social emotional growth. The Guided Data Team will report on schoolwide growth trends through the following academic growth data points: o Regular classroom formative and summative assessments such as the number of high performance standards based grades earned per given time period, attendance, and status on career-based projects. o Regular standardized testing results (MAP, DRA or DIBLES Next, SBAC, CMT Science, and LAS Links). o Full class analysis of standards achievement as intended from the CFS authentic curriculum. o The number of students meeting academic growth goals as outlined in ILPs. o School and classroom information as provided through the Instructional Rounds process and other walkthroughs, such as the amount of student work visible on the walls, use of compelling questions, evidence of big ideas, student participation in after school programs, and career exploration opportunities. The Guided Data Team will also report on schoolwide growth through the following social and emotional growth data points: 49 o The number of students meeting social and emotional growth goals on the CFS continuum for social emotional development, and outlined in ILPs. o School and classroom information as provided through the Instructional Rounds process and other walkthroughs, such as evidence of instruction that includes items from the Inventory of Practices for Promoting Social Emotional Competence45. o Student satisfaction with career exploration initiatives and aligned field learning experiences. o Personal Satisfaction Survey results from students and parents in relation to school culture, safety, instructional environment, and other factors. o Parent and student satisfaction concerning student-led conferences at least twice per school year through participant evaluation results. o Parent satisfaction rates and attendance at regular parent coaching sessions through participant evaluation form results. d.) Describe how Community First School will use student assessment data to improve curriculum and instruction: All CFS teachers will be trained in school structures that include an overview of Harvard Graduate School of Education’s “Data Wise” process46 as well as strategies outlined by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, in his book, Driven By Data. CFS will use student assessment data to improve curriculum and instruction through the Data Wise process. The Data Wise method to be implemented by the Guided Data Team is as follows: o The Guided Data Team will create a data overview including multiple wholechild centered data points, such as student work, standardized test scores, behavioral referrals, and other information from student ILPs. o Bi-Weekly Guided Data Team meetings will examine the data and the Team will discuss instruction, school culture, and individual student learning. http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/modules/module1/handout4.pdf Fay, Brigham. (April 22, 2015). The Path of Data Wisdom: The Data Wise Project unveils a new portfolio of resources. Retrieved from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/15/04/path-data-wisdom 45 46 50 o The Guided Data Team will develop an action plan to improve instruction and classroom culture. They will collaborate with the full staff during a monthly all-staff meeting and build consensus to adjust or enhance the action plan in preparation for implementation. o The Guided Data team will continually assess student progress and monitor the Data Wise process, developing additional action plans on a monthly basis as necessary. The Guided Data Team will meet bi-weekly and plan with the end in mind, aligning ILPs with CCSS and grade level expectations for all subject areas. Interim and final assessments will be aligned to grade level and student long-term end goals. Formative assessments will be created and used to determine progress toward short-term learning targets ensuring objectives align with end goals and grade level expectations. Once the data is analyzed and areas for growth are determined, the team will seek to identify problems of practice that if improved upon will serve as a key lever to meeting the end goals. The Guided Data Team will then take the ideas to the larger staff on a monthly basis with specific and actionable instructional changes that can be implement quickly. The conversations will always remain focused on the opportunity to improve instruction with the collaborative and collective conviction that improvements in classroom instruction will have significant effects on school wide academic and cultural growth. As instructional changes are made, the continuous data cycle will monitor growth and identify further problems of practice. Overall curriculum will also be examined to determine if high-level changes might also be needed to create a more relevant and effective model. e.) Provide an assessment calendar and explain how the calendar provides opportunities for remediation. Include a plan to address the needs of students who do not meet established achievement targets: An initial baseline assessment will be given to all students when they enter CFS in early September to determine skill levels in English language arts and mathematics. The table below shows the proposed CFS standardized assessment calendar for the proposed first year of operations for students in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade. 51 CFS Assessment Calendar August 2018 – June 2019 Date Assessment August/September Pre Kindergarten Reading Screening September/October CT Kindergarten Entrance Inventory September DRA or DIBELS Next Assessment (Grades 1-2) September NWEA MAP Assessment (Reading & Math) September/Entry LAS Links (Grades K-2) January NWEA MAP Assessment (Reading & Math Grades 1-2) January DRA or DIBELS Next Assessment (Grades 1-2) April/May NWEA MAP Assessment (Reading & Math Grades 1-2) March/April DRA or DIBELS Next Assessment (Grades 1-2) February/March LAS Links (Grades K-2) Student assessment results will help staff meet students where they are and create goals as part of developing each child’s ILP. Adaptations will be made for students identified to receive Special Education services, students with 504 Plans, or those who qualify for English learner services. The NWEA MAP assessment may be used as an interim measure given in January, and the end of year assessment will be given in April/May. The Guided Data Team and Student Assistance Team, made up of two classroom teachers, two Child Development Specialists, and a Special Educator, will closely monitor student and school progress. They will analyze post assessment data to allow for strategic re-teaching of key concepts in order to provide multiple opportunities for remediation. Students in need of remediation will be identified through the Student Assistance Team process. Students will be provided with differentiated classroom work and projects that meet their specific needs, as well as receive extra small group or even individualized intervention support if required. CFS will closely monitor all students as part of the whole child-centered and relationship-based approach to education. During the month of September, CFS 52 teachers will collaborate with families to create each student’s ILP, which enables the following: o Students and parents work with teachers to set short-term and long-term learning goals. Goals are aligned to grade level expectations and take into account student interest, previous growth, and school-wide expectations. As students matriculate to upper elementary and middle grades they will take on more responsibility in setting and monitoring their own learning goals. o Benchmark assessment and performance data will be added to each ILP on a monthly basis. The NWEA MAP assessment will provide norm referenced academic data, to be combined with previous classwork and other district and school based assessment results to create a more holistic view of each student. o A step-by-step action plan is developed to meet all student-learning goals. Families participate in developing the plan, and are expected to help monitor progress through regular email or phone contact with teachers. o Students will be taught to reflect regularly upon their progress toward the short and long-term learning goals through regular self-monitoring, and understanding of the usefulness of relevant performance tasks, bi-weekly teacher conferences, and a student-led parent teacher conference twice per school year in the Fall and Spring. The ILP will be a flexible document, will include regularly scheduled reflections, and will be adjusted to meet the real time needs of each student. If a student begins to fall behind the expectations outlined in the ILP, several graduated response to intervention steps will be put in place to provide an immediate response as follows: o Action steps will be adjusted with the classroom teacher to meet the real time needs of students and raise collective awareness of any student falling behind as early as possible. o Grade level teams will collaborate during weekly staff meetings to suggest additional strategies to support student growth. These may be as broad as an effective way to solicit student buy in for a particular subject, or as specific as a strategy for helping a student master a certain spelling pattern. o Parents will be asked to assist through weekly email or phone contact. Inperson meetings may be scheduled to discuss academic progress, identify solutions, and enlist parents’ participation in reinforcing teacher’s support strategies at home. 53 o If progress remains slow after at least twelve weeks of intensive and accelerated supports, the student may be referred to the Student Assistant Team, which reviews student data and a more detailed support plan will be developed. o The student may be encouraged to attend after-school sessions with a Community Partner providing academic tutors or homework support specialists. o Teachers will match instructional strategies to the child’s exact literacy level using a developmental continuum and resource books in Reading, Writing, Spelling, and Oral Language. o Math manipulatives will be infused in the Math curriculum to strengthen developmental concepts and number sense. o Home support through regular family coaching sessions including support for effective parenting, and home education programming designed to meet the child’s specific needs. o Reduction in the student to staff ration by utilizing Child Development Specialists to conduct small group and specialized academic tutoring during the school day. f.) Describe the CFS plan to share student learning practices and experiences with the local or regional board of education of the town in which the proposed school is to be located: While CFS will be emphatically focused on the academic and personal success of its own student body, the school also hopes to disseminate information on its most effective practices and programs to the larger community in order to benefit an unlimited number of students and families. Some anticipated ways CFS will do this are as follows: o Create and publish school newsletters in print and on the school’s website for public review and wide dissemination. o Invite local school leaders and teachers from local district schools to observe classroom instruction, data team meetings, or participate in professional development sessions. For instance, in July 2017, the CFS founding team 54 hosted a screening of the documentary “Resilience”47 with a following panel discussion. Many Hartford district administrators and teachers attended this introduction to the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences and the next steps in providing Trauma Informed Practice to benefit Hartford children. o Schedule open house events specifically for local and/or regional board of education representative to experience the CFS educational philosophy in action. By being proactively transparent and communicative, CFS will establish productive relationships with other education advocates and position itself as a change agent on behalf of students growing up in generational poverty within the Harford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods and beyond. Resilience is a documentary that explores “the biology of stress and the science of hope.” More information on this film is available at http://kpjrfilms.co/resilience/ 47 55 II. STRENGTH OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFORT 1. Experience & Expertise of Founders a.) Provide a list of founding group members that developed and designed the application for Community First School, as well as resumes detailing the background, relevant experience, knowledge and expertise, and/or qualifications of each founding member: Many community members from Hartford have been instrumental in building the CFS proposal. Founding members hosted numerous events to solicit input from parents and other community stakeholders on ideas and desires for a high performing community school. All events were open to the community and very well attended. Please see photo below from the “Build Up Tour” at the Artists Collective. These events included initial exploratory meetings in February and April 2016, “The Listening Tour” with four dates from May 2016 - November 2016, and “The Build Up Tour” with three dates from January 2017 - May 2017. For more pictures of community events please see Appendix B. This robust community engagement has enabled CFS to create a model deeply informed by members of the North Hartford community in which it will locate if approved. During this planning process, the founding members of CFS worked with the Pro Bono Partnership and attorneys at Day Pitney LLC in West Hartford to establish an independent 501c3 organization (Appendix M) called Community First School Inc. An experienced and accomplished, yet community focused Board of 56 Directors has been assembled to serve as a governing body, guiding the charter application and school development process. The CFS Board of Directors includes parents, educators, community members, and local business leaders that each possess relevant and essential skills with which to govern the proposed school. Brief biographical information for each member of the CFS Board of Directors is as follows. For individual resumes please see Appendix C. Timothy R. Goodwin is an educational leader, teacher, and non-profit director working in the Hartford area for over 20 years. He was the first Executive Director of Hartford Youth Scholars and Community Farm of Simsbury, helping establish sound financial and programmatic strategies. As Principal at Culinary Arts Academy at Weaver High School, he directed student-centered initiatives that led to a 250% increase in standardized test scores and a 70% reduction in behavioral referrals. He is currently the Executive Director of North Hartford non-profit, Hartford City Mission. Tim is the founder and Chair of the CFS Board of Directors. Denise Best is an educator, an education organizer, and Chair of the Upper Albany NRZ where she has resided for 35 years. She holds a master’s degree from Trinity College where she served as a senior administrator before retiring to work in community development. Denise sits on a number of local boards including Upper Albany Development, Inc., and the Friends of Keney Park. She is currently the Director of Education Organizing for Blue Hills Civic Association. Denise served as an initial member of the CFS design team and is the Vice Chair of the CFS Board of Directors. Matt Conway is the founder and Executive Director of the RiseUP Group, with the mission to bring equal access and opportunity to youth in urban communities. Matt moved to Hartford to focus on developing RiseUP into a premier youth empowerment movement. He currently works for CareCentrix as a Senior Manager. Matt served as an initial member of the CFS design team and is the Treasurer for the CFS Board of Directors. LaTroya Blue is a Community parent of three children and a member of the Hartford Parent University parent advocacy group. She is also a Hartford City Mission volunteer, providing homework support to Hartford children in grades 1-5 during daily after school programs three days per week from 4:00-6:00PM. LaTroya is the Secretary of the CFS Board of Directors. Anthony Byers is the Co-Executive Director of Hartford Youth Scholars (HYS). He oversees the HYS summer and after school programs, including recruitment, placement, and support services. Anthony is a long time Hartford resident. As an original member of the CFS Design Team, he has provided great insight into afterschool and summer academic support components. 57 Trudi Lebron is the Founder of ScriptFlip!, which she started in 2013 with the goal to help young people change the way they see themselves, and change the way communities see them. Trudi has trained thousands of youth and hundreds of youth workers, educators, parents, and non-profit professionals. As an original member of the CFS Design Team she has provided support in developing the research based professional development and teacher training components. Alexander Thomas is a life-long resident of Hartford and a Director with the Youth and Families Center at the Wilson Gray YMCA. He grew up in Hartford and has a great desire to see CFS and other Hartford schools and children experience success. He will continue to support CFS though launch and operations by promoting the organization in North Hartford, and working with residents to develop branding. Lashawn Robinson is a Community parent of five children and a member of the Hartford Parent University parent advocacy group. She has worked in various capacities within local schools to support parents as they navigate the choice system. She supports CFS by advocating for and promoting the organization with parents. Once the charter is approved she will support the school through launch and operations by guiding and informing family recruitment strategies. Nyesha McCauley is the Director of Communications and Community Engagement for Achieve Hartford, an organization that through independent research, evaluation, and engaging the community, creates urgency and shared responsibility for closing the educational achievement gap in Hartford. She will continue to support CFS through launch and operations by guiding communications and community relations. b.) Identify which members intend to serve on the governing council of Community First School and describe whether members of the founding group anticipate moving into another role or relationship with the school and, if so, how many: The CFS founding members are hopeful to receive the state charter this year and then be granted funding by the legislature in order to open in August of 2018. Currently the CFS Board of Directors (BoD) serves as the governing body. Once the school is set to open, the BoD plans to guide the formation of a School Governance Council (SGC) in the months leading up to opening and during the first few months of operation. It is expected that the SGC would begin functioning no later than October 2018. To ensure continuity across these two bodies, some current CFS Board Members would serve on the SGC while others would remain to serve on the BoD. The CFS BoD would oversee the Principal and/or Executive Director and overall school administration and services provided under the CFS 501c3 organizational status. The SGC would serve in the role provided by the state statues working to oversee the day58 to-day operations of CFS in collaboration with the Principal. For an organization chart, please see Appendix D. The following CFS Board members anticipate moving into another role or joining the SGC: Timothy R. Goodwin will move to Community First School Principal and Executive Director and will serve under the CFS Board of Directors. LaTroya Blue and Lashawn Robinson may initially take on a dual role as members of both the CFS BoD and SGC. c.) Identify any organizations, agencies or consultants that are partners in designing or establishing Community First School and include a brief description of their role and any resources they have contributed or plan to contribute to school development. If the founding team is partnering or planning to partner with an organization, please, include evidence demonstrating the organization’s record of student achievement and ability to operate a high-quality school: The CFS design process included input from various community-based organizations. Information collected from the community during the “Listening Tour” supports the idea that community-based organizations are essential in providing parents and children with the academic and social emotional supports necessary to achieve success. The following is a list of community partners who have agreed to support CFS in various capacities. Each organization’s planned support is briefly explained here. For draft Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) between partner organizations and CFS, with a brief history of the organization’s record working with Hartford children, and more details about the proposed family and/or student supports please see Appendix E. Multiple other community organizations are supportive of the CFS charter and have provided support letters, which can be accessed in Appendix I. Additionally, to guarantee the strongest possible start of school operations, the CSF founding team will utilize the support of experienced charter consultants. These individuals will likely support school leaders in the area of curriculum development and implementation, teacher and classroom evaluation, financial management and other areas as identified by the BoD. A brief description of each community-based organization’s role within the CFS model is as follows: o RiseUP will provide funding for a full or part time staff person with experience as a Special Educator to oversee the Family Welcome Center whose role will include directing parents and students to appropriate school resources, as 59 well as, research and schedule field learning experiences and career explorations aligned with the curriculum and each students ILP. o Hartford Youth Scholars will provide a model for parent training and support services. As students matriculate into upper elementary and middle grades it is expected that CFS will prepare students to enter the new Weaver High School in North Hartford, on grade level and with strong academic and social emotional skills. Yet, it is understood that life challenges will persist after 8th grade, so CFS will provide support services for students and families through high school and into college, and/or career. o Artists Collective will provide a part time staff person whose main role will be to support the curriculum in the area of the visual and performing arts. Students will also be prepared to participate in a Rite of Passage Ceremony, signifying the coming into adulthood based upon the African tradition for urban youth to address the many social issues they face each day. The Rite of Passage Ceremony includes not only the students, but also the parents and staff members of CFS as Ceremonial Elders presenting their youth to the community. o Supreme Athlete, the primary program of Supreme Being, Inc., will provide a part time staff person whose main role will be to support the curriculum in the area of physical education, health, and nutrition. o Junior Achievement (JA) will provide a 5-week business readiness in-school curriculum for both 4th and 5th grade classrooms once they are added in 2020 and 2021. JA will also provide the JA in a Day program for the whole school starting in the 2018-19 school year. o Hartford City Mission (HCM) will provide after-school and summer programming at no cost to students. HCM specializes in academic tutoring, homework support, and character development utilizing staff and volunteers from across the Hartford region. o Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology will provide computer instruction with a focus on STEM and 21st Century skills including critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and collaboration. Their program will include hands-on activities and interactive workshops, competitions, and simulation-based learning experiences on a weekly basis. 60 2. School Governance and Management a.) Indicate the structure of the governing council, including officers, members (distinguish between voting and non-voting ex-officio members), and length of terms and committees (denote the officers or members on each committee). Please include an organizational chart that encompasses the governing council, council committees, and employees of Community First School: CFS founding members are hopeful to receive the state charter this year and then be granted funding by the legislature in order to open in August of 2018. Currently the CFS BoD serves as the governing body. Once the school is set to open, the BoD plans to guide the formation of a School Governance Council (SGC) in the months leading up to opening and during the first few months of operation. It is expected that the SGC would begin functioning no later than October 2018. The SGC will function according the CT state statutes for School Governance Councils. For the Bylaws of the CFS Board of Directors please see Appendix F. For the Community First School organizational chart, please see Appendix D. b.) Describe the criteria for selecting officers and members of the governing council: CFS has a diverse and well-rounded Board of Directors (BoD) fulfilling multiple roles to ensure the highest standards for oversight. This group of individuals includes parents, community partners, business leaders, and individuals with expertise in educational pedagogy, student support services, community advocacy, and child development. The process for selecting officers is described in the bylaws (Appendix F) and the standards for all members of the CFS BoD are described as follows: o CFS seeks BoD members with extensive experience in the communities served, having either lived or worked in North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods (Clay Arsenal, Upper Albany, and Northeast). o CFS BoD members must be philosophically aligned with the CFS desire to listen to and collaborate with the community served. CFS staff members seek to learn and grow together with the local community. o CFS BoD members must be philosophically aligned to the CFS belief in high academic standards, whole child-centered, and relationship-based education, and embrace the concept that in order to teach the child, you must first reach the child. 61 o CFS BoD members must be willing to support the organization both financially within their capacity and in service according to their individual talents and skills. o CFS BoD members must agree with and adhere to the standards outlined in the CFS Board Handbook. c.) List the individuals who would serve as officers and members of the governing council; include their names, relevant experience, and/or qualifications for serving on the council, as well as their relationship to the community in which Community First School would be located. Please note the council should include the involvement of teachers, parents, and the chairperson of the local or regional board of education of the town in which the proposed school would be located, or the designee of such chairperson, provided such designee is a member of the board of education or the superintendent of schools for the district or his/her designee: When CFS begins operation the SGC will consist of at least 7 parents, 5 teachers, 2 community leaders and the Principal/Executive Director. Current BoD members, LaTroya Blue and Lashawn Robinson will lead the effort to recruit and establish parents as member of the SGC. CFS will offer a seat on the BoD and SGC to a member of the Hartford Public Schools Board of Education (HBoE) or a designee of the HBoE. For a full list of the CFS founders and current BoD members, please see the previous section, Experience & Expertise of Founders or Appendix C. d.) Describe the plan to appoint subsequent officers and members to the governing council. Please detail the recruitment, selection, and removal procedures: CFS will follow the Connecticut State statutes for Governance Councils as members are recruited, vetted, and appointed. Similar to the CFS BoD, the Governance Council members will be representative of the community served and include parents, teachers, local business leaders, community advocates, and members of communitybased organizations. CFS prides itself in having developed a school design specifically to meet the needs of students and families living in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, and will seek those who share the CFS philosophy of high academic standards, whole child-centered, and relationship-based learning in partnership with and supported by the local community. The initial CFS SGC will be established no later than October 2018. The process for the creation of the SGC is as follows: 62 o Members of the CFS BoD, the Principal/Executive Director, and/or the Academic Dean will reach out to parents of children enrolled in the school who indicated on the CFS application and enrollment forms, an interest in serving as a member of the SGC. o Members of the CFS BoD, the Principal/Executive Director, and/or the Academic Dean will reach out to community partners to gauge interest in nominating members for the SGC. o The CFS Principal/Executive Director will reach out to teachers with a call to nomination, and all those interested in joining the SGC will respond in writing. o The Principal/Executive Director will coordinate an election committee with the task of scheduling dates, collecting all nominations and interest forms, and overseeing the voting itself. o Parent ballots will be distributed to each student household, and teacher ballots will be distributed to all teachers. The election committee will count the ballots immediately following the close of the election timeframe, and the Principal/Executive Director will communicate the results. o The parent and teacher members of the SGC will review community leader nominations and elect community leaders to the SGC. o Up to 3 additional non-voting members may be added to the SGC at any time. o Once the SGC is established it will meet monthly beginning no later than October 2018. o The initial SGC members will draw straws to determine initial one or two-year terms in order to create staggered terms and limit disruption, enabling the SGC to govern more effectively. o As no SGC member may serve more than two consecutive two-year terms, each spring the nomination process above will repeat itself in order to elect new members to the SGC. o SGC members may be removed by majority vote of the SGC upon any actions or behavior unbecoming of a representative of CFS including but not limited to breaking the laws of the State of Connecticut. 63 e.) Describe how the governing council will exercise oversight and responsibility for the overall operation of the school, including but not limited to, educational programs, governance of fiscal management, personnel, facility maintenance, and community outreach. In addition, please explain how the governing council will hold the proposed school accountable to both parents and other stakeholders: The CFS Design Team and/or BoD have been meeting on a bi-weekly or monthly basis since February of 2016, with the frequency dependent upon organizational needs. During the next year, leading up to opening and the first year of operation, the CFS BoD will meet on a bi-weekly, or monthly basis as needed. The BoD will oversee all start up tasks, and create a data dashboard that clearly reflects the academic, organizational, and financial goals of the school. The BoD will gather the information needed to make decisions for successful school outcomes. CFS will plan to utilize a model, such as the Personalized Learning Implementation (PLP) Framework48 published by Education Elements in 2016, to provide a clearly articulated structure for the evaluation of student progress. The framework identifies 25 focus areas for schools and districts and is considered “an invaluable tool to help teams articulate their strengths and areas of need…[in]designing, launching, and scaling personalized learning.” The creators of the framework note that the tool helps teams build a common language for talking about personalized learning, and “align their vision to make changes to instruction, curriculum, operations, support, and more.” Please see the illustration below, for an overview of the 25 focus areas. Annual school goals will be developed and recorded in the School Improvement Plan (SIP). The SIP will be built using a consensus building process including the BoD, SGC, Community Partners, Principal/Executive Director, Academic Dean, and other school staff. The CFS BoD and CFS school leaders will create the data dashboard aligned with the PLP Framework and make the SIP available to parents and stakeholders. The BoD will evaluate the Principal/Executive Director on an annual basis according to the position summary, responsibilities outlined in the position description, and attainment of goals outlined in the SIP. The Principal/Executive Director will evaluate the Academic Dean using the Connecticut System for Educator Evaluation and Development. The CFS BoD and SGC will exercise oversight and responsibility for the overall operation of the school in the following ways: 48 https://www.edelements.com/personalized-learning-district-framework 64 o The BoD will create committees based on key school management needs, which will likely include fiscal management, academic programs, and community and parent relations. They will create ad hoc committees as needed. o The CFS Principal/Executive Director, and SGC are delegated responsibility for regular reports to the BoD concerning fiscal management, academic programming, community and parent relations, personnel, and facility maintenance. Reports will be in collaboration with BoD committee work as applicable. o Starting in August of 2019 the CFS BoD will meet monthly or quarterly as needed. Starting no later than October 2018 the SGC will begin monthly meetings. To encourage community stakeholder participation, meeting dates will be set and published at least two weeks in advance with days and times purposefully scattered, in order to accommodate a variety of work schedules. o CFS will also establish a culture of regular community meetings both to hear from and provide information to the parents and students served. The BoD and SGC will work with the Principal/Executive Director and Academic Dean to host quarterly community meetings to assure continued collaboration, and consensus amongst parents, community-based organizations, and teachers. o It is the obligation of the BoD to conduct an annual review of the Principal/Executive Director. The Principal and Academic Dean will conduct an annual review of teachers and staff. o The CFS BoD and SGC will track progress of all aspects of the academic program. The Principal will provide monthly Guided Data Team reports to the BoD, and SGC. o The BoD and SGC will manage the school without micromanaging by asking clear concise questions to gauge the progress of each characteristic of the school. Data will be shared transparently and used to create a culture of continuous school growth and improvement. f.) Describe the authority the governing council will delegate to the school’s administrator. Explain the process by which the council and administration will make decisions and provide evidence of the distinct roles and responsibilities of council officers, members, committees, and school administration: 65 The SGC at CFS will follow the policies and recommendations of the Connecticut State Department of Education. The SGC will serve in an advisory capacity and assist school administration. The Principal/Executive Director and Academic Dean with support from the Operations Manager are responsible for running the school’s day-to-day operations, including hiring and supervising teaching staff, entering into contracts or agreements with community partners, determining student eligibility for enrollment, and determining student assignments. The SGC will work with school administration and the CFS BoD to perform the following tasks: o Analyze school achievement data and prepare regular progress reports for the CFS BoD. o Review the fiscal strategy of CFS and work with the Principal/Executive Director and CFS Board Treasurer to prepare and present an annual budget for approval. o Participate in the hiring process of the school Academic Dean by assembling a hiring committee and conducting finalist interviews along with the Principal/Executive Director. o Assist with program decisions such as curriculum support, identifying potential community partners, providing ideas to support fundraising efforts, and developing communications strategy. o Assist in the development of the school’s parent involvement strategy, and family events and services. o Assist CFS administrators with school improvement plans and developing, conducting, and reporting the results of school climate surveys. g.) Describe the criteria and process by which the governing council will hire and evaluate the school administrator(s): The CFS BoD, assisted by the SGC, will hire school leaders who are mission aligned and understand the collaborative and transparent nature of the BoD, SGC, school staff, parents, and community partners working together. School leaders will have a strong knowledge base of the strengths and challenges present in the North Hartford Promise Zone neighborhoods where the school will be located, recognize the importance of rigor in an academic program, and possess the ability to adjust that 66 program according to the needs of the enrolled students, as well as the ability to work with a diverse community population and engage in critical feedback. The school’s founding Principal/Executive Director will be hired by the CFS BoD prior to the formation of the SGC, but will be hired through a process that will include the SGC in subsequent years. The process for hiring the school administrators will be as follows: o Conduct regional marketing and outreach campaigns with the compelling CFS message utilizing the progressive mission, vision, and core values. o Develop a screening and interview process that aligns with CFS values including but not limited to, experience living or working in communities similar to Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, understanding the dual need model of high academic standards infused with whole child-centered and relationship-based education, and a belief in the strength of the local community working together to support student success. Candidates will also be expected to demonstrate success working with similar populations and at least a basic understanding of charter school accountability. o Develop a hiring and interview team that reflects the Promise Zone community to be served, including members of the BoD, SGC, parents, and community leaders. CFS will utilize the Connecticut System for Educator Evaluation and Development for evaluating school leaders, including the setting of annual goals in September, a midyear review at the end of January, and a final evaluation in July. The evaluation tool will include four categories, leadership practice, stakeholder feedback, student learning and teacher effectiveness. The Principal/Executive Director will oversee the evaluation process of the Academic Dean and other school staff. h.) For applicants planning to partner with an organization: Detail any plans to contract with an organization and explain why the organization was chosen to assist with Community First School: CFS does not intend to contract with a charter management organization. For details concerning CFS partner organizations please see the previous section, Experience & Expertise of Founders and/or partner MOUs in Appendix E. 67 3. School Leader a.) For applicants with an identified school leader: List the name of the individual who would serve as the lead administrator of Community First School as well as his qualifications, experience, certifications and education. In addition, please provide evidence that demonstrates whether the individual has a record of leading a high-quality school: Timothy R. Goodwin is the proposed initial Principal and Executive Director of CFS. He has worked in education for over 20 years including 18 years as a teacher and administrator, and 8 years as an Executive Director leading education non-profit organization in the Hartford area. Under his leadership Hartford Youth Scholars and Community Farm of Simsbury were founded and developed into strong and sustainable non-profit organizations. Currently they have provided educational access to thousands of Hartford children, improving the lives of countless families. Timothy is currently the Executive Director of Hartford City Mission, a non-profit organization serving North Hartford families through after school academic tutoring, homework support, and character development programs. As the Principal at the Culinary Arts Academy at Weaver High School (CAA Weaver) from September 2013 through June 2015, Timothy oversaw several school wide improvement initiatives, including an enrollment increase of 19%, MAP participation rate increase of 102%, the average student RIT score in reading up 300%, the average student RIT score in math up 250%, behavioral referrals down 70%, attendance up 8%, and chronic absenteeism down 16%. Additionally, Timothy has led numerous school culture measures and improvements including the addition of more than 20 after school programs and partnerships, increasing the number of after school sports programs and student participation in those programs, the development of a student led businesses associated with the Hospitality, Tourism, and Culinary theme, and a stabilization of enrollment well over 300 students. For a full list of Timothy’s accomplishments while at Weaver High School please see Appendix G. As Executive Director of Community Farm of Simsbury, Tim worked extensively with Hartford Public Schools and Simsbury Public Schools to create a Kindergarten through 12th grade pathway as part of an inter-district grant. He worked with a team of educators to create and implement academic programs for elementary and middle school students utilizing hands on lessons in math, science, and English language arts. A close partnership with The Montessori Magnet School at Annie Fisher and the CREC Montessori Magnet School significantly informed the teaching and learning at Community Farm of Simsbury. Timothy worked with professionals from Yale 68 University, Quinnipiac University, and the Aetna Foundation to develop an evaluation logic model and rubrics to measure the success of hands-on learning. His work showed a significant increase in student awareness concerning health and nutrition standards as well as support for hands-on outdoor learning as measured by the Connecticut Mastery Test. Timothy has his M.Ed. from Springfield College and his 6th Year Degree in Educational Leadership from Quinnipiac University. His consistent work on behalf of Hartford children has established him as a leader in understanding the city’s persistent achievement gap and developing improvement initiatives to address it. His work as a teacher in Simsbury and Hartford, Principal at CAA Weaver, and as a non-profit Executive Director has continually shown the positive results of his unique and inventive approach to education involving high academic standards, whole childcentered learning, and relationship-based instruction. It can be expected that the students and families who become part of CFS will experience similar success, as have the thousands of students Timothy has helped over the years. 4. Evidence of Support a. Illustrate the scope of community support for Community First School. Please provide evidence through letters of support, surveys, petitions or other means, the endorsement of teachers, parents, students, business, community members and /or institutional leaders; such evidence of support must be recent: The CFS founders and BoD have worked extremely hard to establish authentic community partnerships and support, due to their belief that parents and individuals living in the North Harford community have the ability and desire to create and oversee the highest quality school. CFS founders began the school development effort by touring the North Hartford community with a desire to hear from parents and community members. Several events and meetings were held to discuss the CFS idea. All were open to the community and very well attended including initial exploratory meetings in February and April 2016, “The Listening Tour” with four dates from May 2016 - November 2016, and the “Build Up Tour” with three dates from January 2017 - May 2017. The Listening Tour began on May 2, 2016, at 2550 Main Street. Subsequent dates included September 17, 2016 at the West Indian Social Club, October 22, at the Artists Collective, and November 19 at Ebenezer Temple. At each event parents and other community members shared their desires for a high-quality school. These desires were the foundation for creating the CFS model. Since the tours began CFS has received hundreds of signatures both on paper and online, with a current database of over 800 people. For the feedback received from the Listening Tour please see Appendix H. 69 Additionally the CFS Founder, and proposed first Principal and Executive Director, Timothy R. Goodwin has extensive experience working in collaboration with many individuals and organizations in the Hartford community. He has worked in education for over 20 years including 16 years as a teacher and administrator, and 8 years as an Executive Director leading education non-profit organizations in the Hartford Area. Under his leadership Hartford Youth Scholars (HYS), Community Farm of Simsbury (CFSims), and Hartford City Mission (HCM) have undergone tremendous financial and program growth. As an employee of Hartford Public Schools, first as a teacher at Weaver High School, then Dean of Students for the Student Success Center, and finally the Principal of the Culinary Arts Academy at Weaver High School (CAA Weaver) he initiated several student-led programs that led to high achievement, increased enrollment, and greater financial sustainability. Fundraising Capacity As the first Executive Director at HYS, Timothy set up all organizational systems including payroll, budgeting, hiring policy, etc. He also initiated the fundraising and development process for the organization and secured large donations from major Hartford corporations such as Travelers, Aetna, The Hartford, Lincoln Financial, Deloitte, as well as several foundations such as The Steppingstone Foundation, The Barnes Foundation, The Hoffman Foundation, and many others. Timothy also built an individual donor base and secured individual donations at many levels including several one-time gifts of $25,000 and above. As HYS Scholars matriculated to independent and high schools across the state he secured over $700,000 in financial aid packages. Timothy’s successful fundraising efforts continued as he moved on to become the first Executive Director of CFSims. He worked with the Town of Simsbury, City of Hartford, and CT State Department of Agriculture on a capital improvement drive to transform the defunct dairy farm into a regional educational institution, securing funds from state, city, and corporate entities totaling over $350,000, including a large grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to build a certified teaching kitchen and indoor/outdoor state of the art classroom facility. He also initiated a research project, partnering with Quinnipiac University, Yale University, and The Aetna Foundation to explore the impact of hands-on experiential learning on upper elementary and middle school students from Hartford and Simsbury. As the current Executive Director at Hartford City Mission, Tim has worked to enhance and expand an already large individual donor and volunteer base, as well as add grant donations to more evenly distribute the organizations giving portfolio. In one year he has increased grant giving by over 200%, while guiding an enrollment 70 increase of over 100%. Tim secured first time HCM grants from Bank of America managed foundations, Stanley Black and Decker, and the Aetna Foundation. As the Principal of CAA Weaver Timothy initiated an alumni giving program to support the creation of a Weaver scholarship program to help students attend college with the goal of returning to the school with a teaching certificate and a commitment to begin their career as employees of Hartford Public Schools. Over $295,000 was committed to the program prior to Timothy’s departure as Principal, and a portion of these funds was later designated toward the Hartford Promise. For a wide range of support letters advocating for CFS, the educational model, and endorsements of the Timothy’s leadership please see Appendix I. 71 III. STUDENT COMPOSITION, SERVICES, AND POLICIES 1. School Demographics a.) Describe the community and student population to be served by Community First School and the needs of the population: On April 28, 2015, HUD awarded a Promise Zone designation to North Hartford; an area that encompasses the Clay Arsenal, Upper Albany, and Northeast neighborhoods. Hartford is the first city in Connecticut, and one of only 20 Promise Zones nationwide, to be awarded this designation. CFS will initially serve students and families in North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. As mentioned earlier in this application’s Educational Philosophy narrative, students in the Promise Zone are severely underserved when it comes to academic opportunity. Local neighborhood schools are under resourced, morale and achievement level are low, and holistic support is lacking. The following table shows the per capita income for all three Promise Zone neighborhoods. For a full set of data maps showing Hartford’s Promise Zone please see Appendix J. 72 According to a Hartford Neighborhood Assessment49 using a model developed by the Harlem Children's Zone, it was determined that the Promise Zone neighborhoods possess many risk factors and few community assets. The risk factors included poverty, poor education, limited access to sufficient housing, high levels of crime, poor health, lack of neighborhood stability, limited support programs, and deteriorating school buildings. Additionally, many of the students in the Promise Zone have increased exposure to toxins, are dealing with chronic stress associated with violence and trauma, and need support with social emotional relationships. The following demographic information is based on US census and /or HUD data: o Poverty Rate50 - 49.35% compared to the City’s 33.4% and State 10%. o Residents’ per capita income51 is $12,099 as opposed to $16,286 for the City. o Sixty‐one percent of NHPZ households have children under the age of 18, and 72% have women heads of household52. o Only 38.3% of residents have a high school degree53. o Among Hartford’s 17 neighborhoods, this small area ranks highest in several preventable illnesses: obesity, heart disease, infant and neonatal mortality, and infections54. o Over 39% of Hartford homicides occur in the three Promise Zone neighborhoods55. These stressors present challenges in the classroom and require a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to the whole-child to meaningfully address them. The CFS team has developed a model specifically to meet the variety of needs of children living in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. The high academic standards approach, infused with a relationship-based design will accomplish this through the extensive community-family-self curriculum, the teacher-training institute, whole childcentered education including trauma informed practice and cultural connections, a https://www.hartfordschools.org/files/Hartford_Neighborhood_Assessment_v_3_041813.pdf https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=PromiseZoneHartford.pdf 51American Community Survey. Estimated per capita income between 2011-2015. PolicyMap. Retrieved from https://www.policymap.com/maps. May 2017. 52 U.S. Census. Percent of all households that are single female headed with children in 2010. PolicyMap. Retrieved from https://www.policymap.com/maps. May 2017. 53 American Community Survey. Estimated percent of people with at least a high school diploma between 2011-2015. PolicyMap. Retrieved from https://www.policymap.com/maps. May 2017. 54 https://www.hartfordschools.org/files/Hartford_Neighborhood_Assessment_v_3_041813.pdf 55 www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-promise-zone-0429-20150428-story.html 49 50 73 family engagement initiative, and restorative behavioral interventions. For a full description of this model please the Curriculum and Instruction sections of this application. b.) Describe how the educational program provided by Community First School will address the needs of the student population: CFS seeks to provide the academic standards and social emotional supports necessary for students and parents living in North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. Its rigorous, whole child-centered, and relationship-based model will inspire hope, meaning, and purpose. The typical daily program at CFS will address the needs of the student population by taking into account the context of the students and families served without sacrificing or lowering the school’s high expectations. The following key elements of the CFS design will specifically address the needs of the student population: Life-Long Whole Child-Centered Learning – Classroom culture at CFS will be established using a series of standards that encourage peace, purpose, and becoming a life-long learner. CFS will incorporate key elements of the Responsive Classroom model which research has found leads to higher academic achievement in math and reading, improved school climate, and higher-quality instruction. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, has described the model as one of the most “well-designed evidence-based social and emotional learning programs”56. The following are key components of the CFS Responsive Classroom model: o Engaging Academics will take place through the authentic CFS curriculum and a theme emphasizing community-family-self. Twenty students per classroom are involved in learning tasks that are active, interactive, appropriately challenging, purposeful, and connected to students’ interests identified in ILPs. The classrooms at CFS are designed and arranged in ways that facilitate student interaction, and maximize all areas of the room. Each child’s ILP identifies student interests, problems students would like to solve. The ILP identifies learning goals and objectives aligned with relevant performance tasks and CCSS. o Positive Community will be established as grade level teacher teams, each including a Child Development Specialist with a social work background, provide group and individual instruction in core subject areas. The adults in the classroom will nurture a sense of belonging, significance, and emotional safety so that students feel comfortable taking risks and working with a 56 https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/about/casel-select-program/ 74 variety of peers. Student voice will be encouraged in the creation of classroom cultural standards and learning procedures. o Effective Classroom Management will occur in each classroom as adults create a calm, orderly environment that promotes autonomy and allows students to focus on learning. The authentic CFS community-family-self curriculum will facilitate student engagement with hands-on experiential learning activities. Classroom walls include posters, a classroom family contract, and the all-school standards for academic and social excellence. Lighting and furniture arrangements will re-create a safe, cozy, homelike environment where each individual is valued not by what they do, but by who they are. o Developmental Awareness is a part of Teacher Training Institute and lesson planning as adults use knowledge of child development, along with observations of students to create a developmentally appropriate learning environment. Instruction is differentiated to take into consideration the needs of each student, and multiple teaching methods are used including whole group, small group, individual, and project-based. Teacher Training Institute – The CFS Founders believe in the idea that in order to teach the child you must first reach the child. The extensive teacher-training program for all staff will provide the contextual information and strategies necessary to empower effective instruction for students growing up in generational poverty. The training informs staff on the key philosophical ideas behind positive child development and the strategies to effectively meet student and family needs. The training will consist of the following elements: o Maintaining High Standards and Continued Growth – CFS will train staff in the process and practice of maintaining high standards by incorporating CCSS, big ideas and compelling questions, differentiated and scaffolded instruction, and language, math, and science goals into each lesson plan. Additionally, teachers will learn to participate in the Guided Data Team, instructional rounds, Student Assistance Team, and other professional learning community strategies as necessary. o Child Development Strategies – CFS will train staff to meet the needs of the whole child through a relationship-based approach. CFS understands the role trauma, poor nutrition, and other effects of generational poverty play in creating barriers to learning, and trains staff in positive psychology, the CFS authentic community-family-self curriculum, cultural competency, and how to 75 address trauma to establish a loving and safe culture where learning and success are attainable. o Trauma Informed Practice - CFS will train staff to recognize the widespread impact of trauma in urban neighborhoods and understand potential paths for recovery. Staff is trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in families, students, and others involved with the school, and respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, while seeking to actively resist re-traumatization. CFS teachers will complete the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire (Appendix A12) to find their ACE Score, and further develop an understanding and empathy for what children in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods may be experiencing. o Cultural Competency – CFS will train staff in creating a culturally responsive learning community where the collective ideas of community are valued equally to individuality. Families and students are affirmed in their cultural connections and the learning environment is culturally inviting. o Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) - All families and students will work collaboratively with their teachers to create an ILP that takes into account parent experience, student preference, and family and student learning goals, and outcomes aligned with relevant performance tasks. The plan relies heavily on a holistic approach taking into account past schoolwork, but also family and student interest in developing a most informed instructional plan. o Multiple Restorative Interventions and PBIS – CFS will train staff in Responsive Classroom principles and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). These initiatives will be utilized to help create a positive school culture. Classrooms will be made to appear homelike in nature with soft lighting, inviting furniture, and student photos and artwork on the walls. PBIS rewards will be available for students who act in consistency with the studentdeveloped CFS standards for academic and social excellence. For students who display behavior outside the standards, a 6-tiered restorative intervention program will re-direct them back toward classroom instruction. After School Programming - Daily after school programming will provide tutoring, homework support, and character development lessons with partner organizations and their volunteer networks. Students may participate in after school opportunities through partnerships with Hartford City Mission, The Artists Collective, Wilson Gray YMCA, Blue Hills Civic Association, Supreme Athlete, and the Gifted Onez Performing 76 Arts Company. These extended day activities will provide students and parents with a safe place to be and caring adults within the local community who help promote life-long learning. Food Service - Breakfast, lunch, and two snacks will be provided for all students at no cost. Once a week a round table family style lunch will promote a sense of community. According to US Census data, students in the Promise Zone neighborhoods are more likely to be undernourished compared to the population at large. By providing healthy food and reducing hunger CFS will increase the likelihood that students will be able to perform at higher academic levels. Family Engagement – The CFS model will give parents/guardians and students a key voice in school functions and student learning. The community, families, and school staff will work together to support and build the learning community. The following components will support each family enrolled in CFS: o Community Events - CFS holds regular community events to promote whole child-centered learning and provide fun learning opportunities to children in the school and others in the local community. o Regular Family Meetings & Parent Coaching - Regular parent empowerment meetings inform parents of local events and other forms of support for their children. The school will consistently communicate its view that parents are essential partners, and provide optional parent coaching workshops that would support them in applying techniques from CFS responsive classroom practices and systematic training for effective parenting at home. o Student-Led Family Informed Conferences – Students and teachers are trained in student led conferences, which are aligned with the goals set forth in the ILPs. Students engage in problem solving and critical thinking skills as they are empowered to own their learning. c.) Describe the grade range and ages Community First School will serve, including grade levels upon opening and the growth plan for each year covered by the desired charter. Please provide a rational for the enrollment plan, including reasons for choosing to serve the specified grades: CFS plans to open for students in kindergarten through 2nd grades in August of 2018. CFS proposes to open with 40 students in each grade level for a total of 120 students. Each year the school will add a new Kindergarten class of 40 students as other students matriculate up through the school. Understanding the current budget climate in the state of Connecticut, CFS would defer opening until August 2019 if 77 necessary, but would much rather open sooner than later, as parents within the Promise Zone neighborhoods are in desperate need of the CFS model now. In year 2, CFS will seek to add a pre-school program. At the end of the five-year charter term the school will be a Pre-K-6 school with the intention of growing to a full K-8 model in subsequent years. CFS support service curriculum will seek to stay connected to students and families as they matriculate into high school and college. It is expected that most students will ultimately matriculate into the new Weaver High School after graduating from CFS, yet the support service office will provide families with the information necessary to explore a variety of options including independent, charter, parochial, and magnet schools. The opening K-2 grade range was strategically chosen based upon community feedback during the “Listening Tour” and to provide families and students with the supports necessary to ensure proper child development. The chosen grade range allows CFS staff to more adequately address early reading deficiencies that are often associated with urban students in grades 1-3. Additionally, research indicates that chronic gaps in achievement generally begin in grades 4 and 5. The CFS emphasis on whole child development, trauma informed practice, and ILPs creates rigorous and relevant learning experiences, a responsive relationship-based approach, and increased student engagement. Parent engagement and coaching efforts will provide additional support as CFS works to keep students at or above grade level to significantly reduce the chance for a gap in achievement as students matriculate into upper elementary grades. d.) Describe the procedures to be used to encourage involvement by parents and guardians of enrolled students in student learning, school activities, and school decision making: One of the CFS core values is shared power. Students and parents are given voice in creating school policy, planning events, evaluating learning strategies, and sharing in the overall school improvement process. CFS will facilitate a Family Welcome Center to help support students and families, host regular parent information and coaching sessions, facilitate student led conferencing, and implement regular parent teacher contact. o Family Welcome Center - The Family Welcome Center offering CFS support service to students and parents will be open at all times when the school is open. Information will be readily available concerning school policies, events, field learning experiences, college and career options, and the School Governance Council. Parent ideas or concerns will be recorded immediately and addressed at the appropriate time. CFS will make every effort to ensure 78 documents, flyers, and other parent information will be provided in the language spoken in the home. o Parent Information and Coaching - CFS will hold regular parent information and coaching sessions to help parents navigate the challenges of raising children in the Promise Zone neighborhoods. CFS will utilize community partners to help address these challenges, as well as the relevant community based projects and supports woven throughout the authentic CFS communityfamily-self curriculum and Responsive Classroom models. Additionally, CFS staff members will seek to host parent meetings at times when parents are available including, Saturday morning, weekday evenings, or other times requested by parents. o Student Led Conferences - Students and parents will work with teachers to establish learning goals through the ILP. Parents will share information on how the child learns best, the child’s likes and dislikes, and the family’s college or career aspirations. Students and families will be trained in student led conferencing methods, as students own their learning and share progress toward meaningful personal learning and grade level goals. o Parent Teacher Contact - CFS teachers will communicate weekly with parents through email or phone contact. CFS will work with parents who do not have Internet access or working email to facilitate appropriate access and adequate weekly communication. 2. Special Education & Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 a.) Describe the Community First School plan to meet the needs of students with disabilities who require a range of special education supports and related services, as required pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504: Students enrolled at CFS with IEPs will be served according to the specifications of the IEP. The CFS non-discrimination policy assures students with disabilities will have equal access to the school application process and accommodations will be provided for student needs in compliance with IDEA Section 504. Beyond fulfilling legal requirements, CFS is committed to providing the highest quality education to all students. To ensure a network of strong student supports, CFS plans to hire a full time certified Special Education Director and a full time Nurse to support student special education and medical needs. CFS will employ additional licensed personnel as needed to support and implement special education services required in students’ IEPs. 79 Specific standards are as follows: o CFS teachers and administrators maintain regular contact with all parents, and are committed to monthly parent support coaching and meetings. Daily or weekly contact with parents of students with special needs will be available as needed. Parental notice will be within state regulated time frames for all referrals, Student Assistance (Planning and Placement) Team meetings, or other meetings, and parental consent will be obtained. o CFS provides time during the school day for teacher teams to consult with Child Development Specialists and the certified Special Educator, as well as parents. o The CFS staff professional development plan includes in-service training for all staff in implementing Special Education services as outlined in student IEPs. o The physical environment at CFS will meet all health and safety codes and include accommodations as necessary to meet the needs of students with IEPs and/or 504 Plans. o CFS will work with the district to provide assistive technology, instructional devices, and related service materials sufficient to meet the requirements of student IEPs. o The CFS class size plan is for no more than 20 students per class with one certified teacher and one Child Development Specialist. The adult to student ratio is one that best provides individualized attention to all students including those with IEPs. o CFS teachers and special education personnel will regularly meet as part of the teacher team and Student Assistance Team strategies to identify students who need learning support and will recommend students to the Special Education referral process as necessary. b.) Clearly indicate that Community First School understands its responsibility to meet the requirements of individualized education programs and Section 504 plans, and has a detailed plan for the provision of certified personnel, receipt and retention of appropriate documentation, student assessments, classroom adaptations, and sufficient development for staff: 80 CFS will be committed to fulfilling all accommodations outlined in student IEPs and Section 504 Plans. CFS will hire a full time certified Special Education Director and a Nurse to support student special education and medical needs. CFS will employ additional licensed personnel as needed to support and implement special education services required in student IEPs. CFS will begin recruiting the Special Education Director immediately upon receiving the charter. The certified Special Education job description will be posted in local news outlets, college campuses, CT Reap, the CFS website, and various other locations. CFS will also seek Child Development Specialists with a social work background and/or certified as Special Educators or Paraprofessional personnel. CFS will build a staff who have a desire to collaborate with the Principal/Executive Director, Academic Dean, teachers, Child Development Specialists, and community partners to provide support to all children with IEPs, identify students who may qualify for Special Education testing and/or services, and support other teaching staff with meeting the modifications housed within student IEPs. CFS expects that the Special Education Director will help ensure that students with IEPs achieve at high levels, based upon their unique abilities, and will be fully included in the regular academic program at CFS. All student academic records will be securely stored within a locked cabinet and locked office. All Special Education meetings at CFS will include a note taker and be duly documented. All electronic documents will be password protected and stored within the provider cloud network. All students with IEPs and 504 plans will have access to all assessments according to the guidelines in the IEP, and access to all classroom activities including hands-on learning activities and field learning experiences according to the guidelines in the IEP. The CFS Teacher Training Institute will include training in meeting the needs of all children. The whole child centered approach assures the individual needs of all students, including those with IEP’s or 504 Plans are met. Additional training in ILPs, Trauma Informed Practice, and Cultural Competencies provide a deeper level of understanding for staff in meeting the unique and specific needs of all children living in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. c.) Describe the policies and procedures to ensure that students who may be eligible to receive special education and related services, under either IDEA or Section 504, are referred to their school district of residence or to the staff of Community First School for evaluation: CFS will ensure that it has the capacity to provide the full array of nondiscriminatory evaluation services, special education services and related services, and a full 81 continuum of placement options. CFS will utilize appropriate Child Find procedures for students enrolled in the school. If a parent or CFS staff person suspects a child may have a disability they will report to administrative or Special Education staff at any time. The Student Assistance Team will explore each instance and provide multiple academic or behavioral intervention strategies to seek solutions. If difficulties persist a parent or guardian, school staff, or other individuals from agencies associated with the child may submit a written request or referral for evaluation. Once the referral is made, the Student Assistance (Planning and Placement) Team will meet to determine if the child needs to be evaluated, decide on appropriate testing, and whether the child is eligible for special education services. If it is determined that the child is in need of services, the team will begin the work of developing the IEP. All meetings will be conducted in a way that parents can expect to be fully informed and have full understanding of the proceedings. Interpreters will be provided if needed, and every effort will be made to assure parent communications is made available in the dominant language spoken in the home. The CFS Special Education policies and procedures are as follows: o Prior to Referral - CFS students experiencing difficulty in the general education classroom should be considered for all support services available to all students, such as tutorial, remedial, compensatory, response to scientific research-based intervention, and other academic or behavior support services. If the student continues to experience difficulty in the general classroom after the provision of interventions, CFS staff members, parents, or guardians will refer the student for a full individual and initial evaluation. o Nondiscriminatory Evaluations – Evaluations will be provided in the student's native language or other mode of communication, administered by the CFS Special Education Director, tailored to asses specific areas of educational need, and reflective of the student’s aptitude and achievement. o Eligibility – Upon completion of the evaluation, the Student Assistance (Planning and Placement) Team, including the Special Education Director and parent reviews the full evaluation and determines whether the student is eligible for special education and related services. o Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) – If the student is eligible for special education and related services, the IEP team will develop a written IEP for the 82 student that outlines all special education and related services the student needs and how the student will be educated in the LRE. 
 o Services and Supports – CFS will provide the student with special education services, supports, and related services identified in the student’s IEP, and determine the appropriate educational placement for implementing the student’s IEP. CFS will work with the local Hartford district to provide services outside the CFS scope of financial or service ability. o Continuum of Placements – CFS will work with the local Hartford district to ensure a continuum of alternative placements is available to students with disabilities. Through this collaborative effort CFS will ensure students have access to mainstream classes, homebound instruction, resource room services and/or self-contained facilities. d.) Provide a plan to engage parents of students with disabilities: CFS staff will be committed to meeting the whole child needs of every student including those with disabilities. A key aspect of meeting the needs of students with disabilities is making every effort to fully engage parents. CFS staff will communicate regularly with parents including weekly parent teacher contact and regular parent information and coaching meetings. CFS will make every effort to provide communications in the dominant language spoken by parents in the home. Three CFS core values ensure parent engagement including, shared power, direct access to field experiences and individualized learning, and community first. o Shared Power involves parents in the school improvement process. Each parent of a child at CFS will enjoy weekly communication with teachers, and has unlimited access to the Family Welcome Center. CFS will seek to provide parents with a welcoming and open environment encouraging parents of student with disabilities to ask questions, provide input, and generally be involved in recommending and supporting the service provided. o Direct Access to Field Experiences and Individualized Learning is provided to all students including those with disabilities. Student and family college and career interests inform field learning experiences. Small group and other classroom projects are aligned to ILPs, which are developed with parents. The ILPs will be developed to address all accommodations indicated in IEPs and 504 Plans for students with disabilities. 83 o Community First partners will provide additional academic and support services for all students including those with disabilities. The deep connection between CFS and community partners will enable families and parents to feel safe and connected. Community partners may also provide translation services to parents who need them. For additional information please see the previous section in this application under Student Composition, Services, and Policies (Family Engagement). 3. English Learners a.) Describe the Community First School plan to support a responsive general education classroom that will provide EL students access to the general education program: CFS will be committed to fulfilling all federal requirements and recommendations as well as those of the CT State Department of Education concerning the identification of EL students, as well as the implementation of strategies and policies to meet the academic needs of all levels of EL students. The following Table 57 shows approximately 28% of the expected CFS student population will be of Puerto Rican descent with a likelihood that parents and/or children speak a language other than English. Promise Zone Clay Arsenal Northeast Upper Albany Percent Black 66.89% 45.28% 73.02% 80.32% Percent Puerto Rican 27.77% 45.54% 22.63% 16.85% CFS will hire a full-time or part-time certified EL Teacher, depending on the needs of the enrolled student population. CFS will inform all parents and families as to school policies, academic progress, and other events and services. Delivery of general education curriculum will be enriched through instructional delivery that is differentiated and scaffolded, taking into account the proficiency levels of the students. The comprehensive six-week CFS Teacher Training Institute will include a 57 American Community Survey. (May 2017) Estimated percent of people who are Hispanic or Latino Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent between 2011-2015. PolicyMap. Retrieved from https://www.policymap.com/maps. 84 unit on cultural competency, which includes EL strategies aligned to the CT English Language Proficiency Standards, differentiation, and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. As well as a certified EL teacher, CFS will also seek paid and volunteer tutors proficient in the dominant language of EL students as needed. b.) Present a comprehensive plan that addresses Community First School’s methods and strategies for identifying and serving EL students, administering the mandated annual Language Assessment Scale Links assessment and how students will exit from the program. In addition, present how data will be used to inform instruction and how the school will monitor the continued progress of the exited EL Students: CFS will implement a comprehensive plan to identify and serve EL students and families, as follows: o CFS will make every effort to provide parents with a school or community contact person who shares a similar cultural or language background. o CFS will make every attempt to assure all notifications to parents and families, including recruitment and enrollment materials, will be both in English and translated into other languages spoken within the community. o CFS will administer a Home Language Survey at the time of registration to determine if a language other than English is spoken at home. o The certified EL teacher will follow up with the families of any students with Home Language Surveys that indicate a language spoken at home other than English. o EL eligibility will be determined through the CFS EL assessment and/or the Language Assessment Scales Links (LAS Links). CFS staff will also meet with the family for a personal interview. o CFS will also take into account student academic history including standardized test scores, classroom performance, and other documents to help determine placement. o EL program options available at CFS will be communicated to parents and an Initial Placement Form will be completed. 85 o EL students will be assigned to the appropriate EL level and program. The family will be notified of the results through the CFS EL notification letter. o The LAS Links will be administered annually to determine student level and progress. o The extensive CFS student evaluation process including the ILP, SBAC scores, MAP scores, and classroom performance data will ensure EL students and those who have exited the program are closely monitored. c.) Describe the manner in which Community First School will ensure that it provides parents and guardians of EL students report cards and progress reports in the same manner and with the same frequency as general education reporting: CFS will provide report cards, progress reports and other communications to the parents of EL students on the same timeframe as all other students and families. CFS will make every attempt to assure all notifications to parents and families will be communicated in English and the native or dominant language spoken in the home. As part of the CFS family engagement initiative, several open house and community events will be held throughout the school year and summer. During such meetings CFS will make every effort to address the language barrier of EL families by providing a school or community contact person who shares a similar cultural or language background. d.) Present a detailed plan that addresses how the achievement needs of EL students will be monitored and how that process will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and ensure that the needs of EL Students are met: CFS will monitor the achievement of EL students though the CFS extensive evaluation processes including the ILP, LAS Links, SBAC scores, MAP scores, and classroom performance data. Informal assessments will be used and teachers will be trained in effective strategies for instructing and evaluating EL students during the CFS Teacher Training Institute module on cultural competencies. These strategies include but are not limited to the following 4 levels: Level 1 o The teacher directs, leads, and demonstrates. The student listens, recognizes, reproduces and absorbs information, showing the ability to restate or describe the information provided by the teacher. The student will also be able to translate single words or phrases. 86 o The teacher uses concrete objects, nonverbal and visual cues, and teaches vocabulary and concepts. The student follows simple directions and routines while remembering, demonstrating, memorizing, and locating. Level 2 o The teacher questions to differentiate, infer, or check conceptual understanding. The student begins to demonstrate conceptual knowledge. o The teacher provides organizers and uses interactive approaches to help with conceptual connections. The student constructs models, reorganizes information to show relationships, and begins to solve multi-step problems with decision points. Level 3 o The teacher provides questions to probe reasoning and underlying thinking while asking open-ended questions. The student uses print and non-print language to show thinking. o The teacher provides criteria and examples for making judgments and supporting claims, engages multiple approaches and solutions/formats. The student plans, initiates questions, and tests ideas and solutions, as well as sustaining inquiry into deeper and more complex problems. Level 4 o The teacher questions to extend thinking and broaden perspectives, and strategically puts students in groups to facilitate teaming, collaboration, and self-evaluation. The students create through synthesizing multiple resources. They plan, organize, and modify together, willing to take risks with each other. o The teacher serves primarily as a guide and assists EL students as they work together with classmates. The students formulate ideas and think deeply. e.) Detail how Community First School will meet the state bilingual education requirements and federal requirements of EL students including a plan for the provision of certified personnel, receipt and retention of appropriate documentation, classroom adaptations, and sufficient professional development for staff: If CFS has 20 or more eligible students classified as dominant in any language other than English, the school will provide a program of bilingual education. CFS will seek certified staff to meet the needs of all EL students including those classified as 87 dominant in a language other than English. Additionally, CFS will seek bilingual certified teachers skilled in foreign language, especially Spanish, with the capacity to carry out many of the traditional duties of teachers, including planning lessons and evaluating student performance, as well as the added challenge of acclimating students to a new culture. All EL student records including academic records, ILPs, LAS Links scores, SBAC scores, MAP scores, and classroom performance data will be received and securely retained at CFS. Staff professional development in EL strategies will be part of the CFS Teacher-Training Institute module on Cultural Competency. CFS will provide continued training as necessary throughout the school year during regularly scheduled professional development. 4. Admissions Policy and Criteria a.) Describe the student admissions policy and criteria. Please include a plan for the admission lottery, explaining how Community First School will enroll students during the year if space becomes available. If necessary, please indicate whether CFS is applying to the SBE for a waiver of the requirements of the enrollment lottery in accordance with C.G.S 10-66bb(j): CFS will attract, enroll, and retain students from North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, specifically Upper Albany, Clay Arsenal, and Northeast, and will not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, physical or mental disability, or religion. Additionally, CFS will follow the provisions outlined in C.G.S. 10-15c in that CFS will not discriminate on the basis of disability, athletic performance, or proficiency in the English language. The application process will open for Promise Zone residents in February 2018. The lottery will be held in April 2018. Those not selected will be placed on the wait list and may be enrolled if seats become available throughout the year. Should a space become available, the student’s family will be contacted and a seat offered. Students not selected from the waitlist will need to reapply the following year. b.) Discuss the student recruitment process and timetable to ensure effective public information to attract a diverse student body. In particular, please detail the proposed school’s plan to attract, enroll, and retain students from among the following populations: students with a history of low academic performance; students who receive free or reduced-price lunches pursuant to federal law and regulations; students with a history of behavioral and social difficulties; students identified as requiring special education; students who are English language learners; or students of a single gender. Please also specify how the school will ensure that it complies with the provisions of C.G.S. § 10-15c (see Appendix E) and 88 that it does not discriminate on the basis of disability, athletic performance or proficiency in the English language. 
 CFS founders and the BoD have worked extremely hard to establish authentic community partnerships and support. CFS founders began the school development effort by touring the North Hartford community with a desire to hear from parents and community members. Several events and meetings were held to discuss the CFS idea. All were open to the community and very well attended including initial exploratory meetings in February and April 2016, “The Listening Tour” with four dates from May 2016 - November 2016, and the “Build Up Tour” with three dates from January 2017 - May 2017. The Listening Tour began on May 2, 2016 at 2550 Main Street. Subsequent dates included September 17, 2016 at the West Indian Social Club, October 22, at the Artists Collective, and November 19 at Ebenezer Temple. At each event parents and other community members shared their desires for a high-quality school. These desires were the foundation for creating the CFS model. For the feedback received during the Listening Tour, photos from community events, letters of support, and other endorsements of the Community First School model, please see Appendices B, H, and I. CFS regularly promotes the unique whole child-centered, relationship-based model to parents and the North Hartford Promise Zone community at large. CFS is excited to provide an educational model as a solution to the challenges of urban education. CFS embraces the opportunity to serve predominantly students who fit the following demographics: o Students who receive free or reduced lunch - All students in the Promise Zone neighborhoods served are eligible for free and reduced lunch. o Students with a history of behavioral and social difficulties - Among Hartford’s 17 neighborhoods, the Promise Zone ranks highest in several preventable illnesses and has several risk factors determined to negatively impact child development. o Students requiring Special Education services - CFS will not discriminate based on physical or mental disability, and will seek to attract, enroll, and retain all students including those with IEPs. o Students who are English Learners - CFS will not discriminate based on proficiency in the English language, and will seek to attract, enroll, and retain 89 all students including those who can be classified as English Language Learners. Throughout 2017, the BoD will continue to host community meetings and information sessions at local community based organizations including the Artists Collective, Wilson Gray YMCA, 2550 Main Street, West Indian Social Club, and other locations as necessary. In July 2017 CFS hosted a screening in collaboration with the Village for Children and Families and the Clifford Beers Clinic of the film “Resilience” followed by a discussion on Trauma Informed Practice. This and similar events inform the community of the unique model CFS will employ to serve the needs of Promise Zone families. Students who live in the Promise Zone neighborhoods will be selected and enrolled through a blind lottery system with no regard to any other factor. The application process will open in February 2018 and the lottery will be held in April 2018. Upon being selected parents will be notified and invited to an enrollment and registration meeting, which includes information on all CFS policies including the ILP, communityfamily-self curriculum and Responsive Classroom model. CFS will follow the provisions outlined in C.G.S. 10-15c in that CFS will not discriminate on the basis of disability, athletic performance, or proficiency in the English language. Student retention is of primary importance to CFS. Regular parent communication, and the Family Welcome Center, along with CFS core values of shared power and community first will place parents, students and the community at the heart of the school improvement process. This support network and community philosophy establish the “it takes a village” concept to student retention, and give CFS the best chance at success. In every instance of student attrition, CFS staff will conduct an exit-interview with the student’s family to understand, and perhaps mitigate, their reason for leaving the school. Such information will inform on-going recruitment and retention strategies. c.) Describe the efforts Community First School will make to reduce racial, ethnic, and/or economic isolation. Please discuss relevant programs (e.g., curricular and extracurricular and/or teacher recruitment), if any, the school plans to implement: The CFS philosophy of education is focused on high academic standards, whole childcentered and relationship-based. CFS understands that a quality education can go a long way toward reducing racial, ethnic, and economic isolation. However, in order to teach the child, first you must reach the child, and the child’s family. 90 CFS employs several key elements nested in its core values to help reach North Hartford’s Promise Zone children and families. The CFS commitment to Life-Long Learning for All extends to all students, parents, and teachers. CFS will provide a relevant and rigorous, standards based curriculum, within a whole child-centered framework. The CFS Founder Timothy R. Goodwin, along with Authenticity & Co., independent consultants and other successful educational leaders from local charter, magnet, and public schools, is designing the curriculum specifically to engage students in North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. The high standards CCSS aligned approach respects each child by recognizing the individuals’ ability to achieve at a high level. It includes three authentic curriculum trimesters with the theme of community-family-self and encourages student academic and social emotional growth. Units and lessons are hands-on and experiential including multiple field experiences. Whole Child-Centered Education will be personalized, challenging, competency based through differentiation, aligned to the CCSS, and includes family engagement though regular coaching sessions that empower parents with strategies to effectively participate in their child’s learning. Teachers will be included and supported through training in child development strategies to inspire whole child-centered classrooms where culture, community, and individual passions are developed and celebrated. The CFS focus on whole child-centered education will be infused with Positive Child Psychology strategies, Trauma Informed Practice and Cultural Competencies to foster life-long personal growth. In order to support this work, CFS will be committed to having a Child Development Professional on staff for each grade level. This staffing strategy will ensure the whole child-centered learning model is upheld and each child’s unique greatness is identified. The Teacher Training Institute will ensure adults are taught to build sincere relationships with students and families, helping to create a strong sense of community. These relevant and culturally responsive strategies will help students find meaning in their learning and apply learning concepts beyond the classroom. CFS will begin teacher recruitment immediately upon receiving the charter. Teacher job openings will be posted in local news outlets, college campuses, CT Reap, on the CFS website, and various other locations. CFS Educational Leaders will also attend Charter School teacher recruitment fairs. CFS will seek teachers with a desire to collaborate with the Principal/Executive Director, Academic Dean, other teachers, Child Development Specialists, and community partners to provide differentiated and scaffolded instruction, field learning experiences, and out of classroom supports aligned with the ILPs to help eliminate the urban achievement gap and help students 91 achieve at high levels. CFS will give special consideration to applicants who live in or grew up in Hartford or a similar urban setting, and/or speak a second language. The CFS Shared Power model will promote open discussion, healthy debate, and a strong accountability plan. Students and parents will be given a voice in building ILPs, creating school policy, planning events, evaluating learning strategies, and exploring innovative use of technology. Students will be taught to critically think for themselves, learn leadership skills, and take charge of their own learning. CFS will provide Direct Access to Field Experiences and Individualized Learning to help foster student engagement. Field experiences will be tied to ILPs As students come into contact with the world around them they will be inspired to go beyond their isolated circumstances and explore the world through education. CFS believes that we must put Community First to raise a child. CFS will strategically and authentically partner with local non-profits, community-based organizations, local corporations, and government agencies to provide specialized student and family support. Student exposure to enhancement opportunities will lead to an aspiration for greatness, and the motivation to achieve it. CFS seeks to be a solution for the challenges of urban education. Each of these core values was developed with the Promise Zone student population in mind. Working together these core values will meet the needs of the whole child in ways that traditional public schools have not been able to do. Healthy children are more likely to have the skills necessary to make life choices to help reduce the probability of racial, ethnic, and economic isolation. 5. Student Discipline Policies a.) Discuss how Community First School (CFS) will create and maintain a safe and strong learning environment: The CFS core values will facilitate a community approach to creating and maintaining a safe and strong learning environment. CFS behavior management philosophy is rooted in student voice and is culturally relevant, positive, and addresses the needs of the whole child. Instruction is predicated on relationship, student interest, and is highly personalized. The key elements of the CFS plan to create and maintain a safe and strong environment are as follows: o Teacher Training Institute - Teacher development during the six-week summer Institute and ongoing professional development during the school year will involve modules in Trauma Informed Practice, Cultural Competency, and other restorative strategies. Belief in the greatness of each child will be 92 exemplified in a willingness to collaborate with students, and let them take responsibility for building and maintaining a safe and healthy community. o Standards for Academic and Social Excellence - At the beginning of each year students and staff will create and/or refine the “Community Strong” standards for academic and social excellence. Additional classroom contracts will be designed by each class in collaboration with the teacher to establish a classroom community of learners that fits inside the standards. Each classroom will be designed to have a warm and safe home atmosphere. Furniture, color, artwork, pictures, and other classroom items are strategically oriented to support this atmosphere. o Community-Family-Self Curriculum – The curriculum at CFS will support the CFS safe and strong learning environment. Students are daily reminded of the strength of community working together, the love and nurturing provided through the school family, and individual responsibility to manage self within the larger family and community. The authentic CFS curriculum provides for engaging and experiential learning activities and regular self-monitoring of student work through relevant performance tasks. Short-term attainable goals will ensure students are aware of their growth targets as they participate in the ILP process. o Morning Meetings - Daily all school morning meetings will allow for student reflection, student voice, and mindfulness reminders. Student attendance, progress, and voice will be celebrated. Teachers and other school staff will participate in readings, singing songs, and other messaging to promote the CFS ideals. Excerpts from the “Community Strong” standards for academic and social excellence will be recited as necessary. o Six-Tiered Intervention Process - A six-tiered model will be utilized to define the intervention process. Ultimately this model employs multiple and individualized strategies to promote a high level of student engagement to redirect and restore students to the learning process. The CFS tiered interventions are outlined as follows: 93 CFS 6 Tiered Behavior Intervention Model Tier 1 Intervention during class or school wide initiative for all students. Tier 2 Intervention after class. Referral Process to Restorative Program* Tier 3 Community intervention – short term Tier 4 Community intervention – long term Referral Process to Restorative Program* Tier 5 Administrator intervention Tier 6 Emergency intervention *Evidence of at least three restorative measures will be needed before a student will be referred to the next tier. Each level of intervention will be designed to return students to the first tier, as that is where classroom instruction occurs. The principles guiding the model are to intervene promptly, provide the needed support and training, and restore students to classroom instruction as promptly as possible. There are many benefits when a student is provided with proper mediation and restoration58, including less incentive to misbehave again, increased student learning, and positive relations with peers and staff. Restorative practices bring together those who were harmed and those who did the harm (along with adults representing the interests of the school community) for the purpose of mutual understanding, self-responsibility, community accountability, repairing of harm and relationships, and reintegration of the person causing the harm back into the school community. Tiers 1 and 2 teacher driven prevention, supports, and interventions for all students at CFS are as follows: o Daily morning meeting and community time to establish and re-establish school cultural norms. Daily community meetings are supported by weekly mindfulness activities to help students reduce chronic stress and facilitate relaxation. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/between-the-lines/201605/new-study-reveals-sixbenefits-school-restorative-justice 58 94 o Consequences and interventions to immediately redirect minor problematic behaviors such as, classroom management essentials, effective teacher talk, and prompts that invite engagement. o Structures, routines, and activities that build a high functioning, high performing community of learners such as, prompt feedback, self-reflection, recognition, personal check-ins, formative assessments, and other incentives that support good behavior. o Enhancing regular classroom instruction with habits of self-discipline, and life skill competencies including, explicit behavioral expectations and consistent use of restorative interventions. o Teacher training in accurate diagnosis of student behaviors, taking into account potential triggers of ACEs, learning gaps, and teacher practice including, positive connections with every student, communicating clearly the school non-negotiable list, and collaboratively developing and monitoring the school standards for academic and social excellence. Tiers 3 and 4 school-wide and teacher supports and interventions for less than 50% percent of students at CFS are as follows: o Assigning students to working lunch, and/or providing time for personal reflection and discussion with staff to create a collaborative plan to avoid future situations that might lead to unwanted behaviors. o Required work sessions with a teacher or child development specialist to complete academic assignments designed to reflect upon and end unwanted behaviors. o Accountable consequences and interventions for students who engage in chronic unwanted behaviors including, phone conferences with a parent, teacher-student and/or parent in person conferences, behavior contracts or conduct cards, and regular time to complete reflection and refinement activities. Tiers 5 and 6 automatic school-wide intensive individualized supports and interventions for less than 10% of at CFS students are as follows: o Consequences and interventions carried out by administrators, Child Development Specialists, or student support staff including, referral to the additional CFS restorative measures, small group breakout sessions, school 95 wide work sessions, and referral to community partner agencies for further behavioral refinement. b.) Describe the acts for which a student may be disciplined, including the consequences or range of consequences resulting from such acts: Tier 1 - Specific examples of Tier 1 student acts which may result in a student being disciplined include but are not limited to talking out of turn, not listening to teacher directives, moving in the classroom without permission, refusing to participate in classroom activities, etc. Tier 1 interventions will be as follows:        Teacher positioning, clarifying directions, re-setting expectations and focus Differentiating instruction and scaffolding behavioral norms Creating high interest activities and strategic social groupings Investigating student behavior and targeting gaps Providing for peer teaching or peer counseling Impromptu mini conferences and 1-on-1 instruction PBIS rewards, celebrations, or extracurricular activities Tier 2 - Specific examples of Tier 2 student acts which may result in a student being disciplined include but are not limited to continued talking out of turn, multiple instances of not listening to teacher directives, moving about in an unsafe, but unintentional way in the classroom, continued refusal to participate in classroom activities. Tier 2 interventions will be as follows:         Personal bonding and informal discussions with student Communication with the Child Development Specialist or other support staff Communication with parents and scheduling of a special conference Assigned working lunch with teacher or extra time with support staff Investigation with other teachers and development of a behavior contract PBIS rewards, celebrations, or extracurricular activities Providing for peer teaching or peer counseling Professional development for students and staff in engagement strategies Tier 3 - Specific examples of Tier 3 student acts which may result in a student being disciplined include but are not limited to chronic talking out of turn, chronically not listening to teacher directives, chronically moving in the classroom without permission or in a way that could cause injury to others, chronically refusing to 96 participate in classroom activities, etc. Tier 3 Community Short Term Interventions will be similar to Tiers 1 and 2 but are documented and directed through the referral process.              Teacher positioning, clarifying directions, re-setting expectations and focus Personal bonding and informal discussions with student Differentiating instruction and scaffolding behavioral norms Impromptu mini conferences, peer counseling/tutoring, or 1-on1- instruction Investigating student behavior and targeting gaps PBIS rewards, celebrations, or extracurricular activities Communication with the Child Development Specialist or other support staff Assigned working lunch with teacher, or extra time with support staff Communication with parents and scheduling of a special conference Investigation with other teachers and development of a behavior contract Professional Development for students and staff in engagement strategies Assigned time to Restorative Program Room for a portion of the day Additional time in mindfulness activities Tier 4 - Specific Examples of Tier 4 student acts, which may result in a student being disciplined, include but are not limited to chronic misbehaviors exhibited in Tiers 1 through 3, signs of escalated classroom disruption despite previous interventions, verbal insults, threatening words or body language, forms of bullying, touching other students inappropriately, refusal to participate in any school activities, etc. Tier 4 Community Long Term Interventions are at the next level after Tier 3 and are similarly documented and directed through the referral process.         Ongoing mediation, or regularly scheduled small group breakout sessions Long-term academic support including specific goal setting and tracking Assigned working lunch, extra time with support staff, or other work initiative Weekly and specific communication with parents Assigned time to Restorative Program Room for a portion of the day Specialized support from social worker, psychologist, or learning specialist Specialized academic programming or partnered classwork with mentor Support from community organizations with community service and action Tier 5 - Specific examples of Tier 5 student acts, which may result in a student being disciplined, include but are not limited to chronic misbehaviors exhibited in Tiers 1 through 4, theft, a verbal or minor physical altercation with another student or staff 97 member, vandalism of school property, etc. Tire 5 Administrator Interventions are at the next level after Tier 4 and are similarly documented and directed through the referral process, but include more specialized supports as listed below:         Regular conferences with parents, teachers, or Child Development Specialists Permanent schedule or classroom changes, or loss of privileges Continued, specific, and highly individualized interventions More intensive support from community organizations and mentors Deep support from community organizations with community service Specialized support from social worker, psychologist, or learning specialist Specialized academic programming and time in a Restorative Program Room Regular time working with a medical provider or psychologist Tier 6 - Specific examples of Tier 6 student acts, which will result in an emergency intervention and a student being disciplined, include but are not limited to continued verbal threats, or physical altercations, drug or alcohol possession, weapons possession including knives or other sharp objects, an attempt to harm oneself or others, vandalism of school property or another’s property, etc. While other levels of behavioral training will be engaged and appropriate referrals made, there are situations that require immediate escalation and intervention. Interventions at this level are designed to keep people in the school safe. Interventions may include hospitalization, appropriate restraint, and removal or expulsion. If CFS students are expelled the school will work with parents to establish home based academic services. As CFS will pride itself as being a “no suspension” school, every possible behavior modification intervention will be employed prior to expulsion. Additionally, CFS will rely on staff members’ observation, utilizing the training in Trauma Informed Practice, to identify the signs of potential student negative behaviors, so they can be addressed prior to a student acting out. c.) Describe the CFS policies regarding student expulsion and suspension (in-and out-of-school) for both general education and students identified as special education, and the educational alternatives available to students who are expelled or suspended. In addition, please include the due process procedures the school would follow in applying the discipline policy for all students, including students identified for special education: 98 CFS will be a “no suspension” school. When community norms are abused or broken a series of graduated (tiered) interventions will be implemented. CFS staff will be trained in recognizing the root causes of inappropriate student behavior and appropriate interventions to deescalate and redirect behavior. Suspensions, both inschool and out-of-school, will be the school’s absolute last option; particularly in light of a significant body of research showing a high number of in school and out of school suspensions for minority children in charter schools or large urban districts.59 Certain behaviors will be on the school non-negotiable list, which will lead to immediate referral. These will include acts that cause a serious disruption to the educational process. These acts will include fighting or physical violence, use or possession of illegal drugs or alcohol, possession of a weapon, and theft. Students referred may participate in small group breakout sessions, school wide work sessions, and/or referral to community partner agencies for further behavioral refinement. Parents and school staff will be required to be part of the CFS plan to restore students to the general education classroom with expediency. CFS seeks to provide due process to all children and families when applying the discipline policy. Although the Connecticut statutes are silent concerning the burden of proof for students in the general population, CFS aims to treat all discipline cases in accordance with special education case law in that the burden of proof will be on the school. The CFS Teacher Training Institute will ensure all staff members learn strategies to deescalate tension around student misbehavior. Additionally, regular teacher communication with school administration and parents via email will ensure documentation of student progress both academically and behaviorally. When a student exhibits behavior that markedly interrupts the learning process, requiring teacher and school wide action, it will be documented in a specific email to school administration and the staff member that was present will complete a referral. Parents will be notified and a plan to address the cause of the misbehavior will be drafted and implemented. Multiple interventions will be utilized for students who disrupt the learning process and each will be documented in the student’s ILP. For students who qualify for Special Rudd, Tom. Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity: The Ohio State University. (February 2014). Racial Disproportionality in School Discipline: Implicit Bias is Heavily Implicated. Retrieved from http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/racial-disproportionality-in-school-disciplineimplicit-bias-is-heavily-implicated/ 59 99 Education services, all behavioral supports are documented through the Student Assistance Team process and changes may be made to the child’s IEP as necessary. 6. Human Resource Policies a.) Describe the criteria and standards to be followed in the hiring and dismissal of teachers, administrators, and school staff. In addition, please provide a sample job description for a teacher and a principal: CFS seeks to recruit, hire, assign, develop, and retain teachers and staff who have a mindset aligned with the high academic standards, whole child-centered, and relationship based approach. CFS seeks to hire a diverse staff, one that represents the neighborhoods served. CFS will seek to recruit staff from the Promise Zone Neighborhoods of North Hartford or those who have experience living in similar neighborhoods. Specific CFS standards in recruiting and hiring staff include the following: o Belief in the inherent value and greatness of each child. o Belief in the local community and its ability to support and run a great school. o Experience with and enthusiastic about teaching urban students. o Experience in urban settings, cultural competency, and Trauma Informed Practice. o Ability to differentiate instruction in alignment with ILPs. o Experience with and mastery of Common Core Standards. o Demonstrated history of facilitating academic achievement with urban students. o Enthusiastic about the six-week summer and school year portions of the CFS Teacher Training Institute. o Experience in regular communication with parents and partner community groups. Staff members at CFS will be consistently challenged to be their best. The CFS ongoing professional development program will amplify teacher voice and access to the 100 strategies necessary to meet the whole child-centered and relationship-based needs of students. CFS plans to use the Danielson Framework for Teaching in evaluating staff. Teachers will be evaluated according to the timeline established by the CT Department of Education. It is understood that some staff members may require additional coaching to be successful in their efforts to meet the needs of students and families. Those unable to meet the standards of effective teaching set forth in the Danielson Framework for Teaching will receive additional supports as set forth by the CT Department of Education. If adequate progress is not observed after a reasonable period, staff members who are not able to meet proficiency standards will not be retained. Any teacher or staff member who does not adhere to the policies set forth in the CFS Staff Handbook, or displays behavior unbecoming of a CFS employee will also not be retained. In the initial years the Principal and Executive Director positions will be one in the same with combined responsibilities. As CFS becomes more financially sustainable and increases enrollment, it is foreseeable that the potions will be split and a new Principal or Executive Director hired as necessary. For a sample job description for a teacher, Child Development Specialist, Executive Director, and Principal please see Appendix K. b.) Describe the target staff size and teacher-to-student ratio aligned to the school mission, educational philosophy, students served, and budget: CFS will strategically positions staff and resources to meet the needs of the unique student and family demographic served. Research suggests that urban residents are much more likely to have 4 or more instances of adverse childhood experience (ACE) than those who live outside urban areas60. Additionally, those living below the federal poverty line are significantly more likely to have 4 or more instances of ACEs compared to those who live at or above. CFS will be designed to meet the needs of children and families living in North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, where most residents are living below the federal poverty line. For every two grade-level certified teachers, CFS plans to hire one Child Development Specialist with a social work or Special Education background. These grade level teams will work to develop lessons within the curriculum that are standards-based, hands-on, project-based, engaging, aligned to 60 http://www.instituteforsafefamilies.org/philadelphia-urban-ace-study 101 ILPs, and culturally responsive. These lessons will be taught in an environment that is supportive and loving. Additionally, many community partners will provide additional staffing, academic, and co-curricular support for students. This sense of community, authentic partnership, and an example of community support creates an aspiration for greatness within students, and the motivation to achieve it. Community partners support CFS through expertise in character development, oversight and measurement, community engagement, and field learning experiences. c.) Discuss how Community First School (CFS) will attract, retain, and develop high quality teachers and school leaders and comply with state requirements regarding teacher certification: CFS is already in the beginning stages of recruiting staff for the school. The CFS founding BoD has substantial experience working with students and families in the city of Hartford, and collectively possess an impressive network of educational professionals. The school founder, Mr. Timothy Goodwin, has been an educational leader in the region for over 20 years. This experience and the ongoing CFS promotional efforts have created a positive atmosphere around the school’s mission and potential, attracting many individuals seeking to serve as teachers and staff to the North Hartford Promise Zone neighborhoods. CFS will provide a robust professional development program for all teachers, and tailor segments to various levels of experience and subject area specialty. In this way, teachers will continue to be challenged to grow as pedagogues and community leaders. As the school grows to serve additional grades and students, CFS will create more teacher leader positions, to satisfy staff that wish to take on additional responsibility for an additional stipend, in the areas of instructional leadership, curriculum development, and community engagement. This will reduce teacher attrition and help ensure that the strongest teachers stay at the school in roles that benefit CFS students and also suit their long-term professional ambitions. CFS will comply with the CT requirements regarding teacher certification. CFS will also seek methods to promote and create pathways toward teacher certification for Hartford residents on staff who demonstrate a mindset aligned with the CFS whole child-centered and relationship based approach. 102 d.) Describe procedures to document efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity of staff: Currently, more than 75% of teachers in Hartford are White 61 , yet the student population is over 90% Black or Hispanic. The following table 62 shows that the number of White teachers has increased over the past 8 years. CFS is committed to increasing racial and ethnic diversity of staff. All efforts will be documented and data collected in order to provide the information necessary to replicate successful efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity of staff. CFS seeks to recruit, hire, assign, develop, and retain teachers and staff who have a mindset aligned with the whole child-centered and relationship based approach. CFS seeks to hire staff that represents the neighborhoods served. CFS will seek to recruit staff from the Promise Zone Neighborhoods of North Hartford or those who have experience living in similar neighborhoods. The team anticipates disseminating teacher recruitment materials at houses of worship, community-based organizations, family service centers, and local colleges of education. Online platforms, such as the Teach for America alumni job board, may also be considered. CFS also plans to seek funding to help Hartford residents overcome the challenges associated with professional advancement and certification. CFS support staff will be encouraged to seek teacher certification through the Alternate Route program or other methods and provide support and funding when appropriate. All efforts will be documented and data collected in order to provide the information necessary to replicate successful efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity of staff. 61 http://www.ctserc.org/assets/documents/equity/minority-teachers.pdf 62http://jonathanpelto.com/2016/03/03/malloy-calls-record-cuts-minority-teaching-programs- cotto-asks-black-latin-teachers-hartford-go/ 103 e.) Describe the human resource policies governing salaries and fringe benefits, personnel contracts, and affirmative action and benefits packages: CFS will seek to provide comparable salaries for staff with industry norms and other Hartford Public School (HPS) district personnel. In order to be competitive for talented teacher candidates, all staff will have the option of participating in CFS health insurance and 403b retirement plan options. CFS will establish a transparent salary schedule and staff policies with the intention of attracting and retaining the highest quality personnel. CFS founders have become aware of a slightly negative connotation associated with public charter schools and magnet schools in the Hartford region. Some sentiment is that public charter schools come to Hartford and administrator’s high salaries are at the expense of the impoverished communities served. Therefore, it is part of the CFS initiative to maintain the highest standards in terms of transparency and the appearance thereof. In this vein, CFS will set all administrator salaries just below the HPS district average, with the potential for a discretionary student achievementbased bonus, in order to promote and affirm the transparent and humble nature of the CFS mission. f.) Describe how Community First School (CFS) will evaluate teachers and administrators. In particular, explain how the school will implement the Connecticut Guidelines for Educator Evaluation by (1) indicating that the governing council intends to adopt the System for Educator Evaluation and Development (SEED) model for teacher and administrator evaluation and development that meets the “Core Requirements” outlined in the Connecticut Guidelines for Educator Evaluation: CFS will utilize the System of Educator Evaluation and Development (SEED) model aligned to the Connecticut Guidelines for Educator Evaluation. CFS will consider multiple standards-based measures of performance, promote both professional judgment and consistency, foster dialogue about student learning, provide extensive teacher training in key instructional strategies for urban children, and ensure feasibility of implementation. CFS will use the Danielson Framework for Teaching as its main evaluative measure for teacher effectiveness. CFS will use the SEED Handbook for Educator Evaluation and Support to guide teacher and administrator evaluation policies and procedures. Teacher performance, parent feedback, student growth and development, and whole school student learning indicators will be scored and recorded according to the state timeline and framework outlined in the handbook. 104 Other specific CFS components that will be used in monitoring teacher and administrator effectiveness include, but are not limited to ongoing and regular parent communication, development and adherence to ILPs, and additional culturally responsiveness measures. 7. Child Day Care Services a.) Indicate if child day care services will be provided (i.e., preschool and/or before and after school services to children). If yes, please indicate the age range of the children Community First School (CFS) would serve in the program(s): CFS plans to add a prekindergarten program for children in its second year of operation, and continue from then on. CFS will not provide day care for teachers or staff in its first year. 8. Student Health and Welfare a.) Describe the Community First School plan for the provision of services to students: school nurse, C.G.S. 10-212; vision and hearing screening, C.G.S. 10-214; immunization requirements, C.G.S. 10-204a; and mandatory health assessments, C.G.S. 10-206 and 10-206a: CFS will employ a part-time school nurse. The school nurse will be responsible for maintaining all health and immunization records of students. Regular vision, hearing, dental and other health services will be facilitated by CFS. These services will be coordinated by the school nurse and provided by community-based partners. As the school scales to serve a larger student population, the nurse position will become full time to ensure sufficient capacity. 105 IV. SCHOOL VIABILITY 1. Building Options a.) Describe the present options for a Community First School building including, location, capacity, and timeline for identifying and acquiring the facility: Upon receiving a state charter, CFS will work with the Hartford Board of Education (HBoE) and the City of Hartford to determine the best site for the school. CFS will be happy to negotiate a lease with the City of Hartford for a city owned building, in one of the Promise Zone neighborhoods. CFS has begun discussions with city officials to inquire about leasing space in current under enrolled elementary school buildings. Additionally, CFS will explore other lease options including the current office at 2550 Main Street, as the 2nd floor at this location was outfitted for a school and previously used as such. b.) Explain why this facility would be suitable for the proposed school, including any plans and associated timelines to renovate and bring the facility into compliance with all applicable school building codes: Upon being granted a state charter CFS will work with the HBoE and the City of Hartford to determine a potential site and time frame for potential upgrades needed to improve the viability of the facility. 2. Financial Plan a.) Present a pre-opening budget statement detailing estimated start-up activities that are not reflected in the projected five-year budget statement. To provide a full understanding of the statement, please include a budget narrative explaining the projected amounts reported in the budget by line item and by year. Please see Pre-Opening Budget Statement in Appendix L Revenue: The Principal/Executive Director will secure approximately $150,000 in private contributions to cover expenses during this period. The US Internal Revenue Service recently recognized CFS as an independent 501c3 non-profit organization. For a copy of the IRS determination letter please see Appendix M. For a detailed narrative of proposed Principal/Executive Director, Timothy R. Goodwin’s fundraising experience and past performance please see Strength of Organizational Effort, Section 4a. 106 Expenses: During the pre-opening period, the Principal/Executive Director and Dean will be paid starting January 2018 to recruit staff and students as well as manage facility planning and other issues. The Operations Manager will start in April of 2018 in so that they can order furniture and supplies, process employment paperwork, and set up classroom and other facility areas to ensure readiness for teacher training periods. Other expenses during this period are for recruiting staff and students. The School will obtain no-cost office space from a partner organization for this period. b.) Present a projected five-year budget statement detailing the estimated financial activity of the proposed school for the first five years of operation. The statement should contain all commitments proposed in the application. To provide a full understanding of the statement, please include a budget narrative explaining the projected amounts reported in the budget by line item and by year. 
 Please see the CFS Five-Year Budget Statement in Appendix L. Revenue: The primary source of revenue for the School will come from state perpupil payments. That amount is conservatively forecast to remain set at $11,000 per student for the five years of the first charter. Enrollment will start at 120 students in grades K-2, and increases in year two with the addition of Pre-K and grade 3. Thereafter the school increases enrollment by 40 students per year. Student entitlement revenue includes only Title I funds, forecast at $720 per student; this average is based on other charter schools’ Title I allocations for FY 2017. Private philanthropy will be fundraised for Years 1-3; by Year 4 the School becomes selfsustaining on public revenue alone, as certain fixed costs (staff leadership, other startup expenses) do not increase exponentially as the enrollment increases. Expenses: The majority of expenses are for staff compensation. Non-personnel expenses have been calculated using standards developed by other Connecticut charter schools and updated to reflect the structure and program of the School. Each line item in the budget has been annotated to show what assumptions and drivers were used for the budget lines. c.) Present a projected cash flow statement for year one of operation to show the estimated movement of funds in and out of the proposed school for year one of operation. The statement must include a plan for funding cash flow shortfalls. The statement should indicate an understanding of when grant funds will be available. 
 Please see Cash Flow Statement in Appendix L 107 Revenue: The forecast is for the per-pupil revenue to be paid four times per year. The first claim for Title I funds will occur no later than November; thereafter it will be claimed monthly. One-half of private donations will be secured prior to the school opening, with the balance paid in December. As a result, no bridging financing is needed from month-to-month; however, School Management will investigate securing a revolving line of credit from a bank prior to the School’s opening as a contingency measure. Expenses: Start-up expenses, primarily for furniture and other items needed at the time school starts, have been forecast for July and August. Most other expenses have been divided evenly across the 12 months. d.) Present a schedule of borrowings and repayments. Please identify any estimated funds borrowed (loans, notes, mortgages, etc.), including the source of the funds, repayment schedule, and purpose of the borrowing. The schedule of borrowings and repayments should be aligned to the pre-opening budget, projected five-year budget, and cash flow statement. 
 As stated in c.) above, the School does not anticipate having to borrow funds; however, as a contingency CFS will explore securing a business revolving line of credit as a contingency.
 e.) Explain the structure for managing the proposed school’s finances; please include any fiscal staff positions, required qualifications, and job duties. 
 The CFS BoD will have the ultimate responsibility for overseeing the finances of the school; their role is described in Section f.) below. CFS intends to contract with a firm experienced in Connecticut charter school financial management to provide bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, treasury management and other services. The financial management firm will develop fiscal policies and procedures for School leadership to review and the board to approve. However, the Principal/Executive Director, Dean and Operations Manager will be responsible for day-to-day financial operations such as purchasing, as well as top-level approvals of any contracts, payroll changes, and other executive decisions. Fiscal responsibilities are summarized below: Board of Trustees: The Treasurer will be the primary trustee responsible for working with the Principal/Executive Director and Financial Consultant to ensure sound financial governance, and approve financial policies and procedures. The Treasurer will also approve the annual budget and budget amendments presented by 108 management, engage a firm to conduct the annual audit or reviews, and will approve the audit. Lastly, the Treasurer will also review quarterly financial statements, and approve expenditures greater than a fixed amount, to be determined by the BoD. Principal/Executive Director: In conjunction with a financial consulting firm, develops annual budget, fiscal policies and procedures; reviews budget to actual reports, signs all checks and approves payroll, approves contracts. For expenditures greater than predetermined amount, obtains signature of designated board member. Obtains bank statements and reviews reconciliations performed by financial consulting firm. Operations Manager: Responsible for all purchasing processes, but does not authorize payments. Responsible for providing financial consulting firm with information needed to pay bills, issue payroll, and conduct other financial operations. Maintains personnel files and any on-site files such as accounts payable and receivable. Financial Consulting Firm is responsible for all bookkeeping and accounting as well as issuing internal and external financial reports. Files claim reports for state/federal grants. Enters payroll into system. Utilizes GAAP system (possibly QuickBooks Online) to record all accounting transactions. Processes accounts payable; records revenue deposits. Generates internal budget to actual reports, balance sheets, and other management reports as needed. Manages annual audit process and provides auditors with all needed information. Provides financial management advice to leadership and board. f.) Describe the fiscal controls and financial management policies the governing council will employ to provide oversight of the proposed school’s financial position. Please be sure to describe a sound financial management system utilizing GAAP with adequate systems of internal controls. Also, please describe how the school will track finances in its daily business operations. 
 Fiscal Policies and Procedures: The financial consulting firm will create a comprehensive set of fiscal policies and procedures, customized to follow Connecticut Charter School Law as well as all applicable federal, state and local regulations. The manual will be reviewed by the external audit firm, and reviewed and approved by the board of trustees. The financial consulting firm will train all applicable school staff in the procedures. 109 Financial Management System: The financial consultant will utilize computerized accounting software, (possibly QuickBooks online or other GAAP compliant system) to record all financial transactions. This system will be password-protected so that only authorized individuals can obtain access. The financial consultant will create a standard chart of accounts that the school will use to track finances in its daily business operations. Internal Controls: The school will implement sound fiscal controls including separation of duties and compensating controls wherever possible in the areas of payroll, purchasing, treasury management and other areas. For example, two signatures will be required for expenditures or contract approvals over a predetermined amount. 3. Self-Evaluation and Accountability a.) Describe the proposed school’s self-assessment or evaluation system to ensure that it is: (1) demonstrating educational progress of students; (2) meeting its stated mission and goals; (3) making sufficient efforts to attract, enroll and retain students from among the populations described in C.G.S. § 10-66bb(c)(A)(i) to (A)(vi); and (4) making efforts to reduce racial, ethnic, and/or economic isolation. CFS will plan to utilize a model, such as the Personalized Learning Implementation Framework 63 published by Education Elements in 2016 to provide a clearly articulated structure for the evaluation of student progress. The framework identifies 25 focus areas for schools and districts and is considered “an invaluable tool to help teams articulate their strengths and areas of need…[in]designing, launching, and scaling personalized learning.” The creators of the framework note that the tool helps teams build a common language for talking about personalized learning, and “align their vision to make changes to instruction, curriculum, operations, support, and more.” Please see the illustration below, for an overview of the 25 focus areas. 63 https://www.edelements.com/personalized-learning-district-framework 110 The CFS team plans to evaluate the extent to which it is achieving its mission and goals. This self-evaluation framework aligns with CFS’s core values and unique philosophy, while keeping a focus on increased student academic growth. A clear vision, supports for teachers, curriculum alignment, and devices/digital tools for student learning and data analysis will all be necessary for CFS’s successful selfevaluation. The CFS Assessment Calendar adds to the CFS evaluation design as it provides a schedule for standardized testing and additional results to be studied by the Guided Data Team to demonstrate the educational progress of students. As the school progresses toward meeting its stated mission and goals, the Guided Data Team process will inform adjustments to be made in teaching and learning to provide real time instructional change at the classroom level and ensure continued growth. CFS will track its efforts in the local community, providing pre and post surveys to all 111 community partners. CFS will also tack all efforts to attract, enroll and retain students from Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, as well as attendance rates for parents and family members at regular parent support meetings. CFS will monitor all student and family data in an effort to increase student achievement and provide wrap around support to families in order to reduce racial, ethnic, and/or economic isolation. CFS will purchase a data management system prior to opening to help manage all student and family academic, social emotional, and demographic data in an effort to provide up to date and accurate reports. 4. Timetable a.) Provide a detailed timetable of projected activities and dates leading to the opening of the proposed school. The timetable should include, at least, activities related to community outreach, student enrollment, curriculum development, recruiting and hiring high-quality teachers and leaders, and building acquisition. Community First School (CFS) plans to open for students in grades K-2 in August of 2018. CFS proposes to open with 40 students in each grade level for a total of 120 students. Each year the school will add a new Kindergarten class of 40 students as other students matriculate up through the school. Understanding the current budget climate in the state of Connecticut, CFS would defer opening until August 2019 if necessary, but would much rather open sooner than later, as parents within the Promise Zone neighborhoods are in desperate need of the CFS model now. In year 2, CFS will seek to add a pre-school program. At the end of the five-year charter term the school will be a Pre-K-6 school with the intention of growing to a full Pre-K8 model in subsequent years. CFS support service curriculum will be designed to ensure staff members stay connected to students and families as they matriculate into high school and college. It is expected that most students will attend the new Weaver High School, yet the support service office will provide families with the information necessary to explore a variety of options including independent, parochial, magnet schools, or other charter schools. A start up schedule is as follows: General Organizational o Charter Application Due, July 1 through August 15. o Charter Received, Fall 2017. 112 o Begin development activities including fundraising events, creating an individual donor database, and writing funding proposals immediately upon receiving the charter. o Principal/Executive Director continues to work on authentic CFS curriculum, building out addition grade level maps, tools, and unit plans, as depicted in the proposed planning tool (Appendix A8) November 2017 - June 2018. o CFS has already established its 501c3 non-profit status (Appendix M) and the BoD has been functioning for over one year. However, CFS will conduct a BoD retreat immediately upon receiving the charter to establish strategy and enhanced cohesiveness, Fall 2017. o Initiate the first six-week summer Teacher Training Institute, July -August 2018. o Funding Provided by CT Legislature, Spring 2018, and opening, August 2018. Staff Recruitment and Appointment o Hire the Principal/Executive Director, Fall 2017 and Operations Manager and Academic Dean, Winter 2018, and establish initial operational systems. o Market and promote the school to potential teachers through media outlets that help with teacher recruitment immediately upon receiving the charter until all positions are filled. o Hire Staff after careful screening process, April-June 2018. Facilities and Transportation o Work with the City of Hartford, Private entities, and the Hartford HBoE to establish leasing options and secure a facility, November 2017 - February 2018. o Work with the HBoE to negotiate transportation and potentially other services including Special Education, and breakfast, lunch, snack, and other food services, November 2017 - May 2018. o Meet with the HBoE to discuss student meal services, and collect quotes from other service providers in order to determine the most cost effective and quality food options for students, January-March 2018. o Facilities Acquisition, finalizing financing and acquisition as necessary, February - March 2018. 113 o Minor facilities renovations, March - June 2018. o Order school supplies such as desks, chairs, technology, etc., January-March 2018 o Final decision on food service provider for students May - June 2018. o Additional meetings with HBoE to establish bus routes based upon enrollment projections, July 2018. o Final school building prep, delivery and set up of equipment, and other preopening tasks, April - July 2018. Student Services, Enrollment o Begin marketing to families in North Hartford Promise Zone neighborhoods concerning the school opening and student recruitment including the lottery procedures, November 2017 - February 2018. o Open the CFS application process to North Hartford Promise Zone Families, February through April 2018. o Families submit enrollment forms in hard copy or online through the CFS Website, February - April 2018. o Announce students accepted through the lottery system, April 2018. 5. Transportation a.) Describe the plan for transporting students from within the local school district to and from the proposed school. Please detail any arrangements that have been made with the local school board(s). If the school plans to implement an extended-day or extended-year program that requires transportation beyond what the district provides, please detail any arrangements that have been made to transport these students. If necessary, please indicate what transportation options, if any, are available for out-of- district students. CFS will work with the local Hartford Public School district to arrange transportation once the charter is received. CFS does not see transportation as a significant cost to the local district as all residents will come from North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, and many parents will choose to walk their children to and from school. One of the desires, as indicated through comments gathered during the CFS “Listening Tour”, was for parents to have a high quality school in the neighborhood, 114 so they would not have to bus their children long distances each day. If CFS is granted a charter, these parents will be ecstatic to have a high quality school close to home for their children. 115 V. PREFERENCES 1. Serving High-Need Student Populations a.) Pursuant to C.G.S. § 10-66bb(c)(3)(A), an applicant may be considered for this preference if you intend to be a charter school whose primary purpose is the establishment of an education program designed to serve one or more of the following high-need student populations: (1) students with a history of low academic performance; (2) students who receive free or reduced-price lunch, pursuant to federal law and regulations; (3) students with a history of behavioral and social difficulties; (4) students identified as requiring special education; (5) students who are English language learners; or (6) students of a single gender. Please indicate the high-need student population(s) that the proposed school would serve, and describe in no more than 250 words how the services and educational programs of the school would lead to academic achievement for such students. The SBE will also consider all applicable sections of the application. 
 CFS will serve all but one of the above mentioned high needs student populations including students with a history of low academic performance, students who receive free or reduced-price lunch, pursuant to federal law and regulations, students with a history of behavioral and social difficulties, students identified as requiring special education, and students who are English language learners. b.) Pursuant to C.G.S. § 10-66bb(c)(3)(E), an applicant may be considered for this preference if you demonstrate highly credible and specific strategies to attract, enroll and retain students from among the populations described above. Please indicate the high-need student population(s) that the proposed school would serve, and describe in no more than 250 words how the school would attract, enroll and retain students from these populations. 
 As mentioned above, CFS will serve all but one of the above-mentioned high needs student populations. Members of the CFS founding team and BoD have already begun a highly effective campaign to involve the community, not only in recruiting students, but also to create the school design. The CFS highly credible and specific community engagement strategies are listed as follows: o Founding members hosted numerous events to solicit input from parents 116 and other community stakeholders on ideas and desires for a high performing community school. o CFS hosted “The Listening Tour” with four dates from May 2016 – November 2016, and “The Build Up Tour” with three dates from January 2017 – May 2017. All events were very well attended. For pictures of community events and feedback from the community please see Appendices B and H. o CFS founders and BoD have been meeting with local community partners to share their ideas for the school. Many have pledged support for the project including support to inform the community of the schools opening and help recruit students and parents. They are the West Indian Social Club, Wilson Gray YMCA, Artists Collective, The Gifted Onez Performing Arts Company, Hartford’s Proud Drum Drill and Dance, Hartford City Mission, Hartford Communities That Care, Blue Hills Civic Association, and many more. o CFS Founders and BoD members have canvassed the local Promise Zone neighborhoods, sharing information about CFS with parents at local events and block parties, playgrounds, rec centers, houses of worship, and local day care facilities. o CFS will continue the already successful efforts to attract and enroll students, but ramp up efforts once a charter is granted including placing ads in local community publications, making public service announcements on local media outlets, placing flyers and/or applications with all community partner agencies, and hosting multiple fundraising and community events with a goal of at least 3 news releases per month. 2. Improving the Academic Performance of an Existing School with Substandard Performance a. Pursuant to C.G.S. § 10-66bb(c)(3)(B), an applicant may be considered for this preference if the proposed school’s primary purpose is to improve the academic performance of an existing school that has consistently demonstrated substandard academic performance, as determined by the Commissioner. Please indicate the school that you intend to turn around and describe your 117 discussions to date, if any, with the local school district. In deciding whether to award this preference, the SBE will consider your response as well as all applicable sections of the application. CFS is open to working with the Hartford Public School district to turn around a school in one of the Promise Zone neighborhoods, or be housed in a currently used, but under enrolled school building. At this point there have been initial conversations with the district that will ramp up once the charter is granted. 3. Opening in a Priority School District or District with at Least 75 Percent Racial or Ethnic Minority Enrollment a. Pursuant to C.G.S. § 10-66bb(c)(3)(C) and (D), an applicant will be awarded this preference if the proposed school would open in a Priority School District or a district with at least seventy-five percent racial or ethnic minority enrollment. Please indicate the district where the school would operate. CFS will be located in a Priority School District with greater than 75% racial or ethnic minority enrollment. For more information on the demographic information of North Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, please see Appendix J. 4. Being a Higher Education Institution a. Pursuant to C.G.S. § 10-66bb(c)(3)(F), an applicant will be awarded this preference if the applicant is an institution of higher education. CFS does not have plans to be at an institution of higher education. 5. Locating at a Work Site a. Pursuant to C.G.S. § 10-66bb(c)(3)(F), an applicant will be awarded this preference if the applicant plans to locate its proposed school at a work site. A work site is a facility shared by another school or business. Please describe the work site where the school would be located. Upon receiving a state charter, CFS will work with the Hartford Board of Education (HBoE) and the City of Hartford to determine the best site for the school. CFS will be happy to negotiate a lease with the City of Hartford for a city owned building, in one of the Promise Zone neighborhoods. As the City of Hartford needs to increase 118 enrollment at North Hartford neighborhood schools, CFS is also happy to negotiate a lease for part of an existing school building that is currently under enrolled in one of the three Promise Zone neighborhoods. 119 Appendix A CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3 August 27 - December 14 December 17 - March 22 March 25 - June 14 Family Me & My Community Theme Community Community Yearlong Learning Product: A Scientific Journal, A Garden Design & Plot, A Gardener’s Market, Botanical Drawings of a Seed, Plant, Leaf, Flower, Fruit, and Vegetable (Cut and Whole) As a classroom community, students will co-create a garden, after an investigation of community gardening, vermiculture, pollination, seeds, plants, and gardening. They will research books, worms, birds, seeds, community resources, and food plans. Their final product will be an individualized scientific journal, through which they demonstrated their expertise as gardeners. This journal will inform their contribution as a classroom community to a school garden that can nourish their own community. The class will need to work as a team to design a garden and garden plot that results in a healthy food plant, and use the tools of mathematics and civic discussion to function synergistically as they solve the real problems of determining how to best cultivate their seedlings. Through caring for a classroom compost bin, they’ll develop a sense of rules, solving authentic problems using social emotional learning from their Responsive Classroom, the school’s core values, and focusing on taking responsibility for their classroom community, individually and collectively. For the garden market, they’ll be creating accurate botanical illustrations of their seeds and seedlings, to help inform the community about the properties of their chosen plant. They will also make an informational text, and use the expertise of local community members to determine what makes a good home. Their work will be presented to a community audience with a celebration of learning, which will include all of the key learning products, demonstrating their knowledge in the disciplines of science and social studies, and integrating CCSS literacy and math competence. Please see the Standards, Targets, and Assessments Planning Tool for details, standards alignment, and formative assessment tasks leading to the culminating product. CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Compelling Questions & Case Studies Compelling Questions: Compelling Questions: Compelling Questions: Compelling Questions: How is a community’s culture represented in its food? What is dirt? What is a seed and how do seeds become plants? How can we help our community eat healthy? Where does its food come from? Can we make a dirt factory? How can we work as a community to do this? Can we grow plants without dirt? How can we collaborate to grow plants? What is a harvest? What makes a good home? Case Study: How do birds and plants depend on each other? Case Study: What’s Growing at Knox Park? The Dirt on Dirt & Wiggly Worms at Work How does a family nurture its young? www.knoxhartford.org www.lifelab.org How does observation help us learn? Weeks: Aug. 27 - Oct. 26 Weeks: Oct. 29 - Dec. 14 How do scientists keep track of their observations? Learning Modules Case Study: Hydroponics Lab The American Robin Weeks: Dec. 17 - March 1 What do gardeners do? What do gardeners need to succeed? Case Study: Garden Plot Design Weeks: March 4 - June 14 CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Big Ideas Big Ideas: Big Ideas: Big Ideas: Big Ideas: Farmers contribute to their communities by providing goods and services. Soil has many different components of which all living things are dependent. Offspring have characteristics that are similar to, but not exactly like their parents. Gardens support a variety of plants and animals that use its resources in different ways. A worm’s body parts serve different purposes that benefit the environment. An organism is a living thing that has physical characteristics that help it survive. Plants and animals are affected by weather and changing seasons. A plants’ parts exist to meet its basic needs; these parts affect whether a plant can grow in a given climate or condition. Communities need fresh and healthy foods. People’s foods reflect their culture. Communities need cooperation, responsibility and communication. Soil supports a variety of living things that use its resources in different ways. People, families, and communities create gardens and grow food to feed themselves and to provide food for others to eat and/or grow. Big Ideas Habitats support the plants and animals with food and We can attract plants and shelter. animals to our garden. Different plants and animals need different types of homes and habitat. We can become citizen scientists. CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Authentic Assessment - Integrating all Content Standards Relevant Performance Tasks Performance Tasks: Performance Tasks: Performance Tasks: Performance Tasks: Fruit and vegetable mystery cards. Dirty work - Making classroom compost. Garden design and plot. Water color renditions of fruits and vegetables. Factory manual of job descriptions and community rules. Scientific Observational Journal - A daily journal of a seed’s growth in dirt and in a hydroponics lab. This includes data, sketches, diagrams, text, photos, and will eventually require a table of contents, index, page numbers, etc. Descriptions of plants. Rules for worms. Community Garden map. Creating a non-fiction text from nature walks at Keney Park Nest Discovery - photo journal, captions, sketches, and descriptions. Brochures with UR codes for Keney Park to use for nature walks. A Farmer’s Market - with advertisements for seedlings and herbs and trips to the North End Farmer’s Market and the Market at Billings Forge. Botanical Drawings of seeds, plants, leaves, flowers, fruit, and vegetables (cut and whole). CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Standards Alignment CDE Standards: CDE Standards: NGSS: NGSS: Life Science Earth Science Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Two - Each plan or animal has different structures or behaviors that serve different functions. (2) Earths materials can be compared and classified based on their population. (1) Structure and Properties of Matter Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties. (2PS1-1) A plant is dependent on water and light to grow. (2-LS2-1) Earth Science Science Standards One - Weather and the changing seasons impact the environment and organisms such as humans, plants, and other animals. (2) Earth’s materials can be broken down and/or combined into different materials such as rocks, minerals, rock cycle, formation of soil, and sand - some of which are usable resources for human activity. (3) NGSS: Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties. (2-PS1-1) Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. (2-PS1-2) A great variety of objects can be built up from a small set of pieces. (2-PS1-3) Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Chemical Reactions Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in depressing seeds or pollinating plants. (2-LS2-2) Heating and cooling a substance may cause changes that can be observed. Sometimes these changes are reversible and sometimes they are not. (2-PS1-4) Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. (2-PS1-2) Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. (2-LS4-1) Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around. (2-LS2-2) Each plant or animal has different structures or behaviors that serve different functions (2LS4) Biodiversity and Humans There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water. (2-LS4-1) Developing Possible Solutions Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. (ETS1.B) CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Standards Alignment C3 Framework: C3 Framework: C3 Framework: C3 Framework: Explain how scarcity necessitates decision making. (D2.Geo.1.k-2) Describe roles and responsibilities of people in authority. (D2.Civ.1.k-2) Explain why and how people, goods, and ideas move from place to place. (D2.Geo.7.k-2) Describe how communities work to accomplish common tasks, establish responsibilities, and fulfill roles of authority. (D2.Civ.6.k-2) Compare how people in different types of communities use local and distant environments to meet their daily needs. (D2.Geo.8.k-2) Apply civic virtues when participating in school settings. D2.Civ.7.k-2) Construct maps, graphs, and other representations of familiar places. (D2.Geo.2.k-2) Use maps, graphs, photographs and other representations to describe places and the relationships and interactions that shape them. (D2.Geo.2.k-2) Social Studies Standards Explain how weather, climate, and other environmental characteristics affect people’s lives in a place or region. (D2.Geo.4.k-2) Describe how human activities affect the cultural and environmental characteristics of places or regions. (D2.Geo.5.k-2) Explain how all people, not just official leaders, play important roles in a community. (D2.Civ.1.k-2) Explain the need for and purposes of rules in various settings inside and outside of school. (D2.Civ.3.k-2) Explain what governments are and some of their functions. (D2.Civ.5.k-2) Describe how communities work to accomplish common tasks, establish responsibilities, and fulfill roles of authority. (D2.Civ.6.k-2) Explain how people can work together to make decisions in the classroom. (D2.Civ.11.k-2) Identify and explain how rules function in public. (D2.Civ.12.k-2) Identify and explain a range of local, regional, and global problems, and some ways in which people are trying to address them. (D4.6.k-2) Identity ways to take action to help address local, regional, or global problems. (D4.7.k-2) Use listening, consensus building, and voting procedures to decide on and take action in the classroom. (D4.8.k-2) Describe the connections between the physical environment of a place and the economic activities found there. (D2.Geo.9.k-2) Explain how the consumption of products connects people to distant places. (D2.Geo11.k-2) Construct an argument with reasons. (D4.1.k-2) Construct explanations using correct sequence and relevant information. (D4.2.k-2) Present a summary of an argument using print, oral, and digital technologies. (D4.3.k-2) Describe democratic principles such as equality, fairness, and respect for legitimate authority and rules. (D2.Civ.7.k-2) Follow agreed upon rules for discussions while responding attentively to others when addressing ideas and making decisions in a group. (D2.Civ.9.k-2) Describe how people have tried to improve their communities over time. (D2.Civ.14.k-2) Describe the skills and knowledge required to produce certain goods and services. (D2.Eco.3.k-2) Identify prices of products in a local market. (D2.Eco.5.k-2) Explain how people earn income. (D2.Eco.6.k-2) Describe examples of cost of production. (D2.Eco.7.k-2) Identify different kinds of historical sources. (D2.His.9.k-2) CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Standards Alignment CCSS ELA/Literacy Connections: Each standard is listed due to the cyclical nature of the modules and the re-referencing of the standards as teachers drill down and reinforce key learning targets. RI.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. (NGSS-2-PS1-4) RI.2.3 Describe the connections between a series of historical events, scientific ideas of concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. (NGSS-2-PS1-4) RI.2.8 Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text. (NGSS-2-PS1-2,4) English Language Arts Standards RI.2.9 Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. (2-ESS2-1) W.2.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. (NGSS-2-PS1-4) W.2.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. (2-ESS2-3) W.2.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (read a number of books on a single topic and produce a report; record science observations). (NGSS-2-PS1-3) W2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provide sources to answer a question. (NGSS-2-PS1-3) SL2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. (2-ESS1-1) SL.2.5 Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences where appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. (2-ESS1-2) CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Anchor Texts (Additional texts and Lexile measures to be added) Literary Read Aloud: Student Reading: Anchor Text: Literary Read Aloud: The Year of Billy Miller, by Kevin Henkes Diary of a Worm by Noreen Crowne Jack and The Beanstalk The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Vegetables, by June Loves From Bird Poop to, by Ellen Lawrence City Green, by Dyanne Di Salva Inch by Inch, by Leo Leonni English Language Arts Standards Dirt, by Ellen Lawrence Look Inside a Robin’s Nest, by Megan C. Peterson The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart Robins, by Lisa J. Amstutz Little Robin Redbreast (ELL), by Shari Halpern Mr. Robin and The Very Clever Worm, by Susan Rocha A Nest is Noisy, by Mina Hurts Aston and Sylvia Long Birds Build Nests, by Yvonne Owens There will also be a Foundational Literacy Block for reading and language instruction with whole class, skills-based groupings, and literacy centers (additionally readers and writers workshops) Read Aloud (20 mins), Phonics (25 mins), Comprehension Skills (25 mins), Guided and Independent Reading (25-50 mins) CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Standards Alignment CCSS Mathematics: Each standard is listed due to the cyclical nature of the modules and the re-referencing of the standards as teachers drill down and reinforce key learning targets. M1 Sums and differences to 20 M2 Addition and subtraction of length units M3 Place value, counting, and comparison of numbers to 100 M4 Addition and subtraction within 200 with word problems to 100 M5 Addition and subtraction wishing 1000 with word problems to 100 M6 Foundations of multiplication and division M7 Problem solving with length, money, and data M8 Time, shapes, and fractions as equal parts of shapes MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (NGSS-2-LS2,4-1) MP.4 Model with mathematics. (NGSS-2-LS2,4-1) Mathematics Standards MP.5 Draw a picture graph and a bar graph to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together take-apart, and compare problems. (NGSS-2-LS2-2) 2.OA.1 Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one and two step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking apart, and comparing with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. 2.OA.2 Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers. 2.OA.3 Determine whether a group of objects has an odd or even number of members by pairing objects or counting them by 2s. Write and equation to express an even number as a sum of two equal addends. 2.OA.4 Use addition to find the total number of objects arranged in rectangular arrays with up to 5 rows and up to 5 columns. Write an equation to express the total as a sum of equal addends. Reason with shapes and their attributes. 2.G.2 Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same size squares and count to find the total number of them. 2.MD1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate told such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes. CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Standards Alignment CCSS Mathematics: Each standard is listed due to the cyclical nature of the modules and the re-referencing of the standards as teachers drill down and reinforce key learning targets. 2.MD.2 Measure etc length of an object twice, using length of units of different lengths for the two measurements. Describe how the two measurements relate to the size of the unit chosen. 2.MD.3 Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters. 2.MD.4 Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length of difference in terms of standard length unit. 2.MD.5 Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve word problems involving lengths that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. 2.MD.6 Represent whole numbers as lengths from 0 on a number line diagram with equally spaced points corresponding to the numbers 0, 1, 2… and represent whole-number sums and differences within 100 on a number line diagram. Mathematics Standards 2.MD.8 Solve word problems involving dollar bills, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, using $ symbols appropriately. 2.MD.9 Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the same object. Show the measurements by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in whole number units. 2.NBT.1 Understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones. 2.NBT.2 Count within 100, skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s. 2.NBT.3 Read and write numbers to 1000 using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. 2.NBT.4 Compare two three-digit numbers used on meaning of the hundreds, tens, and ones digits, using > = and < symbols to record the results of comparisons. 2.NBT.5 Fluently add and subtract with 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction. 2.NBT.8 Mentally add and subtract 10 or 100 to a given number. 2.NBT.9 Explain why addition and subtraction strategies work, using place value and the properties of operations. CFS Authentic 2nd Grade Curriculum Map Standards Alignment A Community of Learners: Engaging Families: Myself as a Learner: Creating a welcoming environment especially through the CFS Family Welcome Center. Norms and feedback protocols. Norms for the school, the classroom, and me. CFS standards for academic and social excellence. Preparing for Student Led Conferences. Morning Meetings Student short and long term goal setting in collaboration with parents and teachers. Interactive Modeling Teacher and Student Voice Morning greetings, introductions, handshakes, questions, and closings. Social Emotional Learning Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) Quiet time and mindfulness Teaching positive behavior (PBIS) Cultural celebrations for students and families. Regular parent coaching sessions in the Responsive Classroom approach. Praise, suggestions, questioning, and discussion circles. Understanding the behaviors that are acceptable and those that are not, from yourself and those around you. Building capacity to identify adverse experiences and strategies to communicate about them, and avoid continued exposure to them. Engaging in the ILP process and identifying progress toward learning targets. CFS Standards Targets Assessments Planning Tool Title Scientists See! Case Study Big Ideas Case Study One: Offspring have characteris0cs that are similar to, but not exactly like their parents. An organism is a living thing that has physical characteris0cs that help it survive. Soil supports a variety of living things that use its resources in different ways. (Indicate the unifying factor for this set of standards, targets, assessments, and series of lessons) Case Study Two: Habitats support the plants and animals with food and shelter. Different plants and animals need different types of homes and habitat. We can become ci0zen scien0sts. Compelling Questions How does observa0on help us learn? How do scien0sts keep track of their observa0ons? How do scien0sts share their learning with others? Kick Off Case Study One: Jack and the Beanstalk First Read Aloud & Delivery through window of “Magic Beans” Case Study Two: Construct a nest using odd objects – e.g., spagheP, gliQer glue, confeP, small Lego bricks, and marshmallows. Grade Level 2nd Disciplines Social Studies, Science, ELA, Mathema0cs Author and Dates Trimester 2, Teacher Name Standards NGSS Interdependent Rela0onships in Ecosystems 2-LS2-1. Plan and conduct an inves0ga0on to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. 2-PS1-1 Plan and conduct an inves0ga0on to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable proper0es. Long Term Targets I can plan and conduct an experiment to see if plants need water, dirt, and sunlight to grow. Suppor6ng Targets Assessments for Learning Assessment of Learning (Formative) (Summative) I can determine if an object is a seed or a non-seed. Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal – Daily Entries Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal I can plant a seed in dirt and water and observe and record observa0ons about its growth. Teachers will carefully organize a scope and sequence of daily journal prompts. The format of these entries will be highly prescrip0ve, modeled, and formaQed. A daily observa0onal journal of a seed’s growth in dirt and in hydroponics lab, and resul0ng in the crea0on of a non-fic0on text. I can explain my observa0ons. I can sketch my observa0ons ar0s0cally and accurately. I can sort seeds and non-seeds. I can compare the proper0es of seeds, seedlings, and plants using the language of mathema0cs and scien0sts. Eventually, students will discover that their own journals are becoming a valuable resource for them to use to read, and document their learning. They will realize that they are in fact a non-fic0on text, which they will have been studying throughout the year. Standards Long Term Targets Suppor6ng Targets Assessments for Learning Assessment of Learning (Forma6ve) Mathema6cs MP.2 Reason abstractly and quan0ta0vely. (NGSS-2-LS2-1) (LS4-1) I can create and interpret graphs I can observe, measure, and to determine if my hypothesis is collect data about a seed I have correct. planted. I can compare data about a seed planted in two different mediums. MP.4 Model with Math (NGSS-2-LS-1) (2-LS2-2) (2-LS4-2) RI.2.3 Describe the connec0on between a series of historical events, scien0fic ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a test. (NGSS-2.PS1-4) RI.2.8 Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a test. (NGSS-2-PS1-4) R1.2.9 Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. W.2.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish wri0ng, including in collabora0on with peers. (2-ESS!-1), (2- ESS2-3) Daily Entries Con0nued Journal entries Scien0fic Observa0onal Informa0onal Text Feature. I can represent my seed, seedling, and plant with mathema0cally and scien0fically accurate drawings. 2.MD.D.10 Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put, take apart, and compare problems. (NGSS-2-LS2-2) (2-LS4-1) RI.2.1 Ask and answer such ques0ons as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. (NGSS – 2-PS1-4) Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal I can compare photographs of seeds, seedlings, and plants to my seed, seedling and plant using the language of mathema0cs. MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically. (NGSS-2-LS2-1) CCSS ELA/Literacy Connec6ons (Summa6ve) I can ask and answer ques0ons to help me understand a text. I can recall details in a read aloud. I can explain the sequence from seed to plant in Jack and the Beanstalk in scien0fic terms. I can annotate texts I am reading. I can explain and refer to the specific reasons an author makes a point in a text. I can use tools to help me recall details I have read. I can find details in a test to help me answer a ques0on. I can ask a ques0on and refer to details I don’t understand. I can use No0ce/Wonder protocol (and others) to talk with my peers about a text. I can ask a ques0on and refer to details I don’t understand. I can use No0ce/Wonder protocol (and others) to talk with my peers about a text. Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal Literary Text Features No0ce/Wonder Con0nued Journal entries Standards CCSS ELA/Literacy Connec6ons R!.2.1 Ask and answer such ques0ons as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. (NGSS -2-PS1-4) 2-LS4-1. Make observa0ons of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. 2-PS1-1 – Analyze data obtained from tes0ng different materials to determine which materials have the proper0es that are best suited for an intended purpose. C3 Framework Communica6ng Conclusions
 Individually and with others, students... Long Term Targets (Forma6ve) (Summa6ve) I can read many books on the same topic and deepen my learning. Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal Bibliography Photo Journal I can share my ques0ons with field experts. I can iden0fy the features of the nest of an American Robin. Book Synopsis Entries in Journal Next Discovery at Keney Park I can listen to field experts and record what I learn. I can sort suitable and not suitable nest components based on the observable proper0es of the objects. Sketch, accurately labeled. I can use what I have learned about the habitat and home of the American Robin to make a model of its nest. I can make observa0ons about the habitat. I can differen0ate between fact and opinion. I can iden0fy facts that support certain opinions. I can develop an opinion and support it with facts. D4.2.K-2. Construct explana0ons using correct sequence and relevant I can describe what makes a good home, and develop an argument with suppor0ng details to do so. I can make an audio recording and embed it in a QR code.
 I can create a sequence of W.2.7 Par0cipate in shared photos and cap0ons in a digital research and wri0ng projects (e.g., read a number of books on brochure. a single topic to produce a report; record science observa0ons). Also W.2.8 & SL.2.5 (NGSS 2-LS2-2) Assessments for Learning Assessment of Learning I can pre-read to build my background knowledge about a topic. D4.1.K-2. Construct an argument with reasons. D4.3.K-2. Present a summary of an argument using print, oral, and digital technologies Suppor6ng Targets I can differen0ate between the nest of an American Robin and the nests of other local birds. Notecatchers Thank you note An explora0on of the habitat of the American Robin, the Connec0cut State Bird. Students will u0lize their photo journals to create brochures with UR codes for Keney Park to use for their nature walks. Journal entries Model nest I understand that data and reasons support a posi0on or argument and I can explain the suitability of the object with a statement like “I know because...” I can review my journal entries and draw conclusions based on changes in my observa0ons over 0me. Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal Scien6fic Observa6onal Journal I can differen0ate between fact and opinion. Sketches, over 0me I can iden0fy facts that support certain opinions. And I can develop an opinion and support it with facts. I can create a sequence of photos to represent observa0ons over 0me. No0ce/Wonders 
 My seed is... Fact Catcher – a bird cage in the classroom to catch our facts. The magical thing about seeds is…. Opinion Nest – a habitat to catch our arguments and posi0ons. Presenta0on of brochure to community partner, BoD, and families. I can record my observa0ons using various note catchers and protocols and organize these meaningfully. And, I can write a detailed cap0on to describe my photo series, using academic vocabulary. Gathering of opinions and facts together in draj form.
 Gallery Wall of Photos I can contribute to discussion and listening circles with my peers to share my observa0ons and opinions. Feedback Protocols I can read my findings/argument fluently and expressively. Anchor Text Connec0ons Digital Photo Journal Draj
 Note catchers Journal Entries Revision and Goal SePng Word wall Cap0ons KENEY PARK SUSTAIN UNI-W - p- FRIENDS of KENEY PARK Our community and your place for recreation Mission • Keney Park Sustainability Project (KPSP) intends to create environmental stewards and economic opportunities by integrating best practices in sustainability with education, biodynamic urban farming, aquaponics and forest management. Definitions • Environmental Stewards: refers to responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices. • Sustainability: a system over its lifetime that produces enough energy to maintain and duplicate itself in surplus. • Biodynamics: the spiritual, ethical, ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition. Potential Partners • Keney Park Sustainability Project (KPSP) • The City of Hartford • Connecticut Coalition of Environmental Justice (CCEJ) • Hands on Hartford, • Friends of Keney Park, Inc., • Knox parks, • Green Cycle, • Hartford Food Systems, • • • • • • • • Our Piece of the Pie, North End Senior Center, Husky Sports, UCONN School of Agriculture, Aquastone Graphics, Public Access Television Hartford Board of Education Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Project Summary • In collaboration with community stakeholders KPSP will facilitate the delivery of a multi-phase project seeking to educate youth and other community members on the importance of sustainability practices which includes creating jobs and growing the next generation of city workers and environmental stewards. Project Components • • • • • Public education & promotions Landscaping & forest management Composting & waste stream reduction Designers & builders Aquaponics & Urban health. Phase 1: • The project will install an aquaponics greenhouse and 15 raised beds at the Keney Park house located at 183 Windsor Ave. This location will serve as an educational site where schools and community groups can experience hands on biodynamic farming, aquaculture, hydroponics, worm composting and organic composting. The Park House is also equipped with two full kitchens where participants will learn how to prepare healthy meals using fish, fruits and vegetables from the greenhouse and gardens. Phase 2 The project will landscape and restore three sites in Keney Park: (1)The Keney Park House property (2) The Windsor entrance to the Keney Park (3) The Tower Avenue entrance to the old composting yard. Community volunteer organizations with the support of DPW and Knox Parks will plant perennial and annual flowers to reduce the amount of labor needed to beautify these areas each year. Phase 3 • • • • Organic leaf composting and worm composting. The composting yard will be landscaped to facilitate the installation of an outdoor waste stream reduction, education and processing site Other waste products will be included as Keney Park clean-up efforts increase. Products such as fallen trees and brush will be recycled and used to beautify the park as well as serve other functional purposes within the park. • . Phase 3 Educational Component • As a part of math, science, agriculture and environmental curricula this site will provide students with opportunities to receive hands on experiential lessons in sustainability practices. • These experiences will be facilitated by interns from the UCONN school of Agriculture and Trinity College Environmental Science students. Public Education/ Promotions Aquaponics / Urban health KPSP Components Designers/builders Landscaping/ Forest Management Composting/Waste stream reduction Public Education and Promotions • Goal: Educate the community on applicable sustainability practices • Potential partners: FOKP, FDF, DEEP, H&HS, DPW, FCY&R, HBOE, OPP Aquastone Graphics, Public Access Television). • Print Media Ads • Television Commercials • Flash Demonstrations • Public Education Forums • Electronic Media Landscaping & Forest Management Goal: Provide environmental job skills to community members while simultaneously assisting DPW with park maintenance. Potential Partners: DPW,FOPK, FOKP, FDF, HBOE, FCY&R, KNOX parks, UCONN school of Agriculture, Hands on Hartford. • • • • • Green house utilization Raised bed utilization landscaping education/processing site Landscaping the park house. green house and Windsor entrance to Keney park Support and help maintain DPW’s forest management plan for Keney Park Composting &Waste Stream Reduction • Goal: remove organic and inorganic waste products from Keney Park while teaching community members how to implement sustainability practices in their homes and communities. • Potential Partners:, DEEP, DPW, FCY&R, FOKP, FDF, Ebony Horse Women, Green Cycle and HBOE • • • Educate the community on the importance of reducing product waste Teach household composting (leaf, organic food, worm) Teach household recycling Designers & Builders Goal: Design and build structures within the park using materials from the park while teaching community members employable skills. Potential partners: DPW, DEEP, FCY&R, FOKP, FDF, OPP, DPW, Youth Hartford and HBOE • • • • Build flower beds Rebuild Pavilion and Guard shack at Tower Avenue Entrance Build barriers, Kiosks and signage utilizing deadfall or removed lumber from Keney Park Build additional required structures to increase the green infrastructure within the park Build Aquaponics & Urban Health Goal: Increase access to healthy food options Goal: Teach community members how to grow and prepare their own food Goal: Reduce health disparities in the community (childhood obesity, diabetes and heart disease) Potential Partners: H&HS, KNOX Parks, HBOE, Hartford Food Systems, DEEP, FOKP, FDF, Community Solutions • • • • Aquaponics green house Raised grow beds Community gardens Farmers markets Fig 2: research completed by Community Solutions Aquaponic Systems • Aquaponic systems are recirculating aquaculture systems that incorporate the production of plants without soil. • Recirculating systems are designed to raise large quantities of fish in relatively small volumes of water by treating the water to remove toxic waste products and then reusing it. • Systems that grow additional crops by utilizing by-products from the production of the primary species are referred to as integrated systems. If the secondary crops are aquatic or terrestrial plants grown in conjunction with fish, this integrated system is referred to as an aquaponic system. • Fish excrete waste nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, directly into the water through their gills. Bacteria convert ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish, but nitrate is relatively harmless and is the preferred form of nitrogen for growing higher plants such as fruiting vegetables. Benefits of Aquaponics • Dissolved waste nutrients are recovered by the plants, reducing dis- charge to the environment and extending water use • Minimizing water exchange reduces the costs of operating aquaponic systems in arid climates and heated greenhouses where water or heated water is a significant expense. • Having a secondary plant crop that receives most of its required nutrients at no cost improves a system’s profit potential. • The daily application of fish feed provides a steady supply of nutrients to plants and thereby eliminates the need to discharge and replace depleted nutrient solutions or adjust nutrient solutions as in hydroponics. • In addition, the intensive, integrated production of fish and plants requires less land than ponds and gardens. Urban Health FIGURE 3: BMI classification by ethnicity 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 aa / black latino other underweight normal over weight obese *Child Weight Surveillance in Preschool in Hartford, Connecticut Completed May, 2012 for the City of Hartford, Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation by the University of Connecticut’s Center for Public Health and Health Policy Additional issues addressed by the KPSP • Safety • Traffic Management • Blight • Dumping • Illegal Activities • Illegal Motorized Vehicles • Vandalism • Graffiti CFS Authentic Kindergarten Curriculum Map Trimester 1 Trimester 2 Trimester 3 August 27 - December 14 December 17 - March 22 March 25 - June 14 Family Me & My Community Theme Community Community Summary Yearlong Learning Product: An Interactive Encyclopedia of 26 Bugs A-Z – As a classroom community, students will co-create an encyclopedia of insects. They will research books, book-making, and insects. Their final product will be a compendium with 2 pages created by each child – one for a bug that begins with the letter of his/her first name, and one to represent a favorite bug. The class will need to work as a team to figure out a way to be sure that every child is represented, and that every letter is represented. This is a problem that they’ll solve, using the social/emotional learning from their Responsive Classroom and core values. For the book, they’ll be creating accurate illustrations/models of each bug, after a series of multiple drafts. They will also make the book, and use found objects to create the letters of the alphabet. The book will be presented to the public library (and/or a museum) with a celebration of learning, which will include a book reading, and an interactive presentation, called Bug Runway. The Interactive portion of the encyclopedia will involve original math problems, created in teams/cooperative groups for the book celebration. Please see Performance Assessment Rubric for details, and standards alignment. Select Key Culminating Standards CCSS.ELA-Literacy W.K.2 - Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. CCSS.Math: KCCA1: Students can count to 100 by 1’s and 10’s C3F D2.Civ.9.K-2. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions while responding attentively to others when addressing ideas and making decisions as a group. NGSS-K2-ETS1-2.Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem. Additional standards are not listed in the Curriculum Map as they will be implemented by teacher teams as they build out the curriculum CFS Authentic Kindergarten Curriculum Map Compelling Questions & Case Studies Compelling Questions: Compelling Questions: Compelling Questions: Compelling Questions: What is a community? Why do communities need rules? What makes us a family? How can we organize our learning? Who lives in a community? How do families contribute What rules matter the most to communities? to us? How do communities Are standards the same as contribute to families? rules? How can you become an Engineer, Artist, or Case Study: Athlete? Is a classroom a community? Case Study: My Classroom Community How can we share our learning with others? What is light? Should we catch fireflies? Case Study: Let’s Look at Ants! Learning Modules Weeks: Aug. 27 - Oct. 26 Our Local, Regional, and Global Communities Let’s Look at Ants and other insects in our local community! Case Study: We are Entomologists!… and other exciting careers! We are Family Crickets, Beetles, and Butterflies… Oh My! We are Authors, Illustrators, Publishers, and Presenters! Weeks: Dec. 17 - March 1 Weeks: March 4 - June 14 Weeks: Oct. 29 - Dec. 14 CFS Authentic Kindergarten Curriculum Map Big Ideas Big Ideas: Big Ideas: Big Ideas: Big Ideas: Communities work best when there are rules that are respected and responsibilities that are fulfilled. Communities celebrate important events together and help each other. Families are unique and special. Entomologists can become experts on specific insects using a variety of tools and resources. Although ants are small, they have incredible physical features that help them survive. Big Ideas An ants habitat has unique features that help it survive. Ants cannot live alone, they need each other for survival. Family members are unique and special too, though there are some important characteristics they have in common. There are millions of bug in your community, each Models and illustrations variety has unique features help us learn about things. that help them survive. We can make models or Entomologists use a illustrations to help us variety of tools and skills to learn about the world. learn about their natural world and study insects. Engineers and Artists love to solve problems. An insects habitat has unique features to help it Although insects are small, survive. they have incredible physical features that help them survive. They can be sorted and classified by these features. Entomologists can advocate for the safety and well-being of insects. Insects have amazing features that help them survive, just like you! Communication can be verbal and non-verbal. Dance is expressive communication. There are multiple careers associated with making a book about insects. CFS Authentic Kindergarten Curriculum Map Authentic Assessment - Integrating all Content Standards Relevant Performance Tasks Performance Tasks: Performance Tasks: Performance Tasks: Performance Tasks: Creation of an Ant Journal Bug Runway - A living encyclopedia of Bugs from A to Z. Model, Sketch, Description, Habitat, and Paper Bag Costume Parade. Re-write lyrics to answer the question… Should we catch fireflies? A Math Interactive Video Less, More, Equal with songs and dance! Movement and representation of the dance of the fireflies with re-written lyrics from a popular song in the community. CFS – Performance Assessment Task – Rubric & Criteria – Kindergarten Module 3 Culminating Task – Overarching Topic – We are Authors, Illustrators, Publishers, and Presenters Compelling Questions: How can we organize our learning? How can we share our learning with others? What is light? Should we catch fireflies? Task: Students will create a “Bug Runway – A Living Encyclopedia of Bugs A to Z” in which they represent their yearlong learning about insects. This Encyclopedia will involve a Model, Sketch, Description, Habitat, and Paper Bag Costume Parade, as well as the creation of a digital photo Encyclopedia of them in their costumes, in alphabetical order, with all of the features of this genre. The task will involve a spoken presentation of the encyclopedia. Task: Dance & Writing: Students will create an opinion piece of writing by rewriting lyrics to answer the question: Should we Catch Fireflies? Movement and representation of the of the dance of fireflies with rewritten lyrics should reflect their scientific learning and include academic vocabulary. Standards Focus (Note – standards are directly from standards documents.) CCSS - Math Counting & Cardinality 1 Beginning 2 Developing 3 Proficient 4 Advanced Kindergarten mathematics is about (1) representing, relating, and operating on whole numbers, initially with sets of objects; and (2) describing shapes and space. More learning time in Kindergarten should be devoted to number than to other topics. 1 Count to tell the number of things. K.CC.4 Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities: connect counting to cardinality. d. Develop understanding of ordinal numbers (first through tenth) to describe the relative position and magnitude of whole numbers. Can count the Can count the Can count the Can count the shapes shapes shapes shapes comprising the 1 A Story of Units: A Curriculum Overview for Grades P-5, Common Core Inc., 2013. CFS PERFORMANCE TASK & RUBRIC CRITERIA KINDERGARTEN AUTHENTICITY & CO., LLC CCSS - Shapes comprising the insect’s drawing. Can begin to identify and describe objects using a limited range or understanding of ordinal numbers and relative position. comprising the insect’s drawing. Can identify and describe objects using some understanding of ordinal numbers and relative position. comprising the insect’s drawing. Can insect’s identify and describe drawing. Can objects using ordinal identify and numbers and relative describe position. Can count objects using all pages in ordinal encyclopedia, and all numbers and insects in relative encyclopedia, and all position. Can letters in alphabet. begin to count Can locate a specific all pages in page, and organize encyclopedia, pages in sequence. and all insects Can compare insects in in numerical terms, encyclopedia, using simple number and all letters statements. in alphabet. Is beginning to compare insects. Analyze, compare, create and compose shapes. K.G.4 Analyze and compare two and three dimensional shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and vertices/“corners”) and other attributes (e.g., having sides of equal length). K.G.5 Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes. K.G.6 Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes. For example, “Can you join these two triangles with full sides touching to make a rectangle? Cannot easily name the shapes in an insect’s anatomy and/or model the insect using shapes. Cannot easily combine shapes to Can name some of the shapes in an insect’s anatomy and/or model the insect using some of its simple shapes. Can combine shapes to make a new shape. CFS PERFORMANCE TASK & RUBRIC CRITERIA KINDERGARTEN Can name the shapes in an insect’s anatomy and/or model the insect using shapes. Can combine many shapes to make a new shape. Can name the shapes in an insect’s anatomy and model the insect using shapes. Can easily combine shapes to make a new shape, following directions and experimentally. AUTHENTICITY & CO., LLC CCSS – ELA Research to Build & Present Knowledge make a new shape. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). Can picture walk through multiple texts and describe them. May struggle to express ideas fluently in peer groupings. Can read and summarize some books. May add extraneous or irrelevant detail, or require prompting to remain on task. Can participate in shared research by sharing information gleaned from multiple texts. Contributes to collaborations in peer groupings. Can participate in shared research by sharing information gleaned from multiple texts, and seeks additional information to elaborate upon understandings of the group. Can paraphrase others’ ideas and assist others. CCSS – ELA Production and Distribution of Writing CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.6 With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers. CCSS – ELA Print Concepts CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.D Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Few uppercase and lowercase letters in the encyclopedia can be named. Phonics and Word Recognition: CCSS - ELA Most All All uppercase and uppercase uppercase lowercase letters in and and the encyclopedia lowercase lowercase can be named and letters in the letters in the encyclopedia encyclopedia can be can be named. named. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. Can produce few of the primary sounds for consonants. Can produce most of the primary sounds for consonants. CFS PERFORMANCE TASK & RUBRIC CRITERIA KINDERGARTEN Can produce all of the primary sounds for consonants. Can produce all of the primary AUTHENTICITY & CO., LLC Can associate few short/long vowel sounds with the graphemes of the five major vowels. Can read few high frequency words in the encyclopedia. CCSS - ELA Writing for Information & Explanation Can associate some short/long vowel sounds with the graphemes of the five major vowels. Can read some high frequency words in the encyclopedia. Can associate short/long vowel sounds with the graphemes of the five major vowels. Can read common high frequency and decode some CVC words in the encyclopedia. sounds for consonants. Can associate short/long vowel sounds with the graphemes of the five major vowels. Can read high frequency words and decode unfamiliar CVC words in the encyclopedia. Reads the encyclopedia. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. Topic strays off task. Information about the topic, if provided, is irrelevant. Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: Topic lacks Topic is named Topic is clearly specificity or and stated. Information clarity. information about the topic is Information about the topic detailed and focused about the topic is provided. clearly on the topic. may not be completely relevant. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. Selects inappropriate or few texts to engage in group reading activities. Makes Selects a range of texts that may be repetitive or limited. Is beginning to connect topic to text. CFS PERFORMANCE TASK & RUBRIC CRITERIA KINDERGARTEN Selects appropriate texts in a range of genres and complexity to support the purpose of the group’s Selects appropriate texts in a range of genres and complexity. Expresses deep understanding and elaborates on connections of task AUTHENTICITY & CO., LLC unrelated connections. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Rating to text. Add connections to the group and facilitates understanding, without dominating in peer group activities. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts). Can name few details in illustrations irrespective of the text and/or can identify few textual details in the illustrations. Struggles to infer possible implicit information. CCSS.ELALITERACY.L.K.6. reading. Adds connections to the group. Can identify some textual details in illustrations. Can make some connections between the text and the illustrations. Uses illustrations to create context. Can identify textual details in the illustrations; can interpret illustrations to build understanding of text. Can make connections between the text and illustrations and explain these connections logically. Can explain relationship between illustrations and text in unique and precise wording. Can extend thinking about illustrations and make inferences from illustration and/or textual detail or absence of detail. Can consider the impact of a change in text or illustration to the meaning. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts. Vocabulary is limited and/or repetitive Sporadic use of academic vocabulary CFS PERFORMANCE TASK & RUBRIC CRITERIA KINDERGARTEN Word choice reflects discussion, field work, and texts Academic Vocabulary/DomainSpecific language is consistent and appropriate; language may also reflect artistry and personal voice. AUTHENTICITY & CO., LLC Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. Illustration lacks accuracy and detail, and reflects few drafts that add detail. As a result, spoken presentation is limited/ Illustration is approaching accuracy, with minimal or repetitive details. Several drafts add some detail. As a result, spoken presentation reflects some detailed understanding. Illustration is scientifically accurate, with appropriate and realistic detail. Multiple drafts have added to the level of detail. As a result, spoken presentation reflects a solid and appropriately detailed understanding of topic. Illustration is scientifically accurate, with finesse and care in rendering realistic detail with artistry. Multiple drafts have added to the level of precision in the detail, as well as adding detail. As a result, the spoken presentation reflects a deep understanding of the topic. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. CCSS – ELA Argument Presentation is Presentation is quiet Presentation Presentation is inaudible or and expresses a is clear, clear, audible, expresses a limited thought(s). audible, and expresses a deep confusing or expresses a understanding confused cogent with appropriate thought(s). thought(s). expression. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...). Opinion is not stated. Opinion is unrelated to task. Opinion is stated clearly and is relevant. Opinion is stated clearly, is relevant, and is supported with appropriate detail/reasons. NGSS CFS PERFORMANCE TASK & RUBRIC CRITERIA KINDERGARTEN AUTHENTICITY & CO., LLC K-LS1-1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. ESS2-2. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems ▪ Things that people do to live comfortably can affect the world around them. But they can make choices that reduce their impacts on the land, water, air, and other living things. Argument reflects few observations or little evidence gathered from research, and/or expresses no opinion. Argument reflects some observations and/or evidence gathered from research. Opinion may not be clearly stated or supported by evidence provided. CFS PERFORMANCE TASK & RUBRIC CRITERIA KINDERGARTEN Argument reflects clear and detailed observations and evidence gathered from research. Student can connect this evidence as reasons to support a clearly stated opinion. Argument reflects a deep understanding of how the observations and evidence gathered from research support a strongly stated argument. Argument uses academic vocabulary precisely. AUTHENTICITY & CO., LLC CFS Morning Meeting Planner Template Class __________________________________ I can lead a morning meeting that incorporates a high-quality reading, greeting, initiative, and reflection. We can follow norms for morning meeting. Meeting Element Norms Morning Message Signal Reading Greeting Initiative Reflection Norms Closing Song Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday CFS will utilize The Morning Meeting Book1 and The First Six Weeks of School,2 by Responsive Classroom, as an approach to support a culture that embraces diversity, builds character and social emotional learning, welcomes family, interweaves academic learning, and meets the needs of at-risk learners. Morning Message - As students enter the classroom, they will be greeted in all classrooms with a morning message that greets them, orients them, engages them, asks something of them, and engages them in the day. In time, and/or at times, students can write this message. Reading – a short (or longer, as students develop listening stamina) to guide the day. Greeting – an intentional verbal greeting of each individual student, by name. This, in time, can be silly, interactive, non-verbal, verbal, and complex. At the beginning, simply saying hello by name is also fine. 1 The Morning Meeting Book/Edition 3, Roxann Kriete and Carol Davis, Center for Responsive Schools, Inc. 2014. 2 The First Six Weeks of School/Edition 2, Responsive Classroom, Center for Responsive Schools, Inc., 2015. Initiative – an activity that is subtly connected to the learning and/or to the social emotional needs of the class. This activity is likely to involve both kinesthetic and cognitive demands and increase the engagement of the class. At the outset, the Initiative can be anxiety producing, but in time, it becomes a team-building norm. Reflection – a return to the circle in which students reflect upon some aspect of the day, the reading, the activity, or the morning message. This reflection should be short, silent, and involve non-verbal signals. It’s a brief wind down before the day’s learning activities begin. Song – A song to help students transition should become part of the morning meeting. At the beginning of school, this song should be the same school wide. Several suggestions are provided in the Responsive Classroom Resources. CFS Morning Meeting Planner – Kindergarten “Fireflies” Week Meeting Element Norms Morning Message Monday Tuesday Wednesday Good morning, fireflies! Pick a number between 0 and 8 and keep it a secret. Find a friend and blink that many times. See if your friend can guess your number! With bioluminescence, Your teacher, Mr. Bright Good morning, sunshine! Did you know that “komorebi” is a Japanese word that means “sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees?” Do you know any words that mean “sunlight?” Write your name for Good morning twinkling ones! Have you ever wished on a star? Draw a star if you have. Let’s see if we can count them all. Love, Mr. Bright Thursday Welcome friends, Why do fireflies light up? Find a friend and explain. Let’s light up our brains today! Mr. Bright Friday Good morning, superstars, If you could have a superpower, would you rather have bioluminescence or invisibility? Draw a firefly if you’d like bioluminescence, and draw a cloak if you’d like invisibility. Yes/No and be ready to share! INSPIRED BY THE MORNING MEETING BOOK, ROXANN KRIETE, CAROL DAVIS, 2014, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS, INC. CONTENT BY Authenticity & Co., LLC CFS Morning Meeting Planner – Kindergarten “Fireflies” Week Signal Quiet humming of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Reading “In life, surround yourself with those who light your path.” Heather Stillfusen Greeting Make a group of three and agree on hand shake, hi five, or fist bump. Then have a silent greeting and sit down in a new spot. Quiet humming of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. “If you want to give light to others, you have to glow yourself.” Thomas S. Monson To the person on your left, say, “Good morning, Komorebi, name!” and shake hands, all the way Quiet humming of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. “Star Light, Star Bright, First Star I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight.” Roll the ball across the circle and say Good Morning to that friend, by name. That friend says Good morning, INSPIRED BY THE MORNING MEETING BOOK, ROXANN KRIETE, CAROL DAVIS, 2014, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS, INC. Quiet humming of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. “Moonbeam Moonbeam steps down the silken ladder Woven by Mrs. Spider To ask her to spin him a net To catch the stars.: Hilda Conkling In pairs, Invent a handshake with three parts. Name it. Practice it 3 times. Quiet humming of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. “The firefly is a funny bug, He hasn’t any mind. He blunders all the way through life, With his headlight on behind.” Unknown Pick a name from the basket and think of a compliment for that friend. We’ll go around the circle and say hello to our friend, and then say, “I think you are….” The CONTENT BY Authenticity & Co., LLC CFS Morning Meeting Planner – Kindergarten “Fireflies” Week around the circle. with your name, and rolls the ball to a new person. Think of words you may know or may have learned today that Think of a wish you have for today. (Wait time) If you’d like to Initiative Reflection Think of someone who “lights your path in our class.” Be sure to thank him or her later today. INSPIRED BY THE MORNING MEETING BOOK, ROXANN KRIETE, CAROL DAVIS, 2014, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS, INC. Say thank you, and sit down. compliment can start with the first letter of the friend’s name. I’ll go first (picking name.) “I have Julius. Good morning, Julius. I think you are jazzy!” Julius, will say thank you, and then take the next turn. (Julius says, “Thank you, Mr. Bright.” Silently, let’s Play “Shake It Up” make a spider Music for Karaoke web, in which and dance like a all hands are blinking firefly. connected. If we can do it, I’ll light it up with a flashlight like Moonbeam. Think of the ways we are connected in our classroom community. CONTENT BY Authenticity & Co., LLC CFS Morning Meeting Planner – Kindergarten “Fireflies” Week we could add to our word wall. Norms Closing Song Let’s begin our day, let’s begin our day! We are smart and kind with lots to learn, so let’s begin our day.” (to the tune of HiHo, The Dairy-O) Let’s begin our day, let’s begin our day! We are smart and kind with lots to learn, so let’s begin our day.” (to the tune of HiHo, The Dairy-O) share that wish, thumbs up. If not, thumbs down. If maybe, thumbs sideways. Let’s begin our day, let’s begin our day! We are smart and kind with lots to learn, so let’s begin our day.” (to the tune of HiHo, The Dairy-O) INSPIRED BY THE MORNING MEETING BOOK, ROXANN KRIETE, CAROL DAVIS, 2014, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS, INC. Share with your elbow partner. Let’s begin our day, let’s begin our day! We are smart and kind with lots to learn, so let’s begin our day.” (to the tune of HiHo, The Dairy-O) Let’s begin our day, let’s begin our day! We are smart and kind with lots to learn, so let’s begin our day.” (to the tune of HiHo, The Dairy-O) CONTENT BY Authenticity & Co., LLC CFS Curriculum Mapping, Planning Overview, Guide, and ReClection Tool Year-Long Planning • The goal of curriculum mapping is to ensure that a school has made intentional decisions about how to address all standards (across a school year, given the school structure, schedule, and priorities) in the most effective manner for students. Not all standards can or should be given equal weight: staff must collaborate to agree upon priorities and where to go deep. • The template below focuses on literacy, social studies, and science content that typically are incorporated in @ield learning experiences. • The template presumes full integration of literacy and content standards. CFS may build out for individual content-area courses. • The “internal design logic” of an expedition (e.g., how standards are bundled) is critical. After the chart, there is space for teams to craft a short narrative that brings the chart to life. • The template serves as documentation; the boxes make curriculum look deceptively tidy and linear. Actual design work is messy and iterative.” 
 What the Curriculum Map Template Includes • Title/Topic: Signals the central content students will learn about (often connected to social studies or science) to build world knowledge during a given expedition. • Compelling Question(s): open-ended, not-judgmental questions that frame the inquiry for students. • May include a “literacy” guiding question. (This is formulated after the standards are bundled). • Final Product: high-quality products, ideally in real-world formats, ideally created for an audience beyond the classroom. Ideally aligned to one of the three types of writing found in the • Common Core: opinion/argument, informative/explanatory, or narrative. • Final products are heavily scaffolded through use of models, critique, and feedback (and thus are not necessary formal assessments of independent mastery).” • Note: Final products are intentionally designed to demand the kind of critical thinking and mimic the complexity of writing, reading, and problem-solving tasks found on national norm-referenced assessments of common-core learning standards – but will not be “practice tests.” • “Anchor Text(s): The central text that serves as the centerpiece for students’ whole class work to build content knowledge and literacy skills. May be a single text, or may be one text per case study or “unit.” Community Theme Community Family Me Title/Topic Compelling Ques7ons Anchor Text(s) (CCSS-aligned) Final Product (Align to W.1/2/3) Key Standards (SS) Key Standards (Sci – NGSS) Reading Founda7onal Standards Reading Informa7onal Text Standards Reading Literary Text Standards Wri7ng Standards Speaking and Listening Standards Language Standards Math Standards Math Prac7ce Standards Art Standards* Fitness/Wellness Standards* Family Engagement Fieldwork, Experts, Responsive Classroom/Morning Mee7ng/Core Individualized Learning Plan Connec7ons Service Learning Value Connec7ons Family Self The Story and Structure of Curriculum • In this space, we’ll provide a brief narrative description that brings the curriculum map to life. We will consider: • Summarize: What is the “story” of this expedition in terms of student learning? The “structure” of this learning experience in terms of standards bundled together for meaningful assessments? • Through line: How will the pieces hold together, and what will it build toward? How does the @inal product drive the design? • Connect: How and why are the standards be bundled into units or case studies? • Assess: What is(are)the best ways for students to demonstrate mastery of standards in authentic products that involve reading, writing, speaking, and problem-solving? • Core Values: How will the learning we plan advance the core values of CFS? • Individualized Learning Planning: How will we individualize learning for our students? • How will we provide opportunities to deepen practice so that all students are learning well? Description, Learning Unit/Module #1 Description, Learning Unit/Module #2 Description, Learning Unit/Module #3 Instructional Protocols and speciCic instructional strategies to scaffold and build staff capacity • • • • • • • • • • The Who What Why of Learning Targets Considering the Rigor of Learning Targets Unpacking CCSS Task Cards 4T’s – Target, Text, Task, Topic Planners 4T’s Note catcher Cold Call Turn and Talk Guided Practice Notice/Wonder Socratic Seminar • • • • • • • • • • Discussion Circles for Young Learners o Listening Circles Annotating the Text Building Background Knowledge Structures Journal Exit Tickets Word Wall Listening to Reading Writing about Reading Goal Setting 
 Collaborative structures for instruction • • • • • Gallery Walk Jigsaw Think, Pair, Square, Share Read, Pair, Share Human Bar Graph • • • • • 4-square Inside/Outside Circle Shared Silent Story Read-to-Others Morning Meeting 
 Resources for struggling, gifted, ELL learners (in addition to above) • • • • • Semantic Webbing Catch And Release Listening Circle Good Fit Read-to-Self Texts for Individual Reading • • • • • Access to range of text complexity Reader’s Theater Literary Circles Family Reading Events ILP’s 
 Teacher ReClection Protocols and Weekly ReClections: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • What am I learning? I am learning to: I am learning that: I am learning about: What is working well? How do I know? What would I like to work differently? Why? Who is successful? What is contributing to that success (Target, Text, Task, Topic)? How do I know? Who is contributing to that success (Staff member, Family Member, Community Member, Peer, Student)? How do I know? What will I do differently (tomorrow, next week, next month, next year)? What will I continue to do (tomorrow, next week, next month, next year)? Whom can I acknowledge/thank/seek assistance from? What has been the best part of my week (community, family, self)? What CFS core value really matters to me right now? Community First School Individualized Learning Plan Student’s Name: ______________________________________________ Teacher’s Name: ______________________________________________ Birthdate: __________________ Approximate GPA: _________ Standardized Test Scores: _______________________ Current Grade: _____________ IEP: Yes No Parent/Guardian Name(s): ________________________________________________________________________ Siblings and Grade Level: __________________________________________________________________________ Hobbies and interests. Preferred learning style. (Doing, seeing, hearing, etc.) Career or college goal upon graduation from High School. Parent vision for child after High School graduation. The types of assignments the child does best on. The assignment types they prefer. The individuals at the school who know best the information above. Who else at the school should know? 1 P a g e Community First School Individualized Learning Plan Current Levels of Performance Reading Skills – How does the child read? Is he/she close to “grade level?” Do they enjoy reading? Will they read on their own? How does he/she perform on assignments and assessments that require them to read? What type of support does he/she need to be successful in reading? Writing Skills – How does the child write? Is he/she close to “grade level?” Do they enjoy writing? Do they ever write on their own? (Journaling, notepads, etc.?) How does he/she perform on assignments and assessments that require them to write? What type of support does he/she need to be successful in writing? 2 P a g e Community First School Individualized Learning Plan Math Skills – How does the child perform in math? Is he/she close to “grade level?” Do they like to do math? How does he/she perform on math assignments and assessments? What type of support does he/she need to be successful in math? Management Skills – What skills and methods does the child use to keep organized? Does he/she remember assignments and due dates? How involved are the parents in supporting this? What type of support does he/she need to be successful in keeping organized? Social Emotional Supports – What needs does the child have in maintaining social and emotional peace? What types of supports does he/she need to maintain social emotional peace? 3 P a g e Community First School Individualized Learning Plan Learning Plan - Learning styles, current performance, and learning goals and outcomes. Learning Styles (Auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc.) School and classroom strategies - revised pedagogy: In order to increase the child’s current level of performance in school, the teacher, parents, and community support network will work to revised pedagogy, classroom learning interventions, small group/individual support, behavior expectations, etc, by: Parents at home can support this by: Resources available: 4 P a g e Community First School Individualized Learning Plan Learning Styles (Auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc.) School and classroom strategies - revised well-being support plan: In order to increase the child’s ability to manage their work and maintain social and emotional well-being, the teacher, parents, and community support network will work to: Parents at home can support this by: Resources available: 5 P a g e Community First School Individualized Learning Plan Short-Term learning improvement goals Priority areas for improvement. Consider: engagement, attendance, and behavior. Learning outcomes Relevant outcomes linked to learning goals. Consider: engagement, attendance, and behavior. Long-Term learning improvement goals Priority areas for improvement. Consider: engagement, attendance, and behavior. Learning outcomes Relevant outcomes linked to learning goals. Consider: engagement, attendance, and behavior. Processes for collection of data Identify data collection methods, how progress will be measured, and the timeline for review and revision of plan 6 P a g e Community First School Individualized Learning Plan General Comments and Plan: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Parents Comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Student Comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Teacher Comments: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Other: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 P a g e   Reading  Workshop  2.0:  Lesson  Structure   One of EL’s cornerstone instructional practices, “the workshop” has been revised to align with the Common Core instructional shifts, embed ongoing assessment to increase responsiveness to student needs, and help students develop self-reliance and perseverance. Times noted are suggestions based on a 50-60 minute lesson; adjust as needed. Note that the cycle of “read, think, talk, write” is iterative rather than linear Component   Purpose   Students…   Teacher…   Engage Build students’ curiosity • Engage with a question, quote, object, • Chooses an appropriate “do now” or similar activity 5 minutes or and need to know linked picture, or activity that spurs their • Sets a positive tone for learning less to the purpose of the thinking and helps them care about • May discuss learning target(s) now and/or during the lesson. the lesson’s purpose/topic “Focus” component Grapple Build students’ self• Work independently reliance, confidence and • Grapple with complex text 5-10 minutes perseverance through • Demonstrate self-reliance and grappling with complex perseverance text. • May first read the text silently in their heads as the teacher reads aloud • Often will reread, chunk, or annotate the text • Chooses a relevant, compelling, complex text related to the learning target(s)1 • Sets purpose, noting both the content students are getting smarter about and the literacy skills students are building, but does not “explain” the text • Often reads the text aloud (without interruption or explanation) as students read silently in their heads • Circulates to observe students, but offers limited support; may provide additional scaffolding (e.g. reading aloud or chunking text) for struggling readers Discuss • Groups students intentionally, yet flexibly • Structures sharing with a protocol • Observes and listens to note patterns of thinking, great ideas, and misconceptions to incorporate during the mini- lesson (but does not interject at this time) • Tracks individual understanding (e.g. by using a running record or note catcher) Build students’ skills to • Follow a structured protocol in pairs justify their thinking, or small groups to discuss the text 5-10 minutes make coherent and how they approached making arguments based on text sense of it evidence, consider the • Use accountable talk ideas of others, and be • Reread, referring to the text to metacognitive about support their comments their own approaches to reading complex text. 1 Note:  See  EL’s  companion  document  “Helping  Students  Read  Closely”  for  details  about  the  critical  steps  of  choosing  text  and  identifying  academic  vocabulary  before   teaching  a  workshop.   ©  2016  EL  Education  Inc.       Component   Purpose   Focus 10 minutes maximum Students…   Provide explicit instruction if needed to “mop up” whatever students don’t figure out on their own, focusing on a particular skill or concept. • Analyze the thinking of other students and/or the teacher’s thinking • Focus on one skill or concept at a time • Try the task with support from teacher or peers • Demonstrate active listening Respond to gaps in understanding, misconceptions, • Often reread or good ideas from students. Gradually release responsibility. Create a “safe space” for students to practice the task with support; give students experience with success. Apply 15-25 minutes Allow time for students to practice the particular skill or concept, providing intentional differentiation. Synthesize Clarify the learning target(s) 5-10 minutes and assess progress, identify next steps/set goals. Address misconceptions, generalize conceptual understanding, and build lasting understanding through synthesis. ©  2016  EL  Education  Inc.   • Work with text individually or in small groups, supported by intentional grouping, roles, and/or recording forms. • Often reread with a specific purpose • Ask and answer text-dependent questions (TDQs) Teacher…   • Introduces strategic, text-dependent questions that students will interact with during the “Apply” component (some of which are preplanned). • Discusses the learning target(s) with students • Facilitates guided practice, drawing on students’ thinking as a model for peers • If necessary, models his/her thinking process through a mini-lesson • Makes connections between what students shared and reading strategies, academic vocabulary, and/or disciplinary vocabulary • Addresses misconceptions or gaps in understanding with individuals or small groups • Provides differentiated support as needed • Confers with individuals or groups • Continues to assess (e.g. collect running records) • “Catches” small groups or the whole class as needed for brief clarifications • Share their thinking about the text and • Crafts debrief questions to help students TDQs in small groups or with the whole synthesize understanding of both content and class, following protocols and class norms process • Reflect on their progress toward the learning • Collects work and/or reflections from students target(s) (What) to determine next instructional steps • Make generalizations re: reading strategies, • Assigns homework and perhaps disciplinary content (So what) • Discuss transfer (to other concepts, realworld applications) (Now what) 2   In July 2014, the Connecticut State Department of Education identified research-based assessments that met standards for technical rigor and efficiency, and published the Approved Menu of Research-based Grades K-3 Universal Screening Reading Assessments. For the school year commencing July 1, 2016, and each year thereafter, such assessments shall also assist in identifying, in whole or in part, students at risk for Dyslexia or other reading-related learning disabilities. As a critical component of a comprehensive, standards-aligned reading instructional program, districts will select an assessment for use as a universal screening. Although the approved menu presents both general outcome measures and computer adaptive measures, districts are not required to select both types of assessments for use as a universal screening. Furthermore, only assessments in Section 1 are appropriate for use as screening tools to assist in identifying, in whole or in part, students at risk for Dyslexia or other reading-related learning disabilities. For additional information, visit http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2618&q=320866 and review the document entitled, “Guidance for Approved Menu of Research-based Grades K-3 Universal Screening Reading Assessments.” Approved Menu of Research-based Grades K-3 Universal Screening Reading Assessments Revised March 2017 Section 1: General Outcome Measures Only assessments in Section 1 are appropriate for use as screening tools to assist in identifying, in whole or in part, students at risk for Dyslexia or other reading-related learning disabilities. Assessment Instrument AIMSweb Tests of Early Literacy or Reading Measurement Area Spanish Version Letter Naming Fluency No Letter Sound Fluency No Phoneme Segmentation Fluency No Nonsense Word Fluency No Oral Reading Fluency Yes MAZE Fluency No Notes                      Approved for universal screening use in Grade K Letter naming fluency is a reliable indicator of print concepts CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.K.1d Approved for universal screening use in Grade K and Grade 1 (fall/winter only) Letter sound fluency is a reliable indicator of phonemic awareness CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.K.3; RF.1.3 Approved for universal screening use in Grades K – 1 Phoneme segmentation fluency is a reliable indicator of phonological awareness CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.K.2; RF. 1.2 Approved for universal screening use in Grades 1 – 2 Nonsense word fluency is a reliable indicator of decoding and word recognition CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.1.3; RF.2.3 Drilling nonsense word is not effective reading instruction. Approved for universal screening use in Grades 1 – 3 Oral reading fluency is a reliable indicator of word recognition and automaticity. High levels of fluency are correlated with high levels of reading comprehension CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.1.4; RF.2.4; RF.3.4 MAZE is a brief modified cloze passage with multiple choice word replacements Approved for universal screening in Grades 2 – 3 MAZE fluency is best used as a reliable indicator of sentence-level reading comprehension CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.K.4; 1.4; 2.4; 3.4 1 Section 1: General Outcome Measures – continued Only assessments in Section 1 are appropriate for use as screening tools to assist in identifying, in whole or in part, students at risk for Dyslexia or other reading-related learning disabilities. Assessment Measurement Spanish Notes Instrument Area Version  Approved for universal screening use in Grade K Letter Naming Yes  Letter naming fluency is a reliable indicator of print concepts Fluency  CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.K.1d  Approved for universal screening use in Grades K – 1 Phoneme Segmentation Yes  Phoneme segmentation fluency is a reliable indicator of phonological awareness Fluency  CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.K.2: RF. 1.2 Dynamic Indicators of Basic  Approved for universal screening use in Grades 1 – 2 Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS, Nonsense Word  Nonsense word fluency is a reliable indicator of decoding and word recognition th Yes 6 Ed.) Fluency  CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.1.3; RF.2.3  Drilling nonsense word is not effective reading instruction.  Approved for universal screening use in Grades 1 – 3  Oral reading fluency is an indicator of word recognition and automaticity Oral Reading Yes Fluency  High levels of fluency are highly correlated with reading comprehension  CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.1.4; RF.2.4; RF.3.4  Approved for universal screening use in Grades K – 1 Phoneme Segmentation Yes  Phoneme segmentation fluency is a reliable indicator of phonological awareness Fluency  CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.K.2: RF. 1.2  Approved for universal screening use in Grades 1 – 2  Nonsense word fluency is a reliable indicator of decoding and word recognition Nonsense Word Yes  CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.1.3; RF.2.3 Fluency Dynamic Indicators of Basic  Drilling nonsense words is not effective reading instruction. Early Literacy Skills Next (DIBELS Next)  Approved for universal screening use in Grades 1 – 3 and mCLASS with  Oral reading fluency is a reliable indicator of word recognition and automaticity Oral Reading DIBELS Next Fluency Yes  High levels of fluency are correlated with high levels of reading comprehension  CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.1.4; RF.2.4; RF.3.4  Approved for universal screening in Grades 2 – 3  DAZE is a brief modified cloze passage with multiple-choice word replacements DAZE Fluency No  DAZE fluency is best used as a reliable indicator of sentence-level reading comprehension  CCS in ELA: Foundational Skills - RF.K.4; 1.4; 2.4; 3.4 2 Section 2: Computer Adaptive Assessments Only assessments in Section 1 are appropriate for use as screening tools to assist in identifying, in whole or in part, students at risk for Dyslexia or other reading-related learning disabilities. Assessment Instrument Measurement Area Spanish Version Reading for Primary Grades (MPG) No Reading (MAP) No STAR Early Literacy No STAR Reading Yes i-Ready Diagnostic and iReady Growth Monitoring (formerly known as Progress Monitoring) No NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) STAR i-Ready Notes                       Approved for universal screening use in Grades K – 2 System includes screeners, diagnostics and goal survey Rasch units convert to a percentile rank Computer adaptive Approved for universal screening use in Grades 3 – 12 System includes screeners, diagnostics, and goal survey Rasch units convert to a percentile rank Computer adaptive Approved for universal screening use in Grades K – 3 Once a student successfully reads 100 sight words, he/she will move on to STAR Reading Rasch units convert to a percentile rank Computer-based Approved for universal screening use in Grades K – 3 System includes screening, diagnostics, and progress monitoring Rasch units convert to percentile rank Computer adaptive Approved for universal screening use in Grades K – 3 System includes diagnostics (screening) and growth monitoring (progress monitoring) i-Ready Diagnostic uses a vertical scale for comparing growth within and across years i-Ready Growth Monitoring to be used jointly with i-Ready Diagnostic for progress monitoring Percentile norms and scale score to normative percentile conversion Computer adaptive 3 Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire Finding your ACE Score ra hbr 10 24 06 While you were growing up, during your first 18 years of life: 1. Did a parent or other adult in the household often … Swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? or Act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 2. Did a parent or other adult in the household often … Push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? or Ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 3. Did an adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever… Touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? or Try to or actually have oral, anal, or vaginal sex with you? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 4. Did you often feel that … No one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? or Your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 5. Did you often feel that … You didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? or Your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 6. Were your parents ever separated or divorced? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 7. Was your mother or stepmother: Often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? or Sometimes or often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? or Ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 8. Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic or who used street drugs? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 9. Was a household member depressed or mentally ill or did a household member attempt suicide? Yes No If yes enter 1 ________ 10. Did a household member go to prison? Yes No If yes enter 1 Now add up your “Yes” answers: _______ This is your ACE Score ________ Appendix The Build Up to Opening Community First School The CFS Team has been touring for over one year, listening to the community, providing information, and receiving feedback. At top left and bottom right, CFS Founder Tim Goodwin volunteers weekly to support teachers at MLK and Simpson Waverly Elementary Schools, Bottom left, Brother Kelvin Lovejoy promotes the CFS movement, top and bottom middle, a crowd of North Hartford residents of all ages is inspired by the CFS inclusive process. Appendix Denise T. Best 12 Deerfield Ave. Hartford, CT 06112 (860)727-0677/ (860)-983-7116 dstdbest@gmail.com PROFILE Accomplished educator, executive, leader/organizer, planner, consultant, advisor Career Overview A visionary with expertise in managing programs and people with professionalism and acumen, background features include a career in increasing productivity, marketability and distinction. Career includes a proven track record of performance excellence, reliability, and integrity. Respected and established in academia, local, city and state government, law enforcement, nonprofit, public and private sectors with key contacts in each classification. Key Strengths Leadership, management, accountability, foresight, competency, conflict resolution, critical analysis, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity. Adept in academic advising, recruitment, marketing, advertising, budget management, curriculum development, strategic and long-range planning and implementation, grant/proposal writing, counseling, event planning, staff and leadership development & supervision, mentoring, fundraising, community organizing, community development. Results-oriented utilizing exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to work with diverse populations. Public-speaking credentials include keynote speaker, mistress of ceremonies, conference/workshop presenter, and trainer. Professional Experience 4/17 to Present Communications & Community Engagement Manager Blue Hills Civic Association – BHCA 6/15 to 4/17 Education Organizer Blue Hills Civic Association - BHCA Work to empower parents to become advocates for their children in neighborhood schools. 1-6, 2015 Assistant Clerk Connecticut General Assembly Work with legislators of the general Law Committee to prepare for screenings, public hearings and Committee meetings. 2013-2014 Assistant Director Upper Albany Main Street, Hartford, CT Oversee University of Hartford interns in the UAMS Micro Business Incubator, in their work to preserve, vitalize and support the commercial district of Upper Albany by working with residents, merchants and stakeholders to create a neighborhood of choice. 2010-2013 Coordinator, Comprehensive Community Development Christian Activities Council, Hartford, CT  Facilitated community visioning meeting of 100 participants  Led task forces to develop strategic priorities for five neighborhoods  Perform multiple duties promoting the mission of the Christian Activities Council (CAC) to serve and empower the poor and the disenfranchised while promoting social, economic and racial justice in the Hartford region.  Organized four neighborhoods to prevent post office closing  Directed Mayor’s Office in developing the City’s Livable Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative 1989-2010 Director of Graduate Studies & Special Academic Programs Trinity College, Hartford, CT Emerged as a trailblazer in non-traditional degree programs (IDP) in the State of Connecticut creating what College-contracted evaluators, Huffines and McMillin, referred to as a “unique gem that adds to the significant value of the institution…and should be replicated around the country. “The institution should retain and strengthen its commitment to adult learners in the Hartford area, a secondary focus which is a distinctive part of its character and sets it apart from like institutions”.  Received national recognition for Trinity in 2005, from the American Council on Education, for designing a comprehensive admissions program to respond to needs of displaced students impacted by the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.  Managed a combined 13-million-dollar budget and staff administering the Individualized Degree Program, Graduate Studies, Elderhostel, Vistas, the Special (non-matriculating) Students Program, Trinity’s Summer Program and Gateway to the Humanities Program.  Exceeded IDP recruitment, retention and graduation goals.  Exceeded College diversity goals.  Established College’s Articulation Policy.  Created College’s first professional, promotional video.  Initiated and designed a workshop facilitated by Trinity Faculty for community college writing faculty on writing requirements for transfer students.  Designed an award-winning program brochure  Conducted professional evaluation of Yale University’s non-traditional programs 1986-1988 Director of Economic Development & Employment Urban League of Greater Hartford 1980 -1985 Education Director Urban League of Greater Hartford’s Adult Center of Education (ACE Program) 1985-1986 Coordinator, Day of Pride Minority Recruitment Program, University of Connecticut Education Trinity College Master of Arts, American Studies Lesley University Bachelor of Science in Education Minor in Urban Education Honors and Awards CT Department of Education New England Council for Continuing Education Education Press Association of America Literacy Volunteers Upper Albany Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Award (2002) Christian Activities Council Certificate of Merit (2004) Hartford Rising Star Leadership Award (2006) City of Hartford Citation – One City One Plan (2010) Board Chair of the Year National Main Street (2012) Voices of Women of Color 2013 Trailblazers Award Christian Activities Council Community Service Award (2014) Urban Refuge Church Civic Sunday Award (2017) Professional Boards & Organizations: Zoning Board of Appeals, Commissioner Upper Albany Development, Inc. Community First School, VP Friends of the Library CT Trust for Historic Preservation New England Transfer Association COH Green Ribbon Task Force COH Parks and Recreation Commission Friends of Keney Park, Secretary Triple P, Practitioner Upper Albany NRZ, Chair Graduate! Connecticut Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Upper Albany Main Street, Board Chair COH Zoning Advisory Committee Journey Writers, Inc., VP LaTroya Blue 120 Bedford Street 3B· Hartford, CT 06120· Phone: 860-372-0191 msblue1217@yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________ Objective: To utilize my skills to enhance the facility as well as to further my growth and development as an individual. Education & Training:  Hartford Parent University – Hartford, CT, September 2015- May 2016  Graduation 6/1/2016 as Parent Leader  Goodwin College – East Hartford, CT May 2012- June 2014  Graduated with Associate’s Degree in Health Science  Phoenix Academy - Hartford, CT, January-May 2009  Certification as Administrative Medical Specialist Work Experience: Student Worker, Goodwin College East Hartford, CT October 2016- Present  Answer office phones and emails in a timely manner  Performs general clerical duties including: photocopying student information, mail, faxing, and filing charts.  Create and maintain organization within office and classroom  Create documents using Microsoft Office H.I.M Clerk, St. Francis Hospital Hartford, CT June 2009-August 2015  Process medical records requests for Pediatric, Surgical, Medical, and Walk-in clinics.  Organize sorted charts in terminal digital order.  File confidential medical reports into patient’s charts.  Answer office phones, faxes and emails in a timely manner.  Communicate clearly, concisely and appropriately with all staff and patients  Assist in coordination of release of information in order to provide efficient continuity of care Sales Associate, Macy’s Manchester, CT Winter 2008-09  Made connections with customers, asked questions and listened to shoppers needs.  In applicable areas, ensured fitting rooms were ready for customers.  Maintained selling floor presentations and restocking them as needed.  Accepted all forms of payments from customers and giving back accurate change. Volunteer Work: Community First School 2017-Present  Serve on Board of Directors as Secretary Hartford City Mission 2016-2017  Helped students complete school assignments, journals and after school activities Global Communications Academy 2014- Present  Served on SGC Board: 2014-2015  Served on PTO Board: Treasure 2014-2016, Secretary 2017- Present Skills:      Highly ambitious, determined, dedicated and hard-working Excellent communication and customer service skills Fast learner and team player Careful: strong attention to detail and high level of accuracy Computer: Skilled in all Microsoft office software. ANTHONY BYERS 188 South Whitney Street, Hartford, CT 06105 Cell: (860) 713-3316 E-mail: Anthony.Byers84@gmail.com EDUCATION UNIVERISTY OF CONNECTICUT Storrs, CT Bachelor of Arts in Economics May 2007 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION CAEOP Trio Achiever Award, 2014 HARTFORD BUISINESS JOURNAL, Forty under 40, 2015 100 Men of Color Award, 2015 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE HARTFORD YOUTH SCHOLARS, Hartford, CT Co-Executive Director September 2011 – Present          Fostered strong partnerships with school heads, leaders, and key personnel in Hartford Public Schools as well as Independent schools Fostered strong collaborations with Community Based Organizations Ensured that HYSF continues to meet goals and initiatives outlined in strategic plan and Benchmarks mutually agreed with The Steppingstone Foundation Boston Ensured systems in place needed to build and maintain a high quality staff. Guided management team in developing operational benchmarks and work plans to meet strategic goals. Monitored expenses and revenues to ensure that organization meets budget and fundraising goals. Worked with Board and Chair to develop and implement organization’s ongoing strategic plan. Provided regular updates to Board about financial and programmatic performance against goals. Served on the following Board Committees: Governance, Strategic Plan, Program, and Advancement. Guided HYS in its efforts to grow in the Hartford, Connecticut Region. Managed $700,000 budget    Complete performance reviews of all reporting staff and observations of faculty Increased rigor of Academy to maintain high levels of expectation for all students Processed Payroll   Program Director January 2011- August 2011       Provided the programmatic leadership to assure that the Steppingstone Academy Hartford fulfills its stated mission Managed day-to-day aspects of The Academy including communication with families, management of faculty and interns and program specific budget Managed day-to-day operations of admission, preparation, placement, and support services components Recruited, hired and trained staff and faculty Facilitated weekly faculty and program staff meetings Facilitated college readiness workshops and events  Worked closely with the Executive Director to evaluate program activities and to prepare program reports for the Board of Directors Program Manager, Support Services May 2010 – December 2010        Monitored and evaluated the academic and social progress of Scholars to assist with their scholastic and social development and success Assisted high school Scholars and families in preparing for, applying to, and gaining access to college by coordinating college workshops, assisting families with financial aid applications, campus visits, etc. Established and developed supportive relationships with Scholars, families, and school personnel Managed and Developed a Saturday study hall and mentoring program (S.W.O.T) Participated in writing and distribution of monthly updates; participated in planning and preparation of summer session; recruitment, training, and supervision of summer Teaching Assistants as needed Taught and provided administrative support during summer session Managed all data management systems for Scholars in grades 9-12 Program Associate, June 2007 – May 2010         Admission Officer (2007-2008) – Lead the admissions process by recruiting highly motivated middle school students throughout the city of Hartford. Collected over 450 7th grade nominations each year Student Advisor– Advised/Counseled scholars pertaining to academics as it relates to the transition to high school (public and private) Motivated scholars to have good character, strong work ethic and make solid decisions that lead to college access Helped design summer session curriculum, Served as ‘Dean of Students’ Track students’ grades, and achievements Coordinate workshops that lead to college access (KnowHow2Go workshops, Writing Workshop, Public Speaking Workshops, Financial Aid Workshops) Serve as a liaison between students/families and independent school advisors and financial aid officers Recruit tutors TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS Computer: Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Powerpoint), Mac OS, iWork (Keynote, Pages, Numbers), Filemaker Pro (InResonance, Portal, Keystone, Advocate) OTHER EXPERIENCE/VOLUNTEERISM COMMONWEALTH ACADEMY BASKETBALL INTERFAITH HOMES/VILLAGE Coach, October 2013 – March 2017 Board of Directors, March 2016 – present BABC West AAU BASKETBALL COLLEGE GOAL SUNDAY Coach, March 2014 – July 2015 Volunteer WINS FOR LIFE AAU BASKETBALL THE STEPPINGSTONE FOUNDATION’S NETWORK EVALUATION TEAM Head Coach, March 2010 – May 2012 THE MASTER’S SCHOOL Assistant Coach, November 2013 – March 2014 Volunteer, August 2011 – present HARTFORD PROMISE College Readiness Workgroup – May 2013 – August Matthew J. Conway, III (C) 860-874-2114 (E) mjconway3@gmail.com PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE CareCentrix, Hartford, CT November 2013-Present Senior Manager, Enterprise Solutions  Manage multiple workstreams to improve process efficiency, improve accuracy of data, and align crossfunctional stakeholders  Led the implementation of a provider network worth $250,000,000 in revenue  Led and coordinated the identification, development, and production of all corporate wide internal and client facing product and financial reports during the implementation of a $300,000,000 contract General Electric Capital, Norwalk, CT and Dallas, TX October 2011-July 2013 Financial Management Program  Managed GE Capital America’s weekly ENI estimates and monthly Volume, analyzing over $100 billion in weekly ENI and $9 billion in monthly Volume in order to explain our asset changes for weekly pulse meetings with the CFO along with providing the FED with an in depth written analysis of our volume and ROI trends  Improved the daily bank wiring process between Capital America’s Fleet business and the industrial bank, reconciling over $15 million worth of outstanding activity while working cross functionally to implement a new procedure to accept and process the wire while staying compliant with FDIC’s Regulation W. In addition, eliminated 50% of the process time and reduced daily wire amount by $15 million which resulted in a move from a daily bank wire to a weekly wire Aetna Health Insurance, Hartford, CT December. 2009-2010 Financial Analyst Intern  Helped senior portfolio manager develop economic forecasting models and perform regression analysis using alternative research data and Bloomberg. This resulted in a presentation to Aetna’s Fixed Income Team to show our conclusions and suggestions in analyzing data in a different way  Supported a Project Management Office (PMO) that was created to drive an enterprise wide program to improve operating margins, reduce costs, and optimize process efficiency. Developed Business Cases, produced PowerPoint presentations for leadership, and coordinated the project plan for the PMO. Also, analyzed and made recommendations for Aetna’s 2010 enterprise initiative investments which resulted in securing $15.6 million COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE The RiseUP Group, Inc., Hartford, CT January 2012- Present Executive Director and Founder  Manage a team of five directors and mentors for a scholarship and mentorship program aimed at giving at risk youth the access tools, opportunities, and network to develop skills and confidence to improve their situation and the community around them HuskyTHON, Storrs, CT April 2009-April 2011 Executive Director  Managed the largest student organized fundraiser in CT, raising over $340,000 for CT Children’s Medical Center; increasing fundraising by 39% and 25% in 2010 and 2011 respectively  Awarded Connecticut’s Higher Education Community Service Award in 2011  Awarded the “The Most Successful Online Fundraising Campaign” by Children’s Miracle Network in 2010 EDUCATION University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut Bachelor of Science in Business, Finance Major Overall GPA: 3.56/4.00 May 2011 TIMOTHY R. GOODWIN Cell: (860) 977-9149, Email: timrgood21@gmail.com PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Hartford City Mission, Executive Director 2016 – Present  Worked collaboratively with Hartford elementary schools, local churches, and non-profit organizations to establish and facilitate four after school sites serving over 50 children and families.  Established new in-school initiative providing academic and character development support to the 2 nd grade at Simpson Waverly Elementary School and the 4th grade at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Hartford’s North End.  Responsible for hiring, annual budget process, fundraising, event planning, and oversight of academic after school, in-school, and summer camp programming.  Established new professional development initiative, updated staff, student, and parent handbooks, and initiated series of parent coaching sessions serving over 50 families. Key Accomplishments: 1. Increased student enrollment in academic and character development programs by over 100% from June 2016 through June 2017, from 85 to 180 students. 2. Planned and coordinated Back to School Block Party for over 1,000 Hartford residents in October 2016. 3. Established first annual HCM Fall Gala in 2016 with over 200 attendees raising over $60,000. Achieve Hartford!, Hartford Parent University, No Child Held Back Consultant 2015 – 2016  Provided oversight and support for the unique collaborative between three student-centered non-profit organizations.  Met with HPU parents to support training efforts around strategic and productive communication with the school district.  Developed, implemented, and facilitated training for teachers and staff in student-centered learning, cultural competency, and effective parent communications.  Provided program and development support for the No Child Held Back curriculum pilot initiative in four Hartford Public Elementary Schools (S.A.N.D., Simpson Waverly, Milner, and M.D. Fox). Hartford Public Schools, Principal, Culinary Arts Academy at Weaver High School 2013 – 2015  Developed school-wide, data-driven intervention program, providing differentiated instruction to all students based upon level of need and interest.  Created tiered academic and behavioral assistance protocols (SRBI) to support all students and assure adequate and individualized plans for students and families.  Facilitated highly effective school teams including, Leadership, Data, Professional Learning, Crisis, Student Assistance, and Student Leadership.  Developed professional learning plan to include PD in Data Wise, Universal Design for Learning, Naviance, and other behavior management and student engagement best practices.  Worked with local community based organizations and school staff to initiate over 20 after school enhancement programs.  Conducted formal and informal observations of teaching and support staff using Danielson Framework.  Completed Leadership CT training facilitated by the Center for School Change during the summer 2015. Key Accomplishments: 1. Student suspensions decreased 70% in first year as principal, June 2013-June 2014. 2. Student attendance increased 8% and chronic absenteeism decreased 16% from Sept. 2013-June 2015. 3. First choice applicants doubled from 2013-2014 and enrollment capacity (300) maintained through 2015 despite under enrollment at most Hartford secondary schools. 4. Student standardized test scores increased 250% as measured by NWEA Map, Fall 2013-Spring 2015. 5. Led a community and school wide movement to petition the Board of Education in the re-building of Weaver High School, which resulted in state and city appropriations of $100 million to the project with a completion date of August 2018. Dean of Students, Culinary Arts Academy & Journalism and Media Academy 2012 – 2013  Guided blended learning initiative for at risk students seeking graduation.  Monitored student progress, through collection and interpretation of relevant data, regular communication with teaching staff, and student meetings.  Facilitated meetings with special education and regular education teaching staff, principals, and parents to develop and monitor individual education plans.  Initiated several community, family, and student events to improve school climate and culture.  Initiated after school learning program for students in need of additional credit attainment and recovery. Key Accomplishments: 1. Established a culture of respect and rapport within the Student Success Center leading to high student attendance and increased academic progress. 2. Created and directed several project based initiatives including indoor garden beds, digital storybook, online recipe blog, blue bird trail, and hosting a community luncheon. 3. Recognized by Quinnipiac University as an example of alumni success and excellence with a full-page article on the QU website. Town of Simsbury, Executive Director, Community Farm of Simsbury 2009 – 2012  Worked collaboratively with Hartford, Simsbury, and Avon Public Schools.  Developed K-12 curriculum tied to Common Core standards for a diverse group of learners.  Incorporated data to drive curriculum strategy and develop individual learning plans for specific students and classes.  Created an evaluation plan to measure academic and health gains, social interaction, and service learning.  Created a series of inter-district field trip experiences for urban (Hartford) and suburban (Simsbury and Avon) students.  Empowered staff using the Professional Learning Community model.  Instituted fundraising strategy to support CFS staff salaries, program development, capital improvements, marketing, and general operating expenses.  Oversaw capital improvements to facilities totaling over $350,000.  Built relationships with community stakeholders to enhance and deepen CFS academic, fundraising, and volunteer programs.  Incorporated service learning as students assisted in providing certified organic produce to families in need, totaling over 12,500 pounds in 2011. Key Accomplishments: 1. Transformed dilapidated dairy farm in the throes of a multi-million dollar lawsuit into a Town of Simsbury gem providing academic programming to over 1,500 students annually. 2. Evaluation plan built in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation to serve as a national model for hands-on learning. 3. Nominated by Simsbury Public Schools Superintendent, Diane Ullman, to serve as a representative for the Suffield Agriscience Consulting Committee. City of Hartford, Executive Director, Hartford Youth Scholars Foundation 2006 – 2008  Developed curriculum in math, science, reading, and writing aligned with national standards for 6-8th grade students.  Guided the instructional process by developing and leading professional development workshops emphasizing rigorous standards and relevant hands-on teaching techniques.  Prepared urban students for high achieving secondary schools.  Helped secure financial aid packages for students totaling over $700,000.  Developed summer school and after school curriculum design to further enhance academic achievement.  Worked collaboratively with Hartford elementary and middle schools to secure nominations and recruit Scholars. Key Accomplishments: 1. Over 85% of Scholars graduated from the intensely rigorous academic program. 2. Over 75% of Scholars placed in CT high achieving secondary schools in 2008. 3. Recognized by The Hartford Business Journal as Hartford’s Top 40 Business People or Community Leaders under 40, and received the Sankofa Award for Service to the Community by the Urban League of Greater Hartford. Hartford Public Schools, Teacher, Weaver High School 2004 – 2006  Taught AP United States History, Civics, and CAPT Prep.  Coordinated Law and Public Service Academy with the Vice Principal.  Designed and facilitated Battle of Gettysburg simulation on the football field for 10th grade Civics students and a Robber Barons Ball at The Goodwin Hotel for AP US History students. Key Accomplishments: 1. Brought AP United States History back to the high school for the first time in 5 years. 2. Planned and organized first ever end of the year Academy day, which included demonstrations by the Hartford Police and Fire Departments, and Hartford area SWAT team. The Master’s School, Simsbury, CT, Teacher and Coach 1991-2004  Taught AP US History, Modern World History, Senior Seminar, African History, Middle Eastern History, Bible, and Physical Education.  Served as Senior Class Head Advisor directing trips to Washington DC, Florida, Maine, New Jersey, Montreal, and the Adirondacks.  Coached Varsity Basketball, winning numerous league and regional championships and sending 9 players to college with full athletic scholarships. Key Accomplishments: 1. Founded Upward Bound Basketball Camp for the school in 1991 with 20 campers, which grew to four weeks and over 280 campers by 2009. 2. Created Rising Scholar Athlete Program to provide low-income minority youth with the chance to attend the school, with the goal of preparing for success in college and beyond. EDUCATION MEd., Sixth Year Degree in Ed Leadership, 2012, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT, Honors: 3.93/4.00 MEd., Athletic Administration, 1997, Springfield College, Springfield, MA, Honors: 3.83/4.00 BA., History, 1991, The King’s College, New York, NY OTHER AWARDS & AFFILIATIONS Recognized by The Hartford Business Journal as Top 40 Business/Community Leaders under 40, 2008. Received the Sankofa Award for Service to the Community by the Urban League of Greater Hartford, 2007. Served on the National Honor Society Selection Committee, 2002, 2003, 2004 Coached Varsity Basketball 1992-2006, Cross Country Running, 2002, 2003, JV Baseball, 1995, 1996, 1998 COMPUTER SKILLS Powerschool, Teachscape, Protraxx, Naviance, School Messenger, Google Drive, Poll Everywhere, AppliTrack, Microsoft and Mac word processing applications, web design, office networking, cloud storage, social media, and various presentation and video creation software INTERESTS Family & Parenting, Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country Running, Fly Fishing, Poetry, Computers, Video Editing, Painting & Drawing, Organic Farming, and Community Service Trudi Lebron, MS Tel: 860-869-1696 Email: Trudi.lebron@scriptflip.org Hartford, CT ________________________________________________________________________ Education In Progress PhD in Social Psychology, Walden University; ABD as of 5/2017 2011 Masters of Science in Psychology, Walden University Specialization: Psychology, Public Administration & Social Change Thesis: Reconsidering Youth Prevention 2005 Bachelors of Arts, Charter Oak State College Trainings/ Certifications 2016 2014 2014 2014 2013 2012 2013 2011 reSET Impact Accelerator, reSET Social Enterprise Trust Certified Youth Life Coach, Youth Coaching Institute Youth Mental Health First Aid Balanced & Restorative Justice 101 Trainer, City of Hartford Parents as Teachers Supervisor Teen Outreach Program Facilitator & Supervisor (TOP), CT DSS Common Sense Parenting Facilitator, Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) Professional Affiliations 2016- current 2015- current 2012-2013 2011-2013 2011-2012 Member Member Member Co-Chair Member Board of Directors – NightFall, Hartford, CT International Coaching Federation – CT Chapter School Governance Council, Clark Elementary School Cultural Affairs Commission, City of Hartford Opportunities Hartford Workgroup Professional Positions & Consulting 6/13- current Founder/Director, ScriptFlip!
 LLC ScriptFlip! provides consulting, professional development, program development, research, technical support and executive & team coaching to youth centered non-profits, schools and social enterprises who want to increase their impact in their community or target population. ScriptFlip! also provides specialized youth programs aimed at challenging social scripts in urban communities 6/08- current Diversity & Race Equity Educator, Coach & Consultant Provide collaborative community building support by applying race equity, diversity and inclusion lens to schools, organizations, and communities. Have served as a consultant for National diversity/equity firms including the Anti-Defamation League, Everyday Democracy, Trudi Lebron, MS National Conference for Community and Justice and Discovery Center. Areas of specialization include training and professional development, community building & inclusion, cultural & social psychology, stereotype threat, and anti-racist practice. 5/15-12/16 Associate Director of Community & Youth Programs Billings Forge Community Works Inc. Hartford, CT Restructuring of Youth & Community Building strategy for a urban, community development organization focused on social enterprise, workforce development and community building in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford, CT. Responsible for strategy and program management of programs valued over $500,000 dollars including a major Federal grant from the USDA. 8/14- 5/15 Springfield Scholar Athlete Manager Boston Scholar Athletes / Springfield Scholar Athletes, Boston, MA Responsible for oversight of the first expansion of a school-based mentoring, and academic support program for with the goal of increasing participation in school athletics and increasing the number of urban students playing college sports. Enrolled 200 students into program in first quarter of school year, managed Springfield team, worked with Boston based headquarters, managed data, build relationships with Springfield Board of Ed, City Council, and four Springfield area colleges. 1/13-5/14 Assistant Professor of Human Services Goodwin College, East Hartford CT Taught courses in the Human Service department including Research Methods, Program Development, Youth Development, Case Management, Intro to Human Services, Cultural Psychology; Responsible for student advising, and the coordination of Associates Degree internship program. 2013 Associate Faculty Post University, Waterbury, CT Teach on-ground and on-line courses for the Psychology and Human Services/Sociology Department. Courses: Educational Psychology; Class; Race & Ethnicity, Gen Psyc, Interviewing Techniques 12/11-10/13 Community School Director Village for Families and Children/Hartford Public Schools Responsible for Community School start-up at pk-8 public school. Conducted needs assessments, administered surveys, performed observations and assessments of school operations and made recommendations based on findings. Responsible for oversight of all Trudi Lebron, MS Village for Families & Children programs and activities at Clark School, facilitate and manage partnerships with other Clark School service providers, conduct joint planning with the principal to ensure that all student and family support services are coordinated and aligned with HPS and Clark School accountability plan and goals. Managed $400,000 Site Budget of private and state grants. Programs included: Family Resource Center; Home Visiting/ Parents As Teachers Curriculum; Family Case Management; 0-5 Developmental Screening and Well Care Monitoring; Parent Advocacy; Food Pantry; Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TOP Curriculum); PTO Support; After-School Programs; Family Economic Empowerment Center; School Based Out-Patient Mental Health Clinic 04/10-10/11 Program Coordinator / Case Manager Family Life Education, Hartford, CT Redesigned core agency program and provided oversight of five yearround and short-term, recurring programs. Provided direct support and case management to teen and young adult families, designed and implemented primary and secondary prevention curricula, and supervised staff and interns. 05/09-06/11 Consulting Director of Training and Program Development SoulTouchin’ Experience Develop trainings, short-term programs for Boston, MA based organization that specializes in advocacy and training on disability inclusion, race, and social justice issues. 09/07-10/08 Community Program Manager Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT Expanded, implemented & developed curricula for film-based and youth arts educational programs to facilitate community dialogue about race, leadership, civil rights, peace, social responsibility and the role of arts in social change. House Manager & Office Supervisor Austin Arts Center, Trinity College, Hartford, CT Coordinated front of house operations for the Austin Arts Center at Trinity College. Managed Box Office and House staff, processed payroll, attendance logs, and campus marketing. 7/05-09/07 08/04-05/05 Program Assistant Charter Oak State College, New Britain, CT Developed student orientation and training programs, coordinated student events, assisted in coordination of fundraising efforts, researched prospective donors and private grant opportunities for scholarship program primarily serving minority, single-parent women Trudi Lebron, MS 08/03-1/05 Site Supervisor New Britain Parks & Recreation Supervised implementation of 21st Century Grant After-School Program at DiLoreto Elementary School; Supervised 6 staff members, worked closely with teachers and school administrators, and generated program reports. Program served 150 youth grades 3-5. Guest Lectures, Conferences & Professional Development 2015 Facilitator: Race and Education Community Roundtable 2013 Presenter: Socio-Economics & Young Family Development Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina (NC) 20102013 Field Instructor University of St Joseph, School of Social Work (CT) (Formally, St. Joseph College) 2012 Guest Lecturer: Ecological Development & Teen Families University of St. Joseph (CT) 2012 Presenter: Socio-Economics and Young Family Development Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy (MA) 2012 Guest Lecturer: Exploring Latina Teen Pregnancy Trends Latina Women and Their World Class, St Joseph College (CT) 2012 Presenter: Busting Teen Mom Myths Caritas Youth Conference, St. Josephs College (CT) 2011 Presenter: Socio-Economic Status, Culture and Inner Cities Family Life Education (Hartford, CT) 2011 Guest Lecturer: Introduction to Teen Pregnancy Prevention Intro to Social Work Class, St. Joseph College (CT) 2011 Guest Lecturer: Exploring Latina Teen Pregnancy Trends Latina Women and Their World Class, St Joseph College (CT) 2011 Moderator Community Conversation on Bullying (CT) 2011 Presenter: The Current State of Teen Pregnancy in Hartford, CT Bulkeley High School, National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Day (CT) Trudi Lebron, MS 2010 Presenter: “Your Role, Their World” The Role of After-School Program Providers in the lives of urban, at-risk youth. CT Afterschool Network Fall Conference (CT) 2009 Presenter: Exploring Power Dynamics and At-Risk Youth CT Afterschool Network Fall Conference (CT) 2009 Trainer: Demonstrating Leadership with Inner City Youth Public Allies/Americorps (CT) 2007 Presenter: After-School Program Design for Urban-Schools CT Afterschool Network Fall Conference (CT) 2006 Presenter: Exploring our Futures CALAHE Youth Conference (CT) 2005 Trainer; Multi-Day Training Workshop, Creating Creative Classrooms Dwight Elementary School (Hartford, CT) Youth Presentations 2012 Presenter: Busting Teen Mom Myths Young Women’s Empowerment Conference, My People Clinical Services (CT) 2006Ongoing Facilitator Real Art Ways, Film Fieldtrip Program (Hartford, CT) 20042010 Teaching Artist Various Organizations 2011 Presenter/Facilitator: 10-Week Teen Parent Activism Program Hartford Action Plan (Hartford, CT) 2008 Youth Trainer: 12-Session Youth Workshop on Youth Activism and Critical Thinking Leadership Greater Hartford, High Hopes Program Areas of Interests:      Oppression, Equity & Diversity Urban Culture and Social Issues Youth Development Workforce Professional Identity Youth Program Development Adolescent Pregnancy & Young Family Development Nyesha McCauley 77 Wadsworth Street Hartford, CT 06106 Nyesha.McCauley@gmail.com (860) 970-8089 Professional Experience Achieve Hartford! Hartford, CT Communications and Community Engagement Manager 2012- Present Developed and deployed a stakeholder engagement strategy to cultivate external relationships with institutions, policymakers, opinion leaders, the media and public at large to insure maximum outreach for Achieve Hartford’s impact, leading dialogue and broadening public understanding to achieve sustained gains in education reform.      Developing Integrated Communications and Marketing Plan. Oversaw and launched the redesign of our company website. Maintain and update website to increase traffic as part of overall communications strategy Manage organization social media pages and community. Increased online community engagement and members. Design external communications and marketing materials: Annual Appeals, Publications, Flyers, Produce promotional videos as part of overall marketing strategy for programs. Hartford Public Access Television Senior Program Coordinator      Hartford, CT 2001-2012 Liaison between the City of Hartford and Hartford Public Access Television to produce television programs for the City of Hartford Oversaw the technical production of all City of Hartford television programs Facilitated the training of 100 community producers a year to use the studio and editing production equipment Supervised interns, after school program participants and part-time staff Initiated professional relationships with community businesses and non-profit organizations Education Bay Path University Bachelor of Science, Digital Marketing and Social Media Management 2016 University of Connecticut 2008 Course work in Bachelor of General Studies, Public and Community Engagement Affiliations Communication Media Advisory Board Capital Community College, Hartford, CT 2012- Present Permanent Commission on the Status of Hartford Women City of Hartford, Hartford, CT 2008-2011 LaShawn Robinson 17 Burnham Street Hartford, CT 06112 (860) 794-2107 lrohi use nit??111 bore; Pro?le: Human services professional with strong computer skills and public speaking experience seeking full time opportunity working With children and families. Related Experience: Hartford Parent University Hartford, CT Outreach Coordinator/Coach April 2014 I Represent organization at school and community based events to recruit new participants. I Conduct family intake interviews, collect data, and create reports. I Maintain communication with program participants via meetings, telephone calls and events. I Provide community based resources and referrals to support student/family success. I Conduct workshops to teach parents about student-centered learning and computer-based learning systems used by public schools. I Present to State Legislature to advocate for program support. Achievement First Charter Schools New York, NY External Relations October 2013-March 2014 I Developed and implemented plans for student recruitment. I Planned and executed school fairs and open houses. Additional 'Work History: Sloppy Wa??les Newington, CT Hostess/Server November 2015-March 2016 I Managed front-of-house operations including planning, organization, and staffing for large, special events. Community Service/Volunteerism: I Kinsella Rawson Elementary Schools, Hartford, CT I St. Michaels Church Food Bank, Hartford, CT I Blue Hills Civic Association, Hartford, CT I Blackwell Church Youth Choir, Hartford, CT I Voices LLC Education: Adult Education Center Hartford, CT Diploma June 2017 Hartford Parent University Hartford, CT I Parent Leader Graduate 2013 I Facilitator Training for Coaches 2013 I No Child Held Back Program 2015 I MLK Non-Violence Certification 2015 Alexander Thomas 420 Edgewood St Hartford, CT 06112 T 860.503.3819 M 860.559.9526 alexander.thomas@ghymca.org Profile A young man of 20, with 5 years work experience with urban youth and at-risk communities. Specializes in providing a fun and encouraging environment. Now seeking further growth in the Non-Profit world. Experience Membership Coordinator, Wilson-Gray YMCA; Hartford, CT –2016-Present The Membership Coordinator, under the direction of the Membership Director, is responsible for all aspects of YMCA Membership, including the acquisition and retention of members, membership billing, and all administrative tasks associated with Membership. Childcare-Aide, YMCA of Greater Hartford; Wethersfield, CT 2015-Present Under the general direction of the Head Teacher, the Child Care Aide works for the YMCA of Greater Hartford and is responsible for on-site activity leadership, working directly with children.The position is responsible for ensuring that the mission, purpose, image, and core values of the YMCA of Greater Hartford is conveyed. Education Global Experience Magnet School; Bloomfield, CT – 2014 Capital Community College; Hartford, CT – 2015-2016 Springfield College-Springfield, MA- 2016-Present/ Social Work Volunteerism/Fundraising Community First School- Founding Board Member. United Way Emerging Leaders Society- Committee Member Hartford City Mission- Volunteer Gained over 15,000 in pledged donations for Community First School, YMCA of Greater Hartford and Hartford City Mission References Valencia Williams. Executive Director (860) 241-9622 valencia.williams@ghymca.org Tim Goodwin- Executive Director of Hartford City Mission/Founder of Community First School (860) 461-0196 tgoodwin@hartfordcitymission.org Appendix Appendix E CFS Organizational Chart Board of Directors Potential Committees - Executive, Education, Development, Finance School Governance Council Exec. Director/ Principal Operations Manager Community Partners Academic Dean ELL SPED Coordinator Teaching Staff Other Support Staff Child Development Staff Appendix Community First School The RiseUP Group Draft Memorandum of Understanding Lkground Community First School will be founded on 5 core values, one ofwhich is to form strategic and authentic partnerships with local non-profits, community-based organizations, corporations, and government agencies to provide specialized student and family support. RiseUP was founded in 2012 by a group ofyoung professionals who realized that there is a lack ofsupport given to our youth in urban communities. The RiseUP mission is to empower youth to be the that uplift and inspire their communities. Purp use Should CFS be approved and a charter granted, the RiseUP Group is able to provide the following services. 1. Connect Community First School with career exploration opportunities including (but not limited to): 1:1 mentors, Career Days, industry specific career experts, field experiences, and community resources. 2. Develop and build the resources for the Parent Welcome Center, and community outreach office at CFS by ?nancially supporting a part or full time staff person with experience as a Special Educator. ?nding The RiseUP Group recognizes the positive outcomes that can be nurtured in building meaningful and authentic connections with a neighborhood charter school such as CFS. Until future funding resources are identified and secured, The RiseUP Group is committed to providing the following ProBono services fully discounted access to the NCHB Solution Portal until additional funding is secured: 15t Year Pro Bono Professional Services $90,000 At any time the CFS founding team or the RiseUP Group may agree that services will be renegotiated. This MOU is non-binding until the final charter and funding proposals are approved. 7? . xx? .. mim- If A J'Matt?t Cohwy Tim Goodwin The RiseUP group? CFS Executive Director Community First School Hartford Youth Scholars Draft Memorandum of Understanding Bac_kground Community First School will be founded on 5 core values, one ofwhich is to form strategic and authentic partnerships with local non-profits, community-based organizations, corporations, and government agencies to provide specialized student and family support. The Hartford Youth Scholars? (HYS) primary objective is to place Scholars at four-year colleges with the preparation to be successful in the postsecondary environment. HYS continues to support Scholars through college graduation. HYS fulfills this mission of creating lifetime opportunities for underserved Hartford children through education. 39:90.53. Should CFS be approved and a charter granted, Hartford Youth Scholars is able to provide the following services: 1. Regular visits to CFS to provide students and parents with information on the steps and strategies necessary to achieve college acceptance, academic and social success in college, and a mindset oflifelong learning. 2. Support to CFS students and parents as they plan for secondary school opportunities, and the chance to apply for admission to the Hartford Youth Scholars Academy at Trinity College, including HYS secondary school services. 3. Access to the HYS support service curriculum. Funding Hartford Youth Scholars recognizes the positive outcomes that can be nurtured in building meaningful and authentic connections with a neighborhood charter school such as CFS. Therefore the following funding strategy is proposed: Volunteer time valued at Contracted time valued at NZA At any time the CFS founding team or Hartford Youth Scholars may agree that services will be renegotiated. This MOU is non-binding until the final charter and funding proposals are approvedByers? 2) Tim/Goodwin Hartford Youth Scholars CFS Executive Director Community First School The Artists Collective Draft Memorandum of Understanding Background Community First School (CFS) will be founded on 5 core values, one of which is to form strategic and authentic partnerships with local non-profits, community-based organizations, corporations, and government agencies to provide specialized student and family support. The Artists Collective is a cultural arts institution serving the Greater Hartford region, providing year-round professional training in dance, music, drama, visual, martial arts, and cultural history emphasizing the arts and culture of the African Diaspora. Purpose Should CFS be approved and a charter granted, The Artists Collective is able to provide the following services: 1. Professional instruction for students in grades Pre 8th in dance, music, drama, and the visual arts. 2. Instruction in the history and culture of the African diaspora, and at a certain age students will be prepared to participate in the Rite of Passage Ceremony, signifying the coming into adulthood based upon the African tradition for urban youth to address the many social issues perpetuated by poverty. The Rite of Passage Ceremony includes not only the students, but also the parents and staff of CFS as Ceremonial Elders presenting their youth to the community. 3. Regular invitations to CFS students, teachers, and staff to events including performances and concerts during and after school hours, dependent upon financial resources. 4. Regular invitations to CFS students and parents to participate in the Artists Collective after school and summer programs, dependent upon financial resources. Funding The Artists Collective recognizes the positive outcomes that can be nurtured in building meaningful and authentic connections with a neighborhood charter school such as CFS. Therefore the following funding strategy is proposed: Volunteer time valued at $1 5,000 Contracted time valued at $25,000 At any time the CFS founding team or the Artists Collective may agree that services will be renegotiated. This MOU is non?binding until the final charter and funding proposals are approved. Cheryl Swhv?) I Tifoodwin The Artist 'Collective CF Executive Director Community First School Supreme Being Inc. Draft Memorandum of Understanding mm Community First School (CFS) will be founded on 5 core values, one of which is to form strategic and authentic partnerships with local non-profits, community-based organizations, corporations, and government agencies to provide specialized student and family support. Supreme Athlete is the primary program of Supreme Being Inc. Supreme Athlete fulfills the organization?s mission by providing youth with academic, athletic, and social/ emotional guidance and support. Supreme Athlete Staff, mentors, tutors, and coaches instill a positive self-image and teach the values that can help youth overcome life?s challenges and lead to a successful life. Purpose Should CFS be approved and a charted granted, Supreme Being Inc. is able to provide the following services: 1. Professional instruction for students in grades pre - 8th grade in physical education, individual sports skills, and physical training. 2. Daily time during school hours to support students in building the character traits necessary to achieve success both athletically and academically. 3. parent meetings to discuss health, nutrition, and preparation for college. Mug Supreme Being Inc. recognizes the positive outcomes that can be nurtured in building meaningful and authentic connections with a neighborhood charter school such as CFS. Therefore the following funding strategy is proposed: Volunteer time valued at $_15,000 Contracted time valued at $_30,000 At any time the CFS founding team or Supreme Being Inc. may agree that services will be renegotiated. This MOU is non-binding until the final charter and funding proposals are approved. Stanley Williams Tin; Goodwin Supreme Being Inc. CFS Executive Director Community First School 8: Junior Achievement Draft Memorandum of Understanding Background Community First School will be founded on 5 core values, one of which is to form strategic and authentic partnerships with local non-profits, community~basecl organizations, corporations, and government agencies to provide speciaiized student and family support. Junior Achievement?s (IA) volunteer-?delivered, kindergarten-12th grade programs foster work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills, and use experiential learning to inspire students to dream big and reach their potential. Purpose Should CFS be approved and a charted granted, IA is able to provide the following services: 1. The Our Region curriculum, which introduces students to entrepreneurship and upper elementary grades social studies learning objectives, including regions, resources, and supply chains. 2. The Our Nation curriculum, which introduces students to the intersection of career readiness and fifth grade social studies learning objectives, including how the free market system serves as an economic engine for business and careers. 3. The IA in a Day program for the entire school grades k-3 planned in partnership with teachers and IA volunteers. . . Funding IA recognizes the positive outcomes that can be nurtured in building meaningful and authentic connections with a neighborhood charter school such as CFS. Therefore the following funding strategy is proposed: - It ?was? Volunteer time valued at Contracted time valued at At any time the founding team or IA may agree that services will be renegotiated. This MOU isnon-binding until the final charter and funding proposals are approved. Zia/Vow? Ieremy Race Tim Goodwin Iunior Achieve CFS Executive Director Community First School 8; Hartford City Mission Draft Memorandum of Understanding Background Community First School will be founded on 5 core values, one ofwhich is to form strategic and authentic partnerships with local non-profits, community-based organizations, corporations, and government agencies to provide specialized student and family support. Hartford City Mission operates after-school and summer character based programs for children and youth throughout North Hartford. HCM affirms the inherent value of each person, and empowers young men and women to become transformational leaders, taking an active role in creating social, economic, and spiritual renewal. HCM promotes the strength of North Hartford's neighborhoods and encourages people to actively join the process to build a vibrant community. Purpose Should CFS be approved and a charter granted, Hartford City Mission (HCM) is interested in providing the following services: 1. After school programming for all CFS students in grades 1 and 2 every day after school. 2. HCM after school programming includes, daily journaling prompts, homework support, and a daily character development lesson. 3. CFS students would receive all the benefits ofHCM?s family support programs including parent empowerment meetings, the Christmas store, and fun Friday field trips. Funding HCM recognizes the positive outcomes that can be nurtured in building meaningful and authentic connections with a neighborhood charter school such as CFS. Therefore the following funding strategy is proposed: Volunteer time valued at $15,000 Contracted time valued at $15 000 At any time the CFS founding team or HCM may agree that services will be renegotiated. This MOU is non-binding. Once the final charter and funding proposals are approved the governing bodies of both institutions may review and initiate. WW7 {Cl/ Sec/ta: Wilhite Tim {Goodwin I Hartford City Mission CFS Executive Director Community First School and The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Memorandum of Understanding 51$ngan Community First School (CFS) will be founded on 5 core values, one ofwhich is to form strategic and authentic partnerships with local non-profits, community-based organizations, corporations, and government agencies to provide specialized student and family support. The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that leads regional and national partnerships with industry, academia and government to advance strategies and activities for enhancing the skilled STEM workforce pipeline. CCAT has begun work in Hartford Public Schools under a program called, Connecticut. Dream It. Do It. The program introduces STEM and manufacturing-themed content and future careers to a critical youth demographic. Burma Should CF be approved and a charter granted, CCAT is able to provide the following services: 1. Professional instruction for students in grades Pre - 8th Grade in computer technology with a focus on STEM and let century skills including critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and collaboration. 2. The CTDIDI Program at least once per week including, but not limited to the Young Manufacturers Academy workshop model. 3. Regular full-day "deep dive? experiences for each grade level that will include hands-on activities and interactive workshops, competitions, and simulation-based learning. Bulldog CCAT recognizes the positive outcomes that can be nurtured in building meaningful and authentic connections with a neighborhood charter school such as CFS. Therefore the following funding strategy is proposed: Contributed time valued at $15,000 Contracted time valued at $22,000 At any time, before or after the charter is approved, the CFS founding team or CCAT may agree that services will be renegotiated. This MOU is non-binding until the final charter and funding proposals are approved. - -- {Jr .- Elliot A. Tim Goodwin The CT Center 'Advance Technology CFS Executive Director Appendix BYLAWS OF COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL, INC. Adopted Febmary 16, 2017. TABLE OF CONTENTS ARTICLE I General 1 ARTICLE II Of?ces 1 ARTICLE Membership ARTICLE IV Board ofDirectorsl Section 4.1 Power ofBoard and Quali?cation ofDirectors 1 Section 4.2 Number ofDirectors 1 Section 4.3 Election and Term of Directors 2 Section 4.4 Removal of Directors 2 Section 4.5 Resignation 2 Section 4.6 Newly-Created Directorships and Vacancies 2 Section 4.7 Meetings ofthe Board ofDirectors 2 Section 4.8 Quorum of Directors and Voting 3 Section 4.9 Action Without a Meeting. 3 Section 4.10 Meetings by Conference Telephone. 3 Section 4.11 Compensation ofD1rectors3 ARTICLEV Committees 4 Section 5.1 Committees 4 Section 5.2 Committee Rules4 Section 5.3 Service on Committees 4 ARTICLE VI Of?cers, Agents and . Section 6.1 Of?cers; .. Section 6.2 Term of Of?ce and Removal 5 Section 6.3 Resignation 5 Section 6.4 Powers and Duties of Of?cers 5 Section 6.5 Agents and Employees 6 Section 6.6 Compensation ofOf?cers, Agents and Employees 6 ARTICLE VII Directors? Con?icting Interest 6 ARTICLE Miscellaneous 6 Section 8.1 Fiscal Year 6 Section 8.2 Section 8.3 Section 8.4 Section 8.5 Section 8.6 Section 8.7 Notices Corporate Seal Checks, Notes and Contracts . Books and Records . .. Amendments to Bylaws 6 7 7 7 BYLAWS OF COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL, INC. ARTICLE I General These Bylaws are intended to supplement and implement applicable provisions of law and of the Certi?cate of Incorporation (the ?Certificate of Incorporation of Community First School, Inc. (the ?Corporation ARTICLE II Of?ces The principal of?ce of the Corporation shall be located within or without the State of Connecticut, at such place as the Board of Directors shall from time to time designate. The Corporation may maintain additional of?ces at such other places as the Board of Directors may designate. The Corporation shall continuously maintain within the State of Connecticut a registered of?ce at such place as may be designated by the Board of Directors. ARTICLE Membership The Corporation shall have no members. ARTICLE IV Board of Directors Section 4.1 Power of Board and Qualification of Directors. All corporate powers shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and the activities, properties and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors. A Director need not be a resident of the State of Connecticut. Section 4.2 Number of Directors. The number of Directors constituting the entire Board of Directors shall be not fewer than three (3) nor more than ?fteen (15). The number of Directors constituting the Board of Directors shall be the number prescribed by the Directors Within the foregoing range or, if no such number has been prescribed, shall be the number of Directors elected at the last annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation. The number of Directors may be increased or decreased by action of the Board ofDirectors. . Section 4.3 Election and Term of Directors. As provided in the Certi?cate of Incorporation, the initial Directors shall be appointed by the Incorporator. Thereafter, at each annual meeting of the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors shall elect Directors, each Director to hold of?ce for a term of one year until the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors and until his or her successor has been elected and quali?ed. Section 4.4 Removal of Directors. Except as may otherwise be provided in the Certi?cate of Incorporation, any one or more of the Directors may be removed with or without cause at any time by action of the Board of Directors of the Corporation. A Director may be removed only at a meeting called for that purpose, and the meeting notice must state that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is the removal of the Director. Section 4.5 Resignation. Any Director may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the Board of Directors, its Chairman (if any), or the Secretary of the Corporation. Such resignation shall take effect when such notice is so delivered unless the notice speci?es a later effective date. Section 4.6 Newly?Created Directorships and Vacancies. Newly created directorships, resulting from an increase in the number of Directors, and vacancies occurring in the Board of Directors for any reason, may be ?lled by the Board of Directors or (ii) if the Directors remaining in of?ce constitute fewer than a quorum of the Board of Directors, the vote of a majority of the Directors remaining in of?ce. A Director elected to ?ll a vacancy shall hold of?ce until the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors and until his or her successor is elected and quali?ed. Section 4.7 Meetings of the Board of Directors. An annual meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held each year at such time and place as shall be ?xed by the Board, for the election of Directors and of?cers and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at such times as may be ?xed by the Board. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by the Chairman of the Board (if any), the President are majority of the Directors. Regular and special meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at any place in or out of the State of Connecticut. Regular meetings of the Board may be held without notice of the date, time, place or purpose of the meeting, except that, unless stated in the written notice of the meeting, no bylaw may be brought up for adoption, amendment or repeal. Notice of each special meeting of the Board shall include the date, time and place of the meeting and shall be given not less than two (2) days before the date of the meeting and shall state the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. A Director may waive any notice required by law, the Certi?cate of Incorporation or these Bylaws before or after the date and time stated in the notice. Any written or electronic waiver of notice, signed by the Director entitled to notice and delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to notice. A Director?s attendance at or participation in a meeting waives any required notice to him or her of the meeting unless at the beginning of such meeting, or upon his or her arrival, such - 2 Director objects to holding the meeting or transacting business at the meeting, and does not thereafter vote for or assent to action taken at the meeting. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the directors or members of a committee of directors need be specified in any written or electronic waiver of notice. Section 4.8 Quorum of Directors and Voting. Unless a greater proportion is required by law or by the Certi?cate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, a majority of the number of Directors prescribed in accordance with Section 4.2 or two Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business or of any particular business, and, except as otheiwise provided by law or by the Certi?cate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, the vote of a majority of the Directors present at the meeting at the time of such vote, if a quorum is then present, shall be the act of the Board. Section 4.9 Action without a Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors may be taken without a meeting if the action is taken by all members of the Board. Such action shall be evidenced by one or more written consents describing the action taken, shall be signed by each Director and shall be included in the minutes or filed with the corporate records re?ecting the action taken. Any such consent may be signed by a manual, facsimile, conformed or electronic signature. Action taken under this Section 4.9 is the act of the Board of Directors when one or more consents signed by all the Directors are delivered to the Corporation. The consent may specify the time at which the action taken thereunder is to be effective. A Director?s consent may be withdrawn by a revocation signed by the Director and delivered to the Corporation prior to delivery to the Corporation of unrevoked written consents signed by all the Directors. Section 4.10 Meetings by Conference Telephone. Any one or more members of the Board of Directors may participate in any meeting of the Board by, or conduct the meeting through the use of, any means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment by which all Directors participating in the meeting may simultaneously hear each other during the meeting. A Director participating in a meeting by such means is deemed to be present in person at the meeting. Section 4.11 Compensation of Directors. The Corporation may pay compensation to Directors for services rendered to the Corporation, and Directors may be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties to the Corporation, any such payment or reimbursement to be in reasonable amounts as approved by, or in accordance with policies approved by, a majority of the entire Board, including without limitation the Corporation?s con?ict of interest policy. Section 4.12 General Standards ofConduct for Directors. A Director shall discharge duties as a Director, including duties as a member of a committee: (1) in good faith; (2) with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar circumstances; and (3) in a manner the Director reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. In discharging duties, a Director is entitled to rely on information, opinions, reports or statements, including ?nancial statements and other ?nancial data, if prepared or presented by: -3- (1) one or more of?cers or employees of the corporation whom the Director reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matters presented; (2) legal counsel, public accountants or other persons as to matters the Director reasonably believes are within the person's professional or expert competence; or (3) a committee of the Board of Directors of which the Director is not a member if the Director reasonably believes the committee merits con?dence. A Director is not acting in good faith if the Director has knowledge concerning the matter in question that makes reliance otherwise permitted by the preceding sentence unwarranted. ARTICLE Committees Section 5.1 Committees. The Board of Directors may create one or more committees and appoint one or more members of the Board to serve on them. The creation of a committee and the appointment of Directors to a committee shall be approved by a majority of all the Directors in of?ce when the action is taken. To the extent speci?ed by the Board of Directors, each committee may exercise the power of the Board, except that a committee may not ?ll vacancies on the Board of Directors or, except as provided in this section, on any of its Committees, (ii) adopt, amend or repeal these Bylaws, approve a plan of merger, approve a sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all, or substantially all, of the property of the Corporation, other than in the usual and regular course of affairs of the Corporation, or approve a proposal to dissolve the Corporation, or (iv) exercise any other authority prohibited by law. The Board of Directors may appoint one or more Directors as alternate Directors to replace any absent or disquali?ed Director during the Director?s absence or disquali?cation. In the event of the absence or disquali?cation of a Director of a committee, the Director or Directors present at any meeting and not disquali?ed from voting, may by unanimous vote, appoint another Director to act in place of the absent ordisquali?ed Director. Section 5.2 Committee Rules. Sections 4.7 through 4.10 of these Bylaws, which govern meetings, action without meetings, participation in meetings by conference telephone, notice and waiver of notice, and quorum and voting requirements of the Board of Directors, apply to committees and their members as well. Section 5.3 Service on Committees. Each committee of the Board shall serve at the pleasure of the Board. The creation of, delegation of authority to, or action by a committee does not alone constitute compliance by a Director with the standards of conduct described in Section 33-1104 of the Connecticut Revised Nonstock Corporation Act and summarized in the last section of Article IV of these Bylaws. ARTICLE VI Q?icers, Agents and Employees Section 6.1 Of?cers; Ehgibility. The Board of Directors shall elect a President, Secretary and Treasurer, and may elect such other of?cers as determined by the Board of -4- Directors. The same individual may simultaneously hold more than one of?ce. Any of?cer may serve simultaneously as a Director of the Corporation. Section 6.2 Term of Office and Removal. Each of?cer shall hold of?ce for the term for which he or she is appointed and until his or her successor has been appointed and quali?ed. All of?cers shall be appointed at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors or at any other meeting of the Board as the Board may determine. Any of?cer may be removed by the Board of Directors at any time with or without cause. Re-election or appointment of an of?cer shall not of itself create any contract rights in the of?cer or the Corporation. Section 6.3 Resignation. Any of?cer may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the Corporation. Unless the written notice speci?es a later effective time, the resignation shall be effective when the notice is delivered to the Board of Directors, its Chairman (if any), or the Secretary of the Corporation. Section 6.4 Powers and Duties of Of?cers. A. President. The President shall serve as the chief executive of?cer of the Corporation. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and, subject to the supervision of the Board, shall perform all duties customary to that of?ce and shall supervise and control all of the affairs of the Corporation in accordance with policies and directives approved by the Board. B. Vice President. In the absence of the President or in the event of his or her inability or refusal to act, the Vice President, if any, shall perform the duties of the President, and, when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. If there is more than one Vice President, the Board of Directors shall determine which of them shall so perform the duties of the President under such circumstances. The Vice President shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as the Board of Directors may from time to time prescribe by standing or special resolution, or as the President may from time to time provide, subject to the powers and the supervision of the Board of Directors. C. Secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible for preparing and maintaining custody of minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and for authenticating and maintaining the records of the Corporation, and shall give or cause to be given all notices in accordance with these Bylaws or as required by law, and, in general, shall perform all duties customary to the of?ce of Secretary. The Secretary shall have custody of the corporate seal of the Corporation, and he or she shall have authority to af?x the same to any instrument requiring it, and, when so af?xed, it may be attested by his or her signature. The Board of Directors may give general authority to any of?cer to af?x the seal of the Corporation, if any, and to attest the af?xing by his or her signature. D. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have the custody of, and be responsible for, all funds and property of the Corporation. He or she shall keep or cause to be kept complete and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements of the Corporation, and shall deposit all monies and other valuable property of the Corporation in the name and to the credit of the Corporation in such -5- banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Treasurer may designate, subject to approval of the Board of Directors. Whenever required by the Board of Directors, the Treasurer shall render a statement of accounts. He or she shall at all reasonable times exhibit the books and accounts to any of?cer or Director of the Corporation, and shall perform all duties incident to the of?ce of Treasurer, subject to the supervision of the Board of Directors, and such other duties as shall from time to time be assigned by the Board. Section 6.5 Agents and Employees. The Board of Directors may appoint agents and employees who shall have such authority and perform such duties as may be prescribed by the Board. The Board may remove any agent or employee at any time with or without cause. Removal without cause shall be without prejudice to such person?s contract rights, if any, and the appointment of such person shall not itself create contract rights. Section 6.6 Compensation of O?icers, Agents and Employees. The Corporation may pay compensation in reasonable amounts to of?cers, agents and employees for services rendered. The Board of Directors shall determine the amount of the compensation that shall be paid or shall adopt policies in accordance with which the amounts of compensation shall be determined. Any such payment to an of?cer who is also a Director shall be made only in accordance with the Corporation?s con?ict of interest policy. The Board may require any of?cers, agents or employees to give such bond or security for the faithful performance of their duties as the Board of Directors may determine, for which they shall be reimbursed. ARTICLE VII Directors? Con?icting Interest Transactions Any ?Director?s con?icting interest transaction,? as de?ned in Section 33-1127 of the Connecticut General Statutes, may be effected by the Director concerned and the Corporation may proceed to effect such transaction only as set forth in Section 33-1127 et seq. of the Connecticut General Statutes relating to such conflicting interest transactions. Further, notwithstanding compliance with the above statute, such transaction may be undertaken by any Director or the Corporation only to the extent such transaction does not constitute an excess bene?t transaction, as de?ned in Section 4958 of the Internal Revenue Code. ARTICLE Miscellaneous Section 8.1 Fiscal Year. The ?scal year of the Corporation shall be the pen'od beginning July 1 and ending June 30 or such other period as may be ?xed by the Board of Directors. Section 8.2 Notices. Any notice required or permitted by these Bylaws shall be given personally, by telephone, by mail or by private carrier. Notices may also be given by electronic transmission, which for purposes of these Bylaws shall mean any form of communication, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, -6- retrieved, and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated process. Notices delivered by electronic transmission shall be deemed given when directed to an electronic mail address at which the director or other person receiving notice has consented to receive notice. Section 8.3 Corporate Seal. The corporate seal shall be circular in form, shall have the name of the Corporation inscribed thereon and shall contain the words ?Corporate Seal? and ?Connecticut? and the year the Corporation was formed in the center, or shall be in such form as may be approved from time to time by the Board of Directors. Section 8.4 Checks, Notes and Contracts. The Board of Directors shall determine who shall be authorized from time to time on the Corporation?s behalf to Sign checks, drafts, or other orders for payment of money; to sign acceptances, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness; to enter into contracts; or to execute and deliver other documents and instruments. Section 8.5 Books and Records. The Corporation shall keep at its of?ce correct and complete books and records of the accounts, activities and transactions of the Corporation, the minutes of the proceedings of the Board of Directors and any committee of the Corporation, and a current list of the Directors and officers of the Corporation and their business addresses. Any of the books, minutes and records of the Corporation may be in written form or in any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time. Section 8.6 Amendments to Bylaws. The Bylaws of the Corporation may be adopted, amended or repealed in whole or in part by the af?rmative vote of a majority of the Directors present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which a quorum is present. Section 8.7 References. Reference in these Bylaws to a provision of the Internal Revenue Code is to such provision of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the corresponding provision(s) of any subsequent federal tax law. Reference in these Bylaws to a provision of the Connecticut General Statutes or any provision of Connecticut law set forth in such statutes is to such provision of the General Statutes of Connecticut, Revision of 1958, as amended, or the corresponding provision(s) of any subsequent Connecticut law. Reference in these Bylaws to a provision of the Connecticut Revised Nonstock Corporation Act is to such provision of the Connecticut Revised Nonstock Corporation Act, as amended, or the corresponding provision(s) of any subsequent Connecticut law. WRITTEN DECLARATION OF ACCURACY OF CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION AND BYLAWS The undersigned, being the Secretary of Community First School, Inc., hereby deposes and says that the attached are complete and accurate copies of the organization?s Bylaws, and of the orgrmization?s original Certi?cate of Incorporation, ?led with, and signed and approved on Feb-um Jig) 2017 by the Secretary of the State of the State of Comtecticut, and that said Bylaws-Enid Celtiticate have not been amended. Dated as ofthe day of 941%:an ,2017. 7 K/k?a?i?wdn LaTroya Blue Secretary WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE INCORPORATOR IN LIEU OF ORGANIZATION MEETING OF COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL, INC. The undersigned, being the sole Incorporator of Community First School, Inc. (the ?Corporation hereby consents to the actions set forth herein. Pursuant to Section 33-1029(b) of the Connecticut Revised Nonstock Corporation Act, this consent shall have the same force and effect as would a vote in favor of such actions at a regularly constituted organization meeting of the Corporation called by notice for such purposes. RESOLVED: That the execution of the Certi?cate of Incorporation, a copy of which is attached to this consent, is hereby approved, and that the ?ling of the same in the of?ce of the Secretary of the State of Connecticut and the payment of all franchise taxes and ?ling fees at the time of such ?ling are hereby authorized and directed. RESOLVED: That the Bylaws for the regulation and management of the business and affairs of the Corporation which have been prepared by counsel in accordance with the instructions of the Incorporator and a copy of which is attached to this consent, having been reviewed by the Incorporator, are hereby adopted as and for the Bylaws for the regulation and management of the business and affairs of the Corporation. RESOLVED: That the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall consist of NINE (9) Directors in accordance with Section 4.2 of the Bylaws of the Corporation. RESOLVED: That the following individuals are hereby elected as the Directors of the Corporation, to hold of?ce until the ?rst annual meeting of the Board of Directors and until their successors are duly elected and quali?ed: Timothy Goodwin Nyesha McCauley Anthony Byers Trudi Lebron Lashawn Robinson Matthew Conway Denise Best LaTroya Blue Alexander Themas RESOLVED: That the Board of Directors is authorized to take such further action as may be necessary and desirable for the conduct of the Corporation?s activities. RESOLVED: That this consent, with the documents attached to it, be placed in the minute hook of the Corporation. Dated this 15th day of February 2017 . Timothy Go??vin? Incorporate . CONSENT IN LIEU OF MEETING OF COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL, INC. The undersigned, being all the Directors of Community First School, Inc. (the ?Corporation?), hereby consent to the actions set forth herein. Pursuant to Section 33?1097 of the Connecticut Revised Nonstock Corporation Act, this consent shall have the same fOrce and effect as would our votes in favor of such actions at a regularly constituted meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation called for such purposes. RESOLVED: That the consent of the Incorporator dated October 10, 2016, the actions consented to therein and the Certi?cate of Incorporation and Bylaws approved by, and attached to, said consent are hereby adopted and approved. RESOLVED: That the following named persons are hereby elected of?cers of the Corporation to serve for a term of one year and until their successors are duly chosen and quali?ed: Timothy Goodwin - PRESIDENT Denise Best - VICE PRESIDENT LaTroya Blue - SECRETARY Matthew Conway, Jr. - TREASURER RESOLVED: That an account or accounts for the Corporation be opened at a ?nancial institution or institutions to be selected by the of?cers and that the President and Treasurer be severally authorized to sign checks drawn on said account or accounts; that the of?cers are severally authorized to execute such instruments as may be necessary or desirable in opening said account or accounts; and that any speci?c resolution required by the ?nancial institution or institutions is hereby adopted. RESOLVED: That the of?cers are authorized and directed to take such further action as may be necessary or desirable for the conduct of the Corporation?s activities, including but not limited to the ?ling of any applications for recognition of tax-exempt status, the preparation and ?ling of any information relating to the Corporation or its activities, and the payment of any necessary or appropriate fees or charges in connection therewith. RESOLVED: RESOLVED: That the con?ict of interest policy attached hereto as Exhibit A is hereby adopted by the Corporation. That this consent be placed in the minute book of the Corporation with the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have executed this consent in counterparts as of the i dayof 14/5th ,2017. Tiip?thy ?ip rim/h ?Nya ta McCauley WJ Anthony r55? - at a? .- AM Gad] Denish Best (Kort 4C Trudi Lebron M?i??eW career a? Arr/n I . ?x - .l LaTro ya Blue a} ?lexa??der Thomas 5/ EXHIBIT A COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL, INC. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY new mm The Board of Directors of Community First School, Inc. (the Corporation), a Connecticut nonstock corporation, wishes to avoid any actual or potential con?ict of interest in the Corporation's operations and to follow best practices recommended by the Internal Revenue Service with respect to any transactions involving director or of?cer compensation or other potential con?icts. This policy applies whenever any transaction or decision of the Corporation might bene?t the private interest of an of?cer or director of the Corporation or might result in possible self- dealing or an excess bene?t transaction. This policy is intended to supplement but not replace any applicable state and federal laws governing con?ict of interest applicable to nonpro?t and charitable organizations. Article II De?nitions 1. Interested Person Any director, principal of?cer, or member of a committee with governing board delegated powers, who has a direct or indirect ?nancial interest, as de?ned below, is an interested person. 2. Financial Interest A person has a ?nancial interest if the person has, directly or indirectly, through business, investment, or family: a. an ownership or investment interest in any entity with which the Corporation has a transaction or arrangement, b. a compensation arrangement with the Corporation or with any entity or individual with which the Corporation has a transaction or arrangement, or c. a potential ownership or investment interest in, or compensation arrangement with, any entity or individual with which the Corporation is negotiating a transaction or arrangement. Compensation includes direct and indirect remuneration as well as gifts or favors that are not insubstantial. A ?nancial interest is not necessarily a con?ict of interest. Under Article 111, Section 2 of this policy, a person who has a ?nancial interest may have a con?ict of interest only if the appropriate governing board or committee decides that a con?ict of interest exists. Article Procedures 1. Duty to Disclose In connection with any actual or possible con?ict of interest, an interested person must disclose the existence of the ?nancial interest and be given the opportunity to disclose all material facts to the directors and members of committees with governing board delegated powers considering the proposed transaction or arrangement. 2. Determining Whether a Con?ict of Interest Exists After disclosure of the ?nancial interest and all material facts, and after any discussion. with the interested person, he/she shall leave the governing board or committee meeting while the determination of a con?ict of interest is discussed and voted upon. The remaining board or committee members shall decide if a con?ict of interest exists. 3. Procedures for Addressing the Con?ict of Interest a. An interested person may make a presentation at the governing board or committee meeting, but after the presentation, he/she shall leave the meeting during the discussion of, and the vote on, the transaction or arrangement involving the possible con?ict of interest. b. The chairperson of the governing board or committee shall, if appropriate, appoint a special committee to investigate alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement. The special committee shall be composed entirely of nonmembers of the governing board or committee. c. After exercising due diligence, the special committee shall determine whether the Corporation can obtain with reasonable efforts a more advantageous transaction or arrangement from a person or entity that would not give rise to a con?ict of interest. d. If a more advantageous transaction or arrangement is not reasonably possible under circumstances not producing a con?ict of interest, the special committee shall determine whether the transaction or arrangement is in the Corporation?s best interest, for its own bene?t, and whether it is fair and reasonable. In conformity with the above determination it shall make its decision as to whether to enter into the transaction or arrangement. 4. Violations of the Con?icts of Interest Policy a. If the governing board or committee has reasonable cause to believe a member has failed to disclose actual or possible con?icts of interest, it shall inform the member of the basis for such belief and afford the member an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. b. If, after hearing the member?s response and after making further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the governing board or committee determines the member has failed to disclose an actual or pOSsible con?ict of interest, it shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action. my. Records of Proceeding The minutes of the governing board and all committees with board delegated powers shall contain: a. The names of the persons who disclosed or otherwise were found to have a ?nancial interest in connection with an actual or possible con?ict of interest, the nature of the ?nancial interest, any action taken to determine whether a con?ict of interest was present, and the governing board?s or committee?s decision as to whether a con?ict of interest in fact existed. b. The names of the persons who were present for discussions and votes relating to the transaction or arrangement, the content of the discussion, including any alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement, and a record of any votes taken in connection with the proceedings. Compensation a. A voting member of the governing board who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from the Corporation for services is precluded from voting on matters pertaining to that member?s compensation. b. A voting member of any cormnittee whose jurisdiction includes compensation matters and who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from the Corporation for services is precluded from voting on matters pertaining to that member?s compensation. c. No voting member of the governing board or any committee whose jurisdiction includes compensation matters and who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from the . Corporation, either individually or collectively, is prohibited from providing information to any committee regarding compensation. Article VI Annual Statements Each director, principal of?cer and member of a committee with governing board delegated powers shall annually sign a statement which af?rms such person: a. has received a copy of the con?icts of interest policy, b. has read and understands the policy, c. has agreed to comply with the policy, and d. understands the Corporation is charitable and in order to maintain its federal tax exemption it must engage primarily in activities which accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt purposes. Article VII Periodic Reviews To ensure the Corporation operates in a manner consistent with charitable purposes and does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its tax-exempt status, periodic reviews shall be conducted. The periodic reviews shall, at a minimum, include the following subjects: 3. Whether compensation arrangements and bene?ts are reasonable, based on competent survey information, and the result of arm?s length bargaining. b. Whether partnerships, joint ventures, and arrangements with management organizations conform to the Corporation?s written policies, are properly recorded, re?ect reasonable investment or payments for goods and services, further charitable purposes and do not result in inurement, impermissible private bene?t or in an excess bene?t transaction. Use of Outside Experts When conducting the periodic reviews as provided for in Article VII, the Corporation may, but need not, use outside advisors. The Corporation shall consider, in determining whether to use outside advisers, the extent and quality of the survey information available; the ability of the Corporation to relate the survey information to the transactions under consideration; and the cost of outside advisors. If outside experts are used, their use shall not relieve the governing board of its responsibility for ensuring periodic reviews are conducted. Appendix Culinary Arts Academy at Weaver High School Accomplishments September 2013- June 2015 In just two years the staff and students at CAA Weaver High School accomplished great things in and out of the classroom. Working together, they successfully began changing the narrative from principal turnover, low achievement, and low morale, to academic excellence and social responsibility. The following is a list of accomplishments: 1. Mission Statement – Staff developed the following Mission Statement during the 2013-14 school year, “Empowering all students with critical thinking, entrepreneurial, and academic skills, so they can become independent, healthy, and responsible community leaders.” 2. Weaver Strong – Students worked together in Advisory class to develop a Weaver Strong code of ethics. 3. The Student Leadership Team – Facilitated all activities on the first day of school (2013 & 2014) including breakfast, class meetings, all school assemblies, team building activities, and a dance contest. 4. MAP Participation Rates – 45% (2012-13), 65% (2013-14), 91% (Winter 2014-15) 5. MAP Improvement – 73% of students met growth target in Reading (300% increase from fall to spring, avg. RIT score) and 66% met growth goal in Math (250% increase from fall to spring, avg. RIT score) as of 6/15/15. 6. School Enrollment – Overall school enrollment up 19%. (2012-2015) 7. Student Attendance – 75% (2012-13), 78% (2013-14), 81% (2014-15) 8. Chronic Absenteeism – 62% (2012-13), 60% (2013-14), 52% (2014-15) 9. Suspensions – Down 70% from 2012-13 to 2013-14. 10. Passing Time – Passing time down, 8-10 minutes (2013-2014), 5 minutes (2014-15) 11. National Academy Foundation – CAA Weaver students take part in paid internships and work based experiences in collaboration with over 10 local and national corporations and businesses including, Billings Forge, Marriott, Mark Twain House, Bears Smokehouse, J. Rene Roasters, Bushnell Theatre, Toasted, Lincoln Culinary Institute, State of CT, Goodwin College, Capital Workforce Partners, and Hartford Public Schools. 12. Intervention Class – Two 90-minute class periods per week for all students with a curriculum developed by the Data Team facilitating ramped up Reading/Math skill development, and enhancement activities for students at or above grade level. 13. Daily All-School Morning Meeting – A daily assembly with announcements, motivational speakers, events, student award ceremonies, and opportunities to showcase student talent. 14. Coffee Cart Business – The Cart is open daily from 8:30-10:00 serving muffins, crumb cakes, breakfast sandwiches, coffee, hot chocolate, and infused water to teachers and the public. Brought in over $10,000 during the 2013-2014 school year. 15. After School Programs – CAA Weaver collaborated with several local community organizations to provide 15 in school and after school programs including Blue Hills Civic Association, Parents Opening Doors, CT Center for Non-Violence, Artists Collective, Supreme Athlete, and many more. 16. Harvest Festival – Students planned and facilitated the annual Harvest Festival (October 2013 & 2014) in collaboration with Blue Hills Civic Association to promote community connections and family entertainment. The event includes pony rides, a petting zoo, drum circle, dunk tank (for the Principal and Dean), bouncy houses, children’s games, live music, and seasonal foods. Appendix The Listening Tour Feedback from Parents and Community Leaders November 19, 2016 Ebenezer Temple 1. Important grades to consider for opening are PreK-3 or 4-6, as this is a time many of our children fall behind and CFS can make a significant difference in keeping these children engaged. 2. CFS must conduct monthly community partner meetings to ensure transparency. A roundtable format is desired with input from local leaders, parents, and students! 3. Regular surveys must be used to monitor student, parent, and community attitudes. People must feel free to voice any concern without fear of retribution. This freedom enables full devotion to the educational process and the ability to establish trust that is desperately needed and non-existent in Hartford Public Schools. 4. Students request proficiency based and mastery learning to ensure they are provided a quality education. They want to learn and want teachers and staff at CFS to honor them by providing an education at the highest standards. 5. Parent coaching and support is absolutely necessary. Parents must be included in the educational process. A bi-weekly support group is desired. October 22, 2016 – The Artists Collective 1. To implement and maintain Transparency CFS must maintain honest data at all times concerning student progress. There must also be active recruitment of minority staff, and regular communication with the local community. 2. Transparency can also be supported through a open and two way relationship with parents. Frequent open houses, frequent email and phone contact, and notices in English and Spanish are essential. Parents should have numerous opportunities to evaluate the school, its policies and performance. 3. Transparency can be promoted with students by allowing for a question/concern form that enables students to appropriately voice their ideas and opinions without consequences. The CFS idea to have a youth development professional in each classroom is very important to supporting student voice. 4. CFS must follow through on the plan to recruit and hire a staff that is at least 70% minority. Children respond to authority figures that look like them, come from their neighborhoods, and understand their unique circumstances. 5. The six-week summer CFS teacher-training proposal is needed and must address cultural competency, classroom management, inviting parents into the learning process, and belief in the ability and future success of all children. 6. To implement and maintain Relevant Classroom Instruction CFS must provide opportunities for teachers to connect with and spend time in the community. Students must be well fed and nourished, teachers must be consistent in their support, the Principal must stay for several years, the arts and music should be encouraged, and students should be given a chance to express their cultural and ethnic greatness. 7. To implement and maintain community, parent, and student voice CFS must recruit and provide all parents and students with the opportunity to learn and lead. Community anchors should be identified to support and coach parents and students as they take on leadership and voice within the school. September 17, 2016 – West Indian Social Club 1. Affirmation of Hartford students especially their resilience, intelligence, entrepreneurial spirit, adaptability, and dedication to family and school. 2. Affirmation to several hard working administrators and staff within Hartford Public Schools collaborating with local non-profit and faith-based groups working up hill and against the odds to support children and encourage learning. 3. To implement and maintain Transparency CFS must maintain honest data at all times, even if it is not the best. Real data gives a clear picture of what to start with and how best to move forward. 4. To implement and maintain Minority Hiring CFS must mentor Hartford students, provide scholarship aid, and create a pathway for Hartford students to return to the CFS classroom as teachers. 5. To implement and maintain Relevant Classroom Instruction CFS must provide teacher prep training in Cultural Competencies for all staff prior to hiring. Regular workshops and trips must be scheduled to maintain the work during the school year, with teachers expected to weave cultural and ethnic strengths into the curriculums. 6. To implement and maintain community, parent, and student voice CFS must recruit and provide all parents and students with the opportunity to learn and lead. Community anchors should be identified to support and coach parents and students as they take on leadership and voice within the school. May 7, 2016 – 2550 Main Street 1. We want to know more about the no suspension policy, after school programs, curriculum options, and how the Design Team will continue to involve the community. 2. At the next meeting please add information about the recreation center options in the daily schedule, school lunches and breakfast, the arts program and other subjects such as music and physical education. 3. We really liked the plan to connect units and lessons to student interest and the chance for students to move at a competency based pace. Appendix I 22 Waterville Road. Avon. Connecticut 06001 I I a Tel: (860) 678-3401 Mobile: (860) 508-2138 Fax: (860) 677-1752 Email: rpatrlcelli?whusa.com Robert E. Patricelli Chairman CEO June 29, 2017 Tim Goodwin Founder Community First School c/o City Mission Hartford, CT Dear Tim: It is my pleasure to write in support of your effort to create The Community First School. Please feel free to share this letter as you see ?t to encourage others to support this important effort. There are many reasons why CFS deserves our support. Most important, in my View, is that it will test the idea of an urban school created with strong neighborhood buy?in, design, and ongoing support. Bottoms up not tops down, but curated and shaped by experienced educators. We need choices in Hartford?s public schools, and this will be an exciting option for parents and kids. Second, I would point to your own passion and experience. You have demonstrated at Hartford Youth Scholars and then within the HPS system and at Weaver, the drive and entrepreneurial spirit that it takes to found and create an enterprise. The ?rst thing a venture capital investor looks for in a start-up company is the quality of the leadership, and this is not dissimilar to a business start-up. You have demonstrated that leadership. I was pleased to make a ?nancial contribution to your initial costs and will hope to continue to be supportive. Very best of luck. Sincerely, gm not Robert E. Patricelli August 7, 2017 Ladies and Gentlemen, I am writing to support Tim Goodwin's application for a charter for the CFS. First of all, I hired Tim when I founded, at Mayor Perez's request, the Hartford Youth Scholars. The mayor felt the number of Hartford High School [all 3] graduates were not representing the national average in going to college and graduating. He wanted 150 children from Hartford to pass the SSAT (we start educating them after sixth grade and during weekends so they can pass the SSAT) and get into private or upscale public high schools which guarantee they will go to college. We provide summer internships in Hartford during college summers so they will consider coming back to Hartford to live, work and raise a family. We now have 250 in the program and have graduated two initial classes from college. The program is achieving its initial objectives. Tim was the first executive director 12 years ago and did a magnificent job. He took a blank piece of paper and designed and executed a magnificent program. Tim is very bright, motivates young people like I have never seen before, understands and executes a budget, and is a very wonderful fundraiser, amongst other great attributes. I supported him financially at the Simsbury Farm. I pledge to support this effort financially. I include my bio to give this unquali?ed recommendation a little heft. Thank you for your consideration. You cannot go wrong with Tim. Best regards, Karl Krapek Scott Conners Board Chair Hartford Youth Scholars 129 Allen Place Hartford, CT 06106 July 6, 2017 To Whom It May Concern: I am writing you in support of the Community First School (“CFS”) in its application to become a charter school in the City of Hartford. In six years as a board member of Hartford Youth Scholars (“HYS”), and three years as its board chairperson, I have seen the importance of community partnership in the educational process. By engaging the appropriate community partners to participate in the various facets of the educational process, I believe that CFS will maximize its opportunity to have a positive impact on each of its students; not just in the classr oom but also at home and in their neighborhoods. In fact, Hartford Youth Scholars is in discussions with CFS leadership to assist in the development of support services, which is an HYS core competency. Similar partnerships in other functional areas are sure to not only enhance CFS’ efforts but also engender community ownership and support of the students’ education and development. I believe that CFS’ unique “business model” will produce superior outcomes in Hartford’s most challenged neighborhoods. Tim Goodwin, CFS’ founder, is an exceptional leader in Hartford’s educational community. His drive to provide a system of community-focused educational enhancement and opportunity has been recognized in the non-profit community as the first Executive Director of HYS. He successfully implemented many of his ideas as a principal and administrator within the Hartford public school system. His commitment to these principles has led him to found CFS so that the vision of a community supported, student-centric school can be fully realized. In the strongest manner, I urge the approval of the CFS charter. Sincerely, Scott Conners Board Chairperson Hartford Youth Scholars     June 6, 2017    Dianna R. Wentzell, Ed. D.  Connecticut State Department of Education  165 Capitol Avenue  Hartford, CT 06106‐1630     Re: Community First School    Dear Doctor Wentzell,    I recently learned from Tim Goodwin about the efforts to establish a new neighborhood school  by Tim and families from the North section of Hartford.  I know Tim Goodwin from my  involvement as an advisory board member with the Hartford City Mission and I’m writing to  you to endorse and support the initiative.       I have been personally very moved by parents involved in the project speaking to the need for a  local school situated within the North Hartford Promise Zone neighborhoods where they live.   Their efforts are motivated by a desire to directly contribute and participate in their children’s  education.  The goal is to open a new school with a holistic focus that strengthens the  relationships between families, students, community, and teachers.    My interest in contributing my time and finances is based on my desire to support families to  overcome challenges associated with generational poverty.  I believe this new school will have a  significant and positive impact on this issue.  I live and own businesses within the Greater  Hartford community and hope to make a difference by improving opportunities for families  that face greater challenges than others.    I sincerely hope your Department of Education favorably approves of this unique opportunity to  service the youth of this vulnerable section of Hartford.    Sincerely,     Mark Charette  Chief Executive Officer  1280 Blue Hills Ave.  Bloomfield, CT 06002  860.257.4900    gosolidus.com    8 Smith Garrison Road  Newmarket, NH 03857  603.988.6161  27 Manning Drive  Barrington, RI 02806  401.829.0232  CORPORATE SALES DEVELOPMENT / FAITH BASED NON-PROFIT DEVELOPMENT August 7, 2017 Dianna R. Wentzell, Ed. D. Connecticut State Department of Education 165 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106‐1630 Dear Dianna: Tim Goodwin ask me to write to confirm my offer to assist CFS raise some of the financial support it will need to close the fiscal gap in starting and sustaining operations as a private charter school in the Hartford area. Upon winning certification as a charter school, I plan to consult with Tim to create a program designed to acquire both individuals and foundations with a passion for bringing effective education to all youngsters – especially the disadvantaged. Feel free to contact me if you require further details. Best regards, Sheldon Wermes E: Sheldon@tandmellc.com P: 203-292-0125 PO Box 336 Stratford, CT 06615 203-292-0125 Achieve Hartford! Strong Schools, Strong City 221 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Hartford, CT 06106 August 11, 2017 To Whom It May Concern lt is with great pleasure that I write this letter in support of Community First School and founder, Tim Goodwin. Since Achieve Hartfordl?s founding in 2008 as an independent organization supporting long-term change in Hartford Public Schools, we have seen only incremental improvements and, of late, no significant change in the student learning experience in Hartford. In addition, once progressive and bold school reform strategies, such as school redesigns and principal autonomy have slowly eroded away. According to the 2015?2016 SBAC results from the state, less than 1/3 of all Hartford Public School students are achieving at grade-level in math or reading. Something must be done to help more students and families gain access to better school options and not twenty years from now, but now. The achievement gap is far too wide and the trajectory for closing it too long ?particularly in Hartford?s North End schools which geographically has a high concentration of chronically underperforming schools and not surprisingly equally high concentrations of students need. Mr. Goodwin?s bold vision for instituting trauma informed practices within the school, combined with student centered learning practices, culturally responsive teaching, and high expectations has the potential to directly address Hartford students? greatest needs and unlock their greatest potential. Achieve Hartford! believes that strong schools lead to a strong city, and that only through all of us working together can we create the kind of opportunities that students in Hartford truly deserve. We wholeheartedly support the creation of Community First School in Hartford, and look forward to helping itsucceed. Pa Diego Ho zer Executive Director, Achieve Hartford! Office of Councilwoman Cynthia R. Jennings, Esq. 550 Main Street Hartford, CT 06103 July 16, 2017 To Whom It May Concern: Subject: Character Reference and Letter of Support for Tim Goodwin This letter of support is for Timothy Goodwin, a person I know well, who has been working hard to provide educational opportunities for Hartford children and families for over 20 years. I first met Tim when he was Principal of the Culinary Arts Academy at Weaver High School. I was impressed by the work he did to help guide the school and create an extremely successful learning environment. Tim guided a cultural change at Weaver that led to students taking the initiative to lead and direct the first day of school during consecutive years (2013, 2014) which included breakfast, class meetings, an all school assembly, team building activities, and a dance contest. He also guided the students as they developed a Weaver Strong code of ethics. The improved school culture led to standardized test participation rates improving from 45% (2012-13), to 91% (Winter 2014-15). Test scores also increased from the fall 2014 to the spring 2015 as 73% of students met their growth targets in Reading (300% increase from fall to spring, avg. RIT score) and 66% met their growth goals in Math (250% increase from fall to spring, avg. RIT score). Tim oversaw student attendance increases, 75% (2012-13), 78% (2013-14), 81% (2014-15) and chronic absenteeism decreases, 62% (2012-13), 60% (2013-14), 52% (2014-15). His studentcentered policies also led to a drastic 70% decrease in suspensions from 2012-13 to 2013-14. Under his leadership students took part in paid internships and work-based experiences in collaboration with over 10 local and national corporations and businesses including, Billings Forge, Marriott, Mark Twain House, Bears Smokehouse, J. Rene Roasters, Bushnell Theatre, Toasted, Lincoln Culinary Institute, State of CT, Goodwin College, Capital Workforce Partners, and Hartford Public Schools. He instituted a Daily All-School Morning Meeting, a student led Coffee Cart Business which raised over $10,000 annually, and collaborated with several local community organizations to provide 15 in school and after school programs for students with partners including Blue Hills Civic Association, Parents Opening Doors, CT Center for Non-Violence, Artists Collective, Supreme Athlete, and many more. I was also honored to participate in two annual Harvest Festivals in collaboration with Blue Hills Civic Association to promote community connections and family entertainment. The events included pony rides, a petting zoo, drum circle, dunk tank (for the Principal), bouncy houses, children’s games, live music, and seasonal foods. There are very few people that have the ability to create opportunities for Hartford youth in the way that Tim Goodwin can. I fully endorse his efforts to help Hartford youth and I look forward to seeing his work pay off for children and families in Hartford! Sincerely, Cynthia R. Jennings, Esq., Councilwoman City of Hartford Court of Common Council July 7, 2017 To Whom It May Concern: For more than thirty years, North Hartford families have been lacking in options for quality educational experiences for their children. Many have chosen to send their children out of the city to take advantage of magnet and charter schools. While this may meet the need for a desirable educational experience, the down side is the need for early rising and departures, long bus rides, the inability for the children to take advantage of afterschool sports, clubs and other activities and the negative impact on socialization in their own neighborhoods. Blue Hills Civic Association supports the educational philosophy of the Community First School, a whole childcentered academic experience right in the community, with a strong emphasis on family engagement and community partnerships. BHCA is happy to write this letter of support for Community First School, a school that will provide a culturallysensitive rigorous academic program, that also addresses the social and academic well-being of North Hartford children. Sincerely, Lee Hunt Lee Hunt Executive Director CLIFFORD BEERS CLINIC HELP- July 25, 2017 Dianna R. Wentzell, Ed. D. Connecticut State Department of Education 165 Capital Avenue Hartford, CT 06106-1630 Dear Dr. Wentzell, I am writing this letter in support of Community First School (CFS) and their effort to secure a state charter to Operate a school for students in Hartford?s federally designated Promise Zone neighborhoods. The CFS school design is whole child-centered and relationship-based. It is founded on positive child development strategies and is support by local community organizations. This philos0phical approach has led CFS to include Trauma Informed Practice as a major component of its teacher-training program. The school?s founder, Tim Goodwin, has reached out to us at the Clifford Beers Clinic to help inform and guide this portion of the work. Mr. Goodwin has shared his school design views with me such as his desire to create student voice initiatives, emphasize student context as well as academic content, promote out of classroom ?eld experiences connected to Individualized Learning Plans, and establish meaningful collaborations with community partners. Together, with built in training for staff in recognizing signs of Adverse Childhood Experiences, and access to appropriate child and family support services, I believe this is a strong approach to addressing the needs of students living in neighborhoods such as Hartford?s Promise Zone. I am excited by the CFS concept and believe it is one of only a handful of schools in the nation seeking to build this type of whole child centered support into the model. In the months to come Mr. Goodwin and I will be exploring a potential collaborations between Community First School and the Clifford Beers Clinic. At the very least I am willing to provide continued advise to Mr. Goodwin and his team as they work to implement trauma services to children and families in the community. Sincerely, (L SAlice 1V1. Forrester, Chief Executive Of?cer Clifford W. Beers Guidance Clinic 5 Science Park, Floor 2, New Haven, CT 06511 p. 203.777.8648 f. 203.785.0617 FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOR HEALTHY IJVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY the August 3, 2017 Diana Wentzell, Commissioner of Education State of Connecticut 51 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 06105 Dear Commissioner Wentzell, I am happy to write on behalf of Tim Goodwin, and his proposal to open Community First School in North Hartford. have known of Tim and his work for many years and I noticed his creativity, dependability, and accountability when he was Principal at Weaver High School. He has also been a regular supporter of Wilson?Gray YMCA Youth 8: Family Center, includes us in his work at Hartford City Mission, and mentored one of our employees who is also a member of the CFS Board of Directors, Alexander Curtis Thomas. The Wilson-Gray YMCA is a centerpiece for community collaboration providing services to Hartford's Promise Zone communities, where most of the children live in poverty. The area has the city's highest concentration of poor families. Through these collaborations like the one described below with Community First School we can help families, and young children in particular, reach their God?given potential in spirit, mind and body. Should CFS be approved and a charted granted, The Wilson Gray YMCA Youth and Families Center would be very interested in collaborating with CFS, to potentially provide after school programming including, physical education services, homework support and a daily character development lessons. We would also like to explore providing CFS students and their families with a partnership discount on YMCA Membership. The Wilson Gray YMCA recognizes the positive outcomes that can be nurtured in building meaningful and authentic connections with a neighborhood charter school such as CFS. I am excited about Tim and the CFS Board of Directors who are working to open CFS. It is an option the families in our community desperately need. Sincerely, Anthony G. Barrett Executive Director Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth and Family Center A branch of the YMCA of Greater Hartford 444 Albany Ave, Hartford CT 06120 860 2419622 860 293 2120 August 3, 2017 Diana Wentzell, Commissioner of Education State of Connecticut 61 Woodland Street Hartford, CT 06105 Dear Commissioner Wentzell, I am happy to write today on behalf of Tim Goodwin, whom I support with great enthusiasm. I have known Tim for over six years as a former colleague at Hartford Youth Scholars, where I am co-director and Tim is the founding executive director who did the incredibly heavy lifting of starting this great organization. In all my interactions with Tim, I have noticed his extraordinary intelligence, tenacity, creativity, dependability, and accountability, his infectious enthusiasm and dedication. What I have noticed most, however, is his drive––not only to be a remarkable at whatever he sets his mind to, but also to inspire those around him to do the same. Tim Goodwin is one of the most passionate people I have had the pleasure of knowing. He would be an outstanding person to lead the charter school that Hartford desperately needs. First, I would also like to say a few words about Tim’s ability to build relationships. After observing him and speaking with him, over the years, for many hours about coalition building, and doing the work to secure resources, I can say with confidence that Tim Goodwin is an excellent leader. He fills the room with energy, and connects with everyone he encounters. Taking that minute or two to focus on each person and find how they might engage with him. He inspires and does the important work of following through, consistently and quickly. He lets no obstacle stand in his way, not through force but through hard work, and charisma. He is a personable, caring, and deeply knowledgeable educator whose love of teaching and uncovering potential rubs off easily onto his students, and everyone he encounters. In addition to teaching, he has been a principal and coach, and works hard to instill in his students a true love of learning, believing that only this can lead students down the road toward ownership of and belief in their own voices. Tim has many times gone beyond the call of duty to support his former endeavor, Harford Youth Scholars, when his help was needed or a connection could be made to benefit the youth of Hartford. Now a vibrant and thriving access and student success organization after only 10 years, is testament to the work Tim did to launch this “idea” in 2006. From raising funds for a concept that was yet to be tested or much less proven, to developing the frame work, recruiting students, teachers, volunteers and connected board members, he did it all. Today we boast over 90% of our Scholars on track to receive a degree within 6 years. In short, Tim did an excellent job creating something out of very little, tapping into existing resources and connecting partners to do the work that needed to be done. I don’t believe that Hartford Youth Scholars would be where it is today, without his early and inspiring leadership, and refusal to give up. I’d be happy to talk to you about Tim in greater depth. Please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Roxanna Booth Miller Co-Director, Hartford Youth Scholars Barbara L. Snyder 13 Williams Glen Way Glastonbury, CT 06033 July 30, 2017 Dianna R. Wentzell, Ed. D. Connecticut State Department of Education 165 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106-1630. Dear Dr. Wentzell, As a member of the Weaver High School Class of 1964 50th Reunion Committee, I met Timothy Goodwin when he was principal of Weaver. A few classmates went to present him a check from our class for scholarships for Weaver seniors. At that time Tim exhibited his excellent leadership by trying to ensure each student received the best education and modeled for the staff and students the good citizenship he expected from all as we toured the school and then welcomed two of us back to speak at a morning meeting. When I learned he was planning to begin a charter school in Hartford for elementary students I was excited for him and the community the school would serve. I began my teaching career in Hartford as a first grade teacher at Vine St. School, now Milner School and retired three years ago after 30 years as a Reading Consultant at Buttonball Lane School, a Blue Ribbon School in Glastonbury. The name Community First School tells so much about this proposed charter school. Schools must be a partnership between the family and the school for a student to learn. Educating a child is a team effort. As a member of a support staff I know how important it is to look at the whole child which is a belief of this school. A person learns by doing so making the academic program experiential will help each child learn. Small class sizes will enable the teacher to reach each student individually. The plan for a social worker to service the students and staff at each grade level is outstanding knowing what traumas these children face in their community. I am excited for Community First School to open so students will have a wonderful opportunity to learn in a positive environment which every child deserves. I’ve already told Tim I am willing to volunteer to use my background to help parents and students develop a love of reading. I hope you see the see the value of this potential charter school and give it your support. Yours truly, Barbara L. Snyder July 29, 2017 To Whom It May Concern, It is an honor and a pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Tim Goodwin as leader for the Community First Charter School Initiative. I have known Tim for the past 8 years, as a colleague, as well as a supervisor and coworker at the Weaver Culinary Arts Academy in Hartford, CT. In this time, Tim has always demonstrated a great passion and love for youth, education and organizational leadership, which makes him the perfect candidate to see this school come to fruition. As a caring adult, Tim values students and parents by taking the time to understand their needs, as well as committing to finding solutions to even the most difficult of circumstances. As an educator, he assures learning is continually happening in the classroom, the hallways, his office in lunch room and everywhere else. Tim takes advantage of every opportunity to teach a lesson to both youth and adult alike. As a leader, Tim is able to set high standards and expectations, while maintaining flexibility and articulating the relevance to the population he serves. He is an exemplary leader who approaches educational leadership with a commitment to innovation and the relevant best practices needed to move an organization forward. As a supervisor and coworker, Tim has always made me feel a part of the administrative team and valued my input. He has also encouraged my personal growth by providing the outlets and flexibility to perform in areas I am most passionate. I believe this is because of his proven reputation as a professional who comprehends the need for listening, learning, communicating effectively and implementing cooperative strategies, which lead to commendable results. I highly recommend Tim Goodwin, as I believe he has the passion, vision and commitment to the families and community of North Hartford. Please fell free to contact me if you require any additional information. Sincerely, Alessandro Rey Bermudez Community Liaison/NAF Coordinator (860) 212-0350 August 2017 To whom it may concern: It is with great intent that I write this letter on behalf of Mr. Timothy Goodwin and the future of Community First Charter School. I have known and admired Tim Goodwin for several years now; in one capacity working under his dynamic leadership within the Hartford Public School system. I saw firsthand how Tim elevated students, staff, and the community with his high energy, high expectations, and passion. His impact on students from the most vulnerable communities was priceless. Always striving to better himself so that he may be able to empower, enlighten, and uplift is just one of his character strengths. As a former member of his team, Tim has contributed greatly to my own professional development. His willingness to collaborate with all stakeholders always created a sense of family and openness, allowing ideas, goals, and shared values to flow and ignite a progressive trend towards excellence. Tim’s vision for a community focused school is supported by research and driven by an understanding of developing the whole child; family and community not to be excluded. This is evident in the way he cares and interacts with students and families from all walks of life. He truly believes that each student is unique and has a very valuable purpose in this lifetime. Tim is both culturally competent and aware of the needs of the students in the city he serves. His empathy and sensitivity to topics that are fragile, allow him to build relationships and connect to the community. Families trust him because he has shown that he will stand by their sides to overcome obstacles and face life’s many adversities. Tim has the fundamental background to operate a school from all angles. From operations to the curriculum he has the knowledge and the heart to provide a learning experience for students that will be as unique as they are. His strategic planning, cultural competence, collaborative work ethic, high expectations, awareness, and empathy are just some of his qualities to highlight. I firmly believe that the students in the Hartford area whom would have the privilege to learn and grow under Tim’s leadership will show to be well grounded contributing members of their communities. Please feel free to contact me shall you require any further information. Kind Regards, Tye M. Weir Culture Coordinator Rise Academy at Van Sickle Middle School 413.250.4364 Appendix I BLUE HILLS NORTHEAST NORTH MEADOWS UPPER ALBANY CLAY-ARSENAL ASYLUM HILL North Hartford Promise Zone: Percent of Population with a High School Diploma or Higher By Census Tract 2015 May 30, 2017 Legend ?Townline Promise Zone Neighborhood District Percent of Population 0 51.42% - 52.58% C) 52.58% - 65.64% - 65.64% - 68.46% - 68.46% - 74.25% - 74.25% - 81.95% North Hartford Promise Zone Path: Data Source: American Community Survey. Estimated percent of people with at least a high school diploma between 2011-2015. May 2017. BLUE HILLS NORTHEAST NORTH MEADOWS UPPER ALBANY CLAY-A RSENAL ASYLUM HILL North Hartford Promise Zone: Per Capita Income By Census Tract 2015 May 30, 2017 Legend Promise Zone Neighborhood District Per Capita Income C) $9,624 - $10,536 C) $10,536 - $12,135 - $12,135 - $12,905 - $12,905 - $13,591 - $13,591 - $17,752 North Hartford Promise Zone Path: Data Source: American Community Survey. Estimated per capita income between 2011-2015. PolicyMap. May 2017. North Hartford Promise Zone: Percent of Single BLUE HILLS Female Headed Households with Children By Census Tract 2010 May 30, 2017 Legend NORTH MEADOWS ?Town ine Promise Zone Neighborhood District Percent of Population C) 24.22% - 24.73% C) 24.73% - 29.81% - 29.81% - 33.66% - 33.66% - 37.51% - 37.51% - 41.89% 5037 5014 UPPER ALBANY CLAY-A RSENAL ASYLUM HILL Data Source: U.S. Census. Percent of all households North Hartford Promise Zone that are single female headed with children in 2010. PolicyMap. May 2017. Path: BLUE HILLS UPPER ALBANY ASYLUM HILL NORTHEAST NORTH MEADOWS CLAY-ARSENAL - 65.81% - 68.5% .v 3.41M Data Source: American Community Survey. Food North Hartford Promise Zone: Percent of Households Receiving SNAP By Census Tract 2015 May 30, 2017 Legend Promise Zone Neighborhood District Percent of Population 0 36.2% 0 36.21% - 51% - 51.1% - 58% - 58.1% - 65.8% North Hartford Promise Zone Path: stamps/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) 2011-2015. United States Census Bureau: American FactFinder. May 2017. BLUE HILLS NORTHEAST NORTH MEADOWS UPPER ALBANY CLAY-A RSENAL ASYLUM HILL North Hartford Promise Zone: Unemployment Rate By Census Tract 2015 May 30, 2017 Legend ?Town ine Promise Zone Neighborhood District Unemployment Rate 13.7% C) 13.71% - 27.3% - 27.31% - 29.9% - 29.91% - 35.6% - 35.61% - 37.2% North Hartford Promise Zone Path: Date Source: American Community Survey. Employment status. United States Census Bureau: American FactFinder. May 2017. Appendix Community First School Child Development Specialist Job Description Community First School (CFS) places the whole child at the center of the learning process with a rigorous academic program incorporating community partners to develop the greatness within each individual. CFS believes each child is unique and special, created by design to accomplish great things. Working in partnership with local community service providers, CFS raises the academic performance of students, establishes a rigorous academic curriculum, provides restorative behavioral interventions, and implements a strong family engagement component. Child Development Specialist Position Summary Provide comprehensive school social work services to parents, students and school staff, addressing barriers that limit a student from receiving full benefit from their educational experience. Respond to referrals from school administration, parents, teachers, the Student Assistance Team, the Special Education Committee and others by providing direct services, lesson plan support, and by assisting families in accessing appropriate community resources. Essential Responsibilities               Serve on a Grade Level Team to help plan and deliver hands-on, engaging, and differentiated instruction that meets the academic and social emotional needs of students. Serve on the Student Assistance Team and the Special Education Team. Work with families, students, and teachers to develop Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) for students. Review student records to identify previous barriers and/or interventions. Conduct parent interviews to acquire socio-developmental information, as needed for ILPs and Special Education referrals. Analyze information gained through record reviews and interviews to determine environmental impacts and appropriate resource needs. Ability to integrate gained information into a written report and oral presentation. Attend and participate in Manifestation meetings. Interview students and parents to discuss issues related to non-attendance and develop a plan of action. Assist the school in following school board regulations for excessive absences and truancy. Develop and or participate in professional development training for instructional staff and parents, as requested. Provide individual and/or group counseling in response to school-wide crises. Meet regularly with partner community groups to support students with adequate resources. Conduct home visits to help build relationship with families as a method to access the family and conduct interviews in response to school referrals. Qualifications The Child Development Specialist must hold at least a Bachelors Degree in Social Work, or a similar field that aligns with the CFS mission to support children growing up in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods. The Child Development Specialist must believe in the inherent greatness of each child, have experience in urban settings, cultural competency, and trauma informed practice, and be enthusiastic about the extensive professional development provided through the CFS Teacher Training Institute. Additionally, the Child Development Specialist must demonstrated ability to work well with students and their families, helping to facilitate the CFS ILP process. Special consideration will be given to applicants who have experience working in urban settings, live in or grew up in Hartford or a similar urban setting, and/or speak a second language. Community First School Executive Director Job Description Community First School (CFS) places the whole child at the center of the learning process with a rigorous academic program incorporating community partners to develop the greatness within each individual. CFS believes each child is unique and special, created by design to accomplish great things. Working in partnership with local community service providers, CFS raises the academic performance of students, establishes a rigorous academic curriculum, provides restorative behavioral interventions, and implements a strong family engagement component. Executive Director Position Summary Leads the organization in a manner that supports and guides the organization’s mission as defined by the Board of Directors, and is responsible for communicating effectively with the Board and providing, in a timely and accurate manner, all information necessary for the Board to function properly and to make informed decisions. Develops resources necessary to ensure the financial health of the organization, ensure organizational operations are appropriate and professional, and ensures programs, strategy, and community outreach fulfill the CFS mission to deliver high quality whole child centered, relationship based, community centered education. Essential Responsibilities              Responsible for the fiscal integrity of CFS, to include submission of a proposed annual budget and monthly financial statements, which accurately reflect the financial condition of the organization. Responsible for fundraising and developing other resources necessary to support CFS’s mission. Responsible for implementation and strategic planning of CFS’s programs that carry out the organization’s mission. Ensure compliance with the CFS Charter. Responsible for the enhancement of CFS’s image by being active and visible in the community and by working closely with other professional, civic and private organizations. Work with the Principal to hire and retain competent, qualified, and like-minded staff, who enthusiastically agree with the CFS mission. Work with the Principal to establish employment and administrative policies and procedures for all functions and for the day-to-day operation of CFS. Serving as CFS’s primary spokesperson to the organization’s constituents, the media and the general public. Establish and maintain relationships with various organizations throughout the state and utilize those relationships to strategically enhance CFS’s Mission. Oversee marketing and other communications efforts. Review and approve contracts for services. Other duties as assigned by the Board of Directors. Demonstrate personal and professional growth through ethical and responsible behavior, serving as a model for all CFS staff. Qualifications (including by not limited to) The CFS Executive Director must hold a CT certification for school administration and have at least five years experience working in an urban school environment. The individual must also have a track record of leading schools or organizations with quantifiable student achievement gains, sound financial management structures, and evidence of organizational growth including enrollment, programmatic strength, community partnerships, and financial resources. Community First School Principal Job Description Community First School (CFS) places the whole child at the center of the learning process with a rigorous academic program incorporating community partners to develop the greatness within each individual. CFS believes each child is unique and special, created by design to accomplish great things. Working in partnership with local community service providers, CFS raises the academic performance of students, establishes a rigorous academic curriculum, provides restorative behavioral interventions, and implements a strong family engagement component. Principal Position Summary The primary educational leader at CFS, the Principal oversees all daily operational and general management needs of the organization, with a focus on setting academic strategy and professional development for all grade levels, establishing a school culture of safety and academic achievement, and working with parents and the community to foster authentic and supportive personal relationships. The Principal will report directly to and work collaboratively with the Executive Director to fulfill the mission and vision to deliver high quality whole child-centered, relationship-based, community centered education. Essential Responsibilities           Oversee and manage the instructional process including teacher professional development (Teacher Training Institute), student assessments, student behavior modification, services for students identified as Special Education and English learners, implementation of field experiences. Foster a collaborative atmosphere amongst staff providing for two-way communication, teacher voice, and opportunities for teachers to participate on CFS academic support and leadership teams. Work with staff to implement the six-tiered student discipline management system resulting in positive student behaviors and safe school culture. Work with the Executive Director, School Governance Council, the Board of Directors, and school staff to update and implement the School Improvement Plan and annual budget. Set annual school performance goals aligned with findings from the Guided Data Team, and other school information, and transparently communicate the goals and progress toward achieving them with school staff and the local community. Work with the Executive Director to hire and retain competent, qualified, and likeminded staff, who enthusiastically agree with the CFS mission. Define expectations for staff performance in regards to instructional strategy, classroom management, and parent and community outreach. Lead the annual performance evaluation process and make recommendations to the Board of Directors concerning promotion, bonuses, termination, suspension, or nonrenewal. Expand CFS’s image and mission by being active and visible in the community. Ensure the safety and well being of the children and staff at CFS.  Demonstrate personal and professional growth through ethical and responsible behavior, serving as a model for all CFS staff. Qualifications (including but not limited to) The CFS Principal must hold a CT certification for school administration and have at least five years experience working in an urban school environment. The individual must have a track record of quantifiable student achievement including performance gains that outpace district averages, considerable experience designing and leading standards based curriculum, and an ability to work with students from a variety of backgrounds including those with disabilities, low skill levels, or past behavioral referrals. Special consideration will be given to applicants who live in or grew up in Hartford or a similar urban setting, and/or speak a second language. Community First School Elementary Teacher Job Description Community First School (CFS) places the whole child at the center of the learning process with a rigorous academic program incorporating community partners to develop the greatness within each individual. CFS believes each child is unique and special, created by design to accomplish great things. Working in partnership with local community service providers, CFS raises the academic performance of students, establishes a rigorous academic curriculum, provides restorative behavioral interventions, and implements a strong family engagement component. Elementary Teacher Position Summary Oversee all aspects of managing a classroom of up to 20 elementary age students in one of four initial grades, Kindergarten through 2rd grade. As a teacher working in Hartford’s Promise Zone neighborhoods, work to address the barriers that have traditionally limited student growing up in generational poverty. Work in collaboration with the Principal, teachers, Child Development Specialists, and community partners to provide differentiated and scaffolded instruction, field experiences, and out of classroom supports aligned with the Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) to help eliminate the urban achievement gap. Essential Responsibilities             Serve on a Grade Level Team to help plan and deliver hands-on, engaging, and differentiated instruction that meets the academic and social emotional needs of students. Serve on a team to support student academic achievement such as Student Assistance Team, Guided Data, Leadership, or other established school-based team. Develop weekly written lesson plans that correlate with CFS curriculum goals and objectives. Work with families, students, and a Child Development Specialist to develop ILPs for individual students. Use tests, assessments, classroom performance, and other designated evaluation tools to access the progress of students toward short and long term goals outlined in ILPs. Review student records to identify previous barriers and/or interventions. Conduct parent interviews to acquire socio-developmental information, as needed for ILPs and Special Education referrals. Work with the Child Development Specialist to analyze information gained through record reviews and interviews to determine environmental impacts and appropriate resource needs. Assume responsibility for the academic progress of students with a high sense of urgency and ownership towards quantifiable results. Attend and participate in Special Education meetings as necessary. Have enthusiasm toward communicating regularly with families and occasionally to visit families in their own neighborhood or home. Assist the school in following school board regulations for excessive absences and truancy.     Develop and or participate in professional development training for instructional staff and parents, as requested. Provide individual and/or group counseling in response to school-wide crises. Meet regularly with partner community groups to support students with adequate resources. Conduct home visits to help build relationship with families as a method to access the family and conduct interviews in response to school referrals. Qualifications CFS Teachers must hold a CT teaching certificate, believe in the inherent greatness of each child, have experience in urban settings, cultural competency, and trauma informed practice, and be enthusiastic about the extensive professional development provided through the CFS Teacher Training Institute. Additionally, teachers must demonstrated ability to differentiate instruction and facilitate the CFS ILP process. Special consideration will be given to applicants who live in or grew up in Hartford or a similar urban setting, and/or speak a second language. Appendix Pre‐Opening Budget Statement Format Start‐Up Explanation of Revenues and Expenditures Revenue Budget Narrative / Description of  Assumptions In‐kind services Private contributions  (for example: Foundation X grant for $$)   Total Revenue                                     ‐                       157,000.00 $         157,000.00 Expenditures Salaries and Benefits Salary–Administrators  (for example: 10 weeks for 2 administrators) Salary–Teachers (for example: 6 weeks for 5 teachers) Salary–Other  Salary–Support staff Benefits 111A 111B 112A 112B 200 Subtotal                       105,000.00 6 months for Principal\Executive Director & Dean                                     ‐                         13,000.00 3 months for Operations Manager                                     ‐                         16,520.00 Benefits for above at 14% $         134,520.00 Services and Activities In‐service staff development Pupil services Field trips Parent activities Professional tech services Accounting Audit Student transportation Communication Telephone Postage and shipping Travel 322 323 324 325 330 330 331 510 530 530 530 580 Subtotal                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                           1,000.00 Mailings to prospective students.                                     ‐ $              1,000.00 Physical Plant Rent Utilities Custodial services Maintenance and repairs Renovations/expansion 400 400 400 400 400 Subtotal                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐ $                        ‐ Marketing and Development Charter Management Org. Advertising Printing Insurance 590 590 590 590 Subtotal                                     ‐                         10,000.00 For student and staff recruitment                         10,000.00 For student and staff recruitment                                     ‐ $            20,000.00 Supplies and Equipment Supplies–Instructional Supplies–Administrative Supplies–General Text books Library books Computers Furniture Vehicles Other equipment 611 612 690 641 642 700 700 700 700 Subtotal                                     ‐                           1,000.00 General office supplies                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐                                     ‐ $              1,000.00 Other Objects Other objects (e.g., in‐kind) 800 Subtotal                                     ‐ $                        ‐ Loan Repayments Interest Principal 900 900 Subtotal Total Expenditures INCOME LESS EXPENDITURES                                     ‐                                     ‐ $                        ‐ $         156,520.00 $                 480.00   Projected Five Year Budget Statement Format FY 1 FY 2 FY 3 FY 4 FY 5 Budget Narrative / Description of Assumptions Revenue Number of students Per‐pupil revenue 120 200 240 280 320 $      1,320,000 $      2,200,000 $      2,640,000 $      3,080,000 $      3,520,000 $11,000 per Student.  Rate remains flat for initial charter term. Student entitlements               86,400             140,000 Grants In‐kind services Private contributions                           ‐                          ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                            ‐                          ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐              435,000             632,000               80,000 Private philanthropy will be fundraised for years 1‐3, school becomes  self‐sustaining in Year 4.             168,000             196,000             224,000 $720 Title I per Student.  Rate remains flat for initial charter term. Total Revenue $    1,841,400 $    2,972,000 $    2,888,000 $    3,276,000 $    3,744,000 Expenditures Salaries and Benefits                   516          270,062                     38            16,188          102,929 Salary–Administrators Salary–Teachers Salary–Education Aides Salary–Support staff Salary–Other Benefits $         275,000             468,000                           ‐             118,000               90,000             239,177 $         348,250             950,040                          ‐              121,540             122,700             379,042 $         358,698             978,541                          ‐              151,186             126,381             396,106 $         369,458         1,163,897                          ‐              155,722             130,172             442,156 $         380,542 See 'Staffing & Comp.' tab of the school's Financial Plan template for          1,354,814 position details.                            ‐              160,393             134,078             489,587 Payroll taxes equate to 10.95% of total compensaton.  Fringe benefits  equate to 14.20% in YR 1 and 13.17% in YR 5.  Included is a 0.00%  retirement contribution for FT employees. Subtotal $    1,190,177 $    1,921,572 $    2,010,912 $    2,261,406 $    2,519,414 Services and Activities In‐service development staff Postage and shipping Travel $              8,500 $            13,750 $            14,000 $            15,500 $            17,000 Based on FT staff ‐ $500 per staff member (includes conferences,  workshops, professional texts, etc.).               20,000               24,000               28,000               32,000 Based on Student ‐ $100 per student.  Student testing & assessment,  etc.               81,000               93,150             107,123             123,191             141,670 Contracted enrichment services for students including phys ed,  technology education, visual and performing arts.               12,000               20,000               24,000               28,000               32,000 Based on Student ‐ $100 per student.                 2,400                 4,000                 4,800                 5,600                 6,400 Based on Student ‐ $20 per student for meetings, meals, etc.               29,000               12,000               15,000               18,000               21,000 $750 per month.  YR 1 includes $20k start/set‐up expense.  YRS 2‐5  monthly charge increases $250 per month.               30,000               32,000               34,000               36,000               38,000 Outsourced Accounting and financial management               18,000               20,000               22,000               24,000               26,000 Estimated YR 1 ‐ $18,000 with $2k increase year to year.                           ‐                          ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐  Provided by the district                 2,400                 2,400                 2,400                 2,400                 2,400 $200 per month for internet services.                 7,800                 9,000               10,200               11,400               12,600 $650 per month for general school/office phones and phones for  staff.  Increases $100 per month per year.                 3,600                 6,000                 7,200                 8,400                 9,600 Based on Student ‐ $30 per student.                 4,250                 6,875                 7,000                 7,750                 8,500 Based on FT staff ‐ $250 per staff member. Subtotal $       210,950 $       239,175 $       271,723 $       308,241 $       347,170 Rent Utilities $         198,000               29,700 $         330,000               32,670 $         396,000               35,937 $         462,000               39,531 $         528,000 Assumes 10.75% of per‐pupil revenue.               43,484 Cost is an estimate as a facility has not been secured.  Estimation is  15.00% of yearly rent total in YR 1 with a 10.00% increase in YRs 2‐5. Custodial services Maintenance and repairs Renovations/expansion                           ‐                          ‐                           ‐                           ‐                            ‐ Custodian on staff.               30,000               15,000               15,000               15,000               15,000 Estimated $30,000 ‐ YR 1.  $15,000 per year there after.                           ‐                          ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐  No additional funds budgeted for renovations/expansion. Subtotal $       257,700 $       377,670 $       446,937 $       516,531 $       586,484 Charter Management Org. Advertising $                       ‐                 6,000 $                       ‐                 4,000 $                       ‐                 2,000 $                       ‐                 2,000 Printing Insurance                 3,600               15,000                 6,000               16,000                 7,200               17,000                 8,400               18,000 $                      ‐  School is not contracting with a CMO.                 2,000 Based on Student ‐ $50 per NEW student (Includes ads, community  outreach, newspapers, mailings, meetings.                 9,600 Based on Student ‐ $30 per student.               19,000 Estimated YR 1 ‐ $15,000 with $1k increase year to year. Subtotal $         24,600 $         26,000 $         26,200 $         28,400 $         30,600 Pupil services Enrichment Consultants Experiental Learning/Field Trips Parent activities Professional tech services Accounting Audit Student transportation Communication Telephone               12,000 Physical Plant Marketing and Development Supplies and Equipment Supplies–Instructional Curricular Materials Supplies–Administrative $            12,000 $            20,000 $            24,000 $            28,000 $            32,000 Based on Student ‐ $100 per student. $              3,000 $              5,000 $              6,000 $              7,000 $              8,000 Estimate based on students ‐ $25 per student               15,000               20,000               25,000               30,000               35,000 Includes: copier and printing costs leases, office supplies, etc. $15,000  in year one and additional $5,000 each year thereafter. Text books               18,000               20,000               15,000               15,000               15,000 Based on Student ‐ $150 per student YR 1; Includes bulk purchases of  workbooks and instructional material / Year 2‐5 ‐ $250 per NEW  Student / Year 3‐5 ‐ Replacement cost of additional $5,000 annually. Library books Supplies‐General Computers                 2,308                 4,200               47,950                 3,846                 7,000               31,675                 4,615                 8,400               19,175                 5,385                 9,800               20,050 Student Information System               20,000               20,000               20,000               20,000                 6,154 Based on classroom ‐ $500 per classroom.               11,200 Based on Student ‐ $35 per student.               20,050 Computers (laptops/chromebooks) for staff and students.  Average  cost of $350 per student and full‐time FTE in YR 1.  YRs 2‐5; average  $350 per NEW student and full‐time FTE.  YRs 3‐5; $5k additional for  upgrades and replacement.               20,000 For student enrollment, attendance and achievement data collection. Furniture               35,000               10,000               10,000               10,000 Vehicles Other Equipment               10,000 Based on classroom ‐ $6,500 per classroom / $5,000 Admin. In YR 1.   $5,000 Per New Class Room in Yrs 2‐5.                           ‐                          ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐  No vehicles being purchased.                           ‐                          ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐  Subtotal $       157,458 $       137,521 $       132,190 $       145,235 $       157,404 Other Objects Other objects (e.g.,  in‐kind) $                       ‐ $                       ‐ $                       ‐ $                      ‐  $                      ‐  Subtotal $                     ‐ $                    ‐  $                    ‐  $                    ‐  $                    ‐  Loan Repayments           Interest           Principal $                       ‐ $                       ‐ $                       ‐ $                       ‐ $                      ‐  N/A                           ‐                          ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐  N/A Subtotal $                     ‐ Total Expenditures $    1,840,884 $    2,701,938 $    2,887,962 $    3,259,812 $    3,641,071 $                    ‐  INCOME LESS EXPENDITURE $                516 $       270,062 $                    ‐  $                  38 $                    ‐  $         16,188 $                    ‐  $       102,929 Charter School Cash Flow Schedule For Year One of Operation Second Per-Pupil - 9/1 First Per-Pupil - 7/1 July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec 192,776 $ 334,578 $ 142,629 $ $ 327,405 $ Charter School Name Beginning Balance Budget Revenue Number of students Per-pupil revenue Student entitlements Grants In-kind services Private contributions Total Revenue Expenditures Salaries and Benefits Salary–Administrators Salary–Teachers Salary–Education Aides Salary–Support staff Salary–Other Benefits Subtotal Services and Activities In-service development staff Pupil services Enrichment Consultants Experiental Learning/Field Trips Parent activities Professional tech services Accounting Audit Student transportation Communication Telephone Postage and shipping Travel Subtotal Physical Plant Rent Utilities Custodial services Maintenance and repairs Renovations/expansion Subtotal Marketing and Development Charter Management Org. Advertising Printing Insurance Subtotal Supplies and Equipment Supplies–Instructional Curricular Materials Supplies–Administrative Text books Library books Supplies-General Computers Student Information System Furniture Vehicles Subtotal Other Objects Other objects (e.g., in-kind) Subtotal Loan Repayments Interest Principal $ 120 1,320,000 $ 86,400 435,000 $ 1,841,400 $ $ 275,000 468,000 118,000 90,000 239,177 $ 1,190,177 330,000 330,000 $ 34,560 7,406 22,917 39,000 $ 9,833 19,931.38 91,681 330,000 7,406 $ 7,406 7,406 330,000 7,406 $ - $ 330,000 $ $ $ - $ 34,560 $ $ $ 224,906 $ 337,406 $ $ 22,917 39,000 $ 9,833 8,182 19,931.38 22,917 39,000 $ 9,833 8,182 19,931.38 22,917 39,000 $ 9,833 8,182 19,931.38 22,917 39,000 $ 9,833 8,182 19,931.38 22,917 39,000 9,833 $ 8,182 19,931.38 22,917 39,000 9,833 $ 8,182 19,931.38 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 99,863 99,863 $ 99,863 99,863 99,863 $ $ 99,863 $ 35,971 $ 210,950 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ 198,000 29,700 30,000 - $ 18,975 $ 18,975 $ 257,700 $ $ 2,000 300 $ 2,000 300 $ 300 6,000 3,600 15,000 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ 210,950 $ 6,621 $ 6,621 $ 17,971 $ 17,971 $ 17,971 $ 17,971 $ 17,971 $ 17,971 $ 17,971 $ 17,971 $ $ 198,000 29,700 30,000 - $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ $ 16,500 2,475 $ 257,700 $ $ 18,975 $ 18,975 $ 18,975 $ 6,000 3,600 15,000 12,000 3,000 15,000 18,000 2,308 4,200 47,950 20,000 35,000 $ 157,458 $ - $ - $ 99,863 $ 1,190,177 17,971 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 15,000 $ 18,975 $ 18,975 $ 18,975 $ 18,975 $ 18,975 $ 33,975 $ 300 7,500 $ 300 $ 300 $ 300 3,750 $ 300 $ 300 $ 300 3,750 $ 300 $ 2,000 300 $ 7,800 $ 300 $ 300 $ 4,050 $ 300 $ 300 $ 4,050 $ 300 $ 2,300 $ 2,300 $ 2,300 $ 300 $ 24,600 $ $ 6,000 1,500 7,500 9,000 192 2,100 23,975 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ $ 600 150 $ 12,000 3,000 15,000 18,000 2,308 4,200 47,950 20,000 35,000 $ 157,458 $ - 7,500 192 2,100 23,975 20,000 26,250 $ $ 80,017 - 192 192 192 9,000 192 192 192 192 192 192 192 8,750 $ $ 59,017 - $ $ 942 - $ $ 942 - $ $ 942 - $ $ 942 - $ $ 9,942 - $ $ 942 - $ $ 942 - $ $ 942 - $ $ 942 - $ $ 942 - $ - $ - Subtotal $ Total Expenditures $ 1,840,884 $ 220,095 $ 184,776 $ 138,051 $ 141,801 $ ENDING CASH BALANCE $ 327,405 $ 142,629 $ 334,578 $ 192,776 - 275,000 468,000 118,000 90,000 239,177 $ $ $ $ $ 200 650 300 354.17 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 8,500 12,000 81,000 12,000 2,400 29,000 30,000 18,000 2,400 7,800 3,600 4,250 $ $ $ $ $ 24,600 7,406 $ 1,841,400 $ 200 650 300 354.17 15,000 1,320,000 86,400 435,000 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 18,000 200 650 300 354.17 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 $ $ $ $ $ $ 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 $ $ $ 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 $ 22,917 39,000 $ 9,833 8,182 19,931.38 200 2,417 2,500 $ 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 $ $ $ 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 99,863 $ 200 2,417 2,500 $ 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 99,863 $ $ 22,917 39,000 9,833 $ 8,182 19,931.38 $ $ 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 99,863 22,917 39,000 $ 9,833 8,182 19,931.38 22,917 39,000 9,833 $ 8,182 19,931.38 7,406 $ 22,917 39,000 9,833 $ 8,182 19,931.38 $ $ $ 8,500 12,000 81,000 12,000 2,400 29,000 30,000 18,000 2,400 7,800 3,600 4,250 $ 850 1,200 8,100 1,200 200 2,417 2,500 99,863 $ 7,406 337,406 7,406 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 33,975 7,406 7,406 217,500 217,500 547,500 $ $ $ $ Third Per-Pupil - 1/1 Fourth Per-Pupil - 4/15 Jan Feb March April May June Totals 89,285 $ 176,140 $ 347,744 $ 217,098 $ 84,453 $ 281,807 $ 149,161 $ 516 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 138,051 $ 138,051 $ 165,801 $ 138,051 $ 89,285 $ 176,140 $ 347,744 $ 217,098 $ - $ - $ - $ 140,051 $ 140,051 $ 140,051 $ 84,453 $ 281,807 $ 149,161 $ - $ - - 156,051 $ 1,840,884 516 $ 516 COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL ENROLLMENT and STUDENT POPULATION Instructions: Complete the fields in GRAY. * Choose Operational YEAR ONE Here 2018‐19 2019‐20 2020‐21 2021‐22 2022‐23              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00 SCHOOL DAYS ENROLLMENT Pre‐Kindergarten Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00              40.00                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐                  ‐ Total Elementary Enrollment Total Middle School Enrollment Total High School Enrollment Total Enrollment New Enrollment           120.00                  ‐                  ‐           120.00           120.00           200.00                  ‐                  ‐           200.00             80.00           240.00                  ‐                  ‐           240.00             40.00           280.00                  ‐                  ‐           280.00             40.00           280.00             40.00                  ‐           320.00             40.00 STUDENT POPULATION Average Daily Membership % Average Daily Membership (ADM) 98.00% 117.60 98.00% 196.00 98.00% 235.20 98.00% 274.40 98.00% 313.60 Average Daily Attendance % Average Daily Attendance (ADA) 95.00% 114.00 95.00% 190.00 95.00% 228.00 95.00% 266.00 95.00% 304.00 9.15% 10.98 9.15% 18.30 9.15% 21.96 9.15% 25.62 9.15% 29.28 English Language Learner % English Language Learner Count (ELL) 12.76% 15.31 12.76% 25.52 12.76% 30.62 12.76% 35.73 12.76% 40.83 % Student Qualifying for Free Lunch Student Count Qualifying for Free Lunch 80.00% 96.00 80.00% 160.00 80.00% 192.00 80.00% 224.00 80.00% 256.00 % Student Qualifying for Reduced Lunch Student Count Qualifying for Reduced Lunch 20.00% 24.00 20.00% 40.00 20.00% 48.00 20.00% 56.00 20.00% 64.00 100.00% 120.00 100.00% 200.00 100.00% 240.00 100.00% 280.00 100.00% 320.00 Special Education Students % Special Education Student Count (SPED) Free and Reduced Lunch Student % (Title I) Student Count Qualifying for Free or Reduced Lunch COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL Staffing and Compensation Instructions: Complete the fields in GRAY. STAFF HEADCOUNT POSITIONS Salary–Administrators ‐  Principal/Executive Director ELL Coordinator/Teacher Special Ed Coordinator/Teacher Vice Principal/Dean Salary–Teachers ‐  Teachers ‐ General Child Development Professionals $   110,000         65,000         65,000      100,000                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐ SALARIES, TAXES AND BENEFITS Year 1 FTEs Full/  Part Year 2 FTEs Full/  Part Year 3 FTEs Full/  Part Year 4 FTEs Full/  Part Year 5 FTEs Full/  Part     1.0     0.5     0.5     1.0     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0     1.0     1.0     1.0     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0     1.0     1.0     1.0     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0     1.0     1.0     1.0     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0     1.0     1.0     1.0     ‐     ‐     ‐ F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F Year 1 $          110,000                32,500                32,500              100,000                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Annual Salary Growth % 3.00% 3.00% 3.00% $          113,300                65,975                65,975              103,000                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $          116,699                67,954                67,954              106,090                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $          120,200                69,993                69,993              109,273                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ Year 5 3.00% $          123,806                72,093                72,093              112,551                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ TOTAL $          275,000 $          348,250 $          358,698 $          369,458 $          380,542 $     52,000         52,000     6.0 F     3.0 F  10.0 F     8.0 F  12.0 F     6.0 F  14.0 F     7.0 F  16.0 F     8.0 F                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐ $          312,000              156,000                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $          529,360              420,680                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $          649,241              329,300                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $          772,718              391,179                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $          899,900              454,915                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ TOTAL $          468,000 $          950,040 $          978,541 $       1,163,897 $       1,354,814 Salary–Education Aides ‐  F                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐ Salary–Support staff ‐  Guidance/College/Counselo Operations Manager Office Assistant $     52,000         52,000         40,000                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐ Salary–Other ‐  Custodian Nurse Security  $     30,000         60,000         30,000                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐                    ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     0.5 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0 F     0.5 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐ F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐ F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     0.5 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐ F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐ $                       ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $                       ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $                       ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $                       ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $                       ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ TOTAL $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐ $                   ‐     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐ $             26,000                52,000                40,000                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $             26,780                53,560                41,200                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $             53,583                55,167                42,436                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $             55,191                56,822                43,709                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $             56,847                58,526                45,020                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ TOTAL $          118,000 $          121,540 $          151,186 $          155,722 $          160,393     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐ $             30,000                30,000                30,000                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ TOTAL $             90,000 $          122,700 $          126,381 $          130,172 $          134,078     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐     1.0 F     1.0 F     1.0 F     ‐     ‐     ‐     ‐ F $             30,900                60,900                30,900                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $             31,827                62,727                31,827                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $             32,782                64,609                32,782                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ $             33,765                66,547                33,765                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐                           ‐ Total Salaries $          951,000 $       1,542,530 $       1,614,806 $       1,819,250 $       2,029,828 Number of employees Total number of employees Total number of full‐time employee                       17                       28                       28                       31                       34                       17                       28                       28                       31                       34 Payroll Taxes FICA Medicare ‐ employer State unemployment FUTA (Federal unemployment State disability Worker's compensation insurance 6.20% 1.45% 1.50% 0.00% 0.80% 1.00% Total Payroll Taxes Total Payroll Taxes Taxes as % of Salaries total Staffing and compensation $             95,637                22,367                23,138 ‐                 12,340                15,425 $          100,118                23,415                24,222 ‐                 12,918                16,148 $          112,794                26,379                27,289 ‐                 14,554                18,193 $          125,849                29,432                30,447 ‐                 16,239                20,298 $          104,135 $          168,907 $          176,821 $          199,208 $          222,266 10.95% Taxes as % of Salaries Fringe Benefits Health  Dental Vision Life Long‐term Disability Short‐term Disability Retirement Contribution $             58,962                13,790                14,265  ‐  7,608  9,510 12.00% 1.00% 0.50% 0.10% 0.10% 0.50% 0.00% 10.95% 10.95% 10.95% 10.95% $          114,120 $          185,104 $          193,777 $          218,310  9,510                15,425                16,148                18,193  4,755  7,713  8,074  9,096  951  1,543  1,615  1,819  951  1,543  1,615  1,819  4,755  7,713  8,074  9,096  ‐ ‐  ‐  ‐  $          243,579                20,298                10,149  2,030  2,030                10,149 ‐  $          135,042 $          210,135 $          219,285 $          242,948 $          267,320 14.20% 13.62% 13.58% 13.35% 13.17%          1,190,177          1,921,572          2,010,912          2,261,406          2,519,414 Appendix DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE Box 2508 CINCINNATI, OH 45201 P, 0. Employer Date JUL ÇOMMUNITY 1 B 2017 ldentìficatjon Number: -5385904 DLN: FIRST SCHOOL INC C/O JOANNA M TARGONSKI 75 B1 ISHAM RD STE WEST HARTFORD, JOSEPH 3OO CT 17053115331047 Contact Person: 06107-2237 LAUX ÏD# 31077 Contact Tel ephone Number: (877) 829-5500 Accounting Period Ending: June 30 Publ i c Charj ty Status : 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) Form 990/990-EZ/990-N Requ'i red : Yes Effective Date of Exemption: February 16, 2017 Contri but'ion Deduct j bì'l i ty: Yes Addendum Appl i es: No Dear Appì i cant : re pl eased to tel 1 you we determ'i ned you' re exempt f rom f ederal i ncome tax under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501 (c) (3). Donors can deduct contributjons they make to you under IRC Section 170. You're also quaìjfied to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or g'ifts under Sectjon 2055,2106, or 2522. This letter could heip resolve questìons on your exempt status. Please keep ìt for your records. l¡le' 0rganizat'ions exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3) are further classified as either þub11c charjties or private foundations. l,le determìned you're a public charity under the IRC Section listed at the top of thìs letter. You're not subject to the specific publishing requirements of Revenue Procedure 75-50,1975-2 C.8., page 587, as long as you operate under a contract w'ith the local government. If your method of operatìon changes to the extent that your charter i s not approved, termj nated, cancel I ed or not renewed, you shouì d notify us. You'll also be required to comply wìth Revenue Procedure 75-50. If we'indicated at the top of this letter that you're required to file Form 990/990-EZ/990-N, our records show you're required to file an annual jnformation return (Form 990 or Form 990-EZ) or electronjc notice (Form 990-N, the e-Postcard). If you don't file a requ'ired return or notice for three consecutive years, your exempt status will be automatically revoked. If we indicated at the top of this letter that an addendum appl'ies, the enclosed addendum js an ìntegral part of this letter. For important information about your respons'ibilities as a tax-exempt Letter 947 -2COMMUNITY FIRST SCHOOL INC organization, go to u4/r/v. jrs.gov/charities. Enter "4221-PC" in the search bar to vi ew Publ i catj on 4221 -PC, Compl i ance Guj de for 501 (c) (3) Publ i c Chari tj es which describes your recordkeeping, reportìng, and disclosure requ'irements. We sent a copy of this of attorney. power letter to your representative as indicated in S'i ncerel y, F**tan Di your rector, â-. t444'Ø Exempt Organi zatj ons Rul'ings and Agreements Letter 947 ,