** Brooklyn Ascend Charter School Ranks in Top 10 in NYC **

September 6, 2012 Contact Name: Ms. Amy Wesley Contact Number: +1 952 918-1850 Email: awesley@sabis.net For Immediate Release Brooklyn Ascend Charter School (BACS) is among the "top 10 scoring charter schools" in New York City according to Gotham Schools, the leading independent news source on New York City public schools. BACSs achievement is even more impressive considering that only two of the top 10 schools cited are located within the Brooklyn area.

Gothams recent ranking was based on the results of each school's combined proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and math on the 2012 New York State tests. As a whole, students at the three Ascend Schools, Brooklyn Ascend Lower School, Brooklyn Ascend Middle School, and Brownsville Ascend Lower School, performed outstandingly.
The results are absolutely fantastic! The staff, teachers, parents, and most importantly, the students should all be very proud of their achievements. Were excited to have shown once again that SABISs sustained investment in research and development and focus on quality has provided its partners with a program that gets results, said Ayham Ayche, Project Manager, SABIS Products Licensing. Individual grade level results were even more impressive with fourth and fifth graders at Brooklyn Ascend Lower School and Brooklyn Ascend Middle School posting the highest English scores of all Brooklyn schools run by charter management organizations. Brooklyn Ascend fourth graders also significantly exceeded the average for all schools in New York State, the community school district in which the school is located, and New York City on the ELA exam. Additionally, fifth graders at Brooklyn Ascend performed remarkably on math tests, with 85 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced results, compared to a 65.2 percent in New York City. "The SABIS Educational System is fuelling our academic gains and placing our students on the path to college, said Steven F. Wilson, Founder and President of Ascend Learning. We are excited to partner with SABIS to demonstrate a scalable, sustainable model for closing the achievement gap." In fact, the New York Charter School Center noted several of the Ascend Schools achievements in a recent report, including the identification of BACS as only 1 of 5 charter schools to show growth of 25% in at least one subject at one grade level. They also ranked the Ascend school network as third amongst all school networks in New York City for overall ELA performance and first among charter school networks operating in Brooklyn. About Ascend Learning: The Ascend Learning college-preparatory school design couples the SABIS Educational System with the No Excuses school culture to fuel K-12 charter schools that close the achievement gap and place every student on the path to college. Burgeoning wait lists for admission testify to the strength of the Ascend design. About the SABIS Educational System: Based on proven teaching methods and supported by frequent assessment, the SABIS Educational System emphasizes a well-balanced body of knowledge, skills, and experiences which provides students with a solid academic foundation that prepares them for the challenges they may face in university and beyond. For more information, visit www.ascendlearning.org or www.sabis.net/licensing. ###
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