GRANDVALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY Canina ScHoots Orstet PHASE ONE CHARTER APPLICATION Application Cover Sheet ‘Name of Proposed School: Jefferson-Dougiass Academy and Cornerstone Institute of Technology High Person/Entity applying for the Charter: Cornerstone Charter Schools Primary Contact Person/Role: Eugene Seaborn, CAQ_ Address: 444 West Willis Street, Suite 150 City/State/Zip:Detrolt, MI 48201. Daytime Phone: (248) 439-6228 —_Evening/Mobile: (343) 891-6427 Facsimile: (__) __-__ E-Mail Address Eugene.seaborn@comerstonecharters.org Brief prs of ese Sahoo (for media banner The Jefferson-Dougiass Academy wil serve K- ‘State-of-the-art technology campus for grades 9 - 12. Proposed grades: K - 12 Proposed Enrollment: Maximum of 1100 students by year 5 in K-12 Proposed School Location/Address: The Chadsey/Condon neighborhood of Detroit. Local School District in which school will be located: Detroit Public Schools Intermediate School District in which schoo! willbe located: Wayne RESA Name of Educational Management Company, if applicable: Cornerstone Charter Schools Indicate if proposed school currently operates as a traditional, private, or charter school: N/A {this application has been filed with other authorizers, please list below:© GRANDMALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY PHASE ONE CHARTER APPLICATION Agreement to Comply with Applicable Laws Pursuant to the Revised School Code, the following Agreement s required for this Application and must be executed by the Applicant on behalf of the proposed charter school, In accordance with the Revised School Code, 1976 PA 451, I/we hereby certify and agree that lefferson-Douglass Academy and Cornerstone Institute of Technology High School, a public ‘school academy authorized pursuant to the Revised School Code, will comply with the provisions of the Revised School Code and, withall otherstate law applicable to public bodies and with federal law applicable to public or school districts. @ ture of Applicant Note: A public school academy shall be organized as a public, non-profit corporation (with by-laws) as directed in the Revised School Code.GRANDVALLEY Stare UNIERSITy PHASE ONE CHARTER APPLICATION Assurances By checking the bores and signing below, the Applicant indicates his/her understanding andintent to comply with ‘the following pertinent statutory and regulatory requirements. Additonal information about the Applicant's ‘strategies and methods for compliance wil be explored in greater detail during the Phase Two application process. 4.The Applicant acknowiedges and certifies thatthe proposed charter school shall comply with ll state and federal laws ‘applicable to charter schools. 2. The Applicant acknowledges and certifies that twill comply with all Revised School Code recuirements related to ‘admissions and enroliment; specifically: ‘+ The proposed charter school I prohibited from charging tuition. ‘+ Thepropased charter school cannot discriminate on the bass of intellectual or athletic ability, messures of ‘achievementor aptitude, status as a disabled person, or anyother basis that would be legal, i used by @ school district. ‘= Theproposed charter school can limit admissions to pupls within a particular range of age or grade level ‘curently permitted by law. = Thepupils must be reskdents of the state of Michigan. ‘= Admissions must be open to pupils on a state-wide basis. "© Theproposed charter school will utilize a lottery or other impartial selection process to admit students when: ‘demand exceeds capacty. 3, The proposed charter schools ncorporated/will Incorporate as. public nonprofit corporation pursuant tothe laws of tthe slate of Michigan, and is prepared to submits articles of incorporation and by-laws during the Phase Two application process. ‘4 Tothe erent applicable, the proposed charter school will use the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) test oran assessment Instrument developed under Section 1279 fora state-endorsed high schoo! diploma. To the etentapplicable, the progress ofthe pupils in the charter school shall be assessed using a Michigan Education ‘Assessment Program (MEAP) test or the Michigan Merit Exam, as applicable, MCL 380.502(3)(e)(i). ', The proposed charter school will obtain and submit the necessary Certificate of Use & Occupancy permits issued by the ‘Bureau of Construction Codes to the Authorzer, as wellas applicable health and safety approvals as required by the Revised School Code and other applicable law. | certify that l understand and will comply with al ofthe above-checked statutory and regulatory requirements within time frames specified by law and by the authorizing contract. +Assessment of Community Need (1) The Jefferson Douglass Academy and Comerstone Institute of Technology (CIT) will be located in the Chadsey/Condon neighborhood area of Detroit, which is bordered by Warren and Livenois Avenues, near the Jeffries Freeway and Grand Boulevard. The Chadsey/Condon neighborhood is part of the Southwest region of Detroit. This area is one of the Skillman Foundation’s Good-Neighborhoods, which is supported by different organizational partnerships and grant dollars with the common goal of redeveloping the neighborhood to include high quality schools, businesses and homes. With the recent economic collapse and severe recession, Detroit has seen a significant population decrease between the 2000 and 2010 census. The southwest area of Detroit, however, faired comparatively well. According to a 2011 Skillman Foundation Report, the Chadsey/Condon neighborhood has 28,261 residents, representing a total population decline of 18.7% but only a 13.0% population drop in children eighteen or younger, the lowest rate of population decline for this age group among all Good Neighborhoods.' Like many of Detroit’s Good Neighborhoods, the Chadsey/Condon area is characterized by high family poverty rates and high rates of low education attainment. The 2009 “Neighborhood Context Indicators” showed 32.5% of Chadsey/Condon families living below the poverty level, 57.3% of family members 16 and over unemployed, 57.0% of the population five years and older spoke a primary language other than English, and 44.4% of adults 25 years and older with no high school diploma.” ‘As Table 1 below shows, school performance in the target area is generally poor. Inan April 2010 statement, Secretary of Education Ame Duncan characterized Detroit Schools as the “Bottom of the Barrel”,? Several schools are slated for closure, in addition to those already closed, such as Chadsey High School, and community organizations and families are coming together to demand new options. The performance trends of elementary and middle school Detroit district students help explain, and are consistent with, the district’s dismal graduation results. The performance results show a clear and steady decline in performance across the board as students matriculate from 3" grade to 8" grade and for those who continue, in high school. (2) The existing schools serving the Chadsey/Condon area are from zip codes 48209 and 48210. Table 1: Performance Level of Schools in Zip codes 48209 and 48210 ‘Schools Grades | 5™ Gr Reading 2007-09 | 5" Gr Reading 2007-09 % meetslexceeds % mectslexceeds standards standards ‘Academy of the K-8 [473% 48.5% Americas Cesar Chavez Academy [4-5 [65.2% 8.7% Intermediate * Data Driven Detroit. "What the 2010 Census Tells Us About Population Change in Detroit and the Good Neighborhoods”. skilman Foundation. * Data Driven Detroit “Neighborhood Context Indicators": www skllman.org/content/./ProfleData_042211_ChadseyCondon pi * ap. “Education Secretary: Dezot Schools ‘at bottom of the barrel’. Oakland Press, Apri 26, 2010.[Logan Elementary* K-5 [63.6% 48% Hope of Detroit K-8 [529% 59.0% Academy 0.W. Holmes K-8 [465% 35.9% Elementary — Middle School Priest Elementary K-6 [456% 48.9% Universal Academy K-8 [45.8% 53.1% Voyageur Academy [K-6 | 52.7% 42.2% Beard Elementary PK-1 School ‘Bennett Elementary K-5 [619% 1.4% School Phoenix Elementary [K-8 | 33.8% 25.9% School* Clippert Academy (SA) [5-8 [81.2% 70.5% Earhart Middle School [6-8 | 67.9% 46.9% Harms Elementary PK-5 | 73.0% 75.5% School ‘Maybury Elementary K-5 58.6% 31.6% School ‘Neinas Elementary K-5 [549% 514% School Roberto Clemente PK-7 [53.8% 49.1% Academy High Schools Grades | Avg. ACT composite | Four year graduation score rate Wester Intemational [9-12 | 15.5 74.1% HS Southwestem High [9-12 [144 31.7% School Cesar Chavez Academy [9-12 | 163 38.3% High Universal Academy [9-12 _| 16.7 79.1% "These schools are slated to be closed by DPS. Private schools in the area include: Most Holy Trinity School, St. Cecilia School, St. John Lutheran School, Holy Redeemer School, and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT High Schoo! will be set apart by its standards of excellence, 21" Century technology program, unique and effective student relationship system, course delivery, scheduling, grading approaches, credit achievement, linkages with business and the community, breadth of curriculum, continued support into college, and specialized data systems. Both Lincoln-King Academy and Washington-Parks Academy rank in the top 20% of all the schools in the area. Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT will be another flagship charter school in Detroit, helping to steer the direction of public education back to high standards, and graduating generations of college ready students.Student Population (3) Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT High Schoo! will begin operation in 2015, with the Academy serving students in grades K-3 and High School serving students in grade 9. Full K — 12 operation will be achieved in four years with grade levels added in the following sequence: In year two, grades 4, 5 and 10 will be added and some students will have gained 11 grade status; in year three, grades 6, 7 and 11 will be added with some students working on 12" grade coursework; by year 4, grades 8 and 12 will be added and some students will have gained post- secondary status by earning college credit toward an Associate’s Degree. (4) The Academy will be open to all eligible Michigan residents, but will predominantly serve urban Detroit students reflective of the Chadsey/Condon demographics described above. We project that a high percentage of students will come from low-income families and that many students will enter school performing below grade level. Our future students will come from the public schools listed in Table 1 and area private schools. We anticipate enrollment of high percentages of African American students and some Hispanic and Arabic students given the area population, Many students and families will choose to enroll at Jefferson-Douglass Academy and Cornerstone Institute of Technology — and be confident in this choice — because of Comerstone Schools’ reputation for quality education and caring school staffs. We have a strong reputation for excellence across Detroit and we intend to maintain this reputation in Cornerstone Charter Schools. To ensure optimum enrollment, we will implement clearly defined student recruitment strategies. These recruitment strategies will showcase our program components. These successes and components include (but are not limited to): ‘An alumni high school graduation rate of 95%; Stanford Achievement Test results that show our students consistently scoring 20% above the national average; Excellent college matriculation rates: after completion of high school, over seventy percent of alumni pursue higher education; ISO 9001:2000 certification; North Central Association Accreditation; Low teacher to student ratios; Data-driven learning plans that are individualized for each student; Regularly scheduled and individually focused tutorials; Partnerships and Mentorship programs; An eleven month academic calendar to support on-going student achievement; Extra-curricular programming to support well-rounded student development; and Focused music and foreign language programs (K through 12" grade). ee eee ene In addition, our K ~ 12 program at Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT will feature a blended learning model to accommodate more students and shift the role of the teacher from “direct instruction” in a teacher-driven environment to teachers who work as support guides and coaches ina student-centered environment.The 9— 12 high schoo! will continue our flagship core program of a classic, college preparatory curriculum but the new CIT school will offer a wide-range of courses and subject area concentrations through the blended learning model. This schoo! will be heavily invested in technology-based instructional delivery and students will be engaged in business internships during their junior and senior years in the technology sector. ‘The CIT high schoo! was designed with the purpose of maximizing student support to ensure students succeed. On a daily basis students will receive support from Relationship managers, Relevance Managers, Rigor Managers and Discipline Managers. Relationship Managers are faculty assigned to a group of 50 students at the beginning of freshman year through the first successful year in college. Relationship managers are considered student supervisors and will work with students on time management, individual learning plans, goal setting, professional growth, maintaining records, and they will act as the primary contact between students and student families. They will work with their group of 50 students in a ‘Pod’ or homeroom-like setting. Relevance Managers are faculty assigned to overseeing student projects. Relevance Managers will be responsible for helping students to find and engage their passions, and to find ways to connect the school’s educational standards to real world situations. The projects they manage will grow in complexity from simple individual laboratory experiences for novice students to complex real world team projects designed to address real world experiences with no clear answers for youth at the student professional status. Relevance Managers will monitor student performance in this context. Rigor Managers are on-site faculty who are assigned to specific online coursework management. Online instruction will be used for nearly all content learning in all curricular areas. These faculty will be responsible for assuring students learn the core knowledge and skills required to successfully complete their courses and to pass all end-of-course and external assessments, Rigor managers will be responsible for instructional content, student inquiry responses, and grading. Rigor Managers will provide performance information to the Relationship Managers. Discipline Managers are non-faculty personnel responsible for managing major discipline issues within the high school. These individuals will deal with truancy, theft, violence, weapons, drugs, vandalism, bullying, gang activity, and similar types of discipline issues. They will use modem surveillance technology and security best practices to assure a safe learning environment. Faculty will continue to deal with routine classroom management issues but will be freed from potentially major discipline management issues. Discipline Managers will also be responsible for facilities monitoring after regular school hours. (5) The following table shows anticipated minimum and maximum enrollment over the first 5 years of operation. Year ‘Min/Max Enrollment | Year ‘Min/Max Enroliment 2015 302/368 2018 ‘83171042 2016 504/602 2019 ‘900/110 2017 706/864Educational Program (©) Vision ~ The vision of the Jefferson-Douglass Academy is a college preparatory Academy that continues the tradition, values, and high standards of the K - 8 Comerstone model and sets a new standard of excellence as a technology schoo! at the Comerstone Institute of Technology (CIT) High School for grades 9 - 12. We envision a public school academy that transforms lives for good, and a new city for all. To accomplish this mission of educating one child at a time to be strong contributing members of society, there must be clear alignment of the child’s needs with every possible educational, organizational and community element that touches his or her life. ‘This has been the vision of a dedicated group of community and educational leaders that has been implemented over the past 20 years in the form of the Comerstone Schools and in the past 2 years as Comerstone Charter Schools. The Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT will build upon our accumulated experience and reach out to include, teach and learn from new families and community partners. Mission ~ To prepare students to succeed in a global community and in life. Educational Goals ~ The Jefferson-Douglass Academy goals are defined below: ‘+ The Academy will meet student performance growth targets for AYP as set by MDE in each year of operation. ‘© Students will master 80% of skills and content in grade level core subjects before going to the next level of course work. ‘* 70% of students attending Jefferson-Douglass Academy will achieve a minimum of nine ‘months of grade level academic growth on the annually administered MAP tests. © Students attending the Academy for two or more consecutive years will achieve a minimum average of 60% on the MAP assessment. In year one of our charter, students will surpass Detroit pubic school average MEAP score results in all core subjects by a minimum of 10%, * Academy students will achieve an average growth rate of 10% on the PLATO eduTest (or similar assessment) from pre-test in the fall to post-test administration in spring. * 80% of students will demonstrate mastery of word processing skills and basic computing skills by 5" grade. ‘© 80% of graduating 8” grade students will demonstrate mastery of media technology applications. 75% of students will participate in a minimum of three service-learning projects annually. Every graduating 8 grader will pass a democracy and civic learning class, Goals for the Comerstone Institute of Technology 9-12 program are as follows: © Graduating seniors will attain a 22 or higher on the ACT. © 90% of students will enroll in college and post-secondary coursework. © 100% of students will complete two service projects annually.© 90% of students will meet proficiency standards on the ISTE and NETS technology assessments, 100% of students will engage in student government and finance projects annually. 90% of students will meet or exceed proficiency standards on the annual MME. ‘Non-Academic Goals 80% of 8th grade graduates will go to high performing high schools. 100% of Acadcmy parents will sign an agreement that outlines their responsibilities. 75% of Academy parents will attend parent-teacher conferences. 75% of parents will complete ten volunteer hours at the school annually. 75% of parents will attend five monthly PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) meetings annually. Students will meet with mentors a minimum of four times a year. 90% of students will attend schoo! on time. ‘Average daily attendance at school will be 90% of higher. 90% of parents will be satisfied with the Academy's programming and indicate an understanding of the school’s mission. (7) The K ~8 Jefferson-Douglass Academy will use the very successful Comerstone curriculum ‘model, which has been continually refined over 17 years to meet student needs. The core curriculum Scope and Sequence meets Michigan and common core standards. Each grade’s curriculum is mapped to support integrated, thematic instruction for Reading/Language Arts, ‘Math, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, Technology/Computers, Art, Music and Physical Education. A summary of the key structural elements for the K ~ 8 Scope and Sequence are as follows: Curriculum Mapping Elements: Each grade-level subject area is mapped to include: a timeframe for delivery, content, skills, resources and assessment/activities/products. These have been developed through careful examination of prevailing competency development models associated with best practices in schools across the United States. The progression within subjects from grade to grade is mirrored in MAP components, eduTesting series, Michigan benchmarks and MEAP skills. We will be adding the blended learning model (site based and online instruction) to the entire K = 12 sequence, which will increase our abilities to meet the needs of learners where they are at and accelerate their learning at individualized paces. Our students often enroll with many learning gaps and a lack of experiences that are needed for success. Therefore, the Academy curriculum will emphasize core subjects along with courses in the arts (performance and visual), foreign languages (Spanish and Chinese), integrated technology, history and economics, and character development and citizenship. It is the Academy's belief that all students, given the ‘opportunity to experience an excellent education, will leam and succeed. Curriculum Components Web-based Learning Network: Jefferson-Douglass Academy will use a TBD web-based, individualized learning curriculum. Our curriculum will be fully mapped to the online learning network. The platform we use will provide real-time student progress results that help teachersindividualize instruction based on student developmental needs. In addition to being a valuable tool for tracking student development and classroom management, many web-based platforms provide data for evaluation of the curriculum and for evaluation of teacher competencies. Integrated, Thematic, Instruction: Language, science and social studies are integrated in Kindergarten to provide a foundation for disciplined learning. Curriculum is often integrated throughout K - 8" grade. Integration has been proven to be a major factor in establishing a basis for sustainable classroom understanding and positive learning behaviors. Grade-Specific Outcome Levels: Within each subject area, grade-specific outcome levels are identified, providing teachers with objective criteria against which to assess student progress and challenges. Specified outcome levels support student advancement decisions through a data- driven process rather than a subjective process. Teaching Units: Each of the mapped elements within the curriculum is accompanied by unit plans that have been developed by individual teachers and by teaching teams. Prior to inclusion in the school-wide curriculum, each unit is evaluated by teacher-led teams to validate the grade appropriateness, curriculum alignment, and clarity of purpose. Cornerstone Institute of Technology Curriculum CIT high school students will be educated in a project-based, blended learning environment of site-based instruction, online courses, and internship opportunities using the mapping and sequencing process outlined above. In addition to the core curriculum and Michigan requirements for high school graduation, students will have a wide range of curriculum and courses to choose from through online providers such as Michigan Virtual University or a similar provider. Technology will play a central role at CIT — both as a means of delivering instruction in addition to curriculum options. The scope and sequence of the CIT curriculum will be based on the following standards. Michigan and common core academic standards Cultural competency standards 21" century skill standards Technology standards Character standards Fitness and wellness standards Financial literacy standards Career development standards SN AVaYNe The CIT high school will feature many unique structural and instructional frameworks designed to support the increasing independence of students. Students will be given increasing flex-time as they mature and demonstrate mastery and ownership of their futures. We will use a relationship management system that frees teachers to become support coaches. Students will be organized into ‘Pods’ - groups of 50 students located in a single room with their own personal work stations and a relationship manager. Pods will be the basis of relationship related interactions including scheduling, counseling, monitoring, intervention planning, and family communications. Students will be supported on all fronts with relationship managers, relevance ‘managers, rigor managers, and discipline managers.(8) The process-driven approach of instructional design provides educators with the opportunity to individualize instruction while adhering to curricular requirements. This approach also provides continuous data to identify areas of opportunities for student growth. The mixed methods employed throughout the curriculum, and in combination with specifically selected extra curricular activities and learning opportunities, make it possible for children with distinct earning styles to thrive while receiving a well rounded, accomplishments-based education. Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT teachers will employ a combination of instructional ‘methods to meet student learning needs. All students will have a personalized learning plan that guides teachers and students towards goals. Some of the instructional methods at the Academy include, but are not limited to: * Direct Instruction ~ carefully designed and planned lessons based on small learning increments (specific skills) and prescribed teaching tasks. ‘Differentiated instruction ~ teachers must adapt their teaching styles to offer numerous means of delivering content that serve the multiple learning styles of their students. Differentiated instruction recognizes that students operate with varying levels of readiness, learning styles, backgrounds, and needs. * Socratic Method ~ the Socratic Method is the use of guided questioning to elicit ideas and discussion about a theme or topic. © Cooperative Learning ~ students with varying performance levels are assembled in small ‘groups and assigned a task. Students must work cooperatively to meet the task and learn from one another. © Brainstorming ~ brainstorming is a classic method of creative responses to an issue or problem to be solved. Students often feed off of each other’s ideas and stretch the possibilities; brainstorming allows imaginations to come alive. ‘* Small group instruction ~ teachers at the Academy will often divide students into smaller groups to deliver lessons or engage in a small group discussion, Many students feel more comfortable sharing ideas in smaller group settings. ‘© Research ~ students will often embark on their own guided learning paths through research, (9) We plan to continue with many of the additional programming options that have helped students and families to be successful in the currently operating Comerstone schools. Additional opportunities will be added or changed as the parent body, staff, and governing board bring new ideas to the table. These programs are designed to support both the needs of children as well as voluntary academic enhancement and extracurricular opportunities that foster broad personal growth. In keeping with the philosophy of community involvement, all after-school programs will be established in cooperation with the area YMCA. Some of the current offerings we plan to continue are: © Before-Care and After-Care. The before-care and after-care program will be available from 7:00 am to 8:00 am and from 3:15 pm to 6:00 pm. Before Care will be supervised by Comerstone staff and After School programs will be administered by the YMCA and other approved providers. ‘© Chess Club. Principles of chess are translatable to development of logic as well as, strategic planning. Our Comerstone Chess Club has taken first place honors in the Detroit Metropolitan area as well as first place in their division at the National Championship level.© Tutoring Programs. Tutoring in all subject areas will be available to students Monday — Friday after school. In addition, math tutorials will be conducted every Saturday in the fall and spring for sixth to eighth graders. ‘© Partner Program. This is a unique Comerstone program where interested community ‘members are recruited to become partners with one or more children. Partners build supportive relationships with students and help to inspire excellence. © School Lunch Program. Children who are well nourished are stronger learners. The Lunch Program includes both regularly priced and Federal free and reduced lunches for those children who qualify. Breakfast and snacks are made available to all children who participate in before and after care programs. © Sports. Recognizing that physical activity is a critical element in the development of each child, the following after school programs will be available for students: Basketball, volleyball, track and field, cheerleading and karate, © Music, Educational research supports the premise that the practice of music at early ages expands brainwave capacity, helps advance reading skills, and increases performance on standardized test results. We will have a choral program, which expands into violin from third through eighth grade. In fourth grade students may take violin, viola, cello, or bass. In addition, piano labs are available for use by students to study piano. Foreign Language Lego Robotics (10) At the Academy, children will receive services from the Detroit Public School System that, by law, are required to service those students who are residents of Detroit. Students with hearing challenges receive services from Detroit Public Schools and, where indicated, students will be evaluated first by the Detroit Public Schools to determine if these students require additional Teaming services because they fall into specific categories of special learning needs. Ancillary services will be provided to students based on need as outlined in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The academically focused, philosophical underpinnings of the LSEM program are very closely aligned with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (L.D.E.A). Our special education programming will meet compliance as mandated by Section 504 of the civil rights statute (1973), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A)(1975) that governs all special education services for children in the United States, and ADA (1990), which requires all educational institutions (other than those operated by religious organizations) to meet the needs of children with psychiatric problems. We will contract with a special education services provider that is a non-sectarian support services organization such as Total Education Solutions (TES). ‘The Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT special education programming will be coordinated by a lead special education coordinator. This staff member will be responsible for overall ‘management of special education and cooperative planning with administration and classroom teachers to ensure students are receiving appropriate services, in the appropriate environments, as defined by each student’s IEP. As much as possible, the Academy expects to use an inclusionary environment with resource or pull-out services when required. The Coordinator will work with ‘Academy special needs teachers to oversee all reporting requirements and will be the designated district representative for the ISD special education plan.‘Attendance and Participation (11) Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT will operate on a year-round educational calendar with 200 days of instruction over 11 months. This calendar allows children to progressively expand their leaning skills without the interruption of lengthy periods of ‘down-time’ from structured academic activities, Students in grades 6-12 will be offered the opportunity to attend Saturday tutorials. The high school will operate on a flexible daily schedule because of the blended learning model. We anticipate opening in August of 2015. ‘The Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT High School calendar will include a minimum of seven professional development days for all faculty and staff. In addition, new faculty and staff will receive an additional 5 days of professional development. The school day will run from 8:10 until 3:15, ‘The total hours of instruction per day will be 6 hours and 30 minutes. The total instructional hours per year will be 1,300. Academy founders will apply for waivers to operate ona nontraditional schedule with flexibility for student seat time. (12) A strong component of the Comerstone Charter Schools Strategic Plan is marketing. Within, this plan, the ‘brand’ of comerstone charter schools has been developed to reflect the culture of excellence, accomplishments of students, and integration into the community. Strate accomplish our plan include: development and maintenance of a state-of-the art website, automated newsletters, video toolkits, speakers bureau, development of key messages that capture ‘stories’ of successes, placement of messages in key publications, development of media kits, and national positioning. Over the course of its 17 years in operation, the Comerstone Schools have reached enrollment capacity through extensive and aggressive implementation of these marketing efforts, which have been supported by local businesses, local media and the community-at-large. These efforts will be continued for Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT. Major campaigns that are on-going include radio ads and soft advertising campaigns that include the use of strategically placed billboards on area freeways, dissemination of printed materials at area interest group meetings, continuous improvement of the associated website, and involvement in area charitable events focused on enhancing visibility and raising community awareness for purposes of student ‘enrollment as well as for fund raising. Student Recruitment ~ Michigan law requires that enrollment at Charter Schools be open to all students who are residents of the State of Michigan. Public Charter Schools may not limit enrollment based on race, color, religion, national origin, language spoken, intellect or athletic ability. To ensure that children receive fair and equitable opportunities for enrollment, the following, enrollment and lottery guidelines have been established. ‘© Open Enrollment periods will be specified by the school and made public through public announcements of deadlines in local newspapers, community flyers, bulletins and thewebsite. Records of these announcements will be kept for verification of faimess in enrollment. ‘Completed applications for enrollment of children must be received by the deadline date. Complete applications will be stamped with date of receipt. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for each grade within the school. © If the school is over-subscribed at the end of the open enrollment period, then all applications beyond the school’s capacity will be entered into a lottery. ‘© During the lottery process all applications that were filed before the published deadline are placed in the lottery and publicly drawn in random order to determine which students will be enrolled and the order of the waiting list. The public lottery will occur soon after the closure of the enrollment period. ‘© The waiting list includes students whose applications were received before the published deadline, but who exceed the school’s capacity. These applicants are to be identified by number and by grade. As spaces become available at the school, they are to be offered to the applicants in the order of placement on the waiting list. The schoo! will maintain a current waiting list in the main office. * As seats become available, the parent/guardian of the child is to be notified in writing with return-requested mail delivery and with phone follow-up and given 10 business days to accept entrance into the school. If parent/guardian declines or if no response is received for the notification, the child will be moved to the bottom of the waiting list and the parents of the next child on the waiting list will be notified as described above. © Re-enrollment. For all subsequent enrollment years, children who were previously enrolled in the school can re-enroll during public re-enrollment periods. Siblings of currently enrolled children will also have the opportunity to enroll. Student Retention ~ Due to the success of its programs, Comerstone schools have a strong tradition of student retention from year-to-year. Retention strategies are interwoven into the school structure; they are critical touch points in the education of each child. Our standards- based curriculum model and assessment tools, parental/guardian involvement, mentoring programs, small student to teacher ratios, extra curricular and tutoring programs and individualized student plans all contribute to early intervention and retention strategies for children at the Academy. (13) Parents at the Academy and CIT will be engaged through: 1. A PTO will be established for both schools. Expectations for parent involvement in the PTO will be established in a parent agreement. Comerstone Charter Schools have been successful in engaging high percentages of parents through PTOs. 2. Each faculty member will maintain an interactive internet presence that will be available to students and parents. 3. CIT will provide a student management system designed to assure information about student success and programming is available to parents, the student, and the faculty. This system will be custom designed to meet the needs of the unique structure of the high school. 4, Comerstone Charter Schools completes regular feedback procedures that proactively seek information from parents. ‘These include focus groups, surveys, and suggestion systems.Assessment and Evaluation (14) The annual standards and measures for student expectations are below. The Jefferson-Douglass Academy: The Academy will meet student performance growth targets for AYP as set by MDE in each year of operation. Students will master 80% of skills and content in grade level core subjects before going to the next level of course work. 70% of students attending Jefferson-Douglass Academy will achieve a minimum of nine months of grade level academic growth on the annually administered MAP tests. Students attending the Academy for two or more consecutive years will achieve a minimum average of 60% on the MAP assessment. In year one of our charter, students will surpass Detroit pubic school average MEAP score results in all core subjects by a minimum of 10%. ‘Academy students will achieve an average growth rate of 10% on the PLATO eduTest (or similar assessment) from pre-test in the fall to post-test administration in spring. 80% of students will demonstrate mastery of word processing skills and basic computing skills by 5 grade. 80% of graduating 8” grade students will demonstrate mastery of media technology applications. 75% of students will participate in a minimum of three service-learning projects annually. Every graduating 8" grader will pass a democracy and civic learning class. Goals for the Comerstone Institute of Technology High School are as follows: Graduating seniors will attain a 22 or higher on the ACT. 90% of students will enroll in college and post-secondary coursework. 100% of students will complete two service projects annually. ‘90% of students will meet proficiency standards on the ISTE and NETS technology assessments. 100% of students will engage in student government and finance projects annually. 90% of students will meet or exceed proficiency standards on the annual MME. Results from the above assessments will be used to continually monitor and refine instruction, curriculum, and individual learning plans. (15) The Jefferson-Douglass Academy and CIT assessment program consists of three types of assessments that help us monitor student performance on an ongoing basis and make timely adjustments to individualized learning plans.Formative assessments Formative assessments consist, at a minimum, of the unit assessments designed and included in our various courses of study. These assessments will be created in advance of instructional design, will be an integral part of the course of study, and will be consistent across all faculty. Formative assessments produce information useful for faculty professional development, student instructional intervention, and organizational planning. The DeFour Professional Learning Communities concepts will be the basis of using formative assessment data to improve instruction. In addition to pre-established unit assessments, faculty will create in-classroom formative assessments and other assessment feedback systems to inform instructional practice and to help students know how well they are learning materials. End-of-course assessments Each course of study will have an end-of-course assessment that is produced and vetted by external psychometricians or purchased from professional assessment sources (i.e., ACT). ‘These assessments will be used to award course credit to students and to evaluate faculty instructional quality. Extemal, Summative assessments ‘All required state assessments, such as the MEAP and MME, will be administered annually. In addition, all GVSU required assessments including the MAP will be administered. All grade appropriate students will be required to take the ACT, SAT, or equivalent college entrance test. prior to graduation, Specific performance targets will be established for each external assessment to assure students will be successful in transitioning to college, careers, and community. Finally, where applicable, industry credential assessments will be administered for students seeking these credentials. ‘Student results on performance assessments will be communicated to students and parents through multiple avenues. Students and parents play an integral role in the development and monitoring of individual learning plans, which are updated through teacher-student-parent meetings and conferences based on ongoing assessment results. Students learn to take ownership for their learning through the process of setting individual goals and as students matriculate to high school, the mentoring that takes place through our relationship management system and Pod rooms provides scheduled time for students and teachers to work on goals, scheduling and analysis of performance. (16) The curriculum will be evaluated through the Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) curriculum audit criteria to determine the curriculum’s success at meeting performance targets. This process includes both a summative and formative assessment of curriculum quality. The PDK curriculum audit includes a review of board policies related to curriculum, course of study and instructional guide quality, classroom delivery of curriculum, assessment alignment and organizational and budget alignment to curriculum goals.Project Team (17) The project team members are listed below. The project team consists of 4 members of Comerstone Charter Schools: Thomas Willis, CEO; Gene Seaborn, CAO; Christian Anderson, Organizational and Compliance Officer; and Dorthea Morgan, Accounting Manager. All can be reached at: 444 West Willis, Suite 150, Detroit, MI 48201. Clark Durant, Founder of Comerstone Schools, is also a project team member who can be reached at 6861 E. Nevada Detroit, MI 48234. (18) Clark Durant and the members of the Comerstone Charter Schools management team developed and started the first two Comerstone charter schools now currently in their second year of operations, Lincoln-King Academy and Washington-Parks Academy, with a third charter school, the Comerstone Health High School and Madison-Carver Academy, scheduled to open in 2012. (19) Eugene Seaborn, CAO. Mr. Seabom is a proud product of the Detroit Public Schools system and a graduate of Wayne State University (B.S., M.A. and Ed. Specialist in ‘Administration and Curriculum). He has over thirty years of experience in several school districts as a principal, an Instructional Specialist, a Principal Leadership Coach with Wayne RESA and a Title 1 Regional Support Coordinator with MAISA at the state level. His broad experience has deepened his understanding of the needs and challenges of all students. ‘Thomas Willis, CEO. Mr. Willis’ vision is to grow the Comerstone model so that more children in the city and beyond may experience educational excellence in a safe, structured, and loving environment. He has extensive experience in strategic projects and planning for schools. Prior to joining Cornerstone he worked for Intel and PricewaterhouseCoopers. His background includes teaching, technology, leadership and business applications as well as cultural immersion studies. He grew up in the Detroit area and attended The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, the University of Michigan (B.S.), and the University of Notre Dame (MBA). Doretha Morgan, Accounting Manager. Ms. Morgan was born and raised in the Detroit Area. Her background includes eight years of financial leadership experience in the charter school industry and more than 15 years of experience in the non-profit industry. Ms. Morgan’s experience in the non-profit industry includes Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Trinity Health System. She has a Masters degree in Finance from Walsh College and is a CPA. She joined the Comerstone Charter Schools team in order to support the education of Detroit children. Christian Anderson, Organizational and Compliance Officer. Mr. Anderson is a proud supporter of the charter school movement. Prior to serving in his current role, Mr. Anderson spent eight great years as a first grade teacher. He is a graduate of Eastem Michigan University (BSS. in Elementary Education) and Oakland University (M.A. in Teaching - Reading Language Arts) and is a certified reading specialist.Clark Durant, Founder of Cornerstone Schools. Mr. Durant has worked in education for over 19 years, His success in leading the Comerstone Schools Association is well known in Detroit and nationally. He has consistently drawn together educational talent and private resources to solve educational problems. Clark Durant has been very active at the local, state and national levels in educational discussions, policy development, and community associations. He has provided expertise to political leaders, schools, and state departments. He has successfully started two previous charter schools. (20) Comerstone Charter Schools will enter into several contractual relationships for provision of school services. These include, but are not limited to: ‘Service Provider Services to be Provided CanStrong, Food Services ‘ADP Employee Background checks & Payroll L-1 Solutions Finger Printing YMCA ‘After School Programs ‘Guardian Security ‘Northwood University ‘Educational Programming ‘Wayne State University ‘Educational Programming ‘One Services Facilities Planning & Custodial Services TES Special Education Services (21) The teaching faculty at the Academy and CIT will include core teachers with a teacher to student maximum ratio of 1:27 in grades K — 2 and 1:28 in grades 3 - 12. We will have additional instructors for world languages, music, technology specialists, and online staffing to assure a full blended learning capability. Both the Academy and CIT will have a Principal and Assistant Principal. School leaders will manage the daily operations of the Academy and CIT. Faculty will be fully engaged in the decision-making process up to and including budget allocations, Standards, learning expectations, and assessments will be determined at the management company level with board approval. ‘The governance structure of the schoo! will consist of a five-member board of directors selected in consultation with technology businesses in the Detroit area. The board will work directly with the authorizer, GVSU. We anticipate that the Board will use the Carver Governance® model as the basis of their policy and governance work. The governing board will set policy and maintain oversight of the school’s performance and will continuously monitor the management company’s compliance with board policies. The board, with assistance from the authorizer, will audit student performance information and will regularly monitor this performance against regional, state, and where available, national models for educational performance. (22) Our staff recruitment efforts will focus on hiring a quality, diverse, and creative staff. Quality teachers are those who see student success as their passion and purpose. University teacher education programs, Teach For America, and mid-career successful teachers will be targeted for recruitment, Positions will be posted at all possible communication outlets, especially those reaching African-American and urban faculty.The Human Resource Division of the management company will manage the hiring process. They will conduct initial screenings for proper certification, general background checks, and confirm references. Qualified candidates will be recommended to the principal of the Academy and CIT and the principal will make the final decisions. Principals will be expected to engage other faculty and staff in the selection process in a meaningful and productive way. (23) Comerstone Charter Schools has applied for and received three charters to date. Facilities (24) The Jefferson-Douglass Academy and Comerstone Institute of Technology High School will be located on separate campuses in the Chadsey/Condon area. Specific facilities have yet to be identified but founders are planning on the following facility attributes and features: The Jefferson-Douglass Academy will include: A minimum of 21 classrooms One art room Two music rooms Two science labs One language room Two computer labs Library Gymnasium Cafeteria Office Spaces Bathrooms Outdoor playground area ee meer r reece ‘The Comerstone Institute of Technology will be approximately 127,500 square feet and include: * 12 Pods ~ Pod rooms with relationship manager office space, technology, and storage space. These rooms will be approximately 2,000 square feet. ‘© 10 Laboratory rooms with relevance manager office space, sophisticated lab equipment commensurate with project requirements (technology core equipment), and storage space. These rooms will be approximately 3,000 square feet. 25,000 sq. ft. auditorium 35,000 sq. ft. cafeteria 3,000 sq. ft. central office space 12 team meeting/conference rooms Bathrooms Both facilities will meet all accessibility requirements, be equipped with security monitoring systems, have wireless and e-board technology throughout the buildings, and have ample parking.(25) Given that facilities have yet to be identified, we can provide no information pertaining to leasing or purchase arrangements, renovation or construction plans and timelines. This information will be provided as soon as facility plans come together. (26) Transportation will not be provided by the Academy or CIT with the exception of students with specialized transportation needs. School leaders will work with parents to coordinate parent/guardian carpooling. In addition, the facilities will be located near public transit drop points to assure transportation is not an issue for low income students. Comerstone Charter Schools will make every effort to coordinate transportation services for students needing assistance with getting to the school. In no way will transportation be a barrier to enrollment at the school.Financial Information (27) The pre-operational costs described below are limited to expenditures related to the anticipated federal planning grant of $110,000. Additional pre-operational expenses, such as capital needs, are not reflected here because we have yet to identify facilities and develop a comprehensive facility needs assessment. Additional pre-operational funds will be sought to cover these expenses through fundraising and loans. ‘The academy projects pre-operational costs for the following: Legal expenses related to the charter facility contract ($8,100) and a TBD consultant to act as the facilitics investigation manager ($9,760); Consulting fees for schoo! start-up expenses such as technical services from MAPSA ($10,000), Special Education consulting, Assessment rubric development, and curriculum evaluation — all in relation to our comprehensive education program ($18,255); Clerical support and accounting services ($6,500); and lastly, Board Governance training with Miriam Carver ($5,000). We anticipate start-up supplies, equipment, postage, and mileage reimbursement for development team members to be $6,585. Our final pre-operational expenditures include hiring a principal and assistant principal for several months prior to the start of school to work, contractually, on recruitment and schoo! opening. In addition we would contract with teachers to work on classroom preparation and early training in the summer months prior to opening ($45,800 for all staffing). (28) We expect to obtain a federal planning grant of $110,000 in addition to the federal implementation funds of approximately $200,000 per year for years one and two of operations. ‘We will also apply for Walton planning and implementation funds in the spring 2012 round - $30,000 in planning and $220,000 in implementation funds. Lastly, the Comerstone Charter Schools’ board and eventual school governing board will participate in Cornerstone Schools fundraising campaigns to assist in facilities support. Our goal is to raise adequate capital to support the renovation and construction needs at the school sites by summer of 2014 in preparation for a fall 2015 opening. Our budgets are based on conservative estimates in order to secure school operations in the event of lower than estimated revenues due to a number of factors. Our contingency plan is to always strengthen student recruitment if enrollment numbers are low and affecting anticipated revenues. If other anticipated sources of revenue are not received (e.g. lower than anticipated fundraising efforts) we have multiple avenues to take, including securing revenues from alternate sources.(29) The Pre-operational Budget Worksheet is below. ‘Revenues Budget Amount Specific Source Local Funding Fundraisers and Contributions Local Foundation & Grant Support StateFunding Start-Up Grants Other (list) Federal Funding Start-Up Grants Other (list) $110,000 Federal Start-up Grant ‘ther Financing Sources Lines of Credit, Loans Other (list) TOTALREVENUES AND OTHER SOURCES: $110,000 Expenditure Budget Amount ‘Assumptic ions Legal Fees Contract Investigations $5,100 $3,000 34 Hours at $150/hour 37.5 hours at $80/hour ‘Accounting and Consultation Fees Development of Assessment Rubric MAPSA Contracted Technical Assistance Development of Special Education Plan Clerical Support for Student Records System Set-Up Board Training with Miriam Carver Accounting Services Curriculum Evaluation $3,375 $10,000 $3,200 $2,000 $5,000 $4,500 $11,680 45 hours at $75/hour $833/month for 12 months 40 hours at $80/hour $100 hours at $20/hour 5 members at $1,000 each for {light and workshop costs 100 hours at $45/hour 146 hours at $80/hour Filing Fees Fundraising Fees Marketing Postage $545, In-kindSupplies Filing Cabinets and Folders $1,000 Cabinets = $900 and folders = $100 Laser Printers, Ink and Toner, $1,500 Printers = $750 and ink end toner Paper (2) =$750 $1,000 $500 each Office chairs and desks (2) $2,400 $1,200 each 2 Laptops (2) Utilities Labor Principal $23,400 Contract w/Principal for 3 mos at $65/hour for 360 hours Academic Dean $14,400 Contract w/Academic Dean for 2 ‘mos at $60/hour for 240 hours Teacher PD $8,000 20 teachers at $20/hour for 20 hours Facility Project Manager for Site selection _| $9,760 122 hours at $80/hour Other Mileage Reimbursement $140 1000 miles at .14/mile Total Expenditures $110,000