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La Academia: Partnership Charter School Report

March 2018

Prepared by:

Guillermo Barroso, Chief Executive Director

La Academia: Partnership Charter School

www.lpacs.org

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Brief Chronological History About La Academia:

1998-1999 - La Academia Partnership Charter School opened, one of the first charter schools

in PA. The Spanish American Civic Association, Neighborhood Services, the Urban League,

Crispus Attucks, and Community Action Programs, worked together and spearheaded the

founding of La Academia. The Buerhle School operation was part of the overall agreement

with SDOL to create La Academia. This agreement lasted two years until SDOL decided to

take Buerhle back. During this time, La Academia and Buerhle shared the same School

Principal. The original limited school enrollment at 82 students. Student admissions focused

on 6th, 7th and 8th grade offering an educational alternative with the guiding vision of a school

where each child will attain success regardless of socioeconomic and educational background

in a safe environment conducive to learning and excellence.

2000-2001 - La Academia continued expanding adding grades 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. SDOL

reclaimed Buerhle School. The Board hired the first fulltime on-site Chief Academic Officer.

2002-2003 - LAPCS was one of 12 schools in the country selected by The National Council

of La Raza for the Early College Program. SDOL renewed the five-year Charter.

2004 -2005 - New policies, procedures, middle school/high school curriculum and

educational materials were adopted as part of a comprehensive school reform.

2006-2007 - New adjacent building opened with gym, cafeteria, and library.

2007-2008 - A revised middle/high school curriculum is developed focusing on a research

based framework and instructional practices that strengthen the core academic program.

SDOL renewed La Academia’s 5-Year Charter. The school increased its enrollment from 82

students to 125 students.

2009-2010 - La Academia made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) through "Safe Harbor." The

installation of smart boards in the classrooms began to facilitate classroom teaching. A

computer lab with 25 computers was installed for student usage.

2010-2011 - Updates took place on both school management processes and facilities.

LAPCS received a Title I School Improvement Grant for 3 years.

2011-2012 - School received 21st Century Grant 6A (Before/After School) for 3 years to

increase the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) focusing on middle school

grades; developed a credit recovery program for high school students; tendered ESL/GED

classes for parents; offered high school students AP (Advanced Placement) US History;

continued Dual-Enrollment with HACC (Harrisburg Area Community College); hired new

Assistant Principal; added an additional support class in special education; and renovated

facilities to include a new engineering lab.

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La Academia made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) and now is in "Making Progress" as an

LEA (Local Education Agency). The 22 members of the class of 2012 comprised the largest

graduation class to date and several of them attended higher education institutions including:

Elizabethtown College (Dean's Scholarship), Kutztown University, Millersville University

and Shippensburg University.

2013-2014 - April 9, 2013 The School District of Lancaster renewed the five-year charter. La

Academia now heads to its 20th Anniversary in 2018; conducted additional renovations to

the 30 North Ann Street building were made. Twenty seniors graduated this year.

2014-2015 - Forty students have benefitted so far from the Credit Recovery Program. This

program was designed to help students who are behind their distribution of credits graduation

requirement. Also, the program provided an opportunity for students who wanted to advance

toward their graduation date. The school revised Attendance Policy for the school year

2014-15; the attendance was 92%. There was an increase from the previous year that was

91%.

2015-2016 - 100% of the seniors (29) graduated representing the largest graduation class in

the history of the school. All of the graduates planned to attend a post-secondary education

institution. La Academia redesigned and implemented a Mentor Program to provide novice

teachers with more guidance and support. Through the Mentor Program’s results, the school

administration determined areas of improvement and professional development training.

Teachers attended professional development sessions conducted by IU 13 Educational

Development Specialists focusing on instructional coaching, curriculum guidance and

support.

2016-2017 - Last year, La Academia enrolled 210 students in grades 6-12. All students

enrolled in 9th grade received Chrome books, a personal tablet. A future goal would be for all

LAPCS students to receive a Chromebook to support learning in the classroom. The position

of Director of Curriculum and Instruction was added to support instruction in the classroom

through best practices. This new position will provide administrative guidance for the food

program and the 21st Century learning grant.

Our Mission and Vision:

As stated on the1998 charter application, the school’s mission was to provide an innovative

educational, social, emotional and philosophical environment that allows students to learn.

The vision addressed the needs of at-promise students who thrive on individualized attention;

personal, social and academic counseling; and educational options, as they seek success in

career and educational endeavors. Today’s mission is that LAPCS is a small learning

community where students will discover their unique talents as productive members of the

community and be provided with a solid foundation of skills and knowledge that prepares

them for higher education and training in high-skills jobs. The vision affirms that through

collaboration and partnership with the community, La Academia will be a model school

where students’ excellence in education is demonstrated through their successful learning in

the classroom and contribution to the community.

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Curriculum/Schedule Overview:

The school day at La Academia is 8 periods in length. We start with an extended homeroom

period (30 minutes) that is actually a Drop Everything and Read, (DEAR) period. This time

is used for students to read material of their choice and can be at any reading level as long as

they are actively reading. Students are required to write a 2-3 sentence summary for teachers

to track their reading and helps students in processing the material they just read. We do this

because our students generally lack vocabulary due to their lack of exposure outside of

school. Reading just 30 minutes a day has been proven to expand one’s vocabulary by over 1

million new vocabulary words in the course of a year.

The middle school core courses for a period all year long are: English Language Arts,

Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.

The curriculum is aligned to PA Common Core Standards. The following are courses for

each of the middle school grades:

6th and 7th Grade

Art

Health and Physical

Education

Technology

Reading

English Language Arts

Math

Science

Social Studies

8th Grade

Spanish

Art or Technology

Health and Physical Education

PSSA Math

English Language Arts

Math

Science

Social Studies

High School students follow the same bell schedule and periods that middle school students

follow.

Currently the school cycles students for things like mathematics and social studies.

Mathematics: 9th graders take Algebra I to prepare for the

Keystone Exam.

2015/2016 – All 10th – 12th grade Geometry.

2016/2017 – All 10th – 12th grade Algebra II.

2017/2018- The school offered an Advance Placement (AP)

English for 11th and 12th graders.

English Language Arts (ELA): La Academia offers ELA9, ELA10, ELA11, and ELA12.

Middle School Science

9th graders take Biology I

10th and 11th graders take Biology II

12th graders are taking Anatomy

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1. Social Studies:

In 2016-17 the school offered an Advanced Placement (AP) History class for 11th and

12th graders.

All other students are taking US History.

2. Electives for High School:

Technology – Focus is on Microsoft Applications

Physical Education

Art

Spanish

STEM

3. As with middle school, some students are pulled for ELL class and/or IEP support classes.

Our middle school offers targeted Reading Intervention and Support.

4. 6th Grade Academy: For School Year 2017-2018, we created the 6th grade Academy for our

6th grade students to help them with the transition into middle school. Our findings indicate

that our 6th grade students are not ready socially/emotionally and academically need help

with transition to the middle school schedule. We created our 6th Grade Academy.

Career/College Readiness Course:

La Academia offers a Career/College Readiness course to all 11th and 12th grade students to

prepare graduating students for any postsecondary education or training experience, including

study at two and four-year institutions leading to a postsecondary education experience/

credential (certificate, associate, bachelor degree).

In the past two years, all seniors have graduated and transitioned to higher education, workforce

and/or armed forces opportunities.

School Year 2 Years Higher

Education

Institution

4 Years Higher

Education

Institution

Workforce Armed

Forces

2015-2016 19 5 3 1

2016-2017 17 7 2 1

STEM Program:

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines —

science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied manner.

Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them

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into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications. Workplace skills such as

multifaceted collaboration, creativity, coding, digital ability, media literacy, critical thinking,

global citizenship, and dynamic communication fall under the umbrella of STEM, and have

implications for how all teachers approach their content areas. STEM assumes a stance of

inquiry, promotes hands-on investigation, encourages rigorous research, and treats failure as a

necessary aspect of learning.

In 2011, La Academia introduced their STEM program with one course offered at each middle

school and high school level. Partnering with Project Lead the Way (PLTW), Design and

Modeling was offered to middle school students while 9th grade students were enrolled in

Introduction to Engineering Design. Students in 6th and 9th grade were enrolled in these courses

as part of their core curriculum. The following year, La Academia added a high school course,

Principles of Engineering, and two middle school courses, Automation and Robotics, and Green

Architecture. The STEM program at the high school level, a course was developed in-house to

promote critical thinking and problem solving in a STEM context. The course, Problem Solving

with STEM, focused heavily on project-based learning and demonstrating concepts through

experiments. Student curiosity and interest steered the class through the content. Motivation to

recycle brought about a unit created around the chemistry of plastics, the environmental impact

of plastic, how plastic is recycled, and culminated with the students of the class initiating the first

school-wide recycling program in La Academia’s history. The school received coverage from

the local newspaper.

21st Community Learning Centers after School Program:

The 21st Century Community Learning Center project provides our students and their families’

opportunities for innovative extended learning activities, rigorous yet engaging academic

instruction including STEM/STEAM activities, family literacy, and structured student enrichment.

The goals of the project included improving academic achievement; preparing high school

graduates to become college and career ready by introducing them to high quality STEM/STEAM

activities; and improving overall family literacy by offering family members the opportunity to

improve their own literacy skills while also becoming actively engaged in the education of their

children.

Partnership include private industry such as Lancaster Workforce Investment Board, Hammel

Associates Architects, By the Numbers, and Design Data; community agencies such as Lancaster-

Lebanon IU 13, Spanish American Civic Association, Heads Up Lancaster, Lancaster Science

Factory and School District of Lancaster; and post-secondary education facilities Millersville

University and Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.

The program administration continues to search for new partnerships that can assist La Academia

with the sustainability of this program. Therefore, we had the opportunity to partner with three

new agencies including The Mix at Arbor Place, The Common Wheel, and The Lancaster Creative

Factory who provided enrichment classes to La Academia students before school, after school, and

during the summer session. In our after-school program, we served over 110 students during the

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school year. In addition, in our summer program we met our target to expand the program to serve

over 60 students for the period of six weeks.

Discipline:

Please see information below regarding discipline for the School Year 2016-2017:

Enrollment Incidents Offenders Incidents

Involving

Local Law

Enforcement

Total

Arrests

Assignments

to

Alternative

Education

210 68 68 7 1 0

Misconduct Categories:

Misconduct Type Incidents

Associated with

the Misconduct

Percent of Total

Incidents

Incidents per

100 Students

Simple Assault on

Student

3 3.66% 1.40

Simple Assault on Staff 1 2.44% .093

All Other Forms of

Harassment/Intimidation

17 16% 7.94%

Fighting 6 7.2% 2.74%

Minor Altercation 4 4.88% 1.87

Open Lewdness 1 1.22% 0.47%

Sexual Harassment 2 2.44% 0.93

Threatening School

Official/Student

2 1.22% 0.93

Reckless Endangering 1 1.22% 0.47

Theft 2 2.44% 0.47

Bullying 17 20.56% 0.93

Disorderly Conduct 10 20.56% 7.94

Possession of Other

Weapon

1 1.22% 0.47

Vandalism 3 3.88% 1.87

Possession/Use or Sale

of Tobacco

1 1.22% 0.47

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Out of School Suspensions:

Grade Academic Conduct Drug and

Alcohol

Tobacco Violence Weapon

6th 0 0 0 0 7 0

7th 0 0 0 0 1 1

8th 0 0 0 1 7 0

9th 0 0 0 0 9 0

10th 0 0 0 0 11 0

11th 0 0 0 0 10 0

12th 0 0 0 0 7 0

Overall 0 0 0 1 52 1

Attendance:

In the past two years, LAPSC had five that were back and forth between LAPSC and SDOL.

School Year Started in LAPCS Went to SDOL Return to LACPSC

2015-2016 5 5 3

2016-2017 4 4 3

2017-2018 5 5 4

School Year Started in SDOL Went to LACPSC Return to SDOL

2015-2016 4 4 4

2016-2017 5 5 5

2017-2018 5 5 5

La Academia has 29 seniors and 15 (52%) of them have been enrolled since 6th grade.

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(ADA = Average Daily Attendance)

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Truancy by Grade for the 2016-2017 School Year:

Grade Total Truancy Rate

6th 1 0.47

7th 4 1.87

8th 4 1.87

9th 4 1.87

10th 1 0.47

11th 5 2.34

12th 1 0.47

Total 20 9.35

La Academia Positive Behavior Intervention System Program:

PBIS is an approach that schools can use to improve school safety and promote positive

behavior. It’s also a tool to help teachers know how to respond to inappropriate classroom

behavior.

While teacher training is an important aspect of PBIS, training alone will not transform student

behaviors. As a school, teachers, administrators, board members, and students all need to

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understand and equitably enforce the school’s behavior management system and the

consequences associated with various types of misbehavior. Teachers need to know how to de-

escalate student conflict, how to redirect students, and when to seek collegial or administrative

support for issues related to student behaviors.

Students, on the other hand, need to know what is expected of them, how to persist in the face of

difficulty, and how to seek support when a situation is spiraling out of control. PBIS is most

effective when the entire school community understands and agrees with student behavior

expectations, school leaders enforce appropriate consequences consistently, and there are

adequate supports in place for both struggling teachers and struggling students.

La Academia implement Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.

Rationale: Given that most La Academia students are already behind academically when they

enter the 6th grade, it is critical that the school accelerate learning, particularly in grades 6 – 8.

Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) is an umbrella term that encompasses both response

to intervention (RTI) and PBIS. Response to intervention is a framework that consists of three

different levels of instruction that, together, ensure every student has the necessary support to

master critical academic content.

Tier 1 is the core instruction that all students receive. Tier 1 instruction should be age-

appropriate, highly engaging, and linked to the academic standards. Tier 2 instruction is for

students who require extra academic support to master key learning concepts. This supplemental

instruction occurs during the school day, usually with small groups of learners who need

additional instruction to achieve mastery.

Tier 3 instruction targets students who have severe or persistent learning needs and require

individualized help to master core learning concepts. There are different ways to offer Tier 3

instruction for the limited number of students who need this intensive level of academic support.

The key is that all three levels of instruction are available, engaging, and designed to ensure that

every child has the necessary supports to succeed academically.

Schools implementing MTSS also recognize that behavioral and academic challenges often go

hand-in-hand. As a result, implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in

combination with RTI can be a highly effective strategy for schools such as La Academia.

2017-18 Work Plan: La Academia was invited by PDE to meet with two Penn State University

professors who have a National Science Foundation Grant to pilot MTSS in 2-3 schools across

the Commonwealth. This conversation took place on October 30, 2017 and La Academia is

being considered to be a pilot school for the 2018-2019 school year. If La Academia is accepted

into this pilot, significant resources would be available to help the school improve student

engagement, establish effective instructional routines, and manage student behavior.

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School Performance Profile 2015-2016

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School Performance Profile 2016-2017

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Student Academic Growth

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The difference between academic growth and student achievement

Academic growth (PVAAS) measures the amount of academic growth students make in 1 year,

on average. Student achievement is a static measure of how students are performing on a

standardized test in a given subject area compared to their peers across the state. For example, a

6th grade student who is performing at a 3rd grade reading level may improve two grade levels in

a year and have a dark blue PVAAS growth score (significant evidence of gain) but still not be

considered “proficient or advanced” when compared to his/her peers across the state. For this

reason, it is important to look both at the achievement level and the growth measure.

Math Growth and Estimated Average Achievement 2014 - 16

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English Language Arts Growth and Estimated Average Achievement 2014 - 16

Student Achievement Data:

2012-2013 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Mathematics 34.02% 34.29% 27.59% 5.68%

English Language Arts 34.48% 23.86%

Science 9.30% 13.21% 6.45% 11.76%

34.02% 34.29%

27.59%

5.68%

34.48%

23.86%

9.30%13.21%

6.45%11.76%

2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Percentage of Students Proficient or Advanced in Key Subject Areas

Mathmatics English Language Arts Science

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PSSA Proficiency

Subject Group Grade

Number

Scored

%

Advanced

%

Proficient

%

Basic

%

Below

Basic

English

Language

Arts All Students 6 18 0.0 33.3 50.0 16.7

English

Language

Arts All Students 7 23 0.0 21.7 56.5 21.7

English

Language

Arts All Students 8 32 3.1 3.1 71.9 21.9

English

Language

Arts

All Students School

Total

73 1.4 16.4 61.6 20.5

Math All Students 6 18 0.0 5.6 55.6 38.9

Math All Students 7 23 0.0 0.0 30.4 69.6

Math All Students 8 32 0.0 6.3 18.8 75.0

Math All Students School

Total

73 0.0 4.1 31.5 64.4

Subject Group Grade

Number

Scored

%

Advanced

%

Proficient

%

Basic

%

Below

Basic

Science All Students School

Total

35 2.9 5.7 31.4 60.0

Keystone Exams Best Score

Subject Group Grade

Number

Scored

Percent

Advanced

Percent

Proficient

Percent

Basic

Percent

Below

Basic

Algebra I All Students 11 26 3.8 7.7 57.7 30.8

Algebra I Historically

Underperforming

11 25 4.0 8.0 56.0 32.0

Biology All Students 11 27 0.0 11.1 29.6 59.3

Biology Historically

Underperforming

11 25 0.0 8.0 32.0 60.0

Literature All Students 11 26 0.0 38.5 46.2 15.4

Literature Historically

Underperforming

11 25 0.0 36.0 48.0 16.0

Diagnostic Student Performance

Diagnostic reports help teachers understand how students at every performance level are

responding to instruction. Typically, students are divided into 5 performance quintiles, which

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allows teachers to differentiate instruction in response to a student’s performance quintile.

Quintile 1 describes the 20% of PA lowest performing students in a particular subject. Quintile 5

describes the 20% of PA highest performing students in a particular subject.

Note: This is 6th grade data, which provides the first glimpse of the academic achievement and

growth trajectory of students who are entering La Academia. The green shading in quintile 1

with math indicates the majority of the students in the 6th grade maintained expected growth in

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math. However, these students are also in the lowest achieving 20% of students in Pennsylvania.

Student in the next quintile, lost significant ground academically.

The ELA (English Language Arts) pie chart indicates that ALL of the students in the 6th grade

are in the lowest achieving 20% of students in PA when it comes to English Language Arts.

These students lost ground slightly in 2016 and significantly over 3 years.

Note: The above pie chart indicates that 7th grade students in quintiles one and two demonstrated

expected growth in math. However, students in quintile 3, lost ground academically. When it

comes to English Language Arts, quintiles one and three demonstrated expected growth;

however, quintile two demonstrated significantly higher than expected growth.

Math ELA Science

Note: The above pie chart indicates that in the 8th grade, students in quintile 1 demonstrated

expected growth in math. Students in quintile 2, however, make significant progress in math.

When it comes to ELA, students in quintiles 1 and 2 demonstrated expected growth in math

through students in quintile three lost ground. The last pie chart is the first time there is a science

test report. Overall students lost ground in science.

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Note: In the first chart, all but quintile 3 students lost ground in Algebra 1. Quintile 3 students

demonstrated expected growth. With the Literature Keystone Exam, students across the board

demonstrated significant growth. The same is true of the Biology 1 exam, though quintile 2

students made only expected growth.

Source: paschoolperformance.org

La Academia Strategic Planning Update:

General Information

La Academia was awarded $10,000 in December 2017 from the Lancaster County

Community Foundation as part of their Organizational Fellowship Program.

The funds are to be used for board training and to create a Strategic Plan.

The project must be completed by June 12, 2018.

A. Board Training

This will be conducted by Leadership Lancaster staff which has a program called the

Board Leadership Academy. This program includes 5 one hour sessions as follows:

1) Governance Basics - Understand the role of governance in a nonprofit organization.

2) Building Effective Boards – To learn the practical application of the concepts

discussed in the Governance module.

3) Strategic Planning – To prepare to undergo a strategic-planning process or to critique

an existing plan.

4) Finance & Oversight – Prepares board members for the financial oversight of an

organization.

5) Fundraising – Prepares board members for their role as fundraisers for the

organization.

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6) We agreed that we will do three of these sessions: sessions 1 & 2 will be combined,

session 4 & 5.

6) Timing: This can be done in 3-one hour sessions – so an option is to add 1 extra hour

to the March 21, April 18 and May 16 board meetings in which the board meetings

would take place from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. and board training from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. OR

we could schedule a 3-hour board training session on a particular date and time such

as Friday, March 16 from 1-4 p.m. or it could be done in the morning from 8:00 –

11:00 a.m.

B. Strategic Plan

We have contracted the services of coLAB to conduct a strategic planning process under

the direction of Kate Gallagher.

We accepted their proposal entitled “Organizational Strategic Planning & Operational

Implementation to Build Capacity for La Academia.”

The work will take place from Feb. 1 – September 2018.

There are 4 phases to this project:

Phase 1: Planning & Preparation – February & ongoing throughout the project

Phase 2: Capacity Building – February – March 2018

Phase 3: Strategic Planning – April – May 2018

Phase 4: Implementation & Activation – June – September 2018

A kick-off meeting took place on Feb, 15, 2018.

Various constituents (about 30) will be interviewed by coLAB staff and two focus group

sessions will take place, one with staff and the other with the board members.

A strategic planning retreat will take place on Friday, April 13 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

at a place to be determined.

C. Building Capacity/Space:

La Academia has grown and thrived significantly over the past 20 years of its existence.

Once a school serving 80 students in grades 6 -12, the school currently has an enrollment of

210 students with an optimal capacity of 215 students. The school is continually trying to

enhance its programs and services and provide additional educational opportunities for its

students and their families so they can learn, grow and succeed in life. Undoubtedly, space

is at a premium. The multi-purpose room on the second floor in the 38 North Ann St.

building serves as a gymnasium, a cafeteria, and an auditorium for school assemblies and

other functions. Advanced Placement (AP) courses in English & US History have been

added in addition to a new music program. Grants have been secured for the acquisition of

various musical instruments to give our students the opportunity to learn a musical

instrument. It has been shown that music instruction improves student performance in other

unrelated subjects, most especially math. Because our students have a low socio-economic

status, most of them cannot afford private voice or instrumental lessons.

In addition, there are only two conference rooms to hold meetings of 8 – 10 people, so often

times, classrooms are used, for instance for the Board of Directors meetings. The building is

at maximum capacity therefore, our Facilities Committee of the Board is reviewing the

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planning and looking at all feasible options for optimal space usage. We are doing all that

we can to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of the facilities that we have at La

Academia to provide the most optimal educational experience for our students.

Relationship with the Spanish American Civic Association (SACA):

The Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) is a contractor of La Academia: The

Partnership Charter School. SACA provides accounting services and rents the building to

LAPCS. In addition, LAPCS reserves a seat on the Board of Directors for a member of

SACA. La Academia was founded by four vibrant community-based agencies working

together in the creation of the school. The agencies included the Spanish American Civic

Association, Neighborhood Services, Crispus Attucks and Community Action Program.

These organizations saw a critical need in the mid-1990s for a public charter school to be

built to serve students of southeast Lancaster, one of the most financially disadvantaged

sectors of Lancaster City. La Academia was one of the first charter schools in Pennsylvania.

La Academia opened in September 1998 so that area students would have a chance to reach

their fullest potential. In addition, SACA is a valuable contributor to La Academia

Educational Improvement Tax Credit. Year to Date: SACA contributed 10% or $11,000.00

to date. Also, SACA’s radio station provides announcements free of charge throughout the

year and during the summer for recruitment.

Finances:

In the attached Appendixes you will find LAPCCS current budget, rental agreement, accounting

services agreement and power point requested.

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The chart shows that for this current year the state support accounted for $47,500 or

approximately 1% of total revenues. Federal support accounted for $289,680 or approximately

16% of total revenues, local support accounted for $165,000 or approximately 3% of total

revenues and local education agencies were $2,981,370 or approximately 80% of total revenue.

Appendix:

Appendix A: 2017-2018 Budget

Appendix B: Accounting Services Contract

Appendix C & C1: Lease Agreements

Appendix D: Charter Renewal Power Point

Appendix E: Letter of Commitment from the Lancaster County STEM Alliance