Meeting of the Board of Regents | May 2008

SUMMARY

Issue for Decision

Should the Regents approve the staff’s recommendation concerning the proposed revision to the charter of the Bronx Lighthouse Charter School (New York City)?

Reason(s) for Consideration

              Required by State statute, Education Law §2852.

Proposed Handling

This question will come before the EMSC Committee in May 2008 for action.  It will then come before the full Board for final action in May 2008.

Procedural History

The New York Charter Schools Act of 1998 requires the Board of Regents to review, in accordance with the standards set forth in Education Law §2852(2), proposed charters, renewal charters and revisions to charters and renewal charters that have been approved and submitted by other charter entities.  The Board of Regents may either approve and issue a charter, renewal charter and/or revision as proposed by the charter entity, or return the same to the charter entity for reconsideration with written comments and recommendations. 

Background Information

We received a request from the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York to revise the charter for the Bronx Lighthouse Charter School (the “School”).  The School seeks to discontinue the current use of the Terra Nova assessment in favor of the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment.  MAP, as provided by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), will be used by the School to measure the academic performances of all students served by the school against nationally established norms.  Notable features of MAP include a very short turnaround time for testing results. Additionally, school educators will be able to access the MAP evaluative instrument through an online resource. The School has used MAP as an interim assessment tool since the 2004-2005 school year. The School has a previously approved amendment to its charter allowing it to change from administering the Stanford 9 to the administration of the Terra Nova.

              The School is located in Community School District (CSD) 8.  The New York City Department of Education (“NYCDOE”) held a public hearing in Community School District 8 on March 24, 2008 regarding the proposed revision. No comments were made at the hearing or received.

Staff recommends that the Board of Regents approve the proposed revision.

Recommendation

VOTED: That the Board of Regents approves the revision to the initial charter of the Bronx Lighthouse Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York, and the provisional charter is amended accordingly.

Reasons for Recommendation

              The proposed revision to the School’s charter, along with the other terms of the charter: (1) meet the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will permit the charter school to operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; and;  (3) are likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law.

Timetable for Implementation

The Regents action for the Bronx Lighthouse Charter School is effective immediately.