The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Charter Schools - Conditions Extended for Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Public School

To:

Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

From:

Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner

Date:

April 15, 2016

At its meeting in February 2013, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) voted to authorize the Commissioner to act on its behalf in "(a) granting charter renewals that do not involve probation; (b) approving charter amendments that do not involve changes in grade span, maximum enrollment, or districts served; and (c) removing or continuing conditions imposed on charters of charter schools; provided that the Commissioner shall report to the Board on all charter renewals, charter amendments, and conditions that have been so approved; and provided further, that the Commissioner shall notify the Board in advance of all such intended actions, and a Board member may request that the Commissioner place the charter matter(s) on the agenda of the Board for discussion and action."

On March 9, 2016, I notified the Board that I intended to extend a condition related to academic improvement on Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Public School's (BCHMCPS) charter until December 2017. Because no Board member requested that this matter be brought to the full Board for review, I am now notifying the Board that I have extended the condition on BCHMCPS's charter.

Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Public School
Type of Charter (Commonwealth or Horace Mann)	Horace Mann	Location	Hyannis, MA
Regional or Non-Regional	N/A	Districts in Region (if applicable)	N/A
Year Opened	2004	Year(s) Renewed (if applicable)	2009, 2014
Maximum Enrollment	475	Current Enrollment	290
Chartered Grade Span	K-3	Current Grade Span	K-3
Students on Waitlist	9	Current Age of School	12
Mission Statement The mission of Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Public School is to create a nurturing and safe learning community that will engage, challenge, and educate a diverse K-3 population to achieve the highest level of academic excellence. We foster the development of respectful and responsible students who are contributing participants in their education, and in their community. We support continuous improvement in the teaching process, cultivate parent and community partnerships.1

As noted in the memorandum of March 9, 2016, BCHMCPS did not meet the condition requiring significant and sustained academic improvement in mathematics and English language arts. Because BCHMCPS is a K-3 school, the school's year-to-year performance on MCAS is solely determined by the performance of the grade 3 cohort. The Department is exploring additional approaches for evaluating the school's performance, including possible analyses of academic outcomes after students complete their education at BCHMCPS, to inform the Department's evaluation of the school's progress toward meeting the extended academic improvement condition. The condition is as follows:

Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Public School must demonstrate that it is an academic success by December 31, 2017 by providing evidence that the school has demonstrated significant and sustained academic improvement in English language arts and mathematics.

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If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Cliff Chuang, Associate Commissioner, at 781-338-3222; Jeff Wulfson, Deputy Commissioner, at 781-338-6500; or me.

1 Please note, the memorandum of March 9, 2016, regarding BCHMCPS, contained the school's prior approved mission statement. The currently approved mission statement is included above.