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Whole School PaperCity on a Hill Charter High School:
By Patricia Melton-Johnson City on a Hill Charter School, Boston, MA
Massachusetts Charter School Association 2002
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following people for their research, documentation, and knowledge. I have drawn upon their materials and expertise in writing this paper and could not have completed my work without them. In alphabetical order, they are: Paulette Douglas, Program Assistant, City on a Hill (COAH) and Community Teacher Institute; Sarah Kass, Co-Founder, COAH and The Teachers’ Institute at COAH; Dr. Steven C. Leonard, President of COAH, 2001-present; Peter C. Murrell, Jr., Ph.D., Co-Director, The Community Teacher Institute at COAH, Associate Professor of Urban Education at Northeastern University; Jesse Solomon, Founding Math Teacher at COAH, 1995-2002, and Founding Director of the Teachers’ Institute, 2000-2002; Susan Weston, Associate Director of Foundation Relations, Northeastern University. HISTORY City on a Hill received its charter in 1994 and opened in September of 1995, the first charter urban high school in Massachusetts founded and run entirely by teachers, a defining element of the school. The school opened with 51 ninth graders, 14 tenth graders and 5 teachers. In 2002, City on a Hill enrolled 260 students, had 38 faculty and 15 staff members and administrators. Two former Chelsea High School teachers, Sarah Kass and Ann Connolly Tolkoff, established City on a Hill. Like many other teachers in American public high schools, both Kass and Tolkoff had reached a point in their careers when unproductive administrative interference and rigidity, pedagogical apathy, and low student academic achievement resulted in their disenchantment and frustration. Fed up with a system that shortchanged both students and teachers, Kass and Tolkoff saw an opportunity when the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 made provisions for charter schools. Their goal was to open a public charter high school with an emphasis on academic achievement, good citizenship, teacher leadership, and public accountability, a new model for an urban public school, a model that would place student achievement and teacher development at the heart of its business. City on a Hill is a different kind of public high school, a school with high standards and accountability, a school linked with the best in the community and the Greater Boston area. The City on a Hill community lives out its ideals in an urban campus located in a facility shared with the Huntington YMCA. The school is located on the Avenue of the Arts, a mile stretch that is home to an incredible lineup of well respected cultural and education institutions. The Greater Metropolitan YMCA, Northeastern University, The Boston Symphony, The Huntington Theatre, The New England Conservatory, The Isabella Gardner Museum, and The Museum of Fine Arts are all resources readily available to both our students and teachers, bringing to life what we teach in our classrooms. The two founders, Kass and Tolkoff, assembled a small team of core founding faculty to develop a school built on the ideals articulated in the winning charter proposal. Together they designed many of the innovations that have come to be associated with the school: a rigorous traditional core curriculum; a block schedule with common meeting time for faculty planning and cross departmental and grade level collaboration; a grading and jury system of assessment in which students must both learn in the classroom and demonstrate what they know in front of a jury; an extended school day; a technology infrastructure that allows for efficient administrative and data gathering functions as well as e-mail for the entire school community, students and faculty alike; a town meeting format in which students debate the issues of the day; an advisory system pairing faculty with a group of 18 students for four years, so deep relationships develop and communication is facilitated; and a community service learning program that enables students to practice and apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in real community and institutional contexts. The school has retained critical core faculty from its inception. Our founding science teacher has risen through the ranks to the position of principal. The founding math teacher helped design, and until 2002 headed, our school-based teacher-training program, The Community Teacher Institute. Our founding Spanish instructor now serves as director of technology, overseeing our information and technology system. Though the two founders are no longer involved in the day to day operations of the school, they continue to be involved with the evolution of the school by serving on the COAH Board of Trustees. VISION In City on a Hill’s second year of operation, the co-founders, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, outlined the school’s vision and codified its mission, each of which have been published yearly since that time in our Annual Reports. The full vision statement can be viewed on our Web site www.cityonahill.edu. Excerpts from this original vision statement appear below: City on a Hill prepares students to exercise their rights and responsibilities as American citizens. We foster in Boston youth a curiosity for life-long learning, the habits of hard work, and a commitment to public service. City on a Hill emphasizes the responsibility of educated citizens to question, to act, and to avoid complacency. . . . To help live out our vision we invest deeply in our teachers. Teachers carry no more than three preparations, a load that allows them common meeting time to engage in deep and extensive planning and professional development. We present at conferences, are open to observers, and we develop leaders in the field of teaching, individuals who go on to start or work in urban schools and carry out education reform. We are a learning organization for all. OUR MISSION, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES Our goals and objectives have evolved directly from our mission statement and our 35-standard accountability plan filed with the Massachusetts Department of Education. Our mission highlights four areas (emphasis author’s) and reads as follows: City on a Hill Public Charter School, a public high school in urban Boston, emphasizes academic achievement, citizenship, teacher leadership, and public accountability. We seek to graduate responsible, resourceful, and respectful democratic citizens prepared to advance community, culture and commerce, and to compete in the 21st century. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT Our Philosophy The founders’ vision, to create a school where students earn their high school diplomas for what they know and can do, formed the foundation upon which our school’s programs have been built. The philosophy behind our school is that academic competence must be demonstrated, and as a result, we have in place an assessment system that requires students to complete coursework and demonstrate competency in order to earn credit. Before the Massachusetts Department of Education instituted the MCAS exam statewide, City on a Hill required its students to demonstrate their knowledge in rigorous, authentic, and public ways. Credit at City on a Hill is achieved when students both complete course work and achieve the required score on specific tests of proficiency, as determined in each subject area (exams, presentations, research, writing, etc., see Appendix A, Proficiency Table, for results). We firmly believe that our own internal assessment system has been the reason our students continually outperform the local public school district on the statewide assessment (see Appendix B, MCAS Analysis). Academic Overview City on a Hill students study a rigorous core curriculum and must demonstrate proficiency in each course at each grade level in order to be promoted. In four years of English, students gain proficiency in literary analysis and written and spoken communication. They read contemporary fiction as well as world-class literature; they read at least one Shakespeare play every year. Every English class culminates in a significant writing assignment and demonstration of competencies in speaking and writing. In history, each student must earn a score of 100% on the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service citizenship exam. This exam is given once in class in History II (10th grade). Students can retake it as many times as necessary until earning 100%. Students learn world history in the first year and then take an intensive two-year American history course, in which they work with primary documents, do research papers, and make oral and written arguments on historical topics. City on a Hill has a four-year math requirement. Most students (but for a select group of seniors who take calculus) study the National Science Foundation-funded, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards-based Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP). This four-year curriculum is vertically integrated; each year students study a quarter each of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and probability and statistics. In all City on a Hill math classes, students regularly use graphing calculators, work on problems in small groups, and make presentations. They use spreadsheets, and they practice reasoning through complex mathematical problems. Students are required to take three years of science: earth science, biology, and chemistry, with labs at the Museum of Science. Students complete a "Design Your Own Planet" project at the end of earth science, applying geologic principles. They expand this into "Design Your Own Ecosystem" project at the end of their study of biology, including genetics applications and other new content. In chemistry class students study the fundamental concepts of water chemistry, nuclear chemistry, air chemistry, body chemistry, chemical conservation, organic chemistry, along with the chemistry related to nutrition and food. Students must complete a project on their own that brings together many of the concepts and skills they have learned in their three years of science, particularly those they have learned in Biochemistry. They must also complete an independent science experiment and write it up in scientific journal form. In fourth year science, Physiology, City on a Hill students are exposed to biological issues that currently impact our nation. Students conduct research, present position papers, participate in formal debates, and generate a compendium of knowledge in the fields of anatomy and physiology. The objective of this course is to help students understand the workings of the human body and the physiological effects of current health issues. Students study three years of Spanish during which they learn to speak, read, and write the language. At each level, in order to be promoted, students must pass a grammar test, a culminating written assignment, and an oral defense. Students also take sports at the YMCA. We offer cheerleading, basketball, step, soccer, and track. In addition, in order to earn a diploma from City on a Hill, a student must be able to swim. This means that the student can do the survival float for 5 minutes, tread water for 5 minutes, treat cramps, do breaststroke for 50 yards, do elementary backstroke for 50 yards, do front crawl for 50 yards, do back crawl for 50 yards, do sidestroke for 50 yards, do a surface dive, swim under water for 15 yards, explain the steps of rescue breathing. YMCA swim instructors assess students in swimming. Every student must also complete a successful community service learning assignment each winter (see also "Citizenship"), and in order to graduate, seniors must complete an independent City Project. To prepare for his or her project, every senior is enrolled in a City Project seminar, a culminating course that focuses on a student’s academic career, civic engagement, and future plans. Students work to connect who they are personally with their community; they formulate an individualized civic question to pursue (see Appendix C, City Project Questions, Class of 2002). The City Project includes an extended research project, an intensive internship at an appropriate site (over 100 hours of research and service), a written presentation, and an oral defense before a jury. A successful City Project includes a Revised Resume, a Statement of Interest (minimum 500 words), Background Research (minimum 1500 words); Site Experience Journal, including Action Plan (minimum 500 words per week); Field Research Documentation (minimum of 3 interviews and 30 surveys); Weekly Evaluations (minimum 100 hours served); Conclusions (minimum 1500 words); a Visual Presentation (minimum of 2 graphs, 5 photographs, and 1 diagram), and a Final Oral Presentation. The faculty senior committee judges whether a student’s City Project passes, and a student must pass his or her City Project in order to earn a diploma. The Best of Boston and Beyond To support our academic and other programs, City on a Hill is in partnership with the best of Boston. Currently, the YMCA provides classroom space, a room for our Friday Town Meeting, their gym and pool; the Museum of Science provides lab space on a weekly basis; Northeastern University co-directs our school-based teacher-training program, and it provides advanced courses for seniors, library access for all students and faculty, adjunct faculty status for teachers, and teacher interns. The Gardner Museum provides galleries in which students and teachers learn. The New England Aquarium hosts students as interns, and the New England Conservatory provides music instruction. Students attend plays at the Huntington Theater, and as indicated above have participated in the work of over 100 institutions citywide. We have also enjoyed the benefits of short-term projects. TERC (an education and development organization in Cambridge, MA) provided us with a researcher who videotapes classes (for professional development). Additionally, City on a Hill forged an important partnership with the Jeremiah E. Burke High School, a public school in Boston, which allowed our students to participate in the Urban Calculus Initiative and the History Curriculum Project. Our partnerships offer our students fascinating programs. For example, during the summer of 2001, a group of City on a Hill students, along with their science teacher, participated in a field study of the Amazon in Peru. Through a partnership with the Museum of Science and the generous support of one of our long-time funders, students earned scholarships to participate in the field study. Students explored this river that is home to pink dolphins, piranha, three-toed sloths, and countless other plants, animals, and insects. They stayed at the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) where they studied medicinal plants, bats, frogs, social insects, and spent time on the only canopy walkway in this hemisphere. They met with people native to the region and interacted with the local shaman and curator of the medicinal garden. Students shared their experience with the school--in an assembly, at an open house, and by creating a souvenir book to distribute to the school community. City on a Hill students have participated in other trips offered by the Museum of Science as well. Since 1995, members of the community have taught City on a Hill students art, music, and sports, including swimming. Students have also learned from professionals at the YMCA, Northeastern University, the Isabella Stewart Garner Museum, the Huntington Theater, the New England Aquarium, and the Museum of Science. At our Friday Town Meetings, the school has hosted guest speakers from the community including Mayor Menino, Governor Weld, Commissioners Antonucci and Driscoll, Governor Dukakis, MBTA CEO Robert Prince, jazz musicians from the Thelonius Monk Institute, and others. The school’s weekly Visitors’ Program allows citizens of all walks of life to see City on a Hill’s civic mission in action. The growing number of community partners (see Appendix D) supports our academic program and makes vivid the civic component of our mission, allowing students a diverse array of places in which to practice it. Citizenship City on a Hill is a school with a civic mission, and our faculty and students live that mission on a daily basis. Preparing our students to be citizens is not merely an intellectual or theoretical enterprise. Rather it is a practical one; citizenship must be practiced. Our students gain this practice in a variety of ways, among them morning assemblies, Friday Town Meetings, community service, annual visits to our nation’s capital, and timely projects such as mock election. At morning assembly, attendance is taken, guests are recognized and give presentations, and announcements are made. Morning assemblies also include inspirational readings of civic importance, discussion of topics of civic relevance, and recognition of students’ academic & citizenship achievement. At City on a Hill’s Friday Town Meeting, students debate school issues such as uniforms, electives for freshman, and increasing the number of classes offered in the arts at City on a Hill; they also debate political issues such as reparations, youth voting rights, teen curfews, and the death penalty. Each advisory is responsible for a town meeting and introduces a resolution to be debated by the general body. Students run the meeting, do oral presentations, make motions, vote, and debate the issues. They utilize Robert’s Rules of Order, and the general student population and faculty participate in the debate. Members of the public regularly attend our weekly town meetings; visitors come from local schools and neighborhoods and as far away as Hungary, Poland, and Japan. Each year, to deepen our students’ understanding of the workings of democracy, all 11th graders participate in a trip to Washington D.C. to see the nation’s capital. Students visit the monuments, the Capitol building, the White House, the Smithsonian Museums, and the United States Holocaust Museum. Students are able to see their government in action and are asked to question and reflect on their role in the national government. In 2001, we added a college tour component, taking students to Philadelphia to visit Temple University, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford Colleges. That year, 100% of our students who applied to college were accepted; the senior class was offered admission to over 80 colleges and was offered $1.5 million in gift aid and scholarships. Political events provide opportunities for special focus on government. For example, the school community participated in a mock election in 2000. U.S. History classes focused on voting rights and political participation. Each History III and IV class was transformed into a campaign headquarter, supporting Pat Buchanan, Al Gore, George W. Bush, or Ralph Nader. The students researched issues, campaigned heavily, and prepared for a presidential debate. When students and teachers cast their votes in the mock election, they had the opportunity to do so based on issues rather than on whom they thought looked better (Al Gore won!). Students also helped their families think about for whom they should vote, based on issues. Many of our 18-year-old students voted in the real election, and after the event, the large majority of other students told us that they would register when they were of age. Finally, in order to learn first hand how our government and community organizations function, and in order to contribute to the community, learn about and practice their role in it, our students engage in community service learning. In its brief seven-year history, City on a Hill students have contributed more than 50,000 hours of service to the life and work of the greater Boston community. Students engage in community service during our two-week intercession, the last week in January and the first week of February (while faculty engage in professional development). Students complete service at one of what has grown to a list of over 100 participating institutions citywide. The community service-learning program culminates in a City Project in the senior year (described earlier in "Academic Overview"). Site supervisors become the students’ teachers and mentors and are often able to coach students in ways that augment and supplement the work of their teachers at school. Many students continue their placements over the summer months. Our former community service learning coordinator, Ms. Greta Douglas, evaluated the community-learning component of our program. In the spring of 2000 she asked individuals responsible for community learning at each site to complete program surveys and evaluations. In those evaluations, participating community service organizations expressed an understanding of the school’s mission and wrote that they considered themselves advocates for the school as well as members of the City on a Hill community. Many community partners noted that they had spoken with teachers about the needs of individual students. Partners praised City on a Hill students for their work ethic and understanding of the requirements of being an intern. They commended students for learning about the sites in advance of being placed and knowing why they wanted to be interns at a particular site. Site personnel also said they felt able to share critical questions and comments with staff at the school. In their evaluations, community partners also wrote of the value of working with highly motivated students and a school willing to hear feedback on what is successful and what needs to be improved. They noted the importance of students having adults other than parents and teachers in their lives. They praised the interview process that a student goes through in order to secure an internship, mentioning its clear and professional protocol. One site-coordinator wrote of the value of an "optimal mismatch," a student discovering in high school that an area of possible interest is not satisfactory, rather than learning this many years later in college. In the spring of 2000 Ms. Douglas also conducted a focus group with a number of site representatives. At that time she compiled an in-house report on her findings from the evaluations and the focus group. In it she noted that during the focus group several representatives mentioned how the community service learning program at City on a Hill was in a continuous state of improvement, with site-personnel, students, teachers, and administrators all discussing ways to make the program better. Teacher Leadership Sarah Kass, the co-founder of the school, and Jesse Solomon, our founding math teacher, launched City on a Hill Charter School’s The Teachers’ Institute in 2000. Now renamed The Community Teacher Institute (CTI), the goal of the school-based immersion-in-practice teacher-training program and professional development school is to train professionals to become effective urban public high school teachers, to sustain veteran educators, and to develop teacher leaders. At City on a Hill, we understand that well-prepared and savvy urban educators, both teachers and administrators, drive successful urban education reform. Our experience indicates that as long as educator training and teacher retention remain critical problems within and outside our walls, there cannot be successful school reform. The Institute enables creative, motivated practitioners to diversify their career paths (by training new teachers and having time to reflect on their craft), to pursue areas of interest and passion, and to disseminate what they have learned, without leaving teaching. Because City on a Hill is the first charter school in Massachusetts founded by teachers, we stand for the simple, but often overlooked, proposition that excellent educators make schools excellent. The Community Teacher Institute supports City on a Hill Charter School and exports its greatest resource, excellent leaders in education, leaders who contribute to sustained systemic change in urban public education. In the winter of 2001, the City on a Hill Board of Trustees decided to fully integrate the work of CTI with that of the School. The newly appointed president re-organized CTI and negotiated a partnership between City on a Hill Charter School and Northeastern University Graduate School of Education. The partnership strengthens The Community Teacher Institute operationally, as a team administers it, a team that includes City on a Hill faculty and administrators (bringing the practitioner component) and Northeastern University’s School of Education faculty (providing the pedagogical lens necessary for engaged inquiry and reflection). The team meets bi-weekly to guide our fellows and veteran educators. Those at CTI, both from City on a Hill and Northeastern University, anticipate that this shared responsibility will make the whole school the site of educator development, a place where both veteran and novice teachers and administrators are profoundly engaged with the profession of being urban educators. Instead of focusing on the "train the teachers" model, we have chosen to "develop the site"; we strive to create a school where everything is happening as it should, where the novice teacher steps into a "circle of best practices" and where veteran educators continue to develop their craft. We are trying to eliminate the usual mentor/protégé or teacher/student-teacher relationship, in which the teacher-in-training mostly observes and occasionally teaches. Instead, from their first day in the school, our teaching fellows are expected to be "co-teachers" and full members of our immediate and extended community. We are creating an unusual school environment, with "teaching rounds" (groups of teachers who observe a colleague’s class, give feedback to the teacher about what they observed, and engage in dialogue) that break down the isolation of one teacher/one classroom, and "consulting teams" (the permanent teachers in a specific department, who help train and mentor a teaching fellow) that inevitably encourage each participant to think more deliberately about his or her practices. Now we hear some of our veteran educators talking not only about demonstrating the "circle of practice," but also about belonging to a "circle of learners." CTI is a learning community with four types of participants. Primary consulting teachers (referred to as mentor teachers by the Massachusetts Department of Education) are contracted teachers who are the cooperating teachers of record needed for licensure documentation. The Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) stipulates that primary consulting teachers should be certified in the discipline they teach and have three years of successful teaching practice. Consulting teachers are members of a team of teachers (the consulting team, mentioned above) who play a significant role in assisting and assessing the development of the teaching fellows. Consulting teachers, through their participation in the Institute, are also working on a their own professional development, both as teachers and as field-faculty in CTI. Teaching fellows or simply fellows are the beginning teachers who are in CTI to earn certification through a systematic program of study and training that constitute the teacher preparation component of the Community Teacher Institute. Fellows are matched with a primary consulting teacher and one or more consulting teachers in a team. Fellows work as co-teachers and are referred to as such. Finally, participating school administrators not only co-manage the program, they also perfect their supervisory skills in the area of recognizing and fostering quality teaching. At City on a Hill, all faculty and administrators participate in The Community Teacher Institute, thus improving their own professionalism as they help fellows develop teaching skills. In August of 2002, City on a Hill Charter School and Northeastern University jointly embraced a cohort of twelve prospective teachers who serve as fellows. This is the largest and most diverse group to participate in the Institute and includes candidates in hard-to-fill content areas such as science, math, and foreign languages (see Appendix E, Biographies of CTI Fellows). The concrete and tangible contributions teaching fellows make to our school and professional community are:
The co-teaching relationship allows teachers to have a partner in the classroom, strengthening the connections between teaching and learning and providing the teacher with resources rarely accessible to classroom teachers: time, collaboration, structured reflection, feedback, and career diversification. Because of the co-teaching relationship, the veteran teacher has time to develop more deeply as a teacher. For example, teaching fellow/co-teacher Kimberly Frazier-Booth, in a December 2001 conversation with then Director of the Teacher’s Institute, Jesse Solomon, described her approach to literature as "literature for literature’s sake." She said she felt the beauty and the worth of a good book is in the text itself. She told Solomon that Nina Bhatia, her 2002 fellow/co-teacher, understood literature as representative of the social and political issues of the time. Frazier-Booth said they were able to take advantage of these two divergent viewpoints to present a well-rounded literature experience to their students, and as a result, she significantly changed the way she teaches literature. She told Solomon, "It’s wonderful to have two scholars in the room responsible for students' learning." During the 2001-2002 school year, veteran City on a Hill teachers engaged in a Teacher Research Group, sponsored by CTI, which provided a structured atmosphere in which to explore their own practice. Twelve teachers (four co-teachers and eight additional COAH teachers) met monthly in a teacher-research group. The three-hour meetings were co-facilitated by two experienced teacher-researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Tufts University. The teachers developed questions to help them explore their own practices. The questions focused on: stereotypes and standardized tests, after school programs, E.S.L., Japanese Lesson Study, use of primary sources in history classes, portfolio assessment, student leadership, and rapport between teachers and students. They collected and analyzed data and then used the group as a sounding board (and a collection of critical friends) to further their thinking. We hope to continue the Teacher Research Group in the future. The Community Teacher Institute is an invaluable resource for the City on a Hill community. We are well on our way to implementing a new model not only for a full immersion school-based teacher preparation program, but also, and perhaps more importantly, for whole school reform. This partnership between a school and an institution of higher education demonstrates the many goals that can be achieved when the best of these knowledge-rich worlds are brought together on behalf of high need urban public schools. Public Accountability Public accountability is part of the fabric of City on a Hill’s Charter. It means that City on a Hill shows the taxpayers results and invites the pubic in to ensure that we are delivering on our promise to educate our students. By sending our students out into the community, by bringing the public in, and by requiring our students to demonstrate what they know and can do (through course work and demonstration of proficiency), we live out the public accountability element of our mission. In too many urban high schools, a diploma represents only a certain number of credits, and social promotion is widely practiced. As stated earlier, at City on a Hill, students earn their diplomas because of what they learn and can do. The school-wide proficiency (formerly competency) based evaluation system anchors our core curriculum. A student’s final course grade, in each class, each term, consists of a combination of weighted scores for course work and proficiency. Course grades are determined from such things as attendance, homework, class participation, and scores on tests, quizzes, assignments, and presentations. These indicate that students were present in class and reflect the degree to which they were engaged in the learning process designed to lead them to mastery of a specific knowledge base and set of skills; they do not, however, indicate proficiency. Proficiency assessment scores, on the other hand, indicate a student’s ability to apply knowledge and skills learned through study and work done in class. We weigh proficiency grades more heavily because we highly value a student’s ability to apply knowledge and skills learned and because proficiency grades help us measure student performance against consistent and high standards. On student transcripts, both the course and proficiency grades are noted separately, and the final overall weighted grade also appears. City on a Hill utilizes a number of both internal and external assessments (see Appendix F, Assessment Data). We examine: proficiency pass rate (the percent of students at grade level who pass the proficiency at that grade level; honor roll rate; Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores; Stanford 9 (SAT 9) scores; and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Test (MCAS) results. Because it is more closely aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and is an achievement like test, we are currently in the process of piloting the ACT test as a criterion-referenced instrument. LESSONS LEARNED AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE Like so many successful charter schools that had clear and precise proposals, City on a Hill had to respond to the needs of the students that actually enrolled when we opened in September of 1995. We quickly learned that our biggest challenge was preparing our students to meet our graduation requirements within 4 years and pass MCAS in 2 years. As most of our freshmen enrolled performing significantly behind academically, we discovered in order to be successful with all students, we had to be willing and prepared to meet the needs of those students who were significantly behind their peers. For us, that meant nearly two-thirds of our entering 9th grade class. In our school’s first three years, our student attrition rate hovered near 60%. Faculty responded with various innovations to address our desire to boost student retention: our summer program for course and competency credit extended the school year for those students needing more time on instruction; our 9th grade Intensive Language Arts and Math Program doubled instructional time for English and Math for freshmen who enrolled significantly behind their peers; and finally, changing to a block schedule increased time on learning across the board. The new block schedule also allowed each department a full day a week of common planning time. As a result of a variety of efforts, the retention rates for the classes of 2002 and 2003 increased to 80%. We have made other changes as well. In September of 2002, we revamped our internal assessment measures. We instituted proficiency assessments. Whereas in the old system students demonstrated competency (minimum standards), in the new system they must demonstrate proficiency (high standards performance). Whereas in the old system, both course and competency grades (two standards assessed separately) were required for promotion, the new system weighs course work 20% and proficiency assessment 80% in each class to get a final grade for the marking period. Proficiency is based on the Massachusetts Department of Education Frameworks, and it helps us compare students to national standards. In addition, to raise standards and better prepare students for college, we raised the minimum passing numerical mark from 60 to 70. As a school founded by teachers, we know that a school is only as good as its teachers and staff. We have been challenged to invest deeply in professional development. The launch of The Community Teacher Institute at City on a Hill (in 2000) deepened our school's capacity to improve our work and ensure that we are a learning organization for adults as well as students. When the Institute was fully integrated into the work of the school (2001), our efforts in this area were furthered. Some of the changes we’ve made have come as a natural result of our evolution as an educational institution. Starting in 2000, City on a Hill began a two year long transition from a start-up involving significant founder involvement and momentum to a school with fully developed operations that is viably engaged in achieving its mission. We have transitioned from founding organization to sustainable institution. We have had to reflect on the structures in place to ensure that our commitment to students, teachers, and to the cause of systemic change in urban public education can be realized. We have developed from a school founded and run by teachers to a school that currently balances input from teachers with the guidance and expertise of administration. We think we have arrived at a structure (see Appendix G, Organizational Chart) that will allow us to be vigilant in our day-to-day work and armored to engage a vast army of troops in the service of making urban public education synonymous with excellence. What we now know is that achieving results in the classroom requires relentless focus on practice, diligent attention to the details of decorum and school culture, and whole-school scrutiny of specific performance data. We have been challenged financially because preparing all students to achieve results costs more than preparing some. We have also been challenged by the fact that although we are small, because charter schools are legally constituted as public school districts, we have all of the reporting requirements of much larger entities. We have come to understand that sustaining any institution, and especially one conceived politically, requires an ongoing campaign. We have reflected on our original goals and our 35-point Accountability Plan, and we have come to the conclusion that we have to streamline our efforts and our plan. Our President, Dr. Steven Leonard, has worked to develop more precisely focused goals (which follow), and these are in the process of being approved by our Board of Trustees. Our school goals for the upcoming school year and beyond are:
CITY ON A HILL: SUCCESS AS A CHARTER SCHOOL City on a Hill works because from its inception, innovation and accountability have driven who we are. We have built a hybrid that is unique in that we combine elements of the best of different sectors of society: we are a public school, but we also have 501 non-profit status and we are outcome oriented, demanding that the public and state hold us accountable for results. We invest deeply in our faculty and staff. Our families are passionate and perseverant and work in partnership with a faculty energized and equally committed to urban children’s needs. We have accomplished many firsts in our brief, seven-year history; the first charter high school in Massachusetts started by teachers, the first start-up charter high school to be New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accredited (2000), the first charter high school to launch a school based teacher training program, the first school-based teacher training program named by the Massachusetts Department of Education to nominate candidates for its $20,000 state signing bonus (Massachusetts Signing Bonus Program for New Teachers: www.doe.mass.edu/eq/bonus, and many more. In an October 26, 2000 letter to the school accompanying the report on City on a Hill’s accreditation site visit, NEASC Director Pamela Gray-Bennett commended the school on its formula for success. She noted a number of areas, four of which are paraphrased here:
Finally, the ultimate measure of our success is the quality of the graduates we send into the world. City on a Hill has had five graduating classes, each successively larger in number than the last, and all our graduates have earned acceptance into college (see Appendix H, College Acceptance Table). Certainly our status as a charter school has contributed to our success. Charter schools are ideal platforms for innovation. Yearly, City on a Hill assesses its progress and modifies both curricular and administrative inefficiencies to meet the needs of our school community. We are an intimate, close-knit community that includes students, families and faculty at our core, but also, critical friends and supporters that extend far beyond our physical boundaries are just as important to our continued growth and development. Our small size enables us to respond on an institutional level quickly to shifting priorities and crisis. Faced with challenges, we are able to continue to be innovative in our approach and conduct the school day in ways that allows us tremendous freedom. Indeed, our founders’ vision, after eight years, continues to guide us. As Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop aspired in 1630: We will build that city upon a hill, with the eyes of all people upon us!
About the Author Patricia Melton-Johnson is the Vice President for Institutional Funding and Management at City on a Hill Charter School, and she is the Co-Director of The Community Teacher Institute at City on a Hill. She has a B.A. from Yale University and earned a Fellowship in the Leadership for Educational Entrepreneurs Pilot Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and sponsored by Arizona State University.
Contact Information: City on a Hill Charter School
Appendix A: Proficiency Table Proficiency Table To be considered proficient at City on a Hill, students must earn a final grade of at least 70%. Final grades at City on a Hill are determined by combining scores on coursework and proficiency measures. Proficiency is weighted heavily (80%) while course work is weighted less (20%). If a student cannot demonstrate proficiency, that student will earn a "Not Yet" on his or her final grade. In each course, each year, students complete their coursework and must earn a passing grade on the following proficiencies in order to earn their credit toward graduation. Proficiency Exams
*Not required for graduation.
Appendix B: MCAS Analysis CITY ON A HILL MCAS ANALYSIS (Compiled by Patricia Melton-Johnson and Paulette Douglas from MA DOE data; see References)
Disaggregated MCAS Scores by Race
Appendix C: City Project Questions COAH Class of 2002 City Project Questions
Appendix D: Community Partners/Service Learning Sites COAH 2001-2002 Community Service Learning Sites Acorn Child Care
Appendix E: Biographies of CTI Fellows The Community Teacher Institute Fellows 2002-2003
Marie-Jo Bahnam A recent graduate of Boston University, Marie-Jo double majored in Mathematics and Art History. She graduated cum laude and while at Boston University acted as a student advisor during summer orientation and volunteered as a freshmen resource advisor. She has also volunteered as a teacher’s aid at the Citizen School and tutored students in algebra and geometry over the summer. Marie Jo will be teaching math. Sarah Bickens A graduate of Brown University, Sarah majored in Comparative Literature. She has taught at Hope High School in Providence for a year through collaboration with the Annenburg Institute for School Reform. At Hope, Sarah created and taught curriculum focusing on the roles of literacy and power. Sarah has vast experience working with students in an urban setting. She will be teaching English. Wendy Bivens Wendy has been working at Beacon Press for 3 years as the Outreach and Internship Coordinator. Her many accomplishments at Beacon Press include producing book discussion guides and catalogs, and managing the Beacon Press Sermon Award Program. She has volunteered as a tutor at Boston Latin School and has worked with student organizations at Harvard to set up events and programs. Wendy graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Psychology. She will be teaching English. Andrea Bunker A graduate of Northeastern University, Andrea received a bachelor’s degree in English. She has served as an assistant teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She has had the opportunity to design and implement lesson plans and has tutored students in math and English. Andrea enjoys playing tennis, skiing, reading, and writing. She will be teaching English. Bradford Gleim A graduate of Skidmore College, Brad majored in History and was a part of the History Honor Society. He has taught History for a year at a private school in Pennsylvania. Brad took part in a 4-month study of the Mayan ethno-botanical and musical traditions and most recently was awarded a scholarship to study early music vocal performance. He also is a professional tenor and has performed domestically and in Europe. Brad will be teaching history. Jennifer Lewis A graduate of the University of Buffalo, Jennifer majored in Chemistry. She served as the host chairperson for the New York Circle K International Convention for 2001. Jennifer has also worked as a summer intern for the Pharmaceutical Development of Pharmacia Corporation and presented her findings to the senior researchers. She will be teaching science. Sonya Pratt A recent graduate of Salem State College, Sonya majored in Political Science. She is a McNair Scholar and has made the dean’s list all of her four years at Salem State. Sonya has worked as an activity coordinator and tutor for The Community Multicultural Center and Girls Inc for 2 years. Her last semester Sonya taught a two-hour anti-bullying class for fifth and sixth graders. She will be teaching history. Marc Solomon A graduate of Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science, Marc has been a political and education activist for more than five years. He created his own College Bound program in Washington D.C. for recent college graduates to mentor seniors in a nearby urban high schools. The Rockefeller Foundation selected Marc as a Next Generation Leadership fellow. His fellowship consisted of examining issues related to the future of democracy in the U. S. and abroad. He will be teaching history. Ross Stafford Ross brings many talents to the teaching field. A 1999 graduate of Wesleyan University, he has a bachelor’s degree in African American and American Studies. He founded a mentoring program in Connecticut called Bridge Builders, which still exists today. Ross has spent the last three years working at John Hancock in the Information Technology department, and while at Hancock, he continued to mentor and be involved in school/business partnerships. Ross also plays the piano and enjoys coaching athletics. He will be teaching political science. Constantino Taylor A Spanish teacher for 2 years, Constantino has a bachelor’s degree in History and a minor in Spanish from Trinity College. He taught English for a year in Costa Rica and served as an English as a Second Language instructor for students from Puerto Rico, Guinea, and Senegal. Constantino is fluent in Spanish. He will be teaching Spanish. Eric Traub A recent graduate of M.I.T., Eric majored in Computer Science and Engineering. He designed and taught course curriculum on Web development to local and global communities and designed and implemented a new Web search engine for a Query Inc. Eric has also had the opportunity to travel to Nairobi, Kenya and teach a course in Linux to schoolteachers and administrators. He will be teaching math. Amy Wiebe A recent graduate of Iowa State University, Amy has a master’s degree in Entomology and Evolutionary Biology. She has served as a teacher’s assistant in the Biology department at Iowa State and also at George Washington University. Amy has been volunteering at the Museum of Science for a year, creating displays and helping visitors interpret life science displays. She will be teaching science.
Appendix F: Assessment Data COAH Assessment Data: Honor Roll, SAT, Stanford 9 Honor Roll
SAT Scores
Stanford 9 math scores for students whose Stanford 9 grade listing =9 and who have scores for both the fall 2001 and spring 2002 tests (students who remained at the school all year).
Stanford 9 reading scores for students whose Stanford 9 grade listing =9 and who have scores for both the fall 2001 and spring 2002 tests (students who remained at the school all year).
Appendix G: Organizational Chart  Please click on the graphic above to see a larger version in a new window. Appendix H: College Acceptance COAH Student College List *2-year college
Class of 2001: 18 Graduates Barry University Class of 2002: 38 Graduates *Benjamin Franklin Institute
References Massachusetts Department of Education. September 2002. Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), Results: May 2002, Boston Public Schools. Massachusetts Department of Education. MCAS Tests of Spring 2001 and 2002: School Reports, City on a Hill Charter School. Massachusetts Department of Education. August 2002. Spring 2002 MCAS Tests: Summary of State Results.
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