WASC Initial Visit Application/School Description — California Public Schools

INITIAL VISIT APPLICATION/SCHOOL DESCRIPTION —
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Part I: Identifying Data

Today’s Date: 9/29/2006
School: / North Valley Charter Academy
Address: / 16651 A Rinaldi St. / Granada Hills, CA / 91344
Number and Street / City and State / Zip Code
Mailing Address
(if different):
Number and Street / City and State / Zip Code
Telephone #: / 818-368-1557 / Fax #: / 818-368-1935
E-mail Address: /
Chief Administrator: / Brenda Buonora (Director of Operations) Diane French (Principal)
School District: / Los Angeles
Enrollment: / 230 / Current Grade Span: / 6-12
County: / Los Angeles

Check any of the following that apply to your school:

Comprehensive High School Community Day School Continuation School

Independent Study Charter School Other Explain:

Note: If enough space is not available on the following pages, please append additional sheets.

Part II: School Profile

Write an introductory paragraph or two about the school that briefly summarizes the information found in the “description” below that can be used by the Visiting Committee in their report to the Commission. This brief overview of the school will assist Commissioners in understanding the basic information about the school.

North Valley Charter Academy (NOVA), formerly, Imagine Academy, is an independent public charter secondary school, chartered by the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school opened in September 2003 with 60 6th through 9th grade students and currently serves approximately 240 6th through 12th grade students in the San Fernando Valley. NOVA provides a standards-aligned college preparatory progressive educational program for all students. The NOVA ideals of Academic Excellence, Democratic Leadership and Personal Growth are infused in all aspects of community life.

Provide a description of the school that includes such areas as:

  • The community in which the school is located, including whether rural, suburban, industrial, or residential; socio-economics: parent population, ethnic distribution, etc.
  • When the school was opened
  • Initial location of the school and any location changes
  • Enrollment by grade level

NOVA is a site-based secondary school located in the suburban North San Fernando Valley within the Los Angeles Unified School District. Los Angeles Unified School District’s San Fernando Valley secondary students are ethnically diverse. The Middle and Senior High School population in the San Fernando Valley ranges from 40 to 80 percent Hispanic with Caucasian, African American, Asian and other minority groups making up the balance. The secondary student population in the Los Angeles Unified School District ranges from educationally disadvantaged to gifted and talented. NOVA’s outreach is designed to recruit an ethnically, educationally and culturally diverse population from surrounding neighborhoods.

The school opened in September of 2003, leasing space in the North Valley Jewish Community Center at 16601 Rinaldi Street, Granada Hills, CA 91344. In May of 2005 the building leased by Imagine Academy was suddenly sold, leaving the school administration four months to relocate. The Imagine Academy community rallied and successfully established a long term lease with the neighboring Episcopal Church of St. Andrew and St. Charles at 16651 Rinaldi St, Granada Hills, CA 91344. The Church and Imagine Academy entered into an agreement to temporarily locate on an undeveloped 3+ acre lot on the church property with modular classrooms while developing plans for the construction of a permanent facility that will replace the temporary units. That agreement and plan has been continued by North Valley Charter Academy.

The current enrollment by grade level as of September 19, 2006 is as follows: 6th (72), 7th (35), 8th (28), 9th (40), 10th (34), 11th (28), 12th (3).

Give demographic information regarding the students, including the following:

  • Ethnicity or nationality (list percentages of the following categories: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; African American, not of Hispanic Origin; Filipino; Hispanic or Latino; Pacific Islander; White, not of Hispanic Origin; or Other)
  • English proficiency
  • Gender/age mix
  • Special populations
  • Mobility of students
  • Analyzed and interpreted student achievement data, including subpopulations, if applicable. Include three years of data and comparative state or national data, if available.
  • Student follow-up

SEE APPENDIX 1 – NORTH VALLEY CHARTER ACADEMY DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION (as of 9-19-06)

SEE APPENDIX 2 - NORTH VALLEY CHARTER ACADEMY STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA

As this is our fourth year of operations and NOVA has not yet graduated students, we do not have any student follow-up data.

Is there anything that is unique or special about your school that is not addressed in this or other parts of this form?

1. HOMEROOM

The mission and vision of North Valley Charter Academy is central to the educational goals of the school. The school's Homeroom (originally termed Advisory) program meets daily to foster awareness of the ways in which the mission and vision impact the school's approach to all aspects of the community from educational goals to discipline. Homerooms, consisting of a teacher and a small mixed age core group (grades 6-8, 9-12), meet to review the Student-Family Handbook, participate in group discussions on topics ranging from responsibility and trust, bullying and harassment to community development and specific campus issues that require conflict resolution. Homeroom thus forms a coherent unit that builds long-term relationships within the school community. Within Homeroom students are assessed along criteria that define progress towards academic excellence, democratic leadership and personal growth. Homeroom teachers also serve as mentors, track student progress and serve as a liaison between the parent and the school.

2. PERSONAL LEARNING PROJECTS (PLPs)

Additionally Homerooms provide a forum for monitoring and supporting students in their Personal Learning Projects (PLPs), an annual requirement for promotion. These projects are designed by the student to explore and enlarge upon his or her individual interests. Students are assisted in identifying project goals, setting personal challenges, selecting appropriate experiences, studies, and activities, creating an action plan, and defining measures of success. Students are supported by their Homeroom community in implementing the project action plan and are given developmentally appropriate guidance throughout all phases of the process.

3. REFLECTIVE DISCIPLINE

The North Valley Charter Academy ideals of Academic Excellence, Democratic Leadership and Personal Growth are uniquely interdependent in the area of discipline. Striving to achieve these ideals requires the attainment of NOVA Standards, including - the ability to think, read, write, speak and listen confidently and effectively, the ability to participate in their lives and communities by addressing complex community issues, the ability to communicate capably across race, gender, sexual orientation and class lines, and the exhibition of developmentally appropriate levels of self-worth and compassion for others.

Our discipline policies emphasize prevention over punishment through a school culture of caring and respect, a focus on students’ social and emotional development, and clear, consistent policies. Individuals that comprise a community made up of students, teachers, staff, parents and other valued members who develop and practice conscientious self-awareness, considered action and reflective response will be capable of making meaningful choices in their lives and in their communities.

Teachers, staff and administrators strive to do their part by setting the tone of the school, by consistently holding developmentally appropriate expectations of students, by managing the school in appropriate and culturally competent ways, by maintaining openness to continued learning and by helping students learn how to take responsibility for their actions. Parents and community members help by learning along side the students and modeling appropriate “real world” behaviors and attitudes. The North Valley Charter Academy Reflective Disciplinary process handles discipline issues in fair and inventive ways that seek, above all, to help students find and employ their internal capacity to meet and exceed expectations.

4. ADAPTATION AND CHANGE

During the 2005-2006 academic year the school underwent a change in both name and leadership. In many ways North Valley Charter Academy is a new school. While NOVA continues to implement the Imagine Academy charter, emphasis will be placed on re-interpreting the charter in order to align the goals of the school with the needs of the current and projected student body. To this end the school has contracted the services of EducationalGrowth, an educational consulting agency, which is assisting the School Site Council in identifying strategies for improving student achievement of the school's expected learning results.

Part III: The Criteria

As you answer the following questions, please strive to base your answers on objective evidence and data that is available at the school. Please remember that this is an Initial Visit Application and not a full self-study. Try to answer questions with one to two paragraphs. Please refer to the rubrics in the WASCInitial Visit Procedures Manuals for California Public Schools ( pdf_cde/InitialVisitProcedures_WASCCDE_manual.pdf) for areas to review prior to responding to the questions below.

Category A
Organization

A1. Vision and Purpose Criterion:Does the school have a clearly stated vision or purpose based on its student needs, current educational research, and the belief that all students can achieve at high levels? Supported by the governing board and the central administration, to what extent is the school’s purpose further defined by expected schoolwide learning results and the academic standards? Do the expected schoolwide learning results stress attainment of the academic standards?

The North Valley Charter Academy mission is to serve students from the culturally diverse San Fernando Valley by developing a school community that promotes Academic Excellence, equips students with Democratic Leadership skills, and facilitates Personal Growth. We affirm that young people of all backgrounds; ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, and gender, and irrespective of disabilities, can, and should be included in educational environments that promote these ideals. We seek to achieve our mission by providing learning experiences that are developmentally appropriate, require creative exploration, and honor each student’s unique talents and contributions.

NOVA's vision is a school where all community members experience a truly democratic organization that demands responsible, creative, deeply considered participation in all of the community’s varied aspects; governance, learning, teaching and social interaction. Our vision includes:

•Increasing and improving opportunities for disadvantaged youth

•Creating meaningful opportunities for parent involvement

•Deepening student learning

•Supporting the individual student in the development of an internal sense of responsibility

•Honoring a love of life-long learning for all community members

We incorporate current adolescent development theory into curriculum design by using proven innovative, best practice teaching methods, developing practical and useful alternative forms of assessment, and creating new professional opportunities for teachers.

North Valley Charter Academy graduates will:

•be able to think, read, write, speak and listen confidently and effectively.

•be fluent in technology, creative in problem-solving, literate in scientific and mathematical reasoning, self-motivated and committed to lifelong learning.

•be able to participate in their lives and communities by addressing complex community issues and will communicate capably across race, gender, sexual orientation and class lines.

•exhibit developmentally appropriate levels of self-worth and compassion for others.

•be capable of making meaningful choices in their lives and in their communities.

North Valley Charter Academy believes that its purpose is most effectively fulfilled by providing a rigorous, college preparatory, standards-based educational program that is flexible enough for all students to achieve academic excellence

As initially described in the Imagine Academy Charter, the school's academic program will prepare students for college while also developing students’ democratic leadership skills and personal growth. Embedded in the ideals of Academic Excellence, Democratic Leadership and Personal Growth are the following skills and qualities of a well educated person in the 21st century. These skills and qualities embody NOVA's Expected Learning Results:

•Ability to identify areas of interest, formulate questions, research topics and set goals

•Literacy and competency in reading, historical context, mathematical reasoning, scientific processes, technology and inter- and intra-personal interactions

•Ability to critically analyze evidence

•Skill in written, oral and creative self-expression

•Proficiency in self-reflection, self-assessment and in giving and receiving feedback

•Enthusiasm for learning that lasts beyond the school years, self-motivation

A community of stakeholders comprised of teachers, students, parents, office staff, administration, and Board members will meet early in the fall of 2006 to review these Expected Learning Results and further define the school's mission.

A2. Governance Criterion: Does the governing board (a) have policies and bylaws that are aligned with the school’s purpose and support the achievement of the expected schoolwide learning results and academic standards based on data-driven instructional decisions for the school; (b) delegate implementation of these policies to the professional staff; and (c) monitor results regularly and approves the single schoolwide action plan and its relationship to the Local Educational Agency (LEA) plan?

As provided for in the California Corporations Code, the NOVA Board of Trustees has a legal fiduciary responsibility for the well being of the organization. The NOVA Board of Trustees adopted by-laws and is promulgating policies that define and support the mission and vision of North Valley Charter Academy.

Embedded in the guiding philosophy of North Valley Charter Academy is a belief in community inclusion at all levels of organization, an appreciation and celebration of differences, and the knowledge that the application of skills produces deeply integrated learning. The promotion of this philosophy requires that our community’s method of governance be similarly aligned; to that end all stakeholders will be included on all levels of governance.

The guiding body in the direction and accountability for the program is the North Valley Charter Academy Governing Board of Trustees. The NOVA Board of Trustees can consist of 5-11 voting members and one non-voting member. In recognition of the need for a diversity of voices in the trusteeship of Imagine Academy, seats on the Board are set aside for at least one parent, one student, and one faculty member, and include representation from the local North Valley Charter Academy community. As the term of office of three Board members expired in September 2006, the interim NOVA Board of Trustees consists of Laura Stribling (Faculty Representative), Gina Wilson (Administrative Coordinator, Dean of Students), Lanny West (Member Church Vestry, St. Andrew and St. Charles), Natasha Baumgartner (business professional) and Brenda Buonora (Director of Operations). Several potential members are under consideration and the school is actively pursuing new members with experience in education, business, medicine, nonprofit organizations, law, leadership programs and community groups.

At North Valley Charter Academy the Board of Trustees is responsible for the “big picture” aspect of school oversight, not for management of school operations. Trustees on the North Valley Charter Academy Governing Board:

•Uphold and support the mission and vision of North Valley Charter Academy

•Engage in long term strategic planning to establish a general course for the future of North Valley Charter Academy

•Monitor and review the academic success of NOVA students

•Establish and approve policies for NOVA operation, ensuring that the provisions of the original Imagine Academy Charter and the law are being followed

•Review and approve the NOVA annual program from year to year

•Establish and uphold fiscal policy and boundaries, with budgets and financial controls, including, but not limited to, approval of annual budget, approval of major contractual obligations

•Direct the exploration of fundraising opportunities in order to provide necessary supplemental resources for the activities of North Valley Charter Academy

•Select and evaluate the Director of Operations

•Develop and maintain a communication link to the community, promoting the work of North Valley Charter Academy

The NOVA Board of Trustees meets at least six times per year. While in 2005-2006 resolving fiscal and management considerations dominated much of the Board's focus, the Board has resumed its regular reviews of student achievement as communicated by the Principal, California testing results, and other internal assessment methodology and is represented in the School Site Council.

A3. Leadership and Staff Criterion:Based on student achievement data, to what extent does the school leadership and staff make decisions and initiate activities that focus on all students achieving the expected schoolwide learning results and academic standards?

Student achievement data informs all aspects of North Valley Charter Academy's decision-making process. Within the small classroom setting, teachers employ a variety of formative and summative assessment techniques in order to develop both classroom and individualized approaches to address learning outcomes. Data collected from standardized tests and other evaluation systems, such as SCANTRON, PLAN, PSAT, California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), California Standards Test (CST) practice tests, and California English Language Development Test (CELDT) are analyzed and used to design goals and action plans. SCANTRON testing in early Fall establishes a baseline measure of individual student's proficiency in English/Language Arts and Mathematics. Follow-up assessments planned for January and April will be used to measure individual student growth. Additionally the school uses two online assessment and remediation/enrichment tools: Prentice-Hall Success-Tracker (E/LA) and Apex Learning's Class Tools (Mathematics) to identify and address student's achievement relative to California content standards.