School Year 2013-14 CHARTER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT · PDF fileSchool Year 2013-14 CHARTER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT & ... 2014 was Mastery School’s first year in taking the MCA. ... A Practical

School Year 2013-14

CHARTER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT

&

WORLD’S BEST WORKFORCE

ANNUAL REPORT

Mastery School 2013-2014 Charter School Annual Report & World’s Best Workforce Annual Report Page 2

Table of Contents

1. School Information 3

2. Mission and Vision 3

3. History 4

4. Student Enrollment and Demographics 4

5. Student Attendance, Attrition, and Mobility 5

6. World’s Best Workforce Components:

a. Educational Approach and Curriculum 6

b. Innovative Practices & Implementation 13

c. Academic Performance 14

d. Student and Parent Satisfaction 17

7. Staffing 18

8. Governance and Management 20

9. Finances 25

10. Future Plans 26


School Information

Mastery School

1301 Seventh Avenue North

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55411

612-876-4105

www.themasteryschool.org

Grades served: Approved as K-8 charter school; serving grades K-3

Year opened: August 13, 2012

Authorizer:

Minneapolis Public Schools

1250 W. Broadway Ave.

Minneapolis, MN 55411

612-338-0731

http://newschools.mpls.k12.mn.us

Betsy Ohrn, Director of Office of New Schools (2012-2013)

Mission and Vision of MPS – To ensure that all students learn, and to support their growth into

knowledgeable, skilled, and confident citizens capable of succeeding in their work, personal, and

family lives into the 21st century. The vision is for every child to be college and career ready.

Mission and Vision

Mastery School’s mission is to instruct, empower, enable, and guide students on the path through

college and career success in dual single-gender programs. Mastery School is committed to

serving all children that enroll at the Mastery School and serves low-income students and/or

students at high risk of academic failure in a K-8 setting.

Mastery School will ensure that all students get the learning they need for success in high

school, college, and beyond.

Mastery School will close equity gaps in achievement in reading, mathematics, social

studies, and science at each grade level served.

Mastery School shows that low-income students can achieve to the highest academic

standards.

Statutory Purposes. Mastery School will serve four statutory purposes:

(1) improve pupil learning and student achievement;

(2) increase learning opportunities for pupils;

(3) encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods;

(6) create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be

responsible for the learning program at the school site.

http://www.themasteryschool.org/

http://newschools.mpls.k12.mn.us/


History

2014 was Mastery School’s first year in taking the MCA. There were approximately 46 students

that took the reading and math test in 2014. In reading the percentage of students proficient on

the MCA for the 46 3rd students was 35%. For the state of Minnesota the average proficiency for

all students in 3rd grade was 58%. The average 3rd grade performance for all of Minneapolis

was 41%. Of the 14 area schools in north Minneapolis, including Harvest Prep and Best

Academy that serve similar populations, Mastery School outperformed 10 of these schools in

reading.

Using the Star Tribune qualification for “Beating the Odds” schools (85% and higher) the only

school in north Minneapolis that beat the 3rd grade reading proficiency in north Minneapolis was

Harvest Preparatory School.

In math, that overall percentage of students that were proficient on the MCA in math was 60.4%.

The state average 3rd grade math proficiency was 71%. MPS 3rd grade proficiency was 52% on

the MCA. Of the 14 schools in north Minneapolis, including Harvest Prep and Best Academy,

Mastery School outperformed 9 of these schools in reading.

Using the Star Tribune qualification for “Beating the Odds” schools (85% and higher) the only

two schools in north Minneapolis that beat the 3rd grade math proficiency in north Minneapolis

was Harvest Preparatory School and Best Academy. Another “Bright Spot” in the Mastery math

data was after disaggregating our male and female populations, 68% Mastery male 3rd grade

students were proficient in math. This means that the African American boys in Mastery were

only three percentage points off the state average for 3rd grade math.

Student Enrollment and Demographics

Number of Students Enrolled

2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 (est.)

Kindergarten 69 57 53

1st Grade 48 64 49

2nd Grade 58 54 47

3rd Grade 0 52 45

4th Grade 0 0 51

Total 175 227 245

Total ADM (Average

Daily Membership) for

year

142 190 244


Key Demographic Trends

2012-13 2013-2014 2014-2015 (est.)

Total Enrollment 175 227 245

Male 93 122 119

Female 82 105 126

Special Education 15 19 24

LEP 1 1 0

African American 173 225 242

Latino 0 0 1

Asian/PI 0 0 0

American Indian 0 0 0

White 2 2 2

F/R Lunch 89.7% 88.9% 89.0%

Student Attendance, Attrition, and Mobility

STUDENT ATTENDANCE

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

Overall Attendance

Rate

N/A 92% 93%

STUDENT ATTRITION

Percentage of students* who are continuously enrolled between

October 1 of 2012-13 school year and October 1 of 2013-14 school

year.

52%

Percentage of students* who continue enrollment in the school from

Spring 2013 to October 1, 2013. 65%

STUDENT MOBILITY

Percentage of students who were enrolled for 95% or more of the

2013-14 school year. 65%

Percentage of students who were enrolled for 95% or more of the

2012-13 school year. 61%


World’s Best Workforce Components

Educational Approach and Curriculum

Educational Philosophy. The founders of Mastery School have an educational philosophy that

can be distilled down to three fundamental beliefs:

1. All children have unlimited academic potential, and given the amount of time and support

that they need, these children can realize their potential.

2. There are already proven effective solutions to solve our nation’s education crisis that is

popularly called the “achievement gap”. We must find them and then use them.

3. To solve these educational problems it is going to take people with the skill and the will

to do whatever it takes for our children.

Instructional Approach. Mastery School proposes to improve academic achievement and exceed

the academic performance of low-income and socially-disadvantaged students in existing public

schools in Minneapolis through a model of education that has proven its success in two of

Minnesota’s most successful charter schools, Harvest and Best, both of which are classified as

Reward Schools.

The Mastery School is a replication of the instructional methods used in these two Reward

Schools. Much of Mastery School’s theoretical framework for student improvement comes from

the backward-design, standards-based reform literature. In addition, the school has adopted

comprehensive formative assessments as observed at Roxbury Prep in Roxbury, Massachusetts,

and as codified by Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction (Bambrick-

Santoyo). The theoretical framework supporting Mastery School’s instructional strategies

includes The Skillful Teacher (Saphier, Haley-Speca & Gower), Teach Like a Champion (Lemov

& Atkins), and The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher (Wong and Wong).

The Professional Learning Communities (PLC) approach to improving instructional quality is

supported by a range of research; particularly notable are the works of Richard DuFour and his

colleagues, e.g. Learning by Doing: A handbook for professional learning communities that

work (2006). A growing body of research supports the use of formative assessments to inform

instruction and enhance learning, including the work of Dylan Wiliam and that of Robert

Marzano. Suitability of the education model to the targeted student population is shown by the

success of the existing Harvest and Best programs.

The Education Plan will be implemented through these strategies:

Curriculum alignment by grade-level teams at the beginning of the year

Common grade-level pacing guides based on Minnesota State Standards

Common grade-level planning (via Professional Learning Communities) based on the

pacing guide and academic instruction

Frequent Interim Formative Assessments which includes weekly quizzes

Response To Intervention (system-wide student support)

Data-driven decision making (framework)

Instruction and data analysis and coaching (provided by the principal and two

instructional coaches)


Extended school day and extended school year

Shared two-week interval lesson plans among grade levels

The Mastery School educational program focuses on enabling all students to meet challenging

state student academic achievement standards. Mastery School will replicate the success of

Harvest Preparatory School (Harvest), ranked the number one “Beating the Odds” school in the

state of Minnesota in reading and math by the Star Tribune. Best Academy (Best) was ranked

number one in the state of Minnesota for high poverty schools (75% on free and reduced lunch)

based on the new Multiple Measure Ratings (MMR). Although all schools are unique, Harvest,

Best, and most high performing schools throughout the United States have implemented 10 best

practices to achieve the high levels of academic performance. The table below shows the 10 best

practices of high performing schools and how Mastery School will incorporate these practices

into its educational program:

Practices of High Performing Schools Mastery School Educational Plan

1. Extended school day and extended school year 1. 178 school days; nine hours per day

2. Frequent formative assessments 2. Daily exit slips, weekly benchmark

assessments, and six-week comprehensive

assessments

3. A relentless focus on the state and national

standards

3. Backwards planning and curricular

alignment prior to the beginning of the

academic year

4. A very high standard for discipline at the school 4. Comprehensive behavior and incentive

systems

5. College-focused culture 5. Classrooms named after colleges/college

visits

6. Data-driven culture 6. Weekly data tracking; Also every six

weeks. Data dashboards

7. Frequent observations and feedback to teachers 7. Weekly teacher observations; Teacher

Learning Plans (TLP)

8. High level of professional development 8. Professional development every other week

9. A “whatever it takes” culture for students and

teachers

9. “No excuses” culture for students and staff

10. A culture that promotes a “growth mindset” 10. Growth mindset taught explicitly to all

children

Over the past four years Harvest and Best have developed the components of an effective “gap-

closing” educational framework. This “gap-closing” framework is depicted by a graphic with

three concentric rings


This “gap-closing framework” has proven effective at Harvest and Best, and is being

implemented at Mastery School. The framework uses three mutually supporting “rings” of

processes and practices to ensure success for students:

Ring 1 --

Planning: What do my children need to know and be able to do by the end of the school

year? Teachers will “backwards” plan based on state standards, internal standards, and

standards that are from grade levels above the teacher’s current grade. For example,

Mastery School second grade teachers will determine all of the second grade standards

that students need to know by the end of the school year. They will then map out how the

standards can be taught in five six-week terms. Teachers will also determine the level of

rigor at which the standards will be taught. Weekly and daily lesson plans are derived

from this long-term planning.

Teaching: What are the most effective practices to teach what students need to know?

This question is answered using the best research on effective instruction and also using

the professional experiences of the teacher. Mastery School will ensure that it hires the


most effective teachers for all classrooms. Mastery School instructional leaders will

facilitate ongoing professional development on effective and engaging instructional

strategies for student learning.

Assessment and Reflection: How will I know if the students understood the benchmark

and/or objective that I taught them? This is an assessment and reflection question.

Mastery School will use the model developed by Harvest in which teachers have

developed an instructional monitoring system that frequently assesses student

achievement. At the beginning of the year teachers will create and administer an end-of-

the-year comprehensive assessment on all of the benchmarks that students need to know

for the year. Then teachers assess students every six weeks, as well as provide weekly

quizzes so that the teacher can monitor the academic progress of students.

Systematic Student Support (S3): What if students don’t understand the concept after I

taught the new material? Mastery School teachers will set up interventions to support

students who may not understand the instructional material after it has been taught to

them the first time. Mastery School data systems will provide teachers with information

that will identify the precise academic needs of the students. Mastery School teachers will

use intervention strategies, such as providing additional reading and math lessons to

students and one-on-one tutoring. Mastery School teachers will also utilize computer-

aided instruction as an intervention strategy. What if the student has already mastered the

material that was just taught? In the Mastery School system, it is not just up to the teacher

to address the learning problems of students; there must be a school-wide response to the

learning problem.

Ring 2 --

Instructional Leadership: The purpose of instructional leadership is to ensure that the

most effective teaching practices are implemented in the classroom so that the teacher

can ultimately maximize learning. Mastery School will use the Harvest model for

effective instructional leadership that provides both formal and informal observations.

Instructional Coaching: Coaches work together with teachers to set clear goals and to

develop individualized Teacher Learning Plans (TLP), which last about six weeks and

include co-planning, data analysis, structured observations, video analysis, and whatever

supports teacher learning.

Data Analysis and Coaching: Instructional leaders meet with both grade-level teams

and individual teachers to review daily, weekly, and every eight-week term formative

assessments.

Ring 3 --

Fueling the “Gap-Closing” framework is school leadership. This is where the vision,

inspiration, and high expectations are developed for the educational institution. The

school leadership ensures that each of the components of the framework is tightly

coupled to student achievement.


The school leadership ensures that the school culture, operations, calendar, and daily

schedules are in alignment with student achievement. The school culture must promote

an environment of achievement. The culture must be structured to minimize disruptions

in the classroom and throughout the school by setting high expectations for student

behavior. The operations of an organization -- which include student transportation,

lunches, and communications -- must be very efficient and effective to guarantee the

safety and satisfaction of both the students and parents. The school calendar and daily

schedule must be structured to maximize learning time for students.

Grade levels of children to be served

Mastery School is serving grades K-2 at present, in its initial year of operation; it will add a

grade a year until fully subscribed with grades K-8.

Curriculum and instructional practices

All purchased curricula will be rigorously aligned with the state academic standards. Mastery

School grade level teams will collaborate to create Curriculum Alignment Templates, a tool to

ensure that the curriculum is aligned to the state standards; the preparation of Pacing Guides for

implementing the curriculum over the course of the school year; and, implementation of

Common Formative Assessments to determine whether students are meeting state standards. In

every subject area, teachers will ensure that all benchmarks contained in the standards are met

before year’s end. The link from the standards to instruction is created by “backwards” planning,

from the standards to everyday classroom activities. An important distinction in the planning for

teachers at Mastery School is the fact that not only will teachers determine what standards will

be taught; the teachers must also determine the level of rigor based upon the standards that will

be assessed. This distinction ultimately determines the level of rigor that he standard will be

taught.

Below is a table showing the basic curriculum that was used at Mastery School for the first two

years of implementation.

Grades Math Language Arts Science Social Studies

K – 2nd

FY 13

Everyday Math

Saxon Math

Reading Mastery

Houghton

Mifflin

Scott Foresman

Science

Houghton

Mifflin Harcourt

3rd

grade

FY 14

Everyday Math

Saxon Math

Reading Mastery

Houghton

Mifflin

Scott Foresman

Science

Houghton

Mifflin

Harcourt

Interim Assessments are implemented weekly at Mastery School. Teachers come together in

grade level teams every week to review the results of the interim assessment, brainstorm how to

address areas where students have difficulties, plan instruction for the week and plan the interim

assessments for next week.

Planning at Mastery School will be spiraled backwards from interim formative assessments,

which are created by grade-level teams prior to the beginning of each term. Each of these

interim assessments is a rigorous assessment aligned to the state standards/benchmarks that the


grade-level team expects to cover by that point in the school year; e.g., in grades 3-8, all tested

benchmarks must be covered by April 1st. For Kindergarten through second grade teachers will

have the full year to cover grade level standards. Backwards planning answers these questions:

1) “What do my students need to know?” and 2) “How am I going to get them there?”

In order to backwards plan from an interim assessment, one needs to understand the knowledge

(what students need to know) and the skills (what students need to be able to do) to answer each

question on the interim assessment. Prior to the school year a yearly pacing guide for the year is

mapped out by the instructional team. The yearly pacing guide maps out when each benchmark

will be taught, and thus ensures that all benchmarks are covered by the end of the academic year.

Mastery School will also utilize at the end of each term a more detailed and comprehensive

version of the yearly pacing guide in that it not only includes when a benchmark will be taught in

the course of the school year but also what resources will be used and how the benchmark will be

assessed in order to ascertain if students learned the information. The term “pacing guide”

focuses the pacing to one term’s progress, highlights the standards or benchmarks to be taught

during that term, lists the days they will be taught and the daily objectives of the lesson, and

addresses any pre-requisite skills or knowledge students may need to have before accessing the

benchmark at grade level.

Weekly lesson plans enable instructional leaders to develop more thoroughly their plans for

delivering academic content that is rigorous and engaging. Grade-level teams divide up lesson-

planning responsibilities based on the individual strengths of the team members. Lesson plans

are built around the state Standard to be addressed in the lesson; teachers have a clear definition

of what students will know and be able to do at the end of each lesson in terms of the academic

content. Mastery School teachers make sure that differentiation is a part of each of their lessons.

During independent practice, the teacher meets with individuals or small groups to give more

focused attention to the specific needs of those learners. To ensure adequate academic support to

our student population, made up in large part of students who arrive already behind in basic

academic skills, Mastery School employs a full time academic interventionist in each of our

second grade classrooms, to work with students who are behind and give them the additional

support they need to build the skills for future success. With the academic interventionist

supporting the regular classroom teacher, assignments can be altered to meet different students’

needs by adjusting the volume, rate, and complexity of assignments. Formative assessments are

utilized at the daily, weekly, and end-of-term timeframes to determine whether students “got it.”

Mastery School uses a Response To Intervention (RTI) model to provide additional support to

students. RTI is the practice of 1) providing high-quality instruction and interventions that

match students’ needs and 2) using students’ learning rate over time and level of performance to

make important educational decisions. All students in need of remediation, regardless of Special

Education status, receive extra assistance through small group instruction, one on one coaching,

after hours help or weekend help focused on the specific areas identified through the weekly

Interim Assessments. Special Education students may also receive access to specialists such as

speech therapists, psychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, special education

teachers, etc. depending on the IEP. Special Education students may also receive environmental

modifications, additional prompting, additional wait time, behavior contracts, modified

assignments, etc. depending on the student’s IEP.


Strategies for implementing this program, including details on curriculum by subject, are further

detailed in Mastery School’s application to the Authorizer.

Mastery School schedule and calendar

Mastery School has a nine-hour school day The day starts at 8:00 am and ends at 5:00 pm. The

day starts with breakfast for all students. There is a community meeting from 8:30 am to 9:00 am

for all students at least two days per week. This community meeting is used to orient students to

and build a new culture of positive values, hard work and expectation of high performance.

Academic work begins no later than 9:00 am. There is a minimum of 100 minutes allocated for

reading and 100 minutes allocated for math, 50 minutes allocated for social studies, and another

50 minutes allocated of science. There is an intervention block of 50 minutes built within the

schedule. Lastly there is a prep period of 50 minutes allocated for PE, computers, music, and

world language.

See the example schedule below:

Mastery School devotes a minimum of 6.5 hours per day to academic instruction out of a

nine-hour school day Monday through Thursday. Fridays are an early release day for

students. On Fridays there are five hours allocated to academic instruction. The total

number of hours per week for instruction is 31 hours. Average number of minutes

devoted of academic instruction per day is 390 minutes.

The typical day for teachers consists of arriving 8:00 am for a 30 minute prepping period

prior to students arriving. After teaching core subjects and based on classroom size,

teachers have two prep periods a day. One with their co-teacher and one without the co-

teacher (as a result of them prepping each other). Teachers also engage in intervention

and the dismissal process referenced to above. Typically they leave the building by 5:00

pm.

The daily schedule is optimum for learning, because it provides students and teachers an

extended period of time to devote to the core subjects of reading and math. The extended

time also gives teachers the time to differentiate instruction within the classroom,

meaning that teachers are given time to address students with greater learning needs and

advance higher performing students. The additional time in the schedule builds

intervention time into the school day; that means students get support at this time on the

skills for which they need to be successful.

The Mastery School calendar provides a total of 178 school days per year, a 35% increase

in the number of hours compared to a typical public school. The Mastery School calendar for

2013-14 follows.


Innovative Practices and Implementation

Our innovative practices and implementation are described in detail in the previous Educational

Approach and Curriculum Section.

Successes

See “Academic Performance”.

In addition to achievements in academic performance:

PRESS Initiative

In our third year with Pathways to Reading Excellence in School Sites (PRESS), which provides


literacy support for all of our schools, Target Foundation made it possible for $185,000 worth of

support for the Harvest Network of Schools.

The Growth Mindset Club

Established to give additional support for academic development to 3rd

grade scholars.

Workplace Satisfaction

After staff survey and organizational assessment we began the Workplace Satisfaction Initiative

and established an action plan.

Academic Performance

Progress on Academic Goals, Including Mission-Related Goals.

Goal I: Reading

Absolute measures

70% of Mastery students will meet and exceed proficiency in reading on the MCA in

2014.

The actual performance of the Mastery 3rd

grade class was 35% of students were proficient in

reading. At the time the reading goals were developed the Common Core Reading standards had

never been tested in Minnesota, and it was not widely known what to expect from the new

assessment. To reduce the shock and surprise of schools and families the Minnesota

Commissioner of Education sent out letters to parents state-wide to be prepared for significantly

lower test scores, in reading in particular, in 2013. The following is an excerpt from the parent

letter that was sent from the Commissioner:

As we gear up for the 2013-2014 school year, I want to take this opportunity to provide you

with important information on the upcoming release of your child’s testing results.

This past spring I sent a letter that explains Minnesota’s transition to new, better tests that

aimed at preparing all students for college and careers.

There was a 20 percentile-point decline in performance state-wide from 2012 to 2013 across the

state. In 3rd

grade the decline was the most significant. Across the state the decline was 22

percentile-points.

Other reasons for the lower test score than what Mastery anticipated have to do with the amount

of time that students have been in the Mastery educational system. Many of Mastery students had

only been exposed to the Mastery system a maximum of only one year. It takes over a year to

overcome reading deficits.


Comparative Measures

A large percentage of students will demonstrate on-track growth in reading on the MCA.

Because this is the first year for the MCA testing, there is no growth data available for Mastery

for this year.

Growth Measures

Mastery students in the aggregate made 1.0 years of growth based on their NWEA RIT score

growth targets in Reading from pre-testing in August/September to post-testing in June.

Goal II: Absolute measures

60% of Mastery students will meet and exceed proficiency measures in Math on the

MCA

Mastery students met this goal. On the 2014 MCA, 60.4 % of Mastery students were proficient.

Disaggregating Mastery boys performance in math from girls, 69% of Mastery boys were

proficient in math.

Comparative Measures

A large percentage of students will demonstrate on-track growth in reading on the MCA.

Because this is the first year for the MCA testing, there is no growth data available for Mastery

for this year.

Growth

Mastery students in the aggregate made 1.3 years of growth based on their NWEA RIT score

growth targets in Math from pre-testing in August/September to post-testing in June.

The significant difference in performance in reading and math on the MCA is based on the

difference of Mastery’s first year experiencing the new Common Core standards.

Professional Development

Mastery School has an organizational structure such that both administrators and teacher leaders

can provide ongoing coaching in classrooms for about 30 minutes every day. This kind of

support will substantially improve on the outcomes for students. On Friday, early release days

for students, teachers also receive targeted professional development.

Mastery School focuses on the following areas of professional development:

Data management

Observation and coaching of teachers


Fiscal management

Professional Development Plan

During the 2013 – 2014 school year Eric Mahmoud, CEO, participated in an extensive

professional development plan. Mahmoud was nominated by the Charter School Growth Fund to

participate in the Charter Network Accelerator (CNA). This is an intense 18-month CEO

development program for educational leaders around the country. The CAO, Dr. Callie Lalugba

also participates in some of the sessions. The CNA focuses on four main areas of development:

1. Organizational Structure

2. Meeting the College Ready Bar

3. Personal Leadership Development

4. Team and Talent

March 2014 – PD in NY

Focus was on Common Core reading

Presentations on meeting the rigor of Common Core reading

School visit to Success Academy – one of the most successful charter networks in the

nation

Managing talent and conduct forecast of current talent at the school level

Workshop on how to support teacher and leadership development

Personal leadership development workshop

Required reading – Mission Possible, Primal Leadership, and Leverage Leadership

May 2014 – PD in NY

Focus on Common Core reading

School visit to North Star High school

Focus on Leading Organizational Change

Time Management

Critical Friends Visits in Hartford and Bridgeport, Connecticut

o Providing feedback to other school leaders

Required reading – Switch, Kotter’s Leading Change

PD for 2014-2015 includes:

September 2014 – PD in Memphis, TN

Organizational Planning

Decision Rights

School Culture

School Leadership

Required reading: Conversational Capacity, Situational Leadership

Other Development Opportunities Through This CNA Program:

Executive coaching every 2 weeks

CEO mentor calls once per month


A school inspection from outside experts and feedback October 9 & 10, 2014

Student and Parent Satisfaction

As part of the Mastery School accountability plan, we conducted a survey of our parents/families

and the results told us that the majority of our parents/families were satisfied with the school’s

academic program. Our survey measured parent/family satisfaction in the following categories:

Service Excellence

Communication Excellence

Operational Excellence

Teacher and School Leadership (academic) Excellence

Overall Satisfaction

In our parent/ family survey we asked the Mastery school families the net promoter question: “I

will recommend the Harvest Network of Schools to another parent or family for their child to

attend”. The net promoter is a survey of questions that helps organizations gauge the loyalty of

its parents/families. Essentially 69% of our families answered “agreed” or “strongly agreed” to

the net promoter questions, thus satisfied and loyal parents/families.

End of World’s Best Workforce Components


Staffing

2013-2014 Licensed Teaching Staff

Name File # License /

Assignment

2014-15

Status*

Comments

Burns, Jason w/lic. teacher Teacher 3rd

* Highly qualified

Domholt, Aurie 474543 Teacher 1st

Eide, Sarah 470214 Teacher 1st

Fitzloff, Kallie 454692 Teacher K *

Griffin, LaDeva 438223 Teacher Title 1 *

Kolles, Ashlee 467679 Teacher 2nd

McAnulty, Laura 475995 Teacher SPED

Menheer, Hesat 479182 Teacher Science Community Expert

Nordman, Jessica 454989 Title 1

Noyes, Melissa 447734 Teacher K

Phillips, Jade 471768 Teacher 2nd

Price, Terrence 400482 Teacher 3rd

*

Smith, Denise 340757 Teacher 3rd

Waldecker, Daniel 477344 Teacher 2nd

* Community Expert

* R = Return, NR = Not Return

2014-2015 Licensed Teaching Staff

Name File # License /

Assignment

Comments

Daramola, Joshua w/lic teacher SPED Highly qualified

Eide, Sarah 470214 Teacher 1st

Fitzloff, Kallie 454692 Teacher K

Guerra, Kaymee 476624 Teacher 2nd

Joubert, Raine 461082 Teacher 4th

Kelly, Shannon 475899 Teacher 1st

Manuel, Marissa 477175 Teacher K

McElveen, Darnell 480889 Teacher 2nd

Noyes, Melissa 447737 Teacher 3rd

Phillips, Jade 471768 Teacher 2nd

Price, Terrence 400482 Teacher 3rd

Rudolph, Cecelia 483451 Teacher 4th

Waldecker, Daniel 477344 Teacher 4th

Zigbuo, Markeesha 393901 Teacher 4th


2013-14 Other Licensed (non-teaching) Staff

Name Assignment 14-15

Status*

Comments

Lalugba, Callie Principal *


2013-14 Non-Licensed Staff

Name Assignment 14-15

Status*

Comments

Badal, Milgo Paraprofessional *

Collins, Lemuel EA

Daniel, Mychoice Para

Donald, Calvin BA

Dower, Devarious EA

Hagler, Quashaun Para

Harris, Nakia EA

Holmes, Keisha Para *

Jennings, Sharrie BA

Johnson, Saehea EA *

King, Victoria DI Asst. *

Lemmie, Dennis EA

Levine, Serenae Para

Mullins, Jamar BA

Olusanya,

Olutimilehin

EA

Poole, Raymond BA

Pratt, Marlon Para *

Reed, Shalom BA

Rich, Eugene BA

Robinson, Jr., James Asst. Prin.

Robinson,

Kimberely

BA

Smith, Steven EA

Taylor, T’Keyhia EA

Ware, Shadelle Para

Williams, Shannon EA *

Wofford, Courtney Para

Young, Willis Para



2014-15 Non-Licensed Staff

Name Assignment Comments

Barnes, Jay BA/HM

Beal, Quiana Para

Burns, Jason BI

Green, Ronald Para

Harris, Nakia EA

Hazlett, Taquaris EA

Holliday, Joshlin BA

Hurst, David Para

Johnson, Saehea EA

Johnson, Walter Para

Karim, Asha EA

King, Victoria DI

Lane, Dezaray BI

McGhee, Dutchess BA

Moore, Tamela EA

Murkey, Clifford Para

Phillips, Marcia EA

Robinson, Asia EA

Taylor, T’Keyhia EA

Turner, Kevin Para

Williams, Shannon EA

Worthor, Theodore BI

Young, Willis EA

Governance and Management

Founder

Eric Mahmoud, President/Chief Executive Officer of Seed Inc., Harvest Preparatory School and

Best Academy. Responsible for business management, fundraising, community relations and

student recruitment. Eric has over 25 years’ experience as an educational leader. He has started,

incubated and developed 5 charter schools over the past 20 years. He has consulted with other

charter school leaders around the country. Eric has been the keynote speaker at national

educational conventions around the country. The most recent has been the National Association

of Direct Instruction in July 2012. He has received numerous awards for his educational

leadership. In 2012 he received the University of Minnesota Distinguished Educators Award. In

June 2012, Eric was inducted into the National Charter School Hall of Fame.


Mastery Management Team (paid employees):

Callie Walker-Lalugba, Ph.D., Principal of Mastery School. As the Principal of Harvest

Preparatory School since 2001 and now Principal of Mastery, Dr. Lalugba has fostered

improvement in the quality of teaching through in-depth analysis of teachers’ teaching efficiency

and providing feedback based on students’ overall academic performance. She directed and

oversaw instructional activities and academic improvement programs for the entire faculty. Her

work included measuring both students’ and faculty performance and providing strategic

direction in instructional planning. Prior to Harvest Preparatory, Dr. Lalugba taught for several

years, both in charter and traditional schools. She earned her administrative licensure (K-12

Principal) from the University of Minnesota in 2003, and her doctorate in Educational

Psychology in 2007, also from the University of Minnesota.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013-2014

Board Governance and Process

Mastery’s board governs the school through ensuring the fidelity of its mission and

vision, provides extensive oversight to the school’s administration, monitors the school’s

progress according to its goals and the charter contract, and makes key strategic, business, and

operational decisions on an ongoing basis in accordance with best practices and local, state, and

federal statutes and regulations. The board also provides extensive oversight of its major

contracted service provider (Seed, Inc.) to ensure full and timely compliance with all aspects of

its contract, which is attached to this proposal, and maintains ongoing communication with MPS,

its authorizer. The day-to-day operation of the school, including overseeing, training, and hiring

and firing staff and promoting community involvement, is delegated to the principal and assistant

Member

Name

Board

Position Affiliation

Date

Elected

Date

Seated

Term

End Date Email Address

Sylvia Bartley Chair Corporate 4/24/12 4/24/12 6/30/15 [email protected]

Ben Whitney V. Chair Corporate 4/24/12 4/24/12 6/30/15 [email protected]

Robbie

Soskin Secretary Corporate 4/24/12 4/24/12 6/30/15 [email protected]

David Milton Treasurer Community 4/24/12 4/24/12 6/30/15 [email protected]

Alfred

Babington-

Johnson

Member Community 5/2013 5/2013 6/30/16 [email protected]

Margie Soran Member Community 5/2013 5/2013 6/30/16 [email protected]

Shelley

Carthen

Watson

Member Community 5/2013 5/2013 6/30/16 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]








principal, who report to the board and whose performance is reviewed and evaluated by the

board and its committees.

The Mastery board was recruited to include individuals with expertise and experience in

the areas of education, strategic planning, operations, finance, law, management, fundraising,

non-profit board management, and community organizing, and a number are very familiar with

charter school operations. Board members come from both the public and private sector.

Mastery’s diverse board is also representative of the North Minneapolis community and has the

requisite critical skills to advise, support, and manage the school’s leadership team. All board

members share a belief in the need to create an effective school for all students in Minneapolis,

regardless of their socio-economic background or prior academic preparation. The board will

continue to recruit like-minded individuals who possess complementary skills as its membership

expands or as individual members are replaced, and it has already identified a parent who it will

potentially add in the coming months.

The board is also very conscious of the need to transition from a founding board to a highly-

effective elected board in compliance with state law. This ongoing Board will be elected before

the school completes its third year of operation, consistent with Minn. Stat. 124D.10,

Subdivision 4(g), and will be comprised of at least one Minnesota licensed teacher employed at

the school, at least one parent/legal guardian of a child enrolled at the school, and at least one

community member who is neither employed at the school nor has a child enrolled at the school.

At its next annual meeting, the Board will designate each Director on its initial Board as Class A

or B to allow for a staggered election of ongoing board members, to ensure that the substantial

experience of all interim members is not lost. As the terms for these Directors’ seats expire, they

will be filled through an election process that is consistent with Minnesota’s charter school law

and Mastery bylaws.

The board is organized into six fully operational sub-committees which are designed to develop

short and long-term strategic plans, manage their execution, and govern all operations of

Mastery. (Day to day functions remain the purview of our administrative staff.) While these

sub-committees are led by board members, they also contain non-board members with expertise

in related issues. These committees and their responsibilities follow:

Executive Committee: Meets between regularly scheduled meetings to handle emergency or

sensitive issues and plans for upcoming board meetings; serves as a sounding board for

management on emerging issues and initiatives; and conducts evaluations of administration and

performance of all employees and major vendors.

Finance and Operations Committee: Responsible for recommending financial policies, goals,

and budgets that support the mission, values, and strategic goals of Mastery. This committee also

reviews financial performance against its projections/goals and proposes major transactions and


programs to the board, and works closely with the auditor and school administration to ensure

there are no audit exceptions.

Fund Development Committee: Responsible for developing plans to obtain sustainable long-term

financial resources through philanthropic gifts, in-kind donations, etc.; and provides the board

with guidance and counsel by reviewing, discussing, evaluating and helping to implement

proposed financial development and marketing strategies.

Strategic Planning Committee: Responsible for developing the short and long-term strategic

plans for Mastery, and draws on its expertise to work with MPS and other key strategic

stakeholders. The committee meets on a quarterly basis to review these plans, refine them if

necessary, and track the progress of the stated goals and strategies.

Parent and Community Engagement Committee: Charged with establishing and maintaining

relationships with parents and the community to advice the board on related issues.

Academic and HR Committee: Oversees a broad range of issues related to the school’s

educational mission, teaching and service. The committee’s oversight includes consideration of

the needs of the teachers, administration and students, and it also provides oversight of the

teacher evaluation process as well as the students overall academic performance. The

committee also oversees the HR function of Mastery in terms of maintaining an inclusive and

supportive environment for staff to work.


Management agreement or other comprehensive service agreement

Mastery School contracts with Seed. Inc. as a Charter Management Organization (CMO). CMO

is defined as a third party entity contracted by the Mastery board to support the school by

providing academic program and operational services. All policy, legal and oversight authority is

reserved to the Mastery board as the governing body of the school. Mastery School has

contracted with Seed Inc. for the following specific functions: Financial Management, Human

Resource Services, Educational Leadership, Management of Transportation Services, Food

Service, Technology Services, Staff Development, Marketing, Student Reporting, Accountability

and Compliance, Government and Authorizer Relations, & Marketing for Mastery School. Aside

from this, there are no plans to outsource any other key functions. The principal and SEED are

directly supervised and reviewed by the board.


Board Training Board Member Name Training Content Area Training Date Trainer/Presenter

Sylvia Bartley Governance 7/28/12 Charles A. Speiker

Employment “ “

Finance “ “

David Milton Governance 7/28/12 Charles A. Speiker

Employment “ “

Finance “ “

Robbie Soskin Governance 7/28/12 Charles A. Speiker

Employment “ “

Finance “ “

Ben Whitney Governance 7/28/12 Charles A. Speiker

Employment “ “

Finance “ “

Alfred Babington-

Johnson

Governance 10/26/13 Jeffrey Hassan, Esq.

Cheryl Mayberry

Employment “ “

Finance “ “

Margie Soran Governance 10/26/13 Jeffrey Hassan, Esq.

Cheryl Mayberry

Employment “ “

Finance “ “

Shelley Carthen Watson Governance 10/26/13 Jeffrey Hassan, Esq.

Cheryl Mayberry

Employment “ “

Finance “ “

Finances

For questions regarding school finances and for complete financials for 2013-2014 and/or an

organizational budget for 2013-2014 contact: John R. Torvik, CPA

Position: Contract CFO

Phone: 612-770-7136

Email: [email protected]

CliftonLarsonAllen provides accounting services for Mastery School.

FY14 Finances Fund 1 Fund 2 Fund 4

Total Revenues $2,941,459 $137,576 $0

Total Expenditures $2,749,501 $137,576 $0

Net Income $ 191,958 $0 $0

Total Fund Balance $ 16,496 $0 $0

Overview

Mastery served students equivalent to 190 average daily members (ADM) versus a budgeted

ADM of 198 so we met 96% of our enrollment target. Thus state revenue was very close to our

budget. We received approximately $454,000 in donations versus a budget of $270,000 so we


significantly exceeded our donations budget. Expenses exceeded budget by approximately

$352,000 primarily because purchased staff services for general and special education was over

budget by approximately $369,000. We attained a net income of approximately $192,000 versus

a budgeted net income of $97,000 so we significantly exceeded our net income budget.

Revenues

As noted above, we met 96% of our enrollment target, so state revenue was very close to our

budget. We received approximately $454,000 in donations versus a budget of $270,000 so we

significantly exceeded our donations budget. Major grants included Cargill Foundation

($225,000) and the Minneapolis Foundation ($100,000).

Expenses

As noted above, expenses exceeded budget by approximately $352,000 primarily because

purchased staff services for general and special education was over budget by approximately

$369,000 due to the need for more targeted efforts to non-special education students who needed

more instruction, and because we served more special education children than anticipated.

Net Income and Fund Balance

The $192,000 net income positively affected our fund balance allowing it to reach a grand total

of $16,000 and achieving our goal of getting out of statutory operating deficit (SOD).

The full financial audit ending June 30, 2014 is attached.

Future Plans

Mastery will grow from the current 253 students to 450 students over the next five years.

The upcoming school year is the greatest enrollment increase. There is a 32% increase in

enrollment that is projected from FY15 to FY16. Subsequent increases are less than

10%. Mastery has a very high confidence level that it can meet its enrollment projections

based on past history.

o Enrollment Performance History

o FY13 (143 starting enrollment) = 143% increase

o FY13 (143) – FY14 (191) = 33% increase

o FY14 (191) – FY15 (253) = 32% increase

o Enrollment Projections

See table below

The entire HNS network has grown from FY14 to FY15 by close to 30%.


Enrollment Projections

Students range from 5 to 10 years old

FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20

K 50 90 120 120 120 120

1st 50 60 80 100 100 100

2nd 50 60 50 70 90 90

3rd 50 60 50 45 60 70

4th 50 60 50 45 40 50

Total 250 330 350 380 410 430

In addition to the focus on increasing enrollment year to year, there is also a significant sense of

urgency to improve the reading proficiency of our scholars. Mastery has devoted close to 100%

more time towards staff development in general, and there has been just as much of an increase

in PD regarding reading instruction, in particular.

Mastery also has provided new curriculum for staff and students that meets the level of rigor to

meet and exceed new Common Core standards. School leaders in Mastery School as well as the

entire HNS instructional team will spend close to a year in a national leadership training program

designed to get a significant amount of our scholars on the path to college.

Documents

School Year 2013-14 CHARTER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT · PDF fileSchool Year 2013-14 CHARTER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT & ... 2014 was Mastery School’s first year in taking the MCA. ... A Practical