NORTH VALLEY CHARTER ACADEMY WASC/CDE Focus on Learning Self-Study Report

Chapter I: Student/Community Profile Supporting Data and Findings3

Demographic Data3

Student Performance Data21

Process and Perception Data:53

Chapter II: Student/Community Profile Overall Summary from Analysis of Profile Data58

implications of the data with respect to student performance58

critical academic needs based on the data60

important questions raised by analysis of student performance, demographic, and perception data.61

Chapter III: Progress Report62

Chapter IV: Self-Study Findings69

Category A: Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership and Staff, Resources69

Category B: Standards-Based Student Learning: Curriculum84

Category C: Standards-Based Student Learning: Instruction94

Category D: Standards-Based Student Learning: Assessment and Accountability104

Category E: School Culture and Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth114

Chapter V: Schoolwide Action Plan128

Goal #1: Expand NOVAs Board of Trustees and extend the knowledge base and skills of Board members.128

Goal #2: Expand NOVAs curriculum to support at-risk students by focusing on college and career preparation.130

Goal #3: Improve student achievement in all curricular areas with particular attention to Math and Science and to meeting the needs of students with special needs.134

Goal # 4: Increase availability of, access to, and use of comprehensive student achievement data.140

Goal # 5: Enhance student engagement and school-culture by increasing emphasis on college and career readiness.143

Appendix149

Student Survey Results Spring 2009150

Student Survey Results Summary of Comments Spring 2009153

Student Discussion Forum - Middle School - January 2010156

Student Discussion Forum High School January 2010161

Parent Survey Results Spring 2009165

Staff Survey Results June 2009168

National Survey NOVA Results November 2009172

North Valley Charter Academy Master Schedule 2009-2010182

North Valley Charter Academy School Accountability Report Card 2008-09183

North Valley Charter Academy CBEDS School Information Form October 2009208

North Valley Charter Academy Graduation requirements and Academic Planner210

North Valley Charter Academy Textbooks 2009-2010211

North Valley Charter Academy Three-Year Budget 2009-2012212

Chapter I: Student/Community Profile Supporting Data and FindingsDemographic DataIntroduction:

North Valley Charter Academy (NOVA) is a small independent charter middle and high school, enrolling approximately 250 students in grades 6-12. Strongly focused on college and career readiness, personal growth, and the development of positive interpersonal relationships, NOVA is characterized by a welcoming atmosphere and inclusive environment that crosses grade levels, racial boundaries, and ethnic differences. Students value NOVA as a place where they can be accepted and valued for who they are.

Located in Granada Hills, NOVA draws students from throughout the San Fernando Valley with approximately 85% of the student population residing within a six mile radius of the school, representing the communities of Sylmar, San Fernando, and Pacoima to the east, and Mission Hills, North Hills, and Panorama City to the south and southeast. NOVAs student population reflects the demographics of these communities with 77% self-identifying as Hispanic, 8% African-American, 12% White, and 3% as Asian. While half of NOVAs parents report having attended some post-secondary education, 45% of area residents are foreign born and fewer than 50% speak English in the home. Additionally, although the median household income for the area is $51,000, more than 70% of NOVAs students qualify for free or reduced price lunch. Although considered to be suburban neighborhoods, these communities nevertheless are plagued by many of the same problems afflicting the inner city: high unemployment, gang activity, active drug dealing, significant numbers of single parent households, lack of affordable housing, and abandoned businesses.

Perhaps most significantly, major reasons parents cite for choosing NOVA are its strong academic support program, small size, safe campus, and positive school culture. Many of NOVAs students have been unsuccessful in previous public, private, and home-school environments, frequently transferring to NOVA in high school with credit deficiencies and low GPAs, and parents turn to NOVA to provide a second or third chance for their students.

Founded in 2003 as Imagine Academy, the school opened with 60 students in grades 6-9 leasing space in the North Valley Jewish Community Center at 16601 Rinaldi Street. In May of 2005, the owners suddenly sold the building, leaving the school administration four months to relocate. Imagine Academys Board of Trustees subsequently established a long-term lease with the neighboring Episcopal Church of St. Andrew and St. Charles, and the school relocated on an undeveloped 3+-acre lot on the church property with modular classrooms. However, moving delays forced the school to operate for four months from the churchs parish hall. By May of 2006, struggling to meet the financial challenges resulting from costly delays and low enrollment, the Imagine Academy Board of Trustees was reconstituted and a new financial management and administrative team was installed. Renamed North Valley Charter Academy, the school opened in the fall of 2006 with at-capacity enrollment. Through careful fiscal management, NOVA was able to repay its debt within two years and convert a substantial deficit to a 5% reserve. The school made facility improvements, including the addition of two classrooms, a computer lab, and a sports field. Additionally the influx of an HPSG grant, allowed NOVA to restructure and make the necessary improvements to the academic program resulting in a 98 point increase in the 2007 API. Most recently, the school has partnered with the North Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce to support NOVAs Career Choices program and provide students with business information and opportunities in the community.

Founded upon the ideals of Academic Excellence, Democratic Leadership, and Personal Growth, North Valley Charter Academy provides a psychologically safe environment which facilitates personal growth through self-reflection and behavioral and emotional awareness. At NOVA all students develop the academic and practical skills necessary to graduate career-focused, college-ready, and prepared to be contributing citizens of a global society.

To this end, the NOVA community has developed the following Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs). NOVA Graduates will be:

Effective Communicators able to read, write, speak, and listen in a variety of contexts

Informed Thinkers able to locate, access, organize, evaluate, and apply information in a complex and technological world

Productive Problem-Solvers able to apply acquired analytical skills to find solutions to practical and hypothetical problems

Active and Capable Citizens able to demonstrate emotional intelligence and collaborate effectively as members of the diverse global community

Lifelong Learners able to establish and achieve educational and career goals, accept responsibility for making choices, and value learning as a lifelong process

NOVA currently holds candidacy status with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, awarded for three years after the initial visit in December 2006. This self-study represents NOVAs application for full accreditation. The ESLRs were developed by the faculty and administration in 2006 with input from student leaders, parents, and Board Members and have been reviewed and revised annually.

NOVA is a targeted assistance Title I school. While NOVA has shown a gain of 110 API points in three years, the school is in Program Improvement (PI 1), having not made AYP for the 2008 and 2009 academic years. In 2008 the sole AYP criterion not met was achievement in Mathematics for the Hispanic subgroup. In 2009 NOVA met schoolwide targets in English-Language Arts achievement, but failed to meet subgroup targets and did not meet schoolwide or subgroup achievement targets in Mathematics. NOVA is not an II-USP or CSR school, but is part of Cohort 2 of the no longer funded High Priority Schools Grant Program (HPSG), having entered in the fall of 2006.

The following data charts were examined by the school leadership team, faculty, and administrators. Preliminary findings were discussed and analyzed in focus groups of faculty, staff, and administration.

Enrollment Data by Grade Level, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status and Student Mobility:

The academic year 2005-06 represents the final year in which the school operated as Imagine Academy. In the summer of 2006, North Valley Charter Academys new leadership team made a concerted effort to publicize the school in and recruit students from neighboring areas, resulting in substantial increases in enrollment and changes in the demographic composition of the school. In 2008, two additional classrooms were added, enabling the school to further increase enrollment. In the spring and throughout the summer of 2009, NOVA contended with a variety of facilities issues (See Safety, Cleanliness, and Adequacy of School Facilities p. 12). In September of 2009, although projected sixth grade enrollment had been at capacity throughout the summer, with additional students on the wait-list, fewer than half actually registered on the first day of school.