Proposal

Submitted to the School District of the City of York

By
ASPIRA Inc. of PA, Pennsylvania
In Response to Request for Proposals for External Providers of Educational
Services


August 1, 2014


2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROPOSAL NARRATIVE PAGE
1. Executive Summary 3
2. Academic Plan Overview 7
3. Goal and Student Achievement Expectations 14
4. Curriculum and Instructional Design 16
5. Support and Learning 20
6. Family and Community Involvement 30
7. Business Plan 33

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction and Background
This proposal, submitted by ASPIRA, Inc. of PA (ASPIRA), is designed to provide the School District of the
City of York (District or YCSD) with a comprehensive solution toward meeting key YCSD objectives.
ASPIRA has chosen to partner with Camelot Education (Camelot). Combined, the two organizations
have a well-documented history of working together toward excellence regarding educational services,
as evidenced by the performance outcomes provided in this proposal.

ASPIRA is a well-established, non-profit, community-based, charter school organization that has been
recognized for its academic success with low-income, hard-to-reach students in urban communities.
The organization has played an important role in the success of Philadelphias Renaissance Initiative that
includes turning around two of the lowest-performing and persistently-dangerous schools in the State of
Pennsylvania. Camelot is a private educational company that provides highly-effective educational
programs to special student populations, including (1) students at risk of dropping out of school; (2)
disciplinary programs that allow students to continue educational programs in lieu of
expulsion/suspension; and (3) therapeutic day programs for students diagnosed with significant learning
impairments that would typically require out-of-district placement.

Both organizations have extensive experience supporting special education (SpEd) student populations
as well as students classified as English Language Learners (ELLs). Also, the populations in our programs
are disproportionately minority and low-income, similar to the YCSDs student population. Working
together, we believe this proposal offers the District a comprehensive solution that can effectively serve
all student populations, supported by a history of successful school turnarounds and proven results with
an exceptional history of successfully serving non-mainstream, challenging student populations. Most
importantly, this proposal is designed to meet key District objectives that will (1) improve the Districts
academic performance; (2) provide safe, healthy, learning environments; and, (3) stabilize and improve
the Districts fiscal and academic performance.

Proposal Summary
The proposal is summarized in the following exhibit:
Summary of Proposal
School
Year
ASPIRA Camelot Comments
Planning
Year
2014-
2015
Community, Parent and
Local Leadership outreach
Data collection/analysis
Program visits/site review
and analysis
Tours of ASPIRAs and
Camelots existing
programs
Interview and Hire existing
staff
Professional
development/training
All 2014-2015 planning year
activities done in coordination
and conjunction with ASPIRA
Goals:
Introduce program and
receive feedback
Analyze school data and
special populations
Develop a comprehensive
strategic educational plan
Determine fit of current
buildings
Interview, screen, select,
and train qualified staff
4

School
Year
ASPIRA Camelot Comments
2015-
2016
ASPIRA assumes
management control of (1)
McKinley; and (2) Jackson
Camelot assumes
management of (1)
Disciplinary Program
(district-wide)
1
; (2) Middle
School accelerated program
for overage students; and
(3) Therapeutic Day School
(TDS), targeting students
currently placed out of
district with private
providers or IU.
Data obtained from the
District shows a
substantial number of
overage middle school
students
Data obtained from the
District shows a
substantial number of
students placed in out of
district therapeutic
programs.
2

2016-
2017
ASPIRA assumes
management of (1) William
Penn; (2) Goode; and (3)
Ferguson
Camelot initiates accelerated
graduation program for
overage and under-
credentialed high school
students
The purpose of the
accelerated graduation
program is to increase 4-
year cohort graduation
rates
2017-
2018
ASPIRA assumes
management of (1) Hannah
Penn; (2) Devers; and (3)
Davis
No changes

Expected Outcomes
ASPIRAs experience with its Renaissance turnaround schools, John B. Stetson Charter School and Olney
Charter High School, informs our expected outcomes for York. At Stetson and Olney, both originally on
the States Persistently Dangerous List, ASPIRA was able to produce significant gains within two years of
school management. At Stetson, we produced an 89% growth in math scores and 50% growth in
reading on PSSAs within three years. At Olney, within two years, the school went from lowest-
performing comprehensive high school in Philadelphia to ranking highest. Both schools were
immediately removed from the States Persistently Dangerous List during our first year of management.
These accomplishments were possible because of the comprehensive approach we took in improving
the learning climate and in implementing an educational model that was designed to serve the needs of
all students. We will use our proven approach, and our partnership with Camelot, to deliver similar
results for YCSD.

Key Components of Our Educational Model
The focal points of our comprehensive educational design include an engaging curriculum chosen for its
cultural relevance to students; belief in a multi-language approach to education (with an option for a
non-multiple language track); technology integration in teaching and learning; leadership development;
community service; tactile and project-based learning; a commitment to the expressive arts; physical
fitness; healthy lifestyles; comprehensive supports for special student populations; encouraging/
supporting parental engagement; providing the full range of extra-curricular programs for all students;
support for SAT, college readiness, and career preparation; summer programs; school climate

1
Including students returning from adult correctional institutions and juvenile placement
2
We believe providing this program in house will result in substantial savings and increased revenue to the
District.
5

improvements; data-driven instruction; and a strong emphasis on high quality and ongoing professional
development.

Values Approach and Leadership Team Accomplishments
ASPIRA, together with Camelot, believes that transformational change in education occurs through the
implementation of a comprehensive educational model that serves the needs of every student. Our
approach values each student and supports academic success buttressed by social and cultural
approaches. As students come first, we are committed to ensure they have the best school leaders,
teachers, curriculum, support staff, and school climate, along with the necessary resources for everyone
to succeed. We hold ourselves and our team to the highest standards of performance with high
accountability and within a data-driven culture, as we support our teams to ensure they can deliver
outstanding service to students within a positive, caring and respectful environment.

The leadership teams of both ASPIRA and Camelot have strong track records of leading our respective
organizations to significant accomplishments. Over the past 15 years, ASPIRA has assembled a team of
highly experienced and capable professionals that have propelled ASPIRA from a small community-
based, grassroots nonprofit into a multi-million dollar Charter Management Organization (CMO) that
currently serves over 4,200 students in 5 charter schools (including two Renaissance Schools and a
cyber-charter school) together with a Pre-K/Head Start program that has each produced dramatic
improvements in student learning.

In a similar fashion, since 2004, Camelots leadership team has built an organization that has grown to
serve school districts and other local education agencies with alternative programs in support of their
at-risk student populations. Based on its record of quality and alternative education programming,
Camelots leadership team has grown the organization from its initial base in Philadelphia to now
serving over 6,000 students in 33 separate programs across the country, including school districts in
Philadelphia, Lancaster, Reading, Camden, Chicago and Houston.

Why ASPIRA?
After reviewing the Districts RFP, analyzing relevant data, and understanding the key issues and goals as
described in the Districts Financial Recovery Plan, ASPIRA determined that it is well-positioned to
respond to this request for proposal. As our history and services mission focuses on improving
educational outcomes and opportunities for underperforming, minority, and low-income student
populations, similar to the Districts student population, we believe we are ideally prepared to well serve
the needs of YCSD.

Through its experience with the School District of Philadelphia Renaissance Initiative, ASPIRA brings a
proven track record that speaks favorably to the challenges and benefits of a new provider coming in to
execute transformational change. ASPIRA also strongly believes that it can demonstrate to parents
residing in the District that it can provide a superior product compared to what is now provided by
existing charter programs, reversing the rate of student transition to these programs. Finally, with
Camelot as partner, we can provide the District with a comprehensive, holistic solution that can serve all
District student populations, significantly negating the need for student placement in expensive, out-of-
district programs as is now the case for students needing a therapeutic day program.

The table below supports our contention that ASPIRA is a good choice to successfully address the
Districts turnaround goals. The table compares the two District K-8 schools we propose to manage
during 2015-2016 against relevant data from three elementary ASPIRA charter schools in Philadelphia
6

(including Stetson Middle School, an ASPIRA Renaissance School).
3
The data also compares William
Penn SHS to Olney Charter High School, ASPIRAs Renaissance School, which just completed its third year
under ASPIRA management.
3
As the table indicates, the schools serve substantially similar students.
However, as highlighted in the last row, significant variation exists (highlighted) relating to the PA
Department of Educations building-level School Performance Profile (SPP) academic score. We believe
the data support ASPIRAS contention that we are a good choice that can support the Districts key goals
as expressed in its Financial Recovery Plan.
Comparison of ASPIRA Charter Schools to Two YCSD Elementary Schools
Criteria Jackson McKinley Pantoja Hostos Stetson WP SHS Olney HS
Grades Served K-8 K-8 K-8 K-8 5-6 9-12 9-12
Enrollment 591 608 730 454 765 880 1660
% Low Income 84% 90.6% 92.3% 82.8% 92.0% 86.4% 83.0%
% SpEd 12.2% 15.1% 21.1% 19.2% 21.0% 22.0% 24.0%
% ELL 39.6% 21.1% 20.8% 14.1% 24.0% 15.2% 21.0%
Attendance 87.0%
4
87.0% 95.3% 95.8% 92.0% 87.0% 82.0%
State SPP Score 49.4 42.8 64.7 75.4 57.3 42.7 56.0

Key Supporters, Partners and Resources
ASPIRA has built an extensive network of long-standing relationships with community and business
partners as well as with local and state political leaders. The goal for York is to use the same outreach
approach to build a robust network of support. In meeting the goals of serving the needs of all students,
ASPIRA does not use out-of-school suspension because it strongly believes students with behavior
challenges are best served when they remain in the school environment where they can continue to
receive instruction as well as receive needed behavioral interventions. ASPIRA determined that it can
build capacity rapidly enough to serve all students with behavioral challenges and it sought out and
found the best partner which was Camelot; hence, our advantage in the field. Camelot has partnered
with ASPIRA for three years, and currently operates programs that serve students with behavioral
challenges as well as those that need to accelerate academic progress. Camelot also partners with
ASPIRA to deliver professional development to staff that ensures a positive school culture that is
conducive to learning.

ASPIRA and Camelot have already started outreach to some of Yorks community, business and political
leaders, and we will seek to expand this outreach further as we become aware of parties that are
interested in the educational success of the citys children. Throughout this RFP process, and beyond,
our belief is that it is important for all of Yorks stakeholders to get to know the values, character,
educational approach and track record of all the applicants to this RFP. To facilitate this, ASPIRA and
Camelot stand ready to arrange meetings in York as well as arrange visits to our schools in Philadelphia.
In terms of resources and capacity, ASPIRA currently operates a fully staffed central office that
provides support and services to over 4,200 students. Camelot is run by an executive team that has
successfully opened new operations in multiple cities. ASPIRA and Camelot would leverage, and add, to
existing capacities in order to execute the proposed turnaround in York.


3
Data obtained from the PA Department of Education website PA School Performance Profile (2012-2013)
4
District average was substituted for campus average because individual campus attendance was not reported.
7

ACADEMIC PLAN AND OVERVIEW

Mission and Vision
The mission of ASPIRAs transformation effort in York will be to promote excellence by providing all
students with an academically-enriched, culturally-relevant, curriculum in multiple languages, and to
infuse the curriculum with the social-historical experience of all students. The curriculum will provide all
students the skills and experiences necessary to empower them to develop a strong commitment to
social change within their community as well as to prepare them for postsecondary success.

ASPIRAs organizational mission is to empower the communities we serve through advocacy as well as
the education and leadership development of youth. ASPIRA also believes that its students come first
and that their best interests must inform strategy and the daily implementation of that strategy. Our
long-term, and laser-focused, commitment to our mission, along with our consistent track record of
success, gives us confidence that we can achieve our vision of successfully transforming YCSD. At the
core of our mission for students in YCSD will be the mission of ASPIRA itself: to bring unity and
empowerment to the community by challenging youth, parents, teachers and staff to serve that
community with respect, commitment and high expectations. In turn, this will ensure the successful
transformation of the community into an exemplary one that invites investment for the future.

Transformational Change
ASPIRA has direct experience with achieving transformational change in outcomes through the
geographic conversion of existing public schools to charter schools. ASPIRA has participated in two
rounds of the School District of Philadelphias Renaissance Schools Initiative whose goal was to achieve
the turnaround of the districts lowest-performing, and most dangerous neighborhood schools. ASPIRA
has achieved rapid and dramatic improvement in its Philadelphia Renaissance Schools (Stetson Charter
School and Olney Charter High School) and has been recognized by the district as being on track to
achieve the turnaround goals it originally set for these schools.

ASPIRA has also achieved outstanding results with its Eugenio Maria de Hostos (Hostos) and Antonia
Pantoja (Pantoja) charter schools. Our experience with Hostos and Pantoja allowed us to build the
expertise necessary to do turnaround work. Hostos was founded in 1998, and is a fully bilingual K-8
elementary school that serves 454 students with similar demographics to YCSD. By 2000 Hostos was
underperforming relative to our academic expectations. As a result, ASPIRA then changed school
leadership, hired seasoned staff, reviewed and upgraded the curriculum, and enhanced professional
development. Over the course of three years, these changes put Hostos on the path to its current high
level of academic performance.

In 2008, ASPIRA opened Pantoja with the same bilingual school model as Hostos. Today, Pantoja serves
730 students in grades K-8 with similar demographics to YCSD. Pantoja opened with full enrollment for
all nine grades, with little advertisement other than word of mouth. By its second year of operation,
Pantoja had achieved AYP, boasting some of the largest 5
th
grade math increases in the City of
Philadelphia.

The academic results for our elementary schools are shown in the following charts:
8




In addition, as indicated in the next chart, the year-over-year growth among student academic
performance on the PSSA has been strong. In particular, our academic turnaround and trends at Stetson
has been well above our state targets:


27%
47%
57%
51%
52%
63%
63%
58%
72%
75%
69% 74%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
PSSA - Math
2010-2013
Stetson Math Pantoja Math Hostos Math
24%
32%
36%
32%
45%
53%
57%
53%
55%
63%
69%
59%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
PSSA Reading
2010-2013
Stetson Reading Pantoja Reading Hostos Reading
9



Notably, Stetson has special education and ELL populations of 21% and 24% respectively and ASPIRAs
success with Stetson was achieved even though up to 75% of our entering 5
th
grade students came to us
at Basic and Below Basic PSSA proficiency levels.

ASPIRA has also achieved outstanding results with Olney Charter High School. Olney was the lowest-
performing, comprehensive, neighborhood high school in Philadelphia at the time ASPIRA assumed
management of the school. Olney was on the States Persistently Dangerous List. To improve school
climate and safety, ASPIRA implemented small learning communities, by grade, and enhanced supports
for special populations. Additionally, ASPIRA implemented a special school within a school program
for students with behavioral challenges. By the end of the second year, our efforts allowed Olney to be
removed from the States Persistently Dangerous List. As the table below demonstrates, we
transformed the school from being the lowest-performing neighborhood high school in Philadelphia into
the highest-performing, with considerably high parent engagement, attendance, postsecondary
readiness and acceptance, promotion rates and participation in extracurricular activities and sports.



21%
3%
16%
25%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2010-2013
Percent Growth in Academic Proficiency
All Students
Math % Growth Reading % Growth
50%
89%
Olney
Charter
56
Abraham Lincoln
44
Benjamin
Franklin
37
Frankford
38
Furness
47
Kensington
CAPA
38
Kensington
Culinary
36
Martin Luther
King, Jr.
38
Mastery Gratz
45
Overbrook
39
Roxborough
45
Samuel Fels
42
Strawberry
Mansion
34
Thomas Edison
52
Olney ranked 1
st
out of 14 Philadelphia Neighborhood High Schools
PDE School Performance Profile Scores - 2013
291%
2009-2012
Percent Growth in Academic Proficiency
SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS
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ASPIRAs History and Experience
ASPIRA was founded in 1969, with a belief that a focus on the education and leadership development of
our youth was the path to community development. We began our effort in Philadelphia with our
hallmark Leadership Development program, which for 45 years has provided character education and
leadership development opportunities for youth grades 5-12.

As the high school dropout rate in Philadelphia continued to rise, ASPIRA began to consider what more it
could do to help the Citys youth obtain a quality education. With the advent of the States new charter
law in the 1990s, ASPIRA determined that starting our own school was the most direct way that we
could raise outcomes for our youth. In 1998, we founded our first dual-language charter school,
Eugenio Maria de Hostos, which operated until 2008 as an independent school, when ASPIRA became a
Charter Management Organization (CMO) and took over school management. As a CMO, ASPIRA acts as
a full-fledged central office, providing oversight and support for academics, as well as direct
management of the human resources, nutrition, transportation, custodial, maintenance and safety
functions for our schools.

In 2005, we opened our Head Start program, Pequeos Pasos, and in 2008 we opened our second dual-
language charter school, Antonia Pantoja. In 2010, we founded our dual-language cyber school, and
also began our participation in The School District of Philadelphias Renaissance Initiative, when we were
awarded turnaround management of John B. Stetson Middle School. We assumed management of our
second Renaissance School in 2011 and led the turnaround of Olney High School.

In addition to the above programs, ASPIRA runs nine educational programs that support our mission
including:

Afterschool Programs serving students in grades K-12 that provide academic enrichment and
skill and personal development activities
In-School Training Institutes for middle school students that provide in-school lessons in
personal growth, adolescent development, building persistence and leadership
Male and Female Development Programs that address gender specific issues with students in
grades 4-12
Career Awareness and College Preparation Programs that help students in grades 6-12 and
their families prepare for post-high school pursuits, including SAT preparation, financial aid,
resume writing and mock interviews
21
st
Century Community Learning Centers that provide intensive supports to middle and high
school students and their families including, academic supports, enrichment activities and free
courses for parents
Career Explorations Summer Programs for high school students to explore careers and develop
necessary skills for workforce success
Summer Camps that offer elementary and middle school students constructive and enjoyable
summer experiences with their peers
Parenting Empowerment Programs that promote social and emotional development, effective
discipline and communication with children about difficult topics
Stakeholder Groups that we facilitate, which include parents, business, government agencies
and educators and focuses them on partnering to work on community initiatives such as child
safety, healthy lifestyles, domestic abuse and community clean-ups

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Camelots History and Experience
Camelot is a private, educational service provider that partners with school districts and other local
education agencies to provide targeted and effective programs for at-risk student populations. Founded
over 30 years ago as primarily a behavioral health company, today Camelot serves more than 6,000
students in 6 states through 36 programs that are generally summarized into three program types:

Transitional Programs, which are programs that serve students that need a temporary placement
resulting from a behavioral/discipline infraction. Students served by transitional programs have
typically been students that violate existing Code of Conduct provisions and, as a consequence, are
removed from a regular classroom for a specified period of time. The goal for these programs is to
(1) provide students with an appropriate educational program that keeps them on track for
promotion and graduation; and (2) to provide intensive behavioral modification and counseling to
prepare students to return to a regular classroom setting prepared for success.

Accelerated Programs, which are programs that target students identified as at risk of dropping
out. Students served by these programs are high school (primarily) and middle school students that
have been retained one or more grade levels, are not on track to graduate with their cohort (i.e. over
age and under-credentialed), and that will likely not graduate (or have dropped out of school)
without an intensive and strategically-focused accelerated program that provides them with a
realistic means to achieve their high school diploma.

Therapeutic Programs, which are programs that serve students with exceptional needs requiring a
small therapeutic environment to address their educational and social/emotional/behavioral
needs. These are students with significant emotional/behavioral needs, cognitive delays, and
students on the autism spectrum attend Camelots Therapeutic Day Schools. The overarching goal
for students that attend Camelots therapeutic programs is that they make progress on their
individual goals and objectives as stated in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Students have
behavior-intervention plans, treatment plans and/or safety plans tailored to their specific needs.

Camelot is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Western States
Association of Colleges and Schools.

Philosophical Approach to Education
Given our Mission and Vision, ASPIRA's approach to education is to provide every student the
opportunity to receive a high quality, fair and equitable education. ASPIRA endeavors to create an
environment where all students will understand and be continually motivated to reach their full
potential. As a community-based organization, we understand that education does not take place in a
vacuum, but rather requires the entire community to engage and participate in support of their
childrens educational experience. We encourage all of our students to understand the importance of
lifelong learning, to become productive citizens of the world, and to be committed to giving back to the
community.

Summary of Fundamental Features of the Model
ASPIRA developed its educational model from its experience with its first two charter schools. The
model employs an ASPIRA-developed curriculum, which is described in more detail in the Curriculum &
Instruction Design section below. Our curriculum is tailored to the needs of our students, and our goal is
to create a college-going culture and a teaching and learning environment that will enable our students
12

to reach their full potential. Our model is based on a continuous improvement process that relies on the
extensive use of data to track and measure student progress and to inform instructional plans and
strategies such as differentiated instruction. We also utilize data to inform professional development
(PD) for our teachers. Our PD model is known as ASPIRE (Acknowledging Superior Practice in Rigorous
Education). The ASPIRE Rubric is also the instructional tool used by principals and teacher coaches to
complete instructional observations and provide teacher feedback.

We purposefully design and structure our schools to provide comprehensive supports for our students
with special needs. Each ASPIRA school will have additional Special Education and ELL teachers for both
push-in and pull-out instruction with individual and small groups of students. We also utilize a team
teaching approach (classroom teacher with Special Education/ELL teacher) for our push-in model. To
ensure that we can proactively support the success of all our students, each ASPIRA school has its own
psychologist, nurse, speech therapist, counselor and social worker. In addition, a key feature of our
model is the school-wide use of a fair and consistent behavior management system that we deliver in a
positive and caring environment.

In addition to the regular school programs that ASPIRA will manage, Camelot will partner with ASPIRA to
operate (1) a middle school accelerated program; (2) a high school accelerated program; (3) a
transitional program for students with behavioral challenges; and (4) a therapeutic day program, which
targets students currently in out-of district placement where their IEPs require a separate educational
(therapeutic) placement.

ASPIRAs model includes a focus on providing a rich overall school experience for our students so our
model includes a wide array of extra-curricular activities. We believe that learning does not happen only
in the classroom so we integrate athletics, extracurricular activities, and after school programs into the
instructional design of our schools. We believe that afterschool programming promotes the general
well-being of youth. From a full range of sports to both academic and non-academic clubs, our menu of
extra-curricular activities is extensive and provides the opportunity for every student to engage in an
area of interest. Examples of extra-curricular offerings at our schools include:
Robotics
Debate team
Culinary
Athletic teams
Drama club
Credit recovery
Campus newspaper
Photography club
Cultural dance club
School band/drum line
Choir
Literacy club
Dual language club
ASPIRA Leadership Club
These extra-curricular activities provide reinforcement and enhancement of the basic skills, as well as
enrichment.

Our plan is to support the academic and social success of YCPD students by working tirelessly to earn the
trust of their parents and engaging them fully as partners in the academic achievement of their children.
Our belief is that we must support the families and neighborhoods to fully nurture and direct student
growth and achievement. Our model includes the development of an active Home and School
Association as well as many opportunities for parents to be involved at the school including: monthly
parent workshops, parent-led school advisory councils and parent/teacher progress conferences at each
quarter. We also will offer Parenting, GED Preparation and Computer Basics classes for parents of all
ASPIRA students.
13


In summary, our model is designed to support our students by increasing their vision of what they
should and can become. We reinforce student understanding that todays economy requires a
commitment to lifelong learning and that postsecondary education is not an option for success but
rather a requirement. We continually search out partnerships with postsecondary institutions that will
provide natural and seamless points of transition for our students so that they may further their
education and skills.



14

GOAL AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT EXPECTATIONS

Goals
ASPIRA acknowledges and fully supports the transformational intent of expected SPP growth shown in
the RFP table entitled, School District of the City of York 3 Year Performance Expectations (page 22 of
the RFP). Given ASPIRAs planned three-year phase of the management of YCSD schools, it is difficult at
this time to set specific targets for SPP for individual schools. Notwithstanding, we are fully committed
to having specific SPP targets for growth (over time), by school, as a significant measure of successful
academic performance. Our expectation is that ASPIRA, if selected, would negotiate specific SPP growth
targets with the District. Given ASPIRAs phased-in approach, the final negotiated targets for each
school may require a side letter to the agreement that sets specific targets for each school in the year
prior to our management of the schools.

In addition, to ensure we meet the ultimate SPP targets negotiated with YCSD, ASPIRA will use a series
of internal goals to monitor and manage our progress toward improvement in student performance.
Our data-driven approach includes goal setting and monitoring in the following areas:
Academic
Percentage of students making adequate progress on annual pre- and post-test assessments
Percent of students proficient as measured by PSSA/Keystone (for all students and by subgroup)
Promotion rates, including metrics for students on-track
Graduation rates (i.e. four-year cohort graduation rate) and college readiness
SATs
o Percentage taking SAT increases over time
o Improvement on SAT scores (average) over time
Postsecondary Acceptance and retention
AP/IB/Dual enrollment offerings
Increase in postsecondary scholarships
Safety and Healthy School Climate
Suspensions/Expulsions
Serious Incidents
Lowering of behavioral referrals across multiple behavioral metrics
Attendance and Tardiness
Dropouts/Retention
Reductions across the board for all students and by student subgroups
Parent Engagement and Satisfaction
Strengthening parent participation
Increased parent outreach
More positive parent satisfaction ratings
Increase in volunteerism

15

Community Outreach and Engagement
Special events for local community involvement
Increase in parent/community participation in events
Community engagement in school functions, activities and sponsorship (academic as well as
athletic)
Awards and incentives for community participation
Community service engagement of students

Goals -- Reduction in Loss of Students Leaving the District and Enrolling in Charter Schools
ASPIRA also believes that, given the critical nature of reducing and reversing the trend of YCSD students
enrolling in local charter schools, performance metrics should be developed with the objective of
showing a reduction and reversal of projected trends, specifically as related to:
Reducing and reversing the annual percentage of students projected to leave District schools
and enroll in charter schools; and
Reducing and reversing the percentage of the Districts budget dedicated to charter school
payments.

Beyond reporting outcome data at each Board meeting, ASPIRA will publish an annual report at the end
of each school year, as well as progress updates throughout the school year. All student data is stored in
ASPIRAs student information system (SIS), and is used by teachers and school leadership to monitor and
reported to the Board and all stakeholders in a published annual report.

Assessment to Ensure Student Progress
ASPIRA uses the following assessment and processes to ensure our students are making progress:
GRADE, GMADE, and teacher developed formative assessments
RtI process to track and monitor student progress toward goals
Monthly school board meetings executive director and principal will report progress of
students at each meeting
Bimonthly strategic review sessions by school, led by the Executive Director, to review the
quality of execution of each schools School Improvement Plan

16

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Instructional Strategies
ASPIRAs instructional strategies are researched-based best practices for instructional delivery. These
are fully aligned to the States common core curriculum. ASPIRAs instructional strategies are tailored to
the needs of students whose demographics are similar to YCSDs student population. ASPIRAs
strategies complement and facilitate differentiated instruction for classes containing students with
varying ability levels and include: (1) collaborative group work, (2) writing to learn, (3) literacy groups,
(4) questions that utilize higher-order thinking skills, (5) scaffolding, and (6) class interaction and student
dialogue.

Collaborative Group Work
ASPIRA utilizes collaborative group work to bring small groups of students together to engage in
learning, with each student accountable for his or her contribution. Activities are designed so that
students with diverse skill levels are both supported and challenged by their peers.

Writing to Learn
ASPIRA utilizes writing to help students, including English Language learners (ELLs), develop their
ideas, enhance critical thinking and expand fluency of expression in all subjects. Students
experiment with the written language in every class each day.

Literacy Groups
ASPIRA utilizes literacy groups to provide students with a supportive structure for assessing
challenging texts and engaging in high-level discourse. Using roles that have an explicit purpose,
students deconstruct texts and scaffold one anothers learning.

Questioning
ASPIRA utilizes questioning to challenge students, allowing teachers to use probing questions to
foster deeper thinking, create more purposeful conversations and stimulate intellectual inquiry. The
use of Blooms Taxonomy prompts students to think more critically, assess more widely and to make
personal connections in their learning.

Scaffolding
ASPIRA utilizes scaffolding to encompass a broad range of techniques that help students utilize prior
experiences to better connect with new and challenging concepts. Scaffolding promotes a positive
learning experience for students because it emphasizes students existing knowledge and the zone
of proximal learning distance (ZPD). Examples of these techniques include pre-reading activities and
the use of graphic organizers.

Classroom Talk
ASPIRA utilizes classroom talk to encourage all students to develop their thinking, listening and
speaking skills as it also promotes active learning. Classroom talk takes place in pairs, groups and
with whole classes. This strategy also helps support the learning and language development of ELL
students. This is further reinforced by the creation of active dialogues among groups of students
and between students and teacher, especially in a co-teaching environment.

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To serve our special student populations, ASPIRA also uses a co-teaching approach (classroom teacher
with Special Education/ELL teacher) for the push-in model. Additionally, ASPIRA employs a pull-out
model for individual students and small groups to focus instruction on specific skill needs. Our
philosophy is that all students should participate to the greatest extent possible in a rigorous
educational program that will enhance their ability to reach their full potential. In addition, providing
students with a variety of instructional strategies helps to engage them and complements their
individual learning styles.

Curricular Resources
All ASPIRA curriculum materials are fully aligned with the Pennsylvania Common Core Standards in their
particular areas. These materials have been chosen because they support extensive technology
integration consistent with the model of our schools, and because they have support for Spanish-
speaking students. The curriculum offers a full Spanish language program starting in Kindergarten.
These are the same materials that we have successfully used in our other schools. The materials chosen
for the schools fully support the schools bilingual, bicognitive and multicultural approach to student
learning that is at the heart of our schools missions.

ASPIRA provides its teachers with a full range of curricular resources that align with Pennsylvania
Common Core, our curriculum resources and student learning goals. ASPIRA uses well-recognized
curricula publishers, including Harcourt, Santillana, Horizon, and Pearson/Prentice Hall. For
remediation, ASPIRA also uses online resources such as APEX, Study Island and PLATO. Examples of
curriculum resources, by grade, are shown in Appendix 1.

ASPIRA, in conjunction with the school leadership teams, will evaluate the curricular resources presently
being used by in YCSD to make decisions about which resources are needed to enhance student
achievement.

ASPIRA also provides its teachers with scope and sequence documents that align with the Pennsylvania
Common Core and our curriculum resources and student learning goals. Examples of typical scope and
sequence documents are shown in Appendix 1.

Identifying Student Needs, Including English Language Learners (ELLs) and Special Education (SpEd)
Students

Identifying and Supporting Special Education Students
ASPIRA schools currently have 23% of the student body identified as requiring some type of special
education support service which mirrors the percentage and population found in the YCSD school
system. We understand that early and ongoing identification of students with diverse learning and
behavioral needs is of the highest priority in effectively making progress across a student body.

We have met the challenge of addressing the needs of special education students in two ways. First,
new students entering our elementary schools receive universal screening. Developmental tests like
Bracken and Denver are administered in Kindergarten. New students also undergo universal speech and
language screening. For incoming 5
th
and 9
th
grade students, the GMADE and GRADE are administered
to diagnose baseline reading and math levels and determine if support or evaluation is needed to
support struggling students.

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Secondly, we use an extensive and comprehensive Response to Intervention (RtI) framework in every
grade. Our RtI model has been effective in identifying students that have needs that develop over
several grades or that become apparent as academic or where behavioral expectations become
increasingly rigorous. Using RtI, we have been able to identify students with significant needs in areas
including cognitive delays, emotional disturbance, learning disabilities, and speech and occupational
therapy needs.

To effectively implement our special education model, a significant increase in support staff is required
at each school, including school psychologists, speech and language pathologists, occupational
therapists, counselors, and social workers. Where necessary to support the needs of non-English
speaking populations, these staff would be bilingual. This additional support staff has proven invaluable
in implementing the behavioral and familial supports needed by our students.

Special Education services for High Incidence Disabilities (SLD, OHI, ED, SLI) are delivered in a number of
formats across the ASPIRA schools. The three primary service models are co-teaching (classroom
teacher with Special Education teacher), pull- out resource room support, and push-in small group
classroom support. Our co-teaching model has been important to the success of special education
students on both state standardized tests and IEP goals progress. We have found success with the co-
teaching model because students are instructed whenever possible with their grade level peers and on
the same material that will be presented on the Keystone and PSSA examinations.

It is important to note that students across ASPIRA are educated in the least restrictive environment,
including students in the Low-Incidence programming (Life Skills programming/Autistic support). Due to
inclusion and diversity of experience being a top priority and because we feel that students with
disabilities benefit significantly from exposure to a variety of curricula, no student in ASPIRA's schools is
in full-time special-education placement. Special education students receive both pull-out and push-in
support. Pull-out support focuses on individual or small student group needs and focuses on self-
regulation, progress monitoring, behavior, attendance, transition planning and remediation of identified
areas. Push-in support is a co-teaching model, where our special education teachers pair with grade-
level or content-area teachers to adapt lessons for individual student needs.
Identifying and Supporting English Language Learners
ASPIRA differentiates its ELL programming based on the ELP (English Language Proficiency) levels of our
ELL students. The ELL ACCESS test is administered annually in February to all qualified ELL students to
assess their language levels. Based on these results, students are placed in the appropriate ELL level.
For ELL students with disabilities, where participation in the ELL program is not appropriate, the ELL
Teacher/Coordinator meets with the Special Education Coordinator/Case manager on a regular basis to
determine needs, develop programming and monitor progress.

The Sheltered-English Instruction Protocol is used for students in grades 9-12. Students are scheduled,
based on their proficiency level, in English classes for ELL1, ELL2, or ELL3. On the other hand, ELL4
students are scheduled in an English Transition class. ELL students who are functioning at lower reading
levels are scheduled in ELL Reading, English Enrichment and ELL Writing classes. Our ELL classes for
other content areas are co-taught, and ELL teachers pair with Math, Science or Social Studies teachers to
adapt lessons to individual student needs. Content area classes are also taught by bilingual teachers.

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Plan to Remediate Academic Underperformance
Evidence-based interventions and curricula for underperforming students are used across the
schools and include:
Read 180, which is a supplemental level literacy support is used in grades 2-12;
Saxon Math, which is a supplemental level mathematics support is used in grades 3-12;
Corrective Reading and Corrective Math, as well as Touch Math are used in K-3;
The PEACE curriculum for Emotional Support students, used in grades 5-12, focuses on
integration of emotional regulation and sound decision-making skills into daily life;
The Brigance and Transition Planning Inventory are used for Life Skills and Autistic Support
students to set goals and monitor progress; and
The STAR and ARISE curricula are used in the Autistic Support and Life Skills students to set goals
and monitor progress using AIMSWEB.
Student progress is monitored weekly by teachers, and tracked by school leadership, using our student
information and reporting systems. During parent-teacher conferences, student academic and
behavioral data is discussed and parents are provided with suggestions for how they can also support
their childs needs.

Plan to Meet the Needs of Intellectually Gifted Students
Teachers or parents may request an evaluation of students to determine if they meet the standards for
Intellectually Gifted Students. Students that are identified as gifted, based on the results of a
comprehensive evaluation, receive specialized services that promote the development of outstanding
abilities. Teachers differentiate the curriculum to encourage continued growth of students exhibiting
higher levels of general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking,
leadership ability or visual/performing arts. Curriculum modification may take the form of enriched
content areas of instruction or adapted scheduling that provides extracurricular and/or community-
based opportunities to enhance elevated skills.

Policies Regarding Student Advancement
ASPIRA has board-approved promotion, retention and graduation policies that are available in Appendix
1. Our goal is to ensure that all students have a successful school experience. As previously mentioned,
we use the RtI model to provide struggling students with the necessary supports to stay on track for
promotion and graduation.

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SUPPORT FOR LEARNING

Key Components and Activities of Planning Year (2014-2015)
ASPIRA intends to use school year 2014-2015 as an opportunity to become familiar with the YCSD
community as well as a time to host forums that will better inform us of past history, ongoing concerns,
and provide helpful insights on pressing academic and social needs of the local communities the schools
are serving. Our Planning Year will include the following activities as part of our process of gathering
data and receiving input:
(1) Listening and Learning Tours with the York community that will include meetings with parents,
students, key stakeholders, and local government and community leaders. This will inform
and enhance our planning process throughout the year and build open and productive
relationships.
(2) We will facilitate tours at our current ASPIRA and Camelot program sites for parents, students,
and others to provide them with an opportunity to review and acquaint themselves with our
various programs, ask needed questions and feel comfortable with our objectives and method
of operation. Our goal is to ensure an inclusive, collaborative, and empowering process.
(3) We will conduct thorough assessment of YCSD schools to better understand current processes
and be able to add value to these, rather than merely reinvent.
(4) As an adjunct to the above evaluation process, we will be examining all aspects of the YCSD
plants and buildings to plan and make necessary modifications and improvements that will
ensure building safety, compliance and environmental safeguards. Buildings will also be
evaluated with emphasis on appropriate space allocation for special classrooms, labs,
resource rooms, needed furniture and equipment that will support our educational model.
(5) We will learn more about Yorks community history, makeup, culture, demographic trends,
and future development plans, among other areas of learning so as to well acquaint ourselves
with the city and what makes it work.
(6) With this information, we will be prepared to develop a comprehensive transformation plan
that is informed by a thorough analysis of each schools performance history, and a solid
understanding of the values and goals of the York community.
(7) We will hire a strong school leadership team that will undergo extensive training for a period
of six-eight weeks (during the 2014-2015 school year) at existing ASPIRA and Camelot schools
to ensure that school leaders at each of the schools have direct knowledge of how our
educational model works and how it can best be implemented for York.
(8) We will hire all Kindergarten and first grade teachers for Jackson and McKinley elementary
schools who will undergo training at existing ASPIRA and Camelot schools (during the 2014-
2015 school year) to ensure each school can begin the phase-in of our dual-language model
with direct knowledge of how this model is implemented..
(9) Throughout this process, we will interview, screen and select highly-talented team members
and provide them with the comprehensive knowledge and support needed to adequately
deliver the ASPIRA educational model with a high level of fidelity, excellence and continued
accountability.
(10) We will establish campus resource teams that will include School Advisory Council members,
supportive parents and volunteers to receive critical feedback throughout our planning
process.
(11) We will also negotiate a charter management agreement with YCSD that fully aligns with the
aims of this RFP and our transformation plan.

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School Organization and Culture
As we strongly believe that a positive school culture is the foundation of a successful school, the climate
of each school will be driven by the schools core valueshonesty, respect, integrity, citizenship, pursuit
of excellence and cooperation. Our school culture will be supported by the following principles:
Exemplary Climate:
Providing a clean and organized environment where students, teachers and staff feel
comfortable, safe and accepted;
Ensuring consistent application of the schools positive behavioral and academic norms through
training for students and parents, and modeling and reinforcement by teachers and staff;
Promoting open communication between parents, staff and students that encourages a sense
of teamwork, collaboration and full cooperation among all stakeholders through organized
activities that allow stakeholders to engage in thoughtful and ongoing communication such as
trainings on effectively communicating with one another, Advisory Groups for each class, and
regular parent meetings with a schools leadership team and teachers;
Creating an incentive-based student behavior monitoring system that staff and students will use
weekly to gauge, reward and redirect students in meeting individual goals to achieve high
levels of academic, behavior, and attendance goals;
Acknowledging and celebrating the learning and leadership achievements of students and staff
on a regular basis (e.g. at morning meetings and via school media/communications networks);
Developing a multilingual community through culturally-relevant academic and extracurricular
activities that regularly celebrate the cultural heritages of the student body and staff; and
Developing a bilingual school newspaper, as appropriate, that is shared with the parents and
the community highlighting and celebrating student achievement, including the recognition of
exemplary contributions that reinforce and incentivize school norms, core values and academic
performance.
Exemplary Staff:
Focusing on increased student achievement and instructional methods that reflect current
research and most effective instructional practices;
Supporting the school's mission, vision, values and goals in attitude and action;
Emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning through commitment to ongoing professional
enrichment and growth;
Working to create conditions and opportunities that promote student success within and
outside of the school walls;
Encouraging colleagues and students to continually support and expand an atmosphere of
unity, collegiality, support and respect;
Modeling professionalism through personal integrity, commitment and ethical behavior; and
Collaborating with colleagues to improve student learning (instructional strategies, methods
and assessments).
Exemplary Academic Achievement:
The curriculum promotes intellectual curiosity and creative thinking by incorporating technology
and multimedia as a resource for learning.
The curriculum is meaningful and challenging and promotes high levels of achievement.
The curriculum is culturally enriched and also consists of measurable academic standards that
are aligned with major instructional goals.
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The curriculum is project-based and emphasizes students being able to solve problems
individually and collectively.
Teaching and its assessments are aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and are
used to guide all phases of instruction.
The curriculum promotes academic excellence whereby students graduate being bilingual, with
high academic proficiency and with strong college readiness skills.
Exemplary Students:
Ensure that the schools entire staff consistently use the schools core values and behavior
norms to help students learn to accept responsibility for their learning and adhere to school
norms, with the goal of helping peers understand that positive actions will help them become
successful scholars and leaders.
Help students develop challenging goals by providing individualized resources, supports and
consistent encouragement to enable them to gain comfort that, when they give their best
effort, they will progress toward higher achievement and behave toward peers and teachers in a
manner consistent with the schools core values good character (considerate, respectful,
responsible and committed) and good will.
Encourage each other in an atmosphere of mutual support.
Be excited about learning and tackling the world with a positive will and attitude not to give up
while also contributing to community well-being.
Exemplary Parents and Community Engagement and Support:
The school will engage with parents and community partners to ensure that play an active role in the
education and character development of their children. It is expected that exemplary parents and key
community influencers will:
Form partnerships with teachers to reinforce and support the importance of education.
Help monitor student academic progress by attending report card conferences, ensure that
homework is completed and by bringing students to school on a timely, daily basis.
Are involved with the school by volunteering their time, service and overall contribution.
Are supportive of the school's vision, goals, values and mission.

ASPIRA is mission-driven, meaning that its programs are driven by grassroots and community needs,
particularly as these relate to improving the academic engagement and achievement of students. As we
listen and learn from the York community, we will build a culture at the school that responds to the
needs of its students, families and neighbors. ASPIRA will also work with the community to develop
strategies that will connect students and families to schools and academic and leadership programs such
as truancy prevention programs that help identify specific family support needs that increase student
attendance and minimize truancy. All of our programs are designed and implemented with community
members as partners, as we use our School Advisory Councils, among other strategies, in outreach to
ensure each school builds strong and productive parent-community partnerships.

Leadership Development and Planning
Research on school leadership indicates that this is the single most important criteria to ensure school
success. This dimension cannot be overestimated. The school principal is the person that ensures
identification of the right people on the bus. ASPIRA has a strong record of identifying, supporting and
promoting highly effective school leaders. While various approaches to school leadership are in vogue,
ASPIRA strongly believes in an instructional leader as principal to guide the process, with a strong fiscal
23

person working alongside as business manager, whether as COO at the school or as assistant principal or
by whatever other designation.

At York, a similar process will be utilized with the addition of Camelot that will assist with the behavioral
component so greatly needed in a turnaround school, where the need for re-establishing culture and
climate is fundamental for the maintenance of discipline and order at the school. Together, these
elements form the foundation of a strong leadership team.

ASPIRA leaders require teachers to use classroom assessments as a tool to inform about teaching to the
standards and to inform students of their academic growth. As these are aligned, they are also
reinforced by the use of sound pedagogical skills and classroom management techniques. As part of this
balance, teachers will be supported and coached by instructional coaches (ICs) dedicated to ensure that
all instruction adheres to the state standards, utilizes curriculum maps adequately and knows how to
develop meaningful lessons plans. Rubrics have been designed for these. In addition, a classroom
checklist has been designed for teachers to follow as they think about their upcoming teacher
assessment (e.g. Danielsons rubric). In addition, each content subject area will have a lead teacher (LT)
that will direct the subject team and will meet weekly. This team will work closely with the Deans,
guidance counselors, ELL, special education, and afterschool coordinators.

There will be daily common planning time where teachers prepare lessons plans. In addition, teachers
will work in collaborative groups on a weekly basis, where they are informed by student data. These
sessions will be guided by the ICs and LTs. Also, teachers will receive professional development that is
informed by student data. The professional development is teacher-driven and supported by school
leadership. To ensure the effectiveness of our professional development, teachers will complete a
professional development satisfaction survey and student progress will be monitored by school
leadership.

Teachers will be required to use grade books that reflect homework completion, weekly test grades,
student participation, student attendance and any other information that the grade group (guided by
LTs and ICs) has decided to collect. These grade books are collected and reviewed periodically by the
school leadership. This is to ensure students are achieving academic progress as delineated in their
lessons planning. Accordingly, school leaders will conduct informal classroom observations and hold
periodic conferences with teachers to provide feedback on progress at least three times per year.

At the end of each report period, report cards are analyzed and conferences held with each teacher to
assess the effectiveness of daily teaching. Various assessment results are also analyzed by the
instructional leadership team and reviewed with staff to guide instructional planning throughout the
process. There will be pre and post-assessments at the beginning and end of each semester,
independent of the yearly PSSA or Keystone proficiency tests.

ASPIRA identifies staff leaders as well as student leaders. These individuals are recommended for our
Leadership Institutes. Additionally, ASPIRA encourages staff members to enroll in advance degree
programs at the local universities. ASPIRA provides tuition reimbursement and has a partnership with La
Salle University where the university has dedicated education classes for ASPIRA teachers. ASPIRA
would work to replicate this leadership program at York.

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Acculturating Students that enter Schools Mid-Year
Newly entering students will meet with counselors when they enroll and immediately become part of an
Advisory Group that will support their understanding of school norms and reinforce expectations. New
students will meet with student leaders that are exemplars of the schools culture. They will also be
guided by these new friends about expectations, sanctions and behavioral norms. New students will
also undertake pre-assessments and participate in orientation days, where they meet with other
student leaders and participate in peer-led activities.

Once it is determined which class(es) the student will be assigned, a student leader from his or her new
class will be assigned as an ambassador for the week. This ambassador will be responsible for helping
the new student get to know his or her peers as well as learn how to interpret and apply schools norms
in practice. Additionally, through regular school assemblies, new students will get help with questions
they may have about student comportment, other regulations and the typical life issues that they will
face day-to-day at school.

Grievance Policy for Parents and Families
If a parent has a grievance or a school concern, they have the right to put their grievance in writing or
call the school principal. If the concern is not satisfied at the school level, ASPIRAs process provides for
a parental appeal through a formal process that progresses from the school level to the Chief Academic
Officer (CAO) all the way to the Charter School Board. This provides ample opportunity for the parent to
express their grievance and be heard. It is important at ASPIRA that parent grievances are carefully
attended, as parents are the glue that makes the school work well for the benefit of all, most especially
the student.

Safety, Order & Discipline
ASPIRA will adopt a comprehensive Student Code of Conduct for all YCSD schools. This will be
developed with input from parents, teachers and interested community member representatives.
ASPIRA will review the Code of Conduct with parents and students during student orientation, back-to-
school nights, open houses, and other forums. The Code of Conduct will ensure the safety and security
of all students and staff, and will always be strictly enforced by school staff.

ASPIRA schools also have full-time safety personnel that monitor student and visitor entrances and exits
from the building, and that function as mentors with individual students to create mutual respect
between safety staff, students and parents. ASPIRAs focus on safety is driven by the knowledge that, in
schools with poor climates for learning, teachers spend inordinate amounts of time in classroom
management at the expense of instruction. ASPIRAs experience has demonstrated that its approach in
locating cameras strategically throughout its buildings and grounds is essential to changing to the
enforcement of rules and in changing the school climate and accelerating turnaround efforts.

In addition, we have developed a consistent process for responding to any issues identified on the use of
our camera system. This process is informed by behavioral norms, and has quickly led to improved
safety for students and staff as well as climates conducive to learning. This process has been effective at
both Renaissance Schools and quickly led to both schools being removed from the State Persistently
Dangerous List. We have found it to be a very effective method of accountability and apprehension.

As this proposal describes, part of ASPIRAs rational for partnering with Camelot is based on their
expertise in producing safe and positive school climates. Camelot will provide a temporary in-school
placement option for students whose behavior significantly interferes with students ability to learn and
25

teachers ability to teach. Through these programs, students removed from the regular classroom will
continue to receive instruction to ensure they stay on track for promotion and graduation, and replaces
out-of-school suspensions.

As part of our partnership initiative with parents, ASPIRA will communicate with all parents through
phone calls, emails and special alerts regarding both positive and negative student behaviors and
academic progress. Parent meetings and conferences will also be held during the day and in the evening
in cases where parent responsibility interferes with their ability to meet during regular school hours.
We expect to have active Parent Associations, with an elected Association president that will serve as
liaison between school and community.

Disciplinary Guidelines for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities (except those in MR category 1) can be suspended for a maximum to 10
consecutive days, or 15 cumulative school days within one school year without providing special
education procedural safeguards. In cases of expulsion or suspension in excess of 15 cumulative school
days, written notice of an IEP meeting must be sent to the parent/guardian or surrogate parent within
24 hours. The IEP team is required to:
1. Meet with parents to review evaluative and diagnostic results, consider information from the
parent/guardian, share observations of the student and the students IEP, and complete a
Manifestation Determination to ensure that the conduct was not related to the students
disability. Misconduct will NOT be considered a manifestation of the students disability if:
a. The current IEP was deemed appropriate and implemented properly; or
b. The disability does not impede the students ability to understand and control their
behavior.
2. Review and revise, where necessary, the current Behavioral Intervention Plan or conduct a
Functional Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Strategy to address the misconduct.
3. Determine appropriateness of an interim alternative educational setting, and if appropriate,
revise the IEP to include services and modifications that enable the student to continue with
the general curriculum program and correct the behavior so that it will not recur.
4. Issue a NOREP (Notice of Recommendation of Educational Placement) containing the results of
the Manifestation Determination.

If the students behavior is not determined to be a manifestation of the disability, the Code of
Conduct will apply, with all due consideration given to the students special education and
disciplinary records. At no time may the student be suspended for more than five or ten (10)
consecutive days, or fifteen (15) cumulative school days within a school year without providing
appropriate educational services.

If the students behavior is found to be a manifestation of the disability, the students placement may be
changed to an appropriate interim educational setting if their misconduct involves possession of a
weapon at school or a school function; possession, use or the sale of illegal drugs; or the solicitation of
sale of a controlled substance while at school or a school function. If the parent requests a Due Process
Hearing, alternative placement shall be limited to 45 days. The Principal may request an expedited
hearing and ask the Hearing Officer to order a 45-day interim placement if they determine that the
student is likely to cause injury to himself/herself or others. Students with disabilities, even if expelled,
are entitled to Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE).

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Structure of the School Day and School Year
In turning around a school, ASPIRA has found that students performing below grade level need more
time on task to remediate their academic deficiencies. In addition, staff needs appropriate time to plan
and support students. Given these needs, ASPIRA will provide a longer school day for students and staff
than currently provided at YCSD schools. The following subsections provide details on how this
additional time is used:

Longer School Day
The school day will be from 7:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for teachers and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm for students.
For additional academic support, extended hours will provide:
Afterschool programming offered daily until 6 p.m. for further academic enrichment;
Extended Day services offered to Special Education students needing additional support,
according to the IEP mandates; and
A Spring Credit Recovery Program for high school students from February through May, with
two different six-week cohorts available, both for 90 minutes a day, two days per week.

Longer School Year
Our proposed schools in York will operate 186 days (versus the typical 180 days per year), with
additional supplemental operational days, including:
Thirty Saturdays from October to May: Saturday School for K-12 struggling students and ELL
students;
Six weeks in July and August: A Summer Credit Recovery Program for high school students
looking toward graduation;
Extended School Year for Special Education Students, with summer supports provided according
to IEP mandates; and
Two weeks in August to provide rigorous professional development prior to the beginning of
school to prepare staff for the upcoming school year.
Example of Annual Calendar
2014-2015
August 18-29 Professional Development Schools Closed, Staff Only
September 1 Holiday Labor Day Schools Closed
September 2 Professional Day for Staff Schools Closed
September 3 First Day of School for Students in Grades 1-12
September 4 First Day of School for Kindergarten Girls
September 5 First Day of School for Kindergarten Boys
October 10 Professional Day Schools Closed, Staff Only
November 11 Holiday Veterans Day Schools Closed
November 19*-
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Early Release Day for HS Parent Conferences Students dismissed at 12pm
November 26 Early Release Prior to Thanksgiving Holiday
Students dismissed at
12pm/2:00pm Staff
November 27-28 Holiday Thanksgiving Schools Closed
December 10-12 Early Release Day K-8 for Parent Conferences Students dismissed at 12pm
December 23 Early Release Prior to Winter Break
Students dismissed at
12pm/2:00pm Staff
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2014-2015
December 24-31 Winter Break Schools Closed
January 1-2 Holiday New Years Day/Winter Break Schools Closed
January 19 Holiday Martin Luther King Day Schools Closed
February 4*-6 Early Release Day for HS Parent Conferences Students dismissed at 12pm
February 13 Professional Day Schools Closed
February 16 Holiday Presidents Day Schools Closed
March 27 Early Release Prior to Spring Break
Students dismissed at
12pm/2:00pm Staff
March 30- April 3 Spring Break Schools Closed
April 13-May 1 PSSA Dates
April 22-24 Early Release Day for HS Parent Conferences Students dismissed at 12pm
April 22-24 Early Release Day K-8 for Parent Conferences Students dismissed at 12pm
May 25 Holiday Memorial Day Schools Closed
June 24 Last Day of School
June 25 Professional Day for Staff/Last Day for Staff

Students will receive 120 minutes a day of Language Arts instruction, 90 minutes a day of Math
instruction, 45 minutes twice a week of Science instruction, 45 minutes twice a week of Social Studies
instruction, with other time dedicated to specialty classes.

The calendars and schedules proposed here will aid in the turnaround of YCSD schools and lead to
dramatic improvements in student achievement, as they provide:
Additional classroom time/extended school day to accelerate student achievement,
particularly in Math and English/Language Arts.
Time is provided before the school year starts and during the school year for new teacher
induction and professional development.
Afterschool time for assisting struggling students and ELL students with boosting their skills
in academic subjects and in preparing for PSSA tests.
Extended Day and School Year services and supports for Special Education students.

Leveraging Education Technology
ASPIRA curriculum and instructional strategies provide students with the technological expertise to
assist them with completion of well-researched projects and with problem-solving, by learning to
access primary sources of information worldwide. We maintain the curriculum on the Ed Insight
academic framework that can be configured to support multiple schools across multiple districts. This
system manages the district curriculum across K-12, the associated scope and sequence and lesson
planning modules.

This system is also integrated with the CaseNEX/Data-Cation student management systemone of the
most advanced nationwidethat ASPIRA has found to be highly valuable and as an inexpensive
alternative to PowerSchool for the management of student records, reporting procedures and data-
driven decision-making. ASPIRA will be a national demonstration site for the CaseNEX bilingual
platform, as the first in the country.

While there are many advantages here, several should be highlighted. For example, the program
28

allows ASPIRA to be fully tailored to its needs and its dashboard accordingly designedwhether for
teacher or administratornot the other way around. Also, the program is very user friendly,
providing teachers and administrators with a simple format to learn and adapt, with parents also
learning quickly. The program also rests on a fully, multilingual platform, where entry instructions are
in both Spanish and English and where written communication with parents appears in multiple
languages, including 18 languages currently represented among our schools in Philadelphia.

As a management system, it has a rather sophisticated student information system that integrates
student data at the classroom, school and school district levels, thus generating reports that are
helpful to principals by any list of categories and variables desired. This facilitates reporting back to
the CMO, the District or the State of Pennsylvania with live data a rapid manner, within minutes.

The system also comes with a battery of tests that can be used as pre/post assessment for students,
by grade and subject matter (K-12). These also track student learning for each of the CCSS standards
required by NCLB and the State of Pennsylvania for any course and for any grade level. These
materials (e.g. item questions, by standard) are also available in Spanish, either spoken or written, as
pre-designed by the system.

Teacher performance assessment is made easily through the system, where the teacher can check
personal improvement against pre-established statewide standards, using classroom observation
ratings, among other metrics.

Further, the program is also highly secure, with different levels of access and with major safeguards
for the protection of personally-identifiable information. For research and evaluation, it is also most
helpful in the assessment of program impact for special intervention and afterschool programs.

Finally, the system interfaces with push alert apps that are downloadable at no cost onto
smartphones (e.g. iPhones or Droids) and tablets or iPads. This sends messages to parents
instantaneously alerting that their child is absent from school and/or late to class. It also has the
capacity to contact parents regarding homework or other missing assignments with the click of an
icon, as agreed to in advance by parents. Thus, accountability is heightened at all levels for both
parents and educators.

Another main part of the implementation is the associated professional development/training for the
school leadership and its teaching staff. Ordinarily, the schools are equipped with the standard set of
schools which are: the interactive board, a fixed mount classroom projector and teacher laptop. These
are distributed across each classroom. Other than this equipment and depending on available
grants/other funding then additional computer carts are to be provided for supporting classroom
instruction.

Each school will be staffed with one IT support technician to manage the local technology infrastructure
needs for each school. In case of failures, ASPIRAs current hosting services incorporate the appropriate
backup and recovery services across the entire network of schools.

Our goal in providing technology services is to promote the proper use of the technology and to support
and promote educational excellence. We believe this will equip each student with the necessary
technology skills to support their future endeavors. Please see Appendix 2 for our current Acceptable
Use Policy.
29


As part of ASPIRAs IT strategy, the critical transactional systems (i.e. Student Information System, Ed
Insight, and others) are operated and supported through hosted environments. These contracted
hosted environments conform to the latest industry certified security and contingency requirements.
From a local building perspective, redundant circuits are installed to ensure that there is a backup in
case of connectivity issues.



30

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT


What role have any parents, families, and York community members played in developing your
organizations proposal?

In preparing to respond to the RFP process, ASPIRA and Camelot conducted the following activities:
Hosted the CRO, Superintendent and CFO on visits to our schools and programs in Philadelphia
(May 15, 2014);
Visited four York City Schools: McKinley, Goode, Jackson and William Penn SHS (June 2, 2014);
Met with community and government leaders to receive their input on improving educational
outcomes at YCSD. At the time, we also shared our qualifications and interest in the Charter
School solution for York (June 2, 2014); and
Sent an introductory letter to identified community leaders and organizations informing them of
our intent to submit a response to the RFP, and to request an opportunity to meet with them to
begin relationship-building (July 30, 2104).

ASPIRA has been in Pennsylvania for over 45 years, and we have a long history of attending and
sponsoring student conferences throughout Pennsylvania. This work has enabled us to build a strong
base of knowledge about educational issues in areas of the Commonwealth that face challenges similar
to our students in Philadelphia.

How will your organization engage parents and families between approval and opening of school?

ASPIRA believes that parents are critical partners and must be engaged in support of student success.
As part of the 2014-2015 planning year, ASPIRA intends to aggressively engage parents to encourage
them to visit our existing schools and to receive feedback from them. We will also organize multiple
forums to provide parents with a comprehensive summary of our programs and how we expect our
educational approach to benefit their children.
Parents will have multiple avenues by which they can influence and contribute to their childs
educational program. ASPIRA will seek meaningful opportunities, including volunteer work by which
they can:
Serve on parent advisory groups created at its school to provide ongoing input and counsel to
our various schools and leadership teams;
Encourage parents to serve on the school board, as appropriate;
Support the development of parent associations that will provide voice to parents and assure
their representation at each campus;
Participate in school-based committees that will assist in driving the School Improvement
Planning (SIP) process and encourage ongoing improvement;
Receive formal recognition for their volunteer services at each campus;
Serve as informal resource team members, along with community organizations, the businesses
community, health centers, churches, political leadership, among others, as a strategy to
externally inform the larger community of campus goals, successes and needs.
Include them in whatever manner possible in all events of the school;
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Consider them as potential candidates for available slots and positions at our schools, part-time
and full-time;
Seek their continual advice and assistance in the improvement and expansion of parent
participation throughout the school year, as they are the experts here;
Help empower them as the most important resource and most important teacher in the lives of
their children, our students;
Uphold them as important role models for our students by providing them the attention,
respect and devotion they deserve;
Instilling pride in their contribution to student achievement, as merited;
Continue to work with them in helping their children succeed in ongoing learning;
Work collaboratively with them to assure their children are motivated to learn, as we also help
them promote the educational success of their children;
Provide incentives for their continual involvement in all aspects of school activities and events;
and
Assist them in their personal educational endeavors and in the betterment of their career and
professional lives to the extent possible.

How will the organization engage parents and families in the life of the school?

Our schools belong to the parents, students and community. Historically, ASPIRA schools are open to
the community for student assemblies, community meetings and recreation. We actively engage our
parents and families in the life of our schools through activities that include:

Parent/student orientations;
Partnering with us in the promotion of their childrens academic success;
Open house visits;
Report card conferences;
Scheduled parent organization meetings;
Continuing education;
College visits;
Special trips and outings;
Special dinners/banquets/celebrations;
Special lectures/workshops;
School-parent leadership meetings (to share data, and provide input on the schools plans);
Parent support programs ( e.g. English-as-a-second language and GED classes, computer classes,
wellness committee, food sharing programs, healthy school programs, job searches, and the
like);
Scheduled opportunities for small groups of parents and community members to periodically
have breakfast or lunch with the principal;
Invite parents to participate in schoolwork, including classroom observation; and
Knowledge that parents are always welcome at our schools, regardless of purpose.


32

What community resources does your organization expect to make available to students and families
in York?

ASPIRAs philosophy is that it takes the entire community to ensure that students are healthy, safe, and
educated. ASPIRA believes that everyone has a stake in the successful education of all students in the
community. As a community-based organization, we have a history of building long-term partnerships
with community organizations, public agencies and private businesses that add value to our schools,
students and their families. ASPIRAs planning year goals include extensive outreach to existing York
organizations to inform them of our mission and vision and to begin both a lasting relations and
continuing dialogues on how we can work together to support students and their families and, by doing
so, create a stronger, healthier and more learned community that is fully aware of its role and potential
contribution to the larger society.

33

BUSINESS PLAN

Leadership Group
ASPIRA Leadership Group Founding/Leadership Group

Chief Executive Officer, Alfredo Caldern
Mr. Caldern has served as ASPIRAs Chief Executive Officer since 2000. Mr. Caldern is responsible for
adhering to and fulfilling the mission and vision of ASPIRA of PA, including the overall supervision and
operation of the business affairs of ASPIRA and its property(s) and facility(s), subject always to the
authority and direction of the Board of Directors. Mr. Caldern is accountable for a staff of over 350
full-time and part-time employees. He managed the charter application processes for Antonia Pantoja
Charter School and John B. Stetson Charter School in Philadelphia, and oversaw the hiring of all staff, the
creation of the nonprofit Boards, the development of curriculum, the extensive renovations of school
facilities, the development of the budgeting and financial management, and the recruitment of 1,400
students and their parents for the charter schools. He has also overseen the creation of the ASPIRA Pre-
K/Head Start program, the largest Head Start program partnered with the School District of Philadelphia.
Prior to leading ASPIRA of PA, Mr. Caldern served as the Director of Operations for the Private Industry
Council of Philadelphia and also served for 12 years in the US Armys Foreign Intelligence Activity. Mr.
Caldern holds an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, a Bachelors Degree in Liberal and Professional
Studies, graduating magna cum laude with both degrees, and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in
Educational Leadership.

Chief Operating Officer, Thomas Darden
Mr. Darden currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for ASPIRA Inc., of PA. He is currently
responsible for all custodial, maintenance, safety, food service, transportation, and out-of-school-time
(OST) programs. He previously served on the executive staff of The School District of Philadelphia (SDP),
a district which served 164,000 students in 240 schools. He led SDP's charter office and oversaw the
authorizing, monitoring and renewal activities for 84 charter schools that served over 45,000 students.
In this capacity, he was also responsible for leading SDP's nationally-recognized Renaissance Initiative
that successfully turned around 17 of SDP's chronically under-performing schools that served over
15,000 students. Prior to transitioning into public education in 2009, Mr. Darden built a successful 30-
year career as an engineer, high technology startup entrepreneur and investor. Mr. Darden holds a BS
in Engineering from the General Motors Institute and an MBA from Babson College. He was a member
of the Charter Class of the Kauffman Fellows Program, and he is a graduate of the 2009 Class of the
Broad Superintendents Academy. He has also served on numerous private and nonprofit boards,
including The Chicago Education Fund and National-Louis University, one of the oldest teacher colleges
in the country.

Chief Academic Officer, Lucila Paramo
Dr. Paramo is currently the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) of ASPIRA of PA schools, serving as the highest
educational leader. She oversees the budgeting of all ASPIRA schools, hires all school leadership
positions, ensures rigorous professional development of school staff, evaluates school and student data
to drive instruction and highlights inconsistencies among ASPIRA schools, ensures quality
implementation of instruction based on best practices, ensures that ASPIRA schools are in compliance
with all federal, state and local regulations, collaborates with ASPIRAs many community stakeholders,
and raises additional funds for the schools, as needed. Dr. Paramo advises the Chief Officers on
infrastructure needs to support ASPIRAs current growth and in developing an authentic cradle-to-
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college educational model. Dr. Paramo has been instrumental in the development of the ASPIRA
Bilingual Cyber Charter School development. Prior to serving at ASPIRA, Dr. Paramo served as a
Biochemistry Professor and Assistant Director of ESL Programs at the Community College of Philadelphia
and as an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Biology and Biology courses in Spanish at LaSalle
University. She also has experience in Academic Advising, Mentoring for an Engineering Science
Program, managing a Community Learning Center, as a Researcher/Statistical Analyst, and worked as a
Science and Spanish High School Teacher. Dr. Paramo has an Associates Degree in Industrial Chemistry
Technician, a Bachelors Degree in Biology, a Masters Degree in Bilingual-Bicultural Spanish/English
Studies, and an Education Doctorate in Higher Education Administration.

Chief Finance Officer, Murray Rosenman
Mr. Rosenman joined ASPIRA of PA in 2009. As CFO, Mr. Rosenman is responsible for all fiscal
operations, including payables/receivables, accounting, auditing, funding reporting, deposits, and
payroll. He implements controls in auditing procedures, creates contracting materials, oversees and
reduces excess program costs, and ensures timely and efficient contract implementation. Prior to his
work at ASPIRA, he was CFO of Liberty Resources, Inc. of Philadelphia, a nonprofit, consumer-driven
organization that advocates and promotes independent living for persons with disabilities, and CFO of
Gold Medal Sporting Goods, Inc. of Croydon, PA. Mr. Rosenman holds a Bachelors Degree in Business
Administration from Miami University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Pennsylvania.

Chief Informational Officer, Richard Martinez
Mr. Martinez provides the vision and leadership for developing and implementing information
technology initiatives. He directs the planning and implementation of IT systems in support of ASPIRA
operations in order to improve cost effectiveness, service quality, and school development. He is
responsible for all aspects of the organizations information technology and systems. Mr. Martinez has
17 years of experience in directing technology operations supporting all aspects of IT governance,
project management offices, shared services, supply chain operations across multiple international
countries and within the US, along with e-government related operations. Mr. Martinez previously
served as the CIO for the Department of Education in Puerto Rico. He has a Degree in Education with
specialties in Secondary Visual Arts and in Educational Technology from the University of Puerto Rico,
graduating magna cum laude. He also has a Masters Degree in Education with a specialty in Curriculum
and a sub-specialty in Biology from the University of Phoenix, again graduating magna cum laude.

Chief Facilities Officer, Andres Perez, Jr.
Mr. Perez oversees all of ASPIRA of PAs facilities development and maintenance projects, including a
primary administrative building, three charter school facilities, and large Pre-K/Head Start facility. Mr.
Perez also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of ASPIRA Community Enterprises. Prior to working with
ASPIRA of PA, Mr. Perez served the City of Philadelphia as Deputy Managing Director in the Office of the
Managing Director for four years, and then as Commissioner of the Department of Public Property for
fourteen years. As Commissioner he was responsible for managing the Citys 11,000 parcels of land and
oversaw all seven of the Departments administrative subunits, including Real Estate Operations,
Architecture and Engineering, and Facility Planning. Mr. Perez received his Bachelors Degree in Social
Welfare from Antioch University.

Director of Human Resources, Marisol Morales
Ms. Morales has 15 years of experience in the Human Resources field. Ms. Morales has successfully
centralized ASPIRAs HR functions, including policies, procedures, personnel files, employee relations,
workers compensation, unemployment compensation, benefits, compensation, staffing management,
35

safety & security, and ethics & sustainability. She holds an Associates Degree in Business and a
Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with the concentration of Human Resource Management,
graduating Cum Laude. Ms. Morales is currently working on her Masters Degree in Business
Administration and a certification in Professional Human Resources (PHR).

Other positions that will be instrumental in the planning and development of this project include the
specific school leadership team, including
Executive Director
School Principals
Teacher-Leaders
Coordinators, Special Student Populations
Director of Operations
Director of Student Supports

Camelot Staff Biographies

Joe Carter -- Joe joined Camelot in 2004 and currently is the Companys Chief Operations Officer
overseeing the daily operations of Camelots programs. Joe holds dual Masters Degrees in Education
Administration and Criminal Justice Administration; is a certified principal; and holds certifications in
Special Education and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) in multiple states. While serving as principal
of Excel Academy, Joe developed and implemented Camelots accelerated high school model. He has
final authority for all planning and oversight matters related to the implementation of this project.

Nilsa Gonzalez -- Nilsa joined Camelot full time in 2010 after serving the company several years as a
private consultant. Nilsa currently serves as Camelots Chief Academic Officer. She brings the
experience and credibility that comes with a 36-year career in public education, mostly as an employee
of The School District of Philadelphia, beginning as a classroom teacher and ascending to positions of
principal, cluster leader and Associate Superintendent for the District. Nilsa holds a Masters Degree in
Education. Her primary responsibility for this project will be to oversee the implementation of curricula,
student assessments, professional development and classroom instruction.

David Wingard, Ph.D. David joined Camelot in 2003 and currently serves as Vice President for Quality
Management and Compliance where he oversees all contract compliance, quality assurance, and risk
management issues for every Camelot program. David holds a Doctorate in Educational Administration
and has worked in the educational policy and alternative education fields for the last 25 years, including
leadership positions with public, not-for-profit, and for-profit organizations. Davids primary
responsibility as a member of the planning team is contact compliance, performance outcomes, quality
management program analysis and risk management.

ASPIRA and Camelots Campus Leadership Groups
The following table summarizes the campus-based leadership structure that will be used by both ASPIRA
and Camelot for each respective program.

36


Campus-Based Leadership Team Structure
Position Title Minimum Qualifications
Executive Director
5

Scope: accountable for all facets of
the program
Masters Degree in Education; five years teaching experience;
three years of progressive supervisory and/or administrative
experience; experience working with hard-to-serve youth .
Principal
Scope: academic improvement,
student growth, assessment and best
instructional practices
Masters Degree in Education or Administration; three (3) years
teaching experience and two (2) years of progressive
supervisory and/or administrative experience with at-risk youth.
PA Principal Certification.
Operations Director
Scope: non-academic aspects of
program e.g. school climate,
building, transportation, food
services, etc.)
Masterss Degree in Education or Administration; three (3) years
teaching experience and two (2) years of progressive
supervisory and/or administrative experience with hard-to-
serve youth.
Special Student Populations Director
Scope: special student populations,
including Special Education and ELL
Masters Degree in special education with (3) three years
management experience required, preferably in mental health
or juvenile justice setting. PA Special Education and ELL
Certification.
Student Services Director
Scope: student postsecondary
transition; staff liaison to community
and public support agencies; student
counseling; leveraging community-
based and public agency services for
students and their families
Masters Degree in Education, Social Work or related field; three
(3) years management experience in providing student support
services.

Administrative Structure
ASPIRA, as a Charter Management Organization, proposes to form a single charter with multiple YCSD
campuses that will each be led by school-based teams. The management structure required to oversee
this single charter structure is illustrated in more detail for ASPIRA and Camelot in Appendix 7.

In addition to the formal organizational structures, teachers, students and families will have multiple
opportunities to engage with ASPIRA and Camelot leadership to influence decision making. These
include:
Serving on advisory groups at each school to provide ongoing input and counsel for school
leadership teams;
Participating in school-based committees that will assist in driving the School Improvement
Planning (SIP) process; and
Leading ad-hoc volunteer initiatives to address specific school, student and community needs


5
ASPIRAs Executive Director will oversee all campuses, and Camelots Executive Directors will be campus-based.
37

Comparative Performance History
The data contained in the following tables was obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of
Education website.

Performance Data Elementary Schools

ASPIRA Comparative Data (2012-2013) Elementary/Middle Schools
Program Hostos Pantoja Stetson Jackson McKinley
Founded 1998-99 2008-09 2010-11 unknown unknown
Grades Served K-- 8 K--8 5--8 K--8 K--8
Enrollment 440 730 765 591 608
% low income 82.8% 92.3% 92.0% 84.0% 90.6%
% SPED 19.2% 21.1% 21.0% 12.2% 15.1%
% ELL 14.1% 20.8% 24.0% 39.6% 21.1%
% Minority 94% 100% 99% 93% 87%
SPP Score 75.4 64.7 57.3 49.4 42.8
Attendance Rate 95.8% 95.0% 90.3% N/A N/A

ASPIRA Comparative Data (2012-2013) Senior High Schools
Program Olney Penn H.S.
Founded 2011-12 1927
Grades Served 12-Sep 12-Sep
Enrollment 1765 880
% Low Income 50.9% 86.4%
% SpEd 23.6% 22.0%
% ELL 16.9% 15.2%
% Minority 98.4% 87.9%
SPP Score 53.5 42.7
Attendance 82.1% 87.3%
Cohort Graduation Rate 77.5% 74.5%
Meeting Growth Expectations Math/Algebra 86.0% N/A
Meeting Growth Expectations
Reading/Literature
62.0% N/A
Meeting Growth Expectations Science/Biology
100%
N/A
Out-of-School Suspensions 165/1765=9.3% 489/880=55.5%
Dropout Rate .01% .04%
Advanced Placement Courses Offered 4 1


38

Data on Achievement Gaps and Progress Closing Them
Please also see ASPIRAs state assessment data displayed in Appendix 4 that shows longitudinal trends
related to successful progress on the closing of achievement gaps. Our most recent turnaround
program, Olney Charter High School, was formerly the lowest-performing, comprehensive,
neighborhood high school in Philadelphia. PVAAS data shown in the following table is indicative of the
progress that is possible for chronically underperforming schools.

Keystone Exam
Percentage of Students Who Met
or Exceeded Growth Goals
Algebra 86%
Literature 62%
Biology 100%

Audited Financial
Audited financials for each of ASPIRAs current schools is shown in Appendix 4. Each of these audits has
a clean opinion, demonstrating a history of sound financial management. In addition, ASPIRA and its
schools have received a number of administrative reviews and inspections by various government
agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education and Pennsylvanias Department of Education.
Each of these additional reviews has also demonstrated a track record of sound management of our
various programs.

Disclosure of Schools Operated that have been Closed/Negative Publicity
N/A
Financial Plans
The preliminary two- and five-year operating budget and year-one monthly cash flow for our phased-in
plan are included in Appendix 5. Budgets were developed using the information provided by the CRO
and District, including the number of students by grade, per pupil funding, and funding for contracted
providers. We have also included the fees for our partner, Camelot Education, for behavioral supports,
professional development and education services. We have staffed our schools with a 20:1 student
teacher ratio. The budget includes increases in teacher pay and assumes enrollment increases over the
five years based solely on the current progression of students through the grade span, with current
levels of attrition moderated over time.

These budgets are largely based on our own charter school budgets, which have been very successful in
the support of outstanding educational programs at our schools. Major exceptions are the largely
unknown costs associated with replacing and/or upgrading technology and furnishings at the schools
prior management assumption of the buildings.

Human Resources Information
ASPIRA of PA has established a fully staffed HR department that supports our CMO and our schools in
identifying, recruiting, hiring, and training qualified leaders, teachers and support staff. Our HR team
also provides a full array of support to ensure school staff can have their HR-related needs and
questions addressed. We would supplement our existing HR team with additional personnel located in
York to ensure that York-based staff receives high quality HR support and service.

39

We have built HR processes (supported by the policies in Appendix 7) that allow us to annually hire,
train and support a team of highly qualified teachers and other staff members for our schools. Our
processes allowed us to staff a school serving over 1,700 students (Olney Charter High School) in a
relatively short period of time. To ensure consistency and high standards in our hiring decisions, we use
a structured interview process that includes standard interviewing templates and rubrics developed
specifically for each position. These templates are developed from each job description by the head of
each hiring department in conjunction with our Director of HR. Examples of these interviewing
templates are also included in Appendix 7.

Our recruitment efforts are supported by our national ASPIRA network as well strong ties to local and
state community organizations as well as colleges of education that serve minority groups across the
Commonwealth. We also believe that there are a number of qualified teachers already working in YCSD
who would be able to continue their positive work with students under our model, and we will ask that
those teachers who wish to remain with the school reapply as we make the transition. All interested
teacher candidates will be required to deliver a demonstration lesson in one of our current charter
schools. We also plan to hire several bilingual employees, including school leaders and teachers, to
uphold our vision of bilingual education that has succeeded at our other charter schools.

We believe that retaining talented YCSD teachers that have strong relationships with students is an
important part of making a smooth transition to new management. We will conduct extensive outreach
with current YCSD teachers and support them in learning more about ASPIRA, including taking them on
tours of our current schools. We will also provide ample time for YCSD teachers to speak with our
teachers and learn more about how our instructional model is delivered.
Board Recruitment, Agreements, and Conflict of Interest Policy
During the 2014-2015 Planning Year, ASPIRA will begin a process to identify and build relationships with
potential board candidates. We will ensure outreach to all sectors of the community with a goal of
establishing a representative board that reflects the demographics YCSD students and the greater York
community and ensure the selection of individuals with the requisite skills, perspective, and
commitment to guide ASPIRA in its mission of educational transformation in York.

Articles of Incorporation for existing ASPIRA Charter Schools contain standard language prohibiting
conflict of interests by board members, shown verbatim below.

No member of the Board shall permit his position on the Board to create a conflict between his
personal business activities and the actions of the corporation.
No member of the Board shall, as a private person, engage in any business transaction with the
charter school of which he is a trustee, be employed in any capacity by the charter school of
which he is a trustee, or receive from such charter school any pay for services rendered to the
charter school.