Annual Report 2005-06 | Page 55

The Carlos Rosario Charter School successfully applied for funding to improve student academics under the Education Investment Fund. The plan includes the following elements which were implemented during 2005-2006 or will be implemented during SY 2006-2007: • Conducting computer workshops; • Acquiring translation software; • Beginning a 360 degree evaluation process; • Providing customer service training for the front office staff; • Hiring consultants in curriculum and assessments; • Hiring special professional development consultants to provide sessions on goal setting theory and practice, and implementation and evaluation of student centered teaching strategies; • Providing at least three computers in each classroom; and • Providing training to literacy teachers on best practices for teaching illiterate students. The school also applied for and received a grant from Premier Assisted Technology Inc. In response to the needs of a blind student, Dr. Hugo Galindo researched resources and submitted a proposal for a donation of software that would provide appropriate instruction for individuals with disabilities, including vision problems and severe dyslexia. The company donated the “Key to Access” software program, which features the Universal Reader Plus, the Ultimate Talking Dictionary, a Talking Word Processor, an E-Text Reader, the Scan and Read Pro, a Text to Audio application, PDF Magic Pro, and a talking calculator. The software is free to be duplicated and made available to all students. A Carlos Rosario ESL teacher, Hugh Beshers, was nominated for the American Stars of Teaching program, which honors outstanding classroom teachers through the U.S. Department of Education. C. Lessons Learned and Actions Taken Based on Accountability Information The Carlos Rosario Charter School’s most recent accountability review took place during school year 2004-2005. The challenges identified and rec ommended program changes as a result of the information given on the accountability plan at that time are included here, and are being implemented. Lessons learned and actions taken during the 2005-2006 school year and plans for this year are also included. 1. What issues, if any, were encountered in collecting and reporting data on the school’s accountability plan performance? What changes or improvements will be made in order to remedy these data collection issues? A new staff position, GED and Citizenship Counselor and Outreach Specialist, was created in order to provide a continuous process of assistance to students preparing to take the GED exam or the USCIS Naturalization Exam. The new strategy also enables the school to better track data on students taking the tests, which usually does not take place during the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, Annual Report SY 2005-2006 - 54 -