Annual Report 2006-07 | Page 55

(3) Carlos Rosario students were finalists in the competition, and twenty-three (23) received honorable mention for their work. o During the 2006-2007 academic year, Carlos Rosario staff also demonstrated their commitment to life-long learning by earning university degrees. Two members of the management team, Ana Maria Nuevo and Leslie Lass, received their doctoral degrees; staff member Philip Ekoma received his master’s degree; Kalani Sewell, Sandra Mendez, and Betty Tsegaye all completed their bachelors’ degrees. C. Lessons Learned and Actions Taken Based on Accountability Information and Review Findings 1. Important Lessons Learned from School’s Accountability Processes The following are lessons learned from the School’s accountability processes over the School Year 2006-2007: • • • The new case management software system, Client Touch, was greatly helpful in expediting the length of time necessary to compile the Supportive Services Department’s annual report accountability information. The School will continue to identify aspects of its accountability processes that may benefit from such information technology resources. In response to the prior year’s disappointing language grade level advancement results, the School redesigned the GED program. During School Year 2006-2007, instruction was differentiated at three different competency levels and more time was allocated for reading. These program adjustments made a significant impact on the language grade level advancement for this school year. Forty seven percent of GED students advanced at least one grade level in language in School Year 2006-2007 as opposed to 19 percent in 2005-2006. This year’s data supports the continuation of GED differentiation and greater instructional time in reading. School administrators held an information professional development session in January 2007 on the school’s accountability plan in order to ensure that new staff and faculty understood the plan’s role in the school’s success and its objectives. Both new and returning teachers and staff reported that this session was greatly helpful. The School’s management will continue to provide annual professional development on the school’s accountability plan for both new and continuing staff and faculty. 2. Problems Encountered in Implementing and Managing Accountability Plan Although the School’s Management team collects and analyzes data over the course of the school year, there is very limited time prior to the Annual Report deadline to complete the final end of year data collection, aggregation and analysis. The narrow window combined with the thousands of data points that must be analyzed (due to the school’s enrollment of 1,150 students) has resulted in limited time for discussion and analyses of the data’s relevance to program improvements and initiatives. Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, Annual Report SY 2006-2007 -54-