Overview of Achievement First Providence School Board August 22, 2011

Our History 2 Achievement First schools are designed to close the achievement gap by providing a high-quality, rigorous K-12 college-preparatory education to students in underserved communities.

Achievement First Schools and Scholars 3 Connecticut Schools 2,400 students Nine academies serving communities in Bridgeport, New Haven, and Hartford 72% black, 26% Hispanic 76% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch Brooklyn, NY Schools 3,000 students Ten academies serving the Bushwick, Brownsville, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, and East NY communities 83% black, 15% Hispanic 76% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch Achievement First schools are free, public charter schools and 100% of our scholars are selected by blind lottery. Note: Data provided is for SY

Elementary: Early Grade Performance Across NY and CT, we see very strong performance in K-2 math.

Elementary: Early Grade Performance 89% of our K-2 scholars in CT and NY performed on grade level on the nationally normed Fountas & Pinnell assessment.

Elementary: CT 3 rd and 4 th Grade Performance In CT, our upper elementary grades (tested grades) are performing close to the state average and we are aiming to close the achievement gap.

Middle: Cohort Performance - Amistad NOTE: High Level Numbers do not include Science While students across the state make limited progress over time, Amistad students show significant gains as a cohort.

Middle: Cohort Performance – Elm City While students across the state make limited progress over time, Elm City students show significant gains as a cohort. NOTE: High Level Numbers do not include Science

Middle: Cohort Performance – AF Hartford While students across the state make limited progress over time, AF Hartford students show significant gains as a cohort. NOTE: High Level Numbers do not include Science

Other Key Achievement Highlights 82% of AF 4th graders in NY reached proficiency in Math. This is double the rate of our host districts where only 41% of 4th graders were proficient in Math. For the 2 nd year in a row, 100% of AF scholars graduating from Achievement First’s New Haven High school were accepted into competitive 4 year colleges and universities. 100% of AF 10 th graders at our New Haven High School scored proficient in Writing on the 2011 CMT, 25 percentage points ahead of their peers in New Haven (75%), and even above and beyond their peers in CT’s non poor communities (94%). 10

Achievement First’s Approach 11 AF recruits and develops great teachers and school leaders. Every teacher has a coach and receives 2 hours of individual feedback and 2 hours of group professional development weekly. Effective Teachers AF clearly defines ambitious academic standards for each grade level so that success in one grade can be seamlessly built on in the next. College Prep Curriculum AF built a customized interim assessment system, AF Athena™, that helps teachers identify areas for academic intervention and guides instructional planning on a six week basis. Strategic Use of Data AF runs a longer school day (7:30am to 4:00pm) and school year (195 days versus 180). Scholars who need extra support receive additional tutoring after school and/or on Saturdays. More Time on Task Administrative duties are handled by a centralized administrative team and a director of school operations at the school. This creates efficiency and frees the principal to focus on academic outcomes. Freeing Schools to Focus on Student Achievement Students and faculty live by the AF REACH values—Respect, Enthusiasm, Achievement, Citizenship, and Hard Work. Our school environments are both disciplined and joyful. Strong School Culture

Supports Provided by Achievement First Recruiting, training and coaching of principal, teachers and other school staff Special education support Data analysis and management support Development of core curriculum Budget development; business management and financial support Facilities support; coordination of repairs/renovations IT/ data support Startup support Fundraising Marketing and advocacy 12 Achievement First provides a variety of support services to schools, enabling them to focus on student achievement.

: Teacher Career Pathway Pilot, designed with teachers over several years Spring 2011: Early Successes : Implementation and Revision 13 Through our development of our Teacher Career Pathway, AF has become a national leader in defining, developing and rewarding great teachers. Teacher Evaluation Fundamental Principals: Rigorous evaluation based on value-added student achievement growth, instructional observations by school and “external” observers, and parent, student and peer surveys. Compensation tied to effectiveness, not seniority, with significant increases (+$10K) as teachers progress through five levels Fundamental Principals: Rigorous evaluation based on value-added student achievement growth, instructional observations by school and “external” observers, and parent, student and peer surveys. Compensation tied to effectiveness, not seniority, with significant increases (+$10K) as teachers progress through five levels Public Recognition and Broad Support of TCP: AF’s approach to teacher evaluation was one of only two promising case studies profiled by the Aspen Institute for its urban superintendents cohort; also profiled by The New Teacher Project in “Teacher Evaluation 2.0” AF received a $6.3MM federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant, as well as significant support from the Gates Foundation 98.6 percent of AF teachers believe that the Teacher Career Pathway is the right direction for the organization Public Recognition and Broad Support of TCP: AF’s approach to teacher evaluation was one of only two promising case studies profiled by the Aspen Institute for its urban superintendents cohort; also profiled by The New Teacher Project in “Teacher Evaluation 2.0” AF received a $6.3MM federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant, as well as significant support from the Gates Foundation 98.6 percent of AF teachers believe that the Teacher Career Pathway is the right direction for the organization

Successful District Partnerships 14 New Haven Public Schools/Superintendent Reginald Mayo Included in the district’s portfolio of choice Development of Residency Program for School Leadership to recruit, train and support a corps of outstanding principals and assistant principals for NHPS Professional development provided by AF to New Haven principals and lead teachers on data practices Information sharing Hartford Public Schools/ Superintendent Christina Kishimoto Included in the district’s portfolio of choice The district receives “credit” for AF test scores. Strong collaboration and information sharing between AF and traditional district schools Part of the Gates District- Charter Collaboration Compact, which recognizes successful collaborations between school districts and charters Achievement First collaborates with its host districts and is a pioneer in district/charter partnerships.

Proposed RI Enrollment Plan 15 GradeYear Year Year Year Year K Total Students Per statute, AF Mayoral Academies will offer an equal number of seats to students from Providence and Cranston. It is our goal to grow into a K-12 network of schools, contingent on future charter renewals.