The Governor John Engler Center for Charter Schools (“Center”) reauthorization checklist step-by-step guide process was presented to the Board of Directors.  The current Charter Contract (“Contract”) for Escuela Avancemos! is set to expire on June 30, 2024. The Center will issue additional correspondence specific to the Academy’s on-site reviews and submission requirements. The three fundamental questions for reauthorization consideration were presented and discussed by the Board of Directors and Sanga Management emphasizing a focus on the organization's viability.  Board Treasurer Linda Chittum, mentioned that from a Board Member standpoint, it's understood that changes to the curriculum are needed in order for the academy to grow in an upward trajectory. It's game on for the academy, and all hands on deck to ensure the changes that are being made are viable to the academic growth of the students.  Ana Ulloa noted that some changes to the curriculum such as Success For All (SFA) will be asked of the center for approval.  The academic team Dr. Azra Ali and Dr. Larry Cowger are researching which curriculum would produce higher results for student growth.  Dr. Azra Ali mentioned that after reviewing the academy's assessment data a decline in growth has been shown.  Jennifer Joubert asked the Board of Directors if it would be possible to present the academy's assessment results at the next board meeting on September 19, 2023. Central Michigan University (CMU) data department is willing to meet with the team to review the data and answer any questions. 

Dahime Gordon, the 21st CCLC Site Coordinator, presented the 21st Century Community
Learning Centers monthly programming and budget report. Over the summer students that participated in the summer program, were provided with an enriched and enjoyable experience. The 21st CCLC is enthusiastic and geared up for another successful program this school year.  
 

July 2023 financial reports were presented by Dr. Lorilyn Coggins highlighting cash on
hand, year-to-date revenues, year-to-date expenditures, and the current fund balance in
a summarized format. The financials are in order.  The 2023-2024 Consolidation Application has been submitted to the Michigan Department of Education.  The financial audit report will be presented to the Board of Directors at the September 19th board meeting by Wilkerson & Associate P.C. 
 

The Sanga Monthly Management Report was presented by Ana Ulloa (CEO, Founder), Dr. Larry Cowger (School Principal), and Shan'Ta Johnson (Director of Operations).  Dr. Larry Cowger shared his background experiences and ability to oversee English Language Learners within school districts.  It's important to know how to crunch the data to share it with teachers to make changes to instruction for impactful growth within schools. Dr. Cowger is very excited to be a part of the Escuela Avancemos Academy team as the organization has a family-like atmosphere. New staff are being trained on all of the policies, procedures, systems, and programming at Escuela Avancemos to be ready for students.

Escuela Avancemos has a new daily schedule this year including two forty-minute periods for ELA and two forty-minute blocks for Math. The additional time is needed for the Success For All (SFA) program and the additional Math period is used for guided practice and intervention. A Language Acquisition period has been added to the lineup for ESL immersion.  

Escuela Avancemos will establish a formal EL Program to support the needs of the EL students. The FinishLine EL curriculum and resources will be utilized to implement the goals of the EL Program.  

The EL Program will be offered in three different ways to support whole-child development:

1. Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol (SIOP)–Teachers have received training in the SIOP model and will integrate this into all their lesson plans for Tier 1 students.
2. Paraeducators' push-in services will be offered to Tier 2/3 students who need extra support in the classroom through bilingual translation and strengthening the native language to support the target language.
3. Pull-out services for all Tier 2 and 3 students to support EL development goals using ESL Interventionists AND/OR EL/Bilingual certified staff who will work under the direction of the EL Certified ESL Coach.

A new social and emotional learning (SEL) program called the Leader in Me is coming to EA. Leader in Me is an evidence-based, social, and emotional learning process—developed in partnership with educators that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. It is based on secular principles and practices of personal, interpersonal, and organizational effectiveness. Distinct in several ways, Leader in Me starts from a powerful premise—every child possesses unique strengths and can be a leader—which shapes the views of staff to value and develop the whole child. 

Feedback will be presented to the Board of Directors monthly at each board meeting.  

The Leader in Me Program emphasizes Franklin Covey’s Seven Habits and provides teachers with meaningful lessons for each day of instruction around these habits.  Teachers will spend approximately 20 minutes each day with SEL check-ins and mini-lessons that promote SEL development.  An emphasis on leadership skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, public speaking, critical and creative thinking, and more.  Also, the Leader in Me Program has a Parent Engagement component to create a link to home-to-school connections.  The Family Engagement staff members will be trained in the core sessions to help implement this during the school year.  Ana Ulloa will be participating in Leader in Me training to learn common communication terms for translating and interpreting purposes.   Assessment data for WIDA 2023, and MSTEP 2023 proficiency levels were presented. 
 

The academy has 419 students enrolled. Ongoing hiring recruitment efforts are in full swing to fill 2 vacant ESL Teacher and Paraprofessional vacancies.

The Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process (MICIP) has been updated on the MDE site.  MICIP is a pathway for districts to improve student outcomes by assessing the whole child's needs to develop plans and coordinate funding.  EA’s goals for this year include improving literacy (ELA) and numeracy (Math), using NWEA as a growth measure.  The team's goal this year is to have at least 75% of our students meet their 2024 spring growth target. Last year EA averaged around 50% of students meeting their spring growth target.

Goal 1 - Students will improve in reading and math skills as part of the learning recovery initiative. At least 75% of students will meet their NWEA targets; at least 35% of students will be proficient in the MSTEP ELA/Math sections.

Goal 2 - Students will apply skills learned in their SEL/Leader in Me classes. At least 80% of students will report a positive school culture on the end-of-the-year student perception survey.  

The team is looking forward to a great school year ahead. 

Ana Ulloa expressed accolades to Shan'Ta Johnson for staff recruitment efforts and working countless hours to scout qualified candidates.

No extended public comments at this time.

The Governor John Engler Center for Charter Schools Central Michigan University Field
Operations School Lead, Jennifer Joubert thanked the Board President Cristina Stamatin and the Board Vice President Andreea Bordeianu for attending the Center for Charter Schools 2023 Annual Conference on August 15, 2023.  The Center for Charter Schools 8th grade Fire Up for the Future field trip information communication will be shared with the team within the upcoming weeks. 
 

Board Trustee Mariva Gonzalez thanked Ana Ulloa and the transportation team for making the alumni students feel a part of the Escuela Avancemos Academy family.  Madam President Cristina Stamatin welcomed Dr. Larry Cowger and Dr. Azra Ali.  The Board of Directors is always available to assist the school team.  Madam President Cristina Stamatin expressed the importance of having a Fall Board Retreat and requested that the board review their schedules for the possibility of the retreat being held in October.

Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 6:30 pm at Escuela Avancemos! Academy.