The agenda was updated to include Safe Harbor language for the closed session with the addition of the open session item.

There were no presentations from the Public.

Academic Chair Lopez: The last Academic Committee meeting was held on February 3, 2025.  There are no additional meetings scheduled at this time.  We continue to request that the Executive Administrators provide an academic update of their school within their YPICS Board Reports.  The final benchmark assessment results will not be available until the end of May. The Executive Administrators' June Board reports will include an analysis of year-end assessments at that time. 

Technology Chair Cho: The Technology Committee met on March 10th, 2025, for a discussion on future E-Rate funding strategies to upgrade MORCS' infrastructure, as well as updates on current and summer technology initiatives. The Committee will hold a final planning meeting on May 12th to finalize summer projects. The Technology Committee strikes a balance between ongoing maintenance and forward-looking planning. The discussion of E-Rate funding for MORCS and the planning of summer initiatives showcase the Committee's commitment to continuous improvement. The May 12th meeting will be essential for solidifying these plans and ensuring the successful implementation of the summer project.

Fiscal Chair Green: Irina is still working with the EAs, Ruben, and Yvette in developing the school budgets for the 2025-2026 school year.  Our next meeting will be held on Monday, June 9, 2025. We will have a final budget ready for the June 30, 2025, YPICS Board Meeting. 

 

Bert Corona Charter School Celebrates Autism Awareness Month. Autism Awareness Month is observed every year in April. It is a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness, promoting acceptance, and fostering inclusion for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Monsenor Oscar Romero Promotes Special Education During Outreach Efforts To boost enrollment for the upcoming school year, Monsenor Oscar Romero Charter School recently held an event, making sure to prominently feature our special education department for prospective students and families.

The Charter Operated Programs (COP) offers various training opportunities throughout the school year. Training options include: ● Woodcock-Johnson IV Assessment Tools ● Psych Case Review ● Behavior Management Strategies ● Oral Interpretation at IEPs ● Welligent 101 ● Psychological First Aid ● Attendance Best Practices ● Expulsion Basics ● Supporting students experiencing loss and grief.

Instruction & Performance Data 

PD: 
For the second semester, we are building upon the fall semester efforts. To kick off the year, we brought in an expert teacher from CHIME to train our teachers on effective practices for co-planning and to introduce them to the idea of co-teaching. 

There are 6 models for co-teaching, and they are all based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) structures. At our second PD for the year, we extended that learning through some videos and reading about those best practices. We also shared the following expectation for the teachers for co-teaching: 
     ● Resource teachers will focus on teaching 2 lessons with math teachers each week. 
     ● Special education paraprofessionals will engage in small group instruction with ELA         teachers at least 2 times per week. 
     ● ELD teacher will teach one co-taught lesson with general education teachers each week. 
     ● Tutors and other, non-SPED paraprofessionals will teach at least one co-taught lesson or small group lesson per week. 
     ● Co-planning time (every Monday) will focus on reviewing data and setting goals and a plan for co-teaching for the following week. 

This process has been going very well, and we received accolades from our LAUSD oversight team when they observed our co-teaching in action. They even said that they would bring other teachers to our school to model what quality co-teaching should look like. We are proud of the progress we have made in this area and we look forward to continued growth from our students because of this practice.

iReady Assessments: READING 
We are currently wrapping up our final iReady diagnostic for the year. Although we are not yet finished, our results look promising. For reading, we hit 142% of our expected typical growth, with 62% of our students overall hitting their typical growth targets. Every grade level exceeded typical growth targets.

For English learners, our students performed on par with the general ed/non-EL students. The only grade level where we did not hit typical growth targets was 5th grade where we have only 2 ELs in the grade level.

For students with special needs, we exceeded our growth targets in all grade levels.

iReady Assessments: MATH 
In math, our students did well overall, but we continue to need to show more growth in this content area when compared with reading.

As a school, we hit 108% of our expected typical growth with 54% of our students achieving their typical growth levels. We do have 9 more students who need to finish their test, but overall 6th grade struggled to meet their goals. All grade levels except 6th grade surpassed their expected typical growth. Subgroup populations performed well in 5th and 7th grade but did not keep up with their peers in 6th and 8th grade.



 

As we enter the final stretch of the 2024–2025 school year, MORCS remains steadfast in its commitment to academic excellence, student well-being, and strong school culture. This board report highlights our recent efforts across key areas, including academics, school climate, and operations.

 In April, our dedicated parents completed the final session of a multi-week English course designed to help them build their English language skills and confidence.. Our Pawsitive Puma Recognition program has continued to gain momentum, reinforcing a positive school climate by celebrating students who exemplify our core values.

Operationally, we have remained focused on attendance improvement strategies, working diligently to move closer to our daily attendance goals. In academics, we administered our final i-Ready diagnostic of the year. This report will highlight student academic achievement, particularly in terms of how many students met their typical growth goals in Reading and Math—an important indicator of progress and instructional impact. 

The following report provides a detailed overview of our accomplishments as we aim to close the year with strength and celebration.

Academics 

We are excited to share the latest i-Ready diagnostic results, which reflect the hard work and academic progress of our students this year. Our school community has much to be proud of, as students across various groups have shown meaningful growth in both Reading and Mathematics.

 In Reading, 52% of students schoolwide met their typical growth goal, a strong indicator of continued academic momentum. We are especially proud of the progress made by our student subgroups:
     ● 49% of English Learners met their typical growth goal, showing steady improvement in literacy development.
     ● 53% of students with disabilities achieved their typical growth goal, reflecting targeted supports and interventions. 
     ● 52% of Hispanic or Latino students met their growth targets, underscoring the effectiveness of culturally responsive instructional strategies.
     ● 54% of economically disadvantaged students met their growth goal, highlighting the impact of our equity-focused efforts.

In Mathematics, our students demonstrated equally promising results, with 52% of students schoolwide meeting their typical growth goal. Notable highlights include: 
     ● 66% of English Learners met their growth goal, representing our highest-performing subgroup in Math and showing remarkable progress. 
     ● 47% of students with disabilities met their typical growth goal, a testament to the dedicated support structures in place. 
     ● 53% of Hispanic or Latino students met their goal, continuing a positive trend in math achievement. 
     ● 52% of economically disadvantaged students met their growth targets, reflecting our ongoing commitment to closing opportunity gaps.

These results reflect the collective effort of our students, teachers, support staff, and families. We are proud of the academic achievement demonstrated by our English Learners, Students with Disabilities, Hispanic or Latino students, and Economically Disadvantaged students. This data not only affirms our commitment to educational equity but also inspires us to continue building on this momentum as we move forward.

Academic Data Report
The school is currently administering the NWEA benchmark assessment.  Final results will be reported to the board at the June 9, 2025, YPICS Board Meeting.

Community Schools and Culture and Climate 
Based on the Youth Truth Survey data below, Bert Corona Charter High School demonstrates a positive impact on its students, particularly in the areas of school belonging and teacher understanding, when compared to national and similar school averages.

School Belonging: 
Students at Bert Corona Charter High School feel a strong sense of community. 76% of students reported feeling like part of their school's community in 2024. This is significantly higher than the national high school average of 40%, showing a difference of 36%. In comparison to other school types, Bert Corona also outperforms suburban schools (49%), high poverty schools (49%), small city schools (53%), and charter schools (64%). 

Teacher Understanding: 
A high percentage (67%) of students at Bert Corona Charter High School feel that their teachers make an effort to understand what their life is like outside of school. This is considerably higher than the national high school average (EdSource) of 22%, a difference of 45%. Bert Corona also shows a favorable comparison to suburban schools (41%), high poverty schools (58%), small city schools (52%), and other charter schools (66%). 

"These statistics suggest that Bert Corona Charter High School is creating a more supportive and connected environment for its students compared to the trends highlighted in the article, which expresses concern about the lack of belonging and understanding experienced by many high school students in California.

Continuous Improvement: 
     ● Partnerships & Services: 
          ○ During Jan & Feb, 2025 our schools focused on our current political climate and the impacts it would have on the communities we serve. Focusing on partnerships to support resources on immigration rights. 
          ○ Coordinators of Community Schools continued to improve cross-collaboration with partners to increase resources for students and families. 
     ● Improve Systems 
          ○ Formalize Procedures for: 
               ■ MTSS - Complete - Review of YPICS MTSS Procedures was collaboratively developed. Staff received and overview and training in Dec. 2024 and Jan 2025.
 
                ■ Partner MOU Process - Pending 
                ■ Data Sharing Access with partners - In Progress: Draft was developed and is currently in review for updates. 

      ● Data & Evaluation 
          ○ Update Community Schools Implementation Plans - In Progress - should be updated by June 
          ○ Update ELOP Implementation Plans - Will be updated in May
          ○ Support staff with utilizing Panorama - Continuous 
          ○ Monthly output data collection and reporting

     ● During the YPICS Leadership Team meeting - on Dec. 16, 2024, the following topics included: 
          ○ Learning and understanding the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle
          ○ A review of the Assets and Resource Mapping Process and key findings 
          ○ A review of YouthTruth survey findings: 
                ■ Overall Summary Across YPICS Schools 
                ■ High Level Summary of Staff survey findings 
                ■ Gallery Walk 
                ■ Implemented the PDSA cycle

     ● Needs and Assets Assessment: 
          ○ Assets and Resource Mapping facilitated with YPICS staff on Sep. 23, 2024. 
               ■ Asset mapping is not just another list of resources, it provides information about the strengths and resources of a community and can help uncover solutions. Once community strengths and resources are inventoried and depicted in a map, you can more easily think about how to build on these assets to address community needs. Finally, asset mapping promotes community involvement, ownership, and empowerment.
              ■ Mapping the Community - Each team identified: 
                    ● What assets and resources exist in the neighborhood? 
                    ● What are the areas of need in the neighborhood? 
                    ● How safe and walkable are the areas around our schools? 
                    ● How can we work together to address areas of need?
             ■ What teams did that day: 
                    ● Each school group went on a 1.5 - 2 hour tour/walk to observe the neighborhood and collect information. After the walk, they discussed what was seen and brainstormed ways to collaborate and address needs/gaps and bridge partnerships.

     ● Facilitated YouthTruth Survey (staff, students, families) - Survey window was 5 weeks, closed on Fri. 10/25/24. We heard from 1,529 individuals. 95% staff, 75% parents/guardians, 95% students.
 

As required by the CDE, the schools have completed the Williams Quarter 3 Report on instructional materials, facilities, and teacher assignments. There are no complaints to report for this quarter.

The Board was pleased to learn that there were no complaints to report for this quarter.

The Board considers all matters listed under the consent agenda routine and will approve/enact them in one motion in the form listed below.  Unless specifically requested by a Board member for further discussion or removal from the agenda, there will be no discussion of these items before the Board votes on them.  The Executive Director recommends approval of all consent agenda items.

There were no items for the consent calendar on April 28, 2025.

The YPICS Executive Director and COO recommend adding the following language to the YPIC Fiscal Policy: 

“Local Funds and Fundraising

• As a public school, YPICS can legally apply for and accept grants.
• The Associated Student Body (ASB) will adhere to YPICS’ fiscal policy handbook as approved by the YPICS Board. Separate ASB policies are not available.
• YPICS will follow sound fiscal management policies adopted by the Board as they pertain to fundraising income. All cash received is recorded.
• For each fundraising event or other event in which cash or checks will be collected, the Executive Administrator will designate a staff member to be responsible for managing the process to collect and hold all cash related to the event.”

The Board of Trustees moved into Closed Session at 7:15 PM.

The Board of Trustees reconvened Open Session at 7:45 PM.

Board Chair, Mary Keipp reported the following action was taken in Closed Session:

Approval of the stipulated suspended expulsion at Bert Corona Charter School. 

Roll Call:

Mary Keipp - Aye

Cesar Lopez - Aye

Michael Green - Aye

Walter Njboke - Aye

Dean Cho - Aye

Upcoming Board Meetings

• Regular Meeting: May 19, 2025, LSC, 6:00 PM
• Fiscal Meeting:  June 9, 2025 LSC 5:00 PM
  Regular Meeting June 9, 2025 LSC, 6:00 PM
• Final Regular of the year: June 30,  2025, LSC, 6:00 PM 

YPICS Culminations and Graduation Dates:
 

• June 5th BCCHS
• June 6th BCCS
• June 6th MORCS

Board Chair Keipp acknowledged that all three schools' oversight visits have been completed. She also requested that the Executive Director provide the board with a full report when the CSD completes its reports.