Boston Collegiate Charter School
One Dorchester
Supported by the Lynch Foundation, this three-way collaboration between BCCS, the Jeremiah Burke High School, and Cristo Rey Boston High School aims to prepare teams of teachers for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). In the 2012-2013 school year, teachers of ninth grade English Language Arts and Math worked together to create Common Core-aligned assessments, administer them to students, and come together to review student work. In the 2013-2014 school year, this work has been expanded to include teachers of Physics and Global Studies.
Exemplary Charter School Collaboration Grant
One of seven projects funded nationwide by the United States Department of Education, this project deepens the work between BCCS and the Jeremiah Burke High School. While One Dorchester (link back to one Dorchester write up) looks ahead to the Common Core State Standards, this grant supports work in the here and now, aimed at raising the MCAS scores of the Jeremiah Burke through teacher-to-teacher collaboration and support for data-driven instruction. BCCS and Burke teachers work together to administer assessments, group students for remediation, and leverage technology for tutoring support. The project’s aspiration is to increase the MCAS scores in 10th grade English Language Arts and Math by a minimum of 10 points each. Another portion of the project is to intensify BCCS’ dissemination work through codifying and making available online the “100 1% Solutions” of Boston Collegiate.
Lawrence Public Schools
In Spring 2013, Lawrence Public Schools (LPS) reached out to BCCS regarding support for middle school math teachers. The district recognized that Lawrence teachers needed support developing cohesive curricula that respond to student needs while also moving towards Common Core alignment. BCCS and LPS have developed a three-stage project to meet this need. In Phase I, two BCCS teachers are working to post curriculum online so that LPS teachers have access to their materials. In addition, the BCCS Math Coach is reviewing the curriculum and giving targeted feedback to ensure product quality. In Phase II, the BCCS Math Coach will facilitate professional development opportunities to help LPS Math Coaches implement the newly-designed curricula. In Phase III, BCCS will partner with LPS to craft the math planning meetings (approximately 12) throughout the year. Video from BCCS math teachers, including planning and instructional strategies, will be used. The focus of these meetings will be on understanding the connection between standards and lesson design.
Modeling the Transition
This project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to use the story of BCCS and their transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), with all of its opportunities and challenges, and provide access to that story to 8,000 teachers nationwide through The Achievement Network (ANet). The vision is to leverage ANet’s national network by capturing the story of one school—BCCS—and its transition to the CCSS, and sharing it widely through the ANet channels that can reach 8,000 teachers. BCCS and ANet plan to build out the content on ANet’s online portal to include teacher testimonials, case studies, and planning documents, among other content. The focus will be on five BCCS teachers, called Transition Fellows, in grades five through eight.