South Bronx Classical Charter School

South Bronx Classical Charter School is a charter school in the Bronx borough of New York City. The school model is based on the best educational practices of charter schools throughout the nation. It was founded in September 2004 by Lester Long, a former investment banker and elementary school teacher.

Early history

The Founder of South Bronx Classical Charter School, Lester Long, developed a Board of Directors, obtained petitions of parental and political support, and applied to both the New York City Department of Education and the New York State Board of Regents. On December 9, 2005, the Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve an application for a five-year charter for South Bronx Classical Charter School.

Founder

Lester Long

Lester Long is the founder of South Bronx Classical Charter School. Most recently, Mr. Long was a New York City Teaching Fellows in which he taught for four years. Prior to teaching, Mr. Long worked in the finance industry, specializing in structured finance and asset-backed securities at Lehman Brothers and Societe Generale. Mr. Long is also the Founder of the [http://www.nyccgs.org New York City Classical Guitar Society] .

Mr. Long has also contributed $1,000 to Republican Ron Paul's campaign for the Presidency.

Students

South Bronx Classical is a free, public school open to all New York City students in grades K through 2. Each grade is limited to 70 students, limiting the total capacity of the school's six grades to 420 students. As of the 2007-2008 school year, the school had 206 students. Enrollment preference goes first to siblings of current or former students, then to students of New York City Public Schools, then to all other students.

Academics

Academically, the school offers a rigorous program with students taking reading, writing, mathematics, science, and history. In addition, South Bronx Classical offers character education and community service, in the spirit of delivering a classical education to its students. Annual standardized assessments will require students to articulate their understanding and mastery of each subject.

Currently, based on DIBELS and TerraNova assessments, roughly 70% of students are on grade level.

Despite the claims of rigor, the majority of the school day at South Bronx Classical Charter School is, in fact, dedicated to test prep practice for the Terra Nova exams. South Bronx Classical Charter School, tacks two weeks onto the beginning of the academic year - as well as taking a shorter spring break. “A lot of it is a function of getting the students in early so that we can be more prepared for city and state tests,” said South Bronx Classical’s Executive Director Lester Long of the choice to begin early instead of ending late. In contrast to the claim that "South Bronx Classical Charter School...model is based on the best educational practices of charter schools throughout the nation."'approximately 1/3 or twenty students in second grade had to attend summer school for remediation. Parents were told by school officials that this decision was almost exclusively based on their performance of the Terra Nova test for 2008. Yet these scores have yet to be released despite South Bronx Classical's claims for transparency.

The only parents who did get some sort of indication of test scores (since the scores were the major criterion for graduating or retention/summer school) were the students who failed. Other than that, the scores have yet to be released. No other parents have received word of their child's individual score.

Although administrators insist that they "do not teach to the test", curriculum for all grades focuses almost exclusively on test taking skills and skills covered by the Terra Nova exam as opposed to concepts taught through the prescribed "classical" curriculum. When asked this year what a classical curriculum was, Founder and Director Lester Long replied: "Classical comes from the Latin for Trumpet". There was no further elaboration provided by the Director. In fact, the etymology for the use of it appears to come from French. South Bronx Classical has abandoned the curriculum that it had initially started out with in its first year of Open Court, in favor of "guided reading", and Saxon Math, while still used in a cursory glance, is generally not used in class, as evidenced by the fact that the "Guided Class Practice" side of the work sheet is often blank so both sides of the sheet are done at home. Saxon has been discarded in favor of test preparation. The abandonment of the curriculum is at odds with South Bronx Classical's original Charter application. Here is an excerpt from the original charter application that was approved on December 5, 2005 (see Board of Regents website)

"'§ The School will use SRA/Open Court Reading for English Language Arts.

"'§ The School will use the Saxon Mathematics program as the basis for mathematics instruction.

Materials for the core of the original curriculum, such as reading anthologies from Open Court, had been purchased far in advance for the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades but the practice of "guided reading" this past year did not utilize Open Court anthologies and materials. Visits to the school found students using "leveled books/libraries".

The use of the word "classical" to describe the school appears to be of nominal use only. The word trivium is not found in any documentation for the school. Visits to the school reveal that there is no evidence to suggest or support a curriculum steeped in the classics of Western Civilization. A strong characteristic of a classical education is the Socratic Method which teaches a child independent, critical thinking skills. The Founding Fathers of the American Revolution were thoroughly schooled in a classical education. The Socratic Method is totally absent from South Bronx Classical, as visits to the school indicate. A modern exponent of Socratic approach is found in the successful approach of educators such as Marva Collins on the South Side of Chicago. She opened up a successful private school in a ghetto neighborhood back in the mid-1970's and it continues to thrive today. Curiously, on their own website, S.B.C.C.S. quotes Miss Collins: "Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you do best." Please see S.B.C.C.S. website and click on links: newsletter. This quote comes directly from Miss Collins' book: Marva Collins' Way. Miss Collins has been the subject of numerous articles, books and was twice featured on 60 minutes in the 1970's and a follow up to see where her student were and how they fared in school. Miss Collins' students are a shining beacon of hope for eduacating students in the inner-city. S.B.C.C.S "borrowing" of Miss Collins' quote bears no actual relation to the reality of their performance as numerous random visits to the school indicate. The quote from Miss Collins is purely of nominal use and is puzzling. Marva Collins' unique approach certainly warrants the coverage she has received (and continues to do so). S.B.C.C.S wonderfully average (at best) educational endeavors, on the other hand, does not.

Returning to the original point regarding testing and performance, random visits to the school have noted just such a practice. As recently as late March 2008/early April 2008, only two children were found to have passed Baseline and Interim Assessments for 2nd grade. These Baseline and Interim Assessments (prepared over the summer by numerous members of the staff--including administrators)reflect the old format of Terra Nova prior to 2008. Upon retaking the same exam where only two children scored on level, now only about 50% passed the test. It was at this point that the format of the Baseline and Interim Assessments for 2nd grade (prepared over the summer by numerous members of the staff--including administrators) was totally revamped. As word leaked out about Terra Nova changing its format to reflect NCLB, so too, coincidentally, did South Bronx Classical follow suit. Parents have noted the radical shift in the sheer quantity, repetition of work and the nature of the practice. Principal Hudnor boasts and claims credit that his previous experience at another Charter School in Brooklyn yielded results of 92% scoring on level (for ELA) and 100% scoring on level (for Mathematics).

**Also, on visits to the school, it is noticeable that administrators and staff constantly refer to the students as "scholars". But when interviewed, not one child knew what the actual term "scholar" meant. What visitors actually got were blank, dull stares. It was best summed up by a bright and thoughtful second grader in May, 2008, when asked what does it mean to be a scholar". Her insightful reply: "I don't know, but Mr. Hudnor says it all the time."

**But when actually interviewed, the striking characteristic of both Director Long and Principal Hudnor (as well as the teaching staff) is their incessant talk about tests and test scores and preparing for June's Terra Nova test. This practice has been consistent from the first year of S.B.C.C.S inception. Perhaps they ought to refer to the students as "tests" or "test scores" as opposed to "scholar". When students were interviewed about what they do in class, over 40 students stated that they practice for the TerraNova tests. This was consistent beginning in Dec. 2007 (as visits to the school indicate).

Also, beginning in the spring of 2007, Hudnor (while still resident Principal at Excellence Charter School), became the paid Principal of SBCCS after the original Principal left due to frustration with Administration. A nagging question is: how, if even on a part time basis, did the Principal officially accomplish this? What is the Director's role in this, as well? What are the ethics of such a practice: hiring someone from another school to work for SBCCS(for pay) at the same time?

The Principal has also left numerous children alone in rooms, as parental complaints explicitly indicate. He is noted for his short temper as well. On a related note to child safety, children have had to perform physical tasks as a consequence of misbehaving. One child had fractured her ankle in the morning at approximately 9:00 AM (in gym class)and the parent was not notified until 4 PM that afternoon. She had to walk around in crutches and be carried upstairs by the Director each day and down the stairs by her teacher.

There have been reports from parents complaining about the treatment of children who need to use lavatory facilities outside of their alloted class "bathroom" time. Students are penalized for using the bathroom during "important class time". Punitive measures for students who dare to have natural bodily functions include: losing gym time, detention, separating those students from the rest of their class at lunch time in the cafeteria. There have been many incidents, as a result of this school wide policy for K-2 students, of children having no choice but to urinate and/or defecate on themselves and suffering the humiliation of such action. The policy, despite parental complaints, remains unchanged. Administrators insist and defend their policy: "every moment is an educational moment" and that time that is lost is "time that can never be made up". Memos home to parents verify such attitudes. Additionally, children are made to stand up and face a wall as punishment for misbehaving. Corporal punishment was outlawed in the public schools decades ago. Cruel and unusual punishment is outlawed in the U.S. Constitution under the Eighth Amendment.

Additionally, there has been evidence to indicate irregularities on past Terra Nova tests in that testing exceeded time limits imposed by the guidelines and practices of Terra Nova Other irregularities such as the reading of comprehension passages by the teachers to the students(during the test) and teachers writing math answers (during the test) on the board have been observed. Scoring has been done on South Bronx Classical's Campus by various administrators. Finally, a majority scores from last year (June 2007) were not congruent when the children were re-tested on August 31, 2007 and again on September 10, 2007. There were a significant but limited amount of consistent test scores that carried over from June to August. Various (over 30)studies for a drop in standardized and nationally normed test scores, confirm that the range should only be about 2 tenths of a percentage point to at most 5 tenths of a percentage point. The dramatic decline of student performance at South Bronx Classical is perplexing. Dramatic declines continued throughout the term, particularly for the upper grades when children took their Baseline and Interim Assessments. There were a significant but limited amount of rise in test scores on the Baseline and Interim Assessments. It was strictly limited up to early December 2007. Statements for transparency by South Bronx Classical Charter School on this issue have been non-existent.

There is also mounting evidence of the actual Terra Nova exams being on campus months before taking the final exams in mid-June. This was highlighted by last year's "practice test" given in Jan/Feb. This exam was taken "for the purpose of obtaining $1,000 per pupil if they participated". Results were never revealed. The "practice test" was the same one given by the school in June. The Terra Nova tests have been on campus for well over a month this year (2008)and there have been indications of questions being lifted off of the actual tests in preparation for the June test-date. After interviewing (independently)over 40 students as well as parents, it has been confirmed that the lifting of the questions off of the actual Terra Nova Test (2008) is overwhelming and indisputable. The accounts from children and parents have been strikingly similar. Staff members made copies of the actual test and attempted to pass of the official test as a "practice test". Children received the questions long in advance, not merely of some of the questions, but in fact, the Reading, Language Arts and Math portions in their entirety were given out as "practice tests" prior to the administration of the official test during the week of June 9, 2008. The test results for the 2008 Terra Nova have yet to be released despite claims of transparency from South Bronx Classical's own website. Children began to go home and tell their parents about the tests and as word of this filtered out, parents began to ask questions. When parents asked to see the practice test the students took, they were refused access to their childrens' work. Parents have lodged complaints to the Director and the Principal as well as various governing agencies, but have been met with indifference to this point in time. The issue has not been addressed by the School Administration or any of its Board Members. As an addendum to the controversy, the tests, were once again marked on campus. This year, they were marked by the Director and by Operations Manager. This is confirmed by numerous children who told their parents of the situation. When Administration was pressed about the improprieties of the marking system, parents were ignored.

Students who attended summer school at South Bronx Classical Charter School re-took portions of the same Terra Nova test (given in June 2008) to determine progression or retention for the upcoming school term (August 20, 2008). These scores, it has been learned, are to be included with the scores from the original June dates. This is being done to bolster the overall academic performance of the school and particularly for the 2nd grade. The scores will be compiled into one indicator (by grade, the the global--school performance) as opposed to separating by the regular term and the term of summer school. Approximately 1/3 of the 2nd graders had to attend summer school which translates into the fact that their performance did not meet the cut-off point for passing the Terra Nova (which was the largest contributing factor to attending summer school). Therefore, in numbers, it would translate into roughly 66% of the students achieving academic parity on the Terra Nova during the course of the regular school term. Again, the noteworthy aspect of not having posted the scores of the students prior to the summer session, is certainly lacking in consistency with past practices (see website for post date of scores from the previous year--less than one month after the Terra Novas were taken). Transparency has been non-existent on this issue, despite boasts of S.B.C.C.S. being open about their school. The other inconsistent issue lies with Principal Hudnor who had bragged about his 92% and 100% students being on level at his old school: Excellence Charter School. According to Director Lester Long, he considers Excellence to be the cream of the crop in the Charter World, and Principal Hudnor is a perfect match for S.B.C.C.S. mission. So what would the Director now consider his own school since a similar level of achievement did not occur at his school under the helm of Principal Hudnor? How would he assess the Principal, his performance and his experience since to coming to S.B.C.C.S.?

One final and somewhat forgotten event: tragically, these students who had to attend summer school, had been given a diploma at the "step-up" ceremony, which would actually designate that the students had passed and would be promoted to the next grade. **This practice of handing out a diploma to children in grade 2 at the step-up ceremony despite having not achieved proper academic progress measured by NYS Standards (and having to therefore attend summer school) appears to be in conflict with the Chancellor's edict that "social promotion" has been abandoned. and the practice must be terminated. "Social promotion" had been practiced for decades in NYC. It involved passing students on for "social" or chronological reasons. Social Promotion also boosted promotion and graduation rates throughout the city artificially. S.B.C.C.S. appears to be doing the same thing.**

There has also been controversy with the DIBELS diagnostics. For example, last year most of the scores by January 2007 were dreadfully low. The Principal of the school had stated that "if scores did not improve, we will have a serious conversation about your jobs." By the following month of February 2007, scores dramatically rose to be on level for a majority of the students. The Director of the School noticed this shift and questioned it by advocating that testing ought to be done by different teachers for different classes or different grade teachers implementing the test. This was dismissed by a majority of the teachers but a few teachers did accept the proposal. It was never implemented, however. It was then suggested by the Director that outsiders oversee the diagnostics and added: "I have to tell my Board that these kids in the South Bronx are on a level that's on a par with kids from the upper east and west side." Only a few scant staff members objected to this assertion by stating that: "That kind of statement would never have been made if this school was not located in the South Bronx and minority children were involved."

Regarding DIBELS: reading fluency, in particular was one of the indicators that did not carry over on DIBELS in the fall when the students at South Bronx Classical were re-tested. Only about 25-30% of the students retained the accuracy and consistency of the previous June's final assessments. Palm Pilots, a standard in most DIBELS schools, have yet to be employed at South Bronx Classical. The data is automatically analyzed and put into a central data base.There had been evidence that teachers were not timing the reading fluency passages properly, nor the phoneme segmentation and nonsense word fluency. Fidelity to DIBELS and the accurate implementation of the 1 minute time per segment is a critical factor for precise measurement. DIBELS is not without its detractors in recent years, particularly the strand that tests nonsense word fluency. Critics have suggested that DIBELS' use of this strand bears no relation to the reading of actual real words. DIBELS also holds as its standard: reading fluency as 40 words per minute (by the end of first grade, 80, for second.) Most diagnostics hold a higher expectation: 60 words per minute by the end of first grade, 90 for second, 120 for third, 135 for fourth, 150 for fifth. Like the dramatic drop in scores for the Terra Nova test from Aug./Sept. and despite claims of transparency, DIBELS' lack of consistency has yet to be addressed by the school or its Board.

South Bronx Classical is also noted for its high turn over rate amongst staff. In less than two years, more that 8 staff members have either left or were terminated. The first year of its opening consisted of 6 classroom teachers and eventually three teaching assistants. The staff currently (2008) consists of 9 teachers, three teaching assistants, a principal, a director, a dean of discipline and a Special Ed coordinator. Two male teachers were terminated this year. All of the employees who left were classroom teachers, special ed coordinators (both years)and a principal.

Virtually no class trips have been arranged or encouraged for the school year of 2007-2008 by the Director, Lester Long and the Principal, Scott Hudnor. In the first year of its existence, there were only a handful of trips for students to participate in. Parental complaints in this area have been met by the Administration with great resistance.

For the first year-and-a half, all monthly Board meetings had been advertised after they had occurred. Parents had continually protested such a practice from the opening of the school only to be met by silence. Beginning in January 2008, parents were allowed to participate due to excessive pressure on the parents' part. Attendance was high for the first meeting to discuss such matters, but since then, attendance has subsided. Parents have continually complained about poor communication from the school to the parents and the lack of information available in a timely manner.

Various visits and interviews reveal that class size is also an issue at odds with the original charter application. An excerpt from the Board of Regents website for approval of South Bronx Classical Charter School:

§ The class size will be 20.

Visits to the school demonstrated that classes there was more than 20 students per class children in its first year. One class had up to 27 students at one point of the term, while others had less than 20 (despite the waiting list of children). In its second year nearly all of the 1 & 2 grade classes were over the capacity set at 20. 24 students were found in one 2nd grade class.

**From the Board of Regents (June 23 & 24, 2008)Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents approve the revisions to the initial charter of the "'South Bronx Classical School for International Cultures and the Arts" as proposed by the Chancellor of the city school district of the city of New York, and the provisional charter is amended accordingly. [EMSC (A) 3]

Location

South Bronx Classical Charter School occupies three floors at 977 Fox Street in the Bronx. However, within the next two years, the school will move to its permanent facility.

Non-traditional schedule

South Bronx Classical offers an extended school day and extended school year. Classes are from 8am to 4:30pm, and the school year starts in mid-August.

External links

* [http://www.southbronxclassical.org Official Website]