Quarterly Summary Report on the Educational Operations of

Options Public Charter School

Submitted by Options Public Charter School to the Court-Appointed Receiver
and Custodian of Options Public Charter School and the District of Columbia
Public Charter School Board
September 15, 2014
Options PCS Quarterly Summary Report September 2014
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INTRODUCTION
On June 25, 2014, the Court-Appointed Receiver and Custodian (Receiver) of Options Public Charter
School (Options PCS) and the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (PCSB) entered
into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the future of Options PCS. As part of that
agreement, the Receiver agreed to ensure that the Executive Director of Options PCS provide to the
Receiver and PCSB quarterly summary reports on the educational operations of Options PCS. This is
the first quarterly report.

RESTART
Since July 2014, the School Leadership Team at Options PCS has committed to restarting Options
PCS for the 2014-2015 school year. The School Leadership Team has embraced key turnaround
principles including revising the staffing plan, applying effective staffing and instructional
practices, focusing on the effective use of time, implementing intensive interventions and supports,
using data to guide decision-making, improving school climate and culture, and engaging families
and the Options PCS community. Specifically, we have focused on the following for the 2014-2015
school year:
Individualized Instruction and Additional Resources for All Students All students at Options
PCS benefit from a targeted academic program designed to address their individualized
needs. Options PCS staff will work with each student to develop an individualized learning
plan to ensure students make progress towards goals and earn the knowledge, skills and
credits they need to graduate. Additional resources available to all students include credit
recovery and targeted learning and behavior interventions.
Rich Special Education Services Options PCS offers a rich menu of specialized instruction
and educational support services tailored to meet a range of learning and social-emotional
needs.
Revamped Leadership Structure A new staffing model matches leaders with specialized
knowledge with departments to enable Options PCS to improve the areas of greatest need.
Double Blocking Students who are behind grade level in either mathematics or reading
have double blocks of English Language Arts or mathematics instruction to allow targeted
academic interventions.
Advisory Program All students at Options PCS receive personalized support from an
advisor who is accountable for their students success both in and out of the classroom.
Response-to-Intervention (RTI) A renewed focus on academic wellness is fulfilled through
a tiered RTI program that emphasizes academic and behavioral health and well-being.
Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) Program Options PCS has implemented
a school-wide PBIS program to emphasize and improve positive behaviors.
Family Involvement A staff member engage parents, guardians, and families in a variety of
activities to promote student success.
Curricular Programs and Extracurricular Activities Students at Options PCS have the
opportunity to participate in practical and engaging professional preparation programs
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designed to provide students with meaningful real-world job skills, while also infusing
core subject area knowledge and practice. In addition, Options PCS offers a diverse range of
engaging clubs and activities during and after school.

KEY DATA
Student Enrollment
Before the 2013-2014 school year, Options PCS set an enrollment target of 275 students and an
enrollment cap of 300 students. As of September 15, 2014, 281 students were enrolled. Of those, 237
(84.3%) were returning students, and 44 (15.7%) were new students. Approximately 23.5% (64 out
of 281) of the students were in middle school. The grade-level enrollment breakdown is in Table 1.
Table 1. Enrollment by Grade Level All Students (as of September 15, 2014)
Returning Students New Students Total
Grade 7 15 7 22
Grade 8 39 5 44
Grade 9 50 11 61
Grade 10 33 8 41
Grade 11 62 5 67
Grade 12 38 8 46
Total 237 44 281

As of September 15, 2014, 56.2% (158 out of 281) of enrolled students had records identifying them
as students with disabilities (SWDs), with 69.6% of SWDs (110 out of 158) receiving Level 4
services. The number of SWDs may increase in the coming weeks as Options PCS continues to receive
access to the academic records of newly enrolled students.
Table 2. Students with Disabilities Enrollment by Level (as of September 15, 2014)
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Total
Grade 7 0 6 2 3 11
Grade 8 1 3 3 18 25
Grade 9 0 2 5 22 29
Grade 10 0 1 6 15 22
Grade 11 1 6 5 31 43
Grade 12 2 2 3 21 28
Total 4 20 24 110 158

Approximately twenty-five percent of Options PCS students are over-age and under-credited,
meaning they did not have the appropriate number of credits for their age and intended grade.

Staffing
As of September 15, Options PCS employed 116 staff members, including 43 instructional staff (i.e.,
teachers and paraprofessionals), 7 clinicians (i.e., clinical psychologists, therapists, and social
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workers), and 11 directors. Forty-six of the 116 staff members are new employees, meaning Options
PCS did not employ them in the 2013-2014 school year.
Table 3. Staff (as of September 15, 2014)
Returning Staff New Staff Total
Behavioral Support Staff 8 1 9
Clinicians 3 4 7
Directors 2 9 11
Instructional Staff 29 14 43
Other Staff 28 18 46
Total 70 46 116

SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES
Academy Closure
In the MOU, the Receiver and PCSB agreed that Options PCS Academy (the Academy), a second
Options PCS campus housed in a building at 702 15th Street NE, Washington, DC, would close on July
1, 2014. By design, the Academy served students who required a more therapeutic educational
setting than available at the main Options PCS campus or at other charter schools in the District of
Columbia. As agreed, Options PCS closed the Academyboth by terminating the lease on the 15th
Street facility and by shutting down the program.
To serve the needs of students who continue to require a more therapeutic educational setting,
Options PCS implemented the Journey Program, a best-practice based, self-contained setting to
support students demonstrating severe socio-emotional and behavior management needs. The goal
of the Journey Program is to provide a structured safe haven for students whose socio-emotional
challenges interfere with academic achievement, classroom performance, positive school community
integration, and student and school safety. Staff members and students, together, measure and
monitor outcomes by improved test scores, grades and classroom performance; achievement of
individualized education program (IEP), attendance and behavior intervention plan goals; decreased
discipline incidents and negative behavior reports; and student self-reflection of readiness. Journey
Program staff members support students in determining when they are strong enough to begin
transitioning back into inclusion or co-taught classes.
Currently, 31 Options PCS students are enrolled in the Journey Program9 middle school students
and 22 high school students. There are 4 Journey Program classrooms: 1 middle school class, 1 ninth
grade class, and 2 classes for tenth through twelfth grade students. The program has a director, 4
special education teachers, 5 academic/behavior interventionists, 1 clinical psychologist, 2 social
workers, a dean of students, and an administrative assistant.
The transition of Academy students to the Journey Program and the main campus has been
challenging. First, moving from a small facility with less than forty students to a much larger one with
a population more than seven times that has been difficult for many of the students, particularly given
their heightened socio-emotional and behavior management needs. For example, during the first
couple of weeks of the school year, many of the Journey Program students frequently left class to
wander around the building, often disrupting other students. In addition, because Journey Program
students are generally not accustomed to being around large numbers of students, transitions
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between classes, meals, and activities was initially overwhelming for them, and they responded
accordingly. Furthermore, the Journey Programs individual tailoring caused disruptions to other
students in some cases. For example, while all staff work hard to ensure that students are in class
during class time, Journey Program staff may allow their students to take short breaks outside of
their self-contained settings. The differences in rules have complicated enforcement of school-wide
expectations.
To address these concerns, on September 9, we relocated the Journey Program classrooms, clinical
spaces, and administrative office, to one wing of the Options PCS building. This arrangement will
allow the Journey Program to establish and enforce expectations and rules appropriate for students
in that program without undermining the schools efforts to do the same for students outside of that
program.
Continuum of Instructional Options for Students with Disabilities
During the 2013-2014 school year, the primary method of specialized instruction for SWDs was co-
teaching in core content classes. This year, Options PCS moved toward offering a full range of
instructional options, including inclusion, co-taught classes, resource classes, self-contained classes,
and homebound instruction.
One issue that the shift highlights is that Options PCS students IEPs ordinarily do not contain the
level of detail necessary to determine which type of instruction is appropriate in each subject area.
To place students initially, the Options PCS scheduling team analyzed students reading and
mathematics levels and the number of hours of specialized instruction detailed on their IEPs. The
Special Education Department will monitor students performance, progress, and schedules
throughout the year to recommend changes in the instructional options, if necessary.
Another complication that arose from the change to a full range of instructional options is that
teachers who are only familiar with specialized instruction in the form of co-teaching in every class
are unsure of how to proceed with SWDs who may receive other types of instructional support. To
facilitate the move toward the more robust instructional model, Options PCS hired an instructional
coach for special educationboth to help special educators work throughout the continuum but also
to help general educators understand how they can and should support SWDs.
Increased Course Offerings
Traditionally, Options PCS has offered a limited number of courses. As part of the effort to increase
achievement, engagement, and attendance, we made several significant changes to those offerings.
First, we recognized that many Options PCS students were performing far below grade level, and the
curricular offerings did not necessarily address their needs. Therefore, before the start of the 2014-
2015 school year, Options PCS provided training to all English Language Arts and mathematics
teachers on System 44, Read 180, and Math 180. All middle students receive reading interventions
through either System 44 or Read 180 and mathematics interventions through Math 180. High school
students in ninth and tenth grade who are below grade level receive reading interventions through
Read 180 and mathematics interventions through Math 180. All three interventions are suitable for
blended learning and provide achievement information that Options PCS will use to measure student
growth.
Second, we recognized that students who were performing at or above grade level may not have
received adequate opportunities for academic growth. Therefore, we identified certain classes as
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Honors classes and made them available only to students performing at or above grade level. This
semester, for example, students are enrolled in the following honors-level classes: Algebra I; Algebra
II; Biology; Chemistry; English I; English II; English III; English IV; Environmental Science; Physics;
Trigonometry/Pre-calculus; US Government; US History; World History I; and World History II.
In addition, we renewed our focus on Career & Technical Education (CTE) courses by identifying
several pathways and introducing two new programs: Hospitality-Tourism-Culinary (HTC) and
Law and Justice. Students who participate in the full HTC pathway have the possibility of earning six
certifications in the hospitality, tourism, and culinary industries. This semester, students are enrolled
in Introduction to Constitutional Law, Introduction to Law Enforcement, and Street Law, in addition
to HTC, cosmetology, and barbering classes. Several new programs are under consideration,
including Early Childhood Education and Technology and Information Systems. The Programs
Department, which oversees CTE programs, also coordinates a number of afterschool enrichment
clubs, including mentoring, agribusiness, and step team.
In addition to these Honors and CTE classes, Options PCS also introduced, or in some cases, re-
introduced, additional electives, including Edible Science, Journalism, Theatre Arts, and Yearbook.
School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Program
One of the most significant changes for Options PCS is the implementation of a school-wide Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program to create a positive school culture and
climate. Options PCS employs the PBIS framework to create a multi-tiered system of supports,
ensuring that all of our students are in the interventions and programs required to achieve success.
PBIS also encourages relationship building, which improves attendance and re-enrollment rates. The
four expectations for Options PCS are posted throughout the schools: Respect for self, respect for
others, respect for learning, and respect for the environment.
Through PBIS, students receive Paw Print coupons from staff members when they demonstrate
positive behaviors defined by school-wide expectations. Students submit Paw Print coupons for
weekly drawing for prizes, such as movie tickets, school shirts, or backpacks. Coupons will also serve
as admission tickets for events scheduled throughout the year. Options PCS will recognize students
during regular assemblies, providing certificates and identifying students achievements.
Aside from prizes, Paw Print Coupons allow staff to collect data and determine effectiveness of PBIS.
In the first week of PBIS, 35 staff distributed 219 coupons. In the second week, 43 staff distributed
301 coupons, representing a 22.9% increase in the number of staff participating and a 37.4% increase
in the number of coupons distributed.
School-wide Advisory Program
Options PCS has adopted an advisory program to ensure that every student in the school is connected
to an adult. Each advisory group consists of three to six students, enabling the students to develop
strong relationships with their advisors. Advisory groups meet most mornings for 25 minutes and
for an hour every other Wednesday. Advisors serve as mentors, counselors, and advocates for their
advisees. They will be the primary adults in the building with a complete picture of the student,
including academic success, behavioral issues, and extracurricular activities. Parents are encouraged
to contact their childrens advisors for all first-line communications, which promotes connectivity
and parental engagement.
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Advisory also allows students to develop relationships with other students and gives every student
an advocate, a person he or she can go to when problems develop. Knowledge of students problems
allows Options PCS to respond to issues earlier, decreasing the likelihood that problems will escalate
into behavioral or social-emotional crises.
The Student Affairs Department provides themes and resources for advisors to use during daily
meetings and detailed lesson plans for extended advisory periods. Lesson plans include discussion
of school-wide expectations and the behavior matrix, goal setting and transition planning, and study
and organizational skills.

UPDATE ON SPECIAL EDUCATION FILE REVIEW
At the request of the Receiver, Educational Support Systems, Inc. (ESS) conducted a Special
Education File Review at Options PCS. The Receiver asked ESS to conduct a comprehensive special
education file-by-file review to inform recommendations for potential compliance issues, immediate
reform action, and short-term program enhancements.
Following its review, ESS recommended a short-term special education reform plan for Options PCS
to revisit the eligibility and placement decisions for seventy-five to one hundred students with
disabilities. As part of that reform plan, ESS trained special education staff on the case management
approach, case analysis, data tracking and analysis, and the continuum of instructional options. Staff
have applied these trainings to IEP and triennial review meetings held since March 1, 2014.
Options PCS held IEP and triennial review meetings for 83 students between March 1 and July 15,
2014. Table 4 describes those students eligibility determinations. Two triennial meetings resulted
in a change of eligibility. Options PCS anticipates that more eligibility determinations will change,
with nearly 30 reevaluations scheduled or in progress.
Table 4. Eligibility Determinations for IEP and Triennial Review Meetings Held
Between March 1 and July 15, 2014 (as of August 1, 2014)
Number Percent
Autism Spectrum 3 3.6%
Emotionally Disturbed 15 18.1%
Intellectually Disabled 7 8.4%
Multiply Disabled 14 16.9%
Other Health Impaired 9 10.8%
Specific Learning Disabled 35 42.1%
Total 83

The IEP and triennial review meetings held between March 1 and July 15 resulted in few changes to
the hours of specialized instruction from the previous year because very few students demonstrated
improved academic or behavior performance outcomes. The continuum of instructional options in
place for the 2014-2015 school year should afford SWDs opportunities to receive specialized
instruction within a range of settings and could conceivably contribute to a reduction in instructional
hours outside of the general education setting.

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Table 5. Eligibility Determinations for All Students with Disabilities
(as of September 15, 2014)
Number Percent
Autism Spectrum 1 0.6%
Emotionally Disturbed 36 22.8%
Intellectually Disabled 18 11.4%
Multiply Disabled 24 15.2%
Other Health Impaired 14 8.9%
Specific Learning Disabled 64 40.5%
Speech-Language Impaired 1 0.6%
Total 158

PROGRESS TOWARD 2014-2015 GOALS
The June 2014 MOU identified three goals for Options PCS during the 2014-2015 school year:
1. To ensure that the educational needs and disabilities of Options PCS students are properly
identified;
2. To provide high-quality educational and related services for every Options PCS student,
including through
a. Individualized education programs for students with disabilities, and
b. Individualized learning plans for students without disabilities; and
3. To develop individualized transition plans for all Options students to guide their placement
and services after the 2014-2015 school year.
As of September 15, Options PCS is making steady progress toward each of these goals. Options PCS
has reviewed more than half of IEPs since ESS completed its file review. The Academic Wellness
Department, which houses a large clinical staff, an academic coach, a behavior coach, and several
academic/behavioral interventionists, is responsible for implementing a tiered Response-to-
Intervention (RTI) model. Both the IEP review and the RTI model are critical to ensuring that the
educational needs and disabilities of Options PCS students and properly identified.
An external consultant is currently reviewing all students transcripts to ensure that they have
takenor will takethe classes necessary to graduate. This transcript review is a first step toward
developing individualized learning plans for students without disabilities.
Finally, Options PCS hired a special education coordinator whose primary responsibility is transition
planning. Since the first day of school, she has completed 16 vocation/transitional assessments for
special education students. The Student Affairs Department will soon receive training on providing
similar assessments and assistance to students without disabilities.

THE FUTURE
The School Leadership Team at Options PCS submitted a Letter of Intent to the Receiver to express
our interest in operating Options PCS next school year. In addition, the team submitted an application
to the PCSB to open a new charter school named Kingsman Academy Public Charter School. As noted
in the Letter of Intent, the School Leadership Team decided to apply for a charter because we
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recognize the District of Columbias need for a school that serves the Options PCS population and
because we want to continue to build upon the efforts of this restart year.