CIVITAS SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP

Pilot School Proposal

Belmont Pilot Schools Network

Los Angeles Unified School District
Local District 4
August 3. 2007

Standards and the Civitas SOL Habits ofMind) through performance-based assessments. Students will complete portfolios and present their work through exhibitions, at which adults and peers from both inside and outside the school will evaluate student work and understanding.
Using ISIS data, we will collect and analyze students' records to see what educational services they need such as gifted/talented instruction, special education, ELL services, and TitleI resources. In addition to the cumulative records from the students' prior schools, this data will

give us a good sense of where students are when they come to Civitas SOL. During the school year, we will analyze students' performance on the summative and formative assessments, along with their previous CST results, to move them from foundational to apprenticeship level.
We feel that we must analyze data beyond CST results in order to gain a complete picture of
student progress and performance. We will track student attendance as it serves as a main

indicator of student engagement. Students who are habitually tardy or absent will receive intervention that includes their families. Another source of data will be ongoing records of student behavior. Students who disrupt their own learning and that of others or engage in destructive behavior will be individually counseled. Finally, we will analyze student retention
rates during the school year and into the next year in order to inform oursevles of the

effectiveness of our instructional program. Also, qualitative data will becollected and analyzed
to gain insight into student perception of how well Civitas SOL meets their academic and social
expectations.

The inherent nature of being a small school will allow faculty and staffto regularly and thoroughly analyze school and student data in order to best serve our students and improve and
develop our instruction.

In orderto graduate from Civitas SOL, students will be required to demonstrate mastery of six core proficiencies: literature text analysis, math application, science research, second language, artistic expression, and civic action. Starting in the ninth grade, students progress through increasingly sophisticated levels of understanding until at the mastery level, they can
successfully articulate and defend their best work to a critical audience. These levels are

designated as "Foundational," "Apprentice," and "Mastery." Rubrics for the interdisciplinary work done at each level help guide students to a place of deeperunderstanding, greater intellectual and academic independence, and more effective interpersonal skills.
PART 8. Leadership and Staff Selection

In accordance with the staffing autonomy granted to pilot schools, Civitas SOL shall have the freedom to hire and release staff in order to uphold the school's vision and meet the needs of a diverse student population. As such, the principal, teachers, students, parents and community representatives shall play a role in the staffing of the school. Prospective teachers must demonstrate the qualities outlined in the Teacher Job Description (See Appendix III). Likewise, the Principal shall meet both the criteria for teachers as well as the job criteria for Principal (See Appendix IV). While the selection of the principal will be approved by the school's governing board, the instructional leadership team will recruit teachers who demonstrate the spirit of
collaboration and dedication to student learning regardless of their current status. In other words,

staff selection is not based upon one's seniority with the district, but is based upon how well an individual best fits the needs of the school, the students and the community.
The staffing autonomy ofpilot schools ensures that there will be ashared responsibility of leadership at Civitas SOL. In amove away from the hierarchical system of leadership at
traditional schools, the shared responsibilities will ensure that Civitas SOL staff members are

enabled to work collaboratively to lead the school in curriculum and assessment development, instruction, professional development needs, student intervention, and operational issues. To
ensure that the mission of Civitas SOL maintains its vision and addresses the needs of its

students, all staff members shall beexpected to take on avariety of leadership roles (e.g.,
teacher-leaders, professional development coordinators, student advisory leads, grade-level and

department facilitators). The autonomy of staff selection will allow Civitas SOL to build atightknit community of educators and establish and maintain a culture of collaboration to foster the

academic success and personal growth of all students. The evaluation process for teachers will
follow the specifics outlined in the Elect-to-Work Agreement in Part 9.

As the student population grows from year to year, and further staffing isrequired, staff selection will continue to focus on the vision of Civitas SOL and on the specific needs of the student population. In seeking to recruit teachers, we will consistently consider the needs of special
education students, English Language Learners, and gifted and talented students. All teachers,

regardless of their discipline, will demonstrate their commitment to teaching second language
learners and work collaboratively with special education teachers to ensure that all students are mainstreamed into the student population. Civitas SOL teachers will demonstrate effective
practices of differentiated instruction and will collaborate to meet each student's individual needs

as they move towards a mastery of the Habits of Mind which is thecenterpiece of Civitas SOL.

in