Approve Termination of Contract With Richard Milburn Academy, Inc.

Richard Milburn Academy, Inc. has a contract with the School District that commenced on July 1, 2005, and will end on June 30, 2008. Florida Statute 1002.33(8)(b) includes a provision for the termination of a charter contract for failure to meet the requirements for student performance stated in the charter. It is understood that the contract, the School Improvement Plan, the Title I Schools in Need of Improvement Plan and/or Assistance Plus Plan are all parts of the school’s contract performance requirements. Richard Milburn Academy, Inc. has not met this standard, as evidenced by sustained low student performance (Attachment 1, page 2, paragraph 8).

On April 24, 2006, the Superintendent notified the principal and Board Chair of Richard Milburn Academy of her intent to recommend termination of the school’s contract, based upon sustained low student academic performance. The Board Chair requested and received permission to participate in an informal hearing before the School Board to respond to this notice. The informal hearing was conducted on May 24, 2006.

A review of the 2006 FCAT scores received by the District on June 2, 2006 revealed a lack of student progress which prompted the Superintendent to request a meeting with representatives from the school. Richard Milburn Academy personnel requested a comparison of these data with the FCAT scores of students in the bottom quartile at Middleton High School. District staff expanded the comparison to include the bottom quartile of Chamberlain High School students because a large number of former Chamberlain High School students are enrolled at Richard Milburn Academy. The initial comparison of increases in student achievement measured by the FCAT, as required by F.S. 1008.31, revealed students in the comparison groups at both District high schools out-performed those from Richard Milburn Academy.

Richard Milburn Academy’s specific purpose centers on attracting at risk students and maintaining their school attendance to achieve high school completion. District staff conducted a comprehensive review of the attendance, academic, and graduation rate objectives in Richard Milburn Academy’s School Improvement Plans for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years. The results of that review are as follows:

Attendance: The goal for 2004-2005 was a 96% attendance rate. The attendance rate for 2004-2005 was 63.31%. The objective for 2005-2006 was an increase from 60% to 80%. The attendance rate for 2005-2006 was 69.49%.

Reading: The objective for 2004-2005 was 53% of students scoring at level 3 or higher on the FCAT. In 2005, two percent of ninth graders and zero percent of tenth graders scored at level 3 or higher on FCAT. The objective for 2005-2006 was a ten point increase in the percentage of students in the bottom quartile making adequate progress as required by Florida’s A+ Plan and measured by FCAT. The percentage of students making gain in reading increased by one percentage point from 2005 to 2006.

Math: The objective for 2004-2005 was 48% of students scoring at level 3 or higher on the FCAT. In 2005, seven percent of ninth graders and three percent of tenth graders scored at level 3 or higher on FCAT. The objective for 2005-2006 was a ten point increase in the percentage of students in the bottom quartile making adequate progress as required by Florida’s A+ Plan and measured by FCAT. The percentage of students making gain in math decreased by 13 percentage points from 2005 to 2006.

Writing: The objective for 2004-2005 was 73% of students scoring at level 4 or higher on the FCAT. In 2005, 27% of students scored at level 4 or higher. The objective for 2005-2006 was a one percent increase in the number of students scoring at or above 3.5 on FCAT. The percentage of students scoring at or above 3.5 in writing increased by four percentage points from 2005 to 2006.

Science: The objective for 2004-2005 was a five percent increase in the number of students scoring at level 3 or higher on FCAT. In 2005, there were no level scores for science; results were reported in scaled scores only. The objective for 2005-2006 was a five percent increase in the number of students scoring at level 3.5 or higher on FCAT. There are no half scores in science. In 2006, three percent of students scored at level 3 or higher on FCAT science.

Graduation: The goal for 2004-2005 was 100% of eligible seniors graduating. In 2005, of the 61 eligible students, 15% graduated. There was no graduation goal for the 2005-2006 school year.

As a result of data provided by multiple sources, including Richard Milburn Academy, the determination has been made that Richard Milburn Academy has failed to meet its student achievement increase requirements. Therefore, the Superintendent recommends the termination of the contract effective July 26, 2006.

This recommendation will impact approximately 200 students in grades 9-12. District staff is prepared to assist students with placement in appropriate secondary or adult education programs.

Attached are the school’s current contract (Attachment 1), a school profile that contains the most up-to-date information about Richard Milburn Academy (Attachment 2), the 2004-2005 School Improvement Plan (Attachment 3), the 2005-2006 School Improvement Plan (Attachment 4), the 2004-2005 Annual Report to the DOE (Attachment 5), and correspondence received from the President of Richard Milburn Academy, Inc. regarding student achievement (Attachment 6).

Goal 6 – All schools in the district will be assigned a state grade of A, B, or C.

The charter school’s 2005-2006 enrollment generated approximately $1,512,831 in FEFP funds. The school also received approximately $147,564 in capital outlay funds from the Florida Department of Education.

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