new beacon network schools innovation zone fall 2018 proposal · 2019. 6. 20. · beacon network...

Beacon Network Schools

Innovation Zone

Fall 2018 Proposal

Initial District Review Sept 7-14 Final District Review Sept 21-26

Staff Vote by Oct 12 DPS Board Vote Oct 18

Submitted to:

[email protected] Portfolio Management Denver Public Schools

1860 Lincoln St Denver, CO 80203

mailto:[email protected]

Beacon Network Schools Innovation Zone Application - Submitted September 7, 2018; Re-submitted September 24, 2018

1

Cover Page for Colorado Department of Education and

Checklist Complete the following cover page for the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). When submitting an Innovation Plan to the Colorado State Board of Education, the following document must be completed. For additional information about the submission process, please see CDE’s Fact Sheet, Innovation Act Waiver Requests. Zone Name: __Beacon Network Schools Innovation Zone________________ School District: ___Denver Public Schools________________________________________ Contact for Innovation Zone Plan: _Alex Magaña, Executive Director, [email protected] Please answer the following questions to help CDE review the Innovation Zone Plan as efficiently as possible. Is this plan for a new or an existing zone? New Have the schools applied for status as an Alternative Education Campus (AEC)? No (If yes, please explain: _________________________________________________________________) Have the schools been assigned to a Priority Improvement or Turnaround plan? No Are any of the schools a recipient of the federal School Improvement Grant (1003(g))? Yes - Kepner Beacon Middle School An Innovation Plan must be submitted along with the following documents:

❏ A signed resolution from the local school board, signaling approval of the plan and intent to submit the plan to the State Board for its approval;

❏ A separate document listing the state laws and State Board rules that the school is seeking to waive, as well as “replacement plans” for each of those waivers (i.e., a description of the manner in which the school will comply with the intent of the waived statutes or rules and will be accountable to the state for such compliance); and

❏ A separate document showing the school’s prior year budget (if an already existing school) and a proposed budget, including funding required for all innovations to be implemented. This budget should include all costs associated with innovations, including staffing costs, and information about any local, state, federal or private funds the school anticipates receiving.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR INNOVATION ZONES ONLY: For schools that are jointly seeking designation as an Innovation School Zone, the Innovation plan must include all of the information described above, for each school in the Zone. In addition, the Innovation plan for an Innovation School Zone must include:

❏ A description of how the schools will work together to achieve results that would be less likely if each school worked alone; ❏ An estimate of any economies of scale that may result from schools implementing innovations jointly; and ❏ A showing of how each school in the Innovation School Zone solicited input from students, parents, and community

members concerning the selection of the schools in the zone and the strategies and procedures that would be used to implement and integrate innovations in schools within the zone.

https://www.cde.state.co.us/choice/innovationactwaiverguidancefactsheet

https://www.cde.state.co.us/choice/innovationactwaiverguidancefactsheet


2

Section 1: Innovation Zone Overview Zone Name: Beacon Network Schools Innovation Zone

Proposed Network Leader (ED): Alex Magaña

Contact Phone Number: 720-423-9362

Contact Email: [email protected]

Proposed Member Schools (Insert Rows As Needed):

Grant Beacon Middle School

Kepner Beacon Middle School

1. Provide the mission and vision of the proposed zone and how the individual schools are aligned with the mission

and vision of the zone, as well as alignment with the Denver Plan 2020.

Zone Purpose: The Beacon Network Schools Innovation Zone (Beacon Zone) will empower Beacon Schools with collective flexibilities and resources; support for teachers and leaders to learn together, grow, and excel; and community ownership and involvement. Creating the Beacon Zone will allow Beacon Network Schools to codify the Beacon Model and sustain it in order to improve outcomes for students.

Zone Priorities: The Beacon Network Schools Innovation Zone Committee, with input from teachers and leaders, identified the following benefits as priorities for enabling Beacon Schools to go beyond what is possible within the IMO structure to reach their vision, mission, and goals. 1. Teacher & Leader Empowerment: I-zones afford leaders and teachers the opportunity to design and sustain a shared

learning community specifically tailored to the needs of their students, and the adults who serve them. The Beacon Zone will support BNS teachers and leadership in the formal implementation of these educator-designed learning communities.

2. Shared Learning Across Schools: Because I-zones are organized around common interests, there is an explicit opportunity and expectation for shared learning to manifest across schools and teams within the I-zone. The Beacon Zone will formalize structures for shared learning across schools and ensure that this critical part of the success of the network is implemented.

3. Increase Community Ownership / Involvement: The I-zone creation and renewal process requires stakeholders to have direct voice in oversight of the zone, thereby empowering local community members as official, ongoing partners in the effort. The Beacon Zone will include community involvement through a newly created Teacher Council and Parent Council that participate in Zone Board decisions. In addition, through the nonprofit board there is additional opportunity for ongoing collaboration and community voice through board composition.

4. Zone Support Structures: I-zones offer the opportunity to construct a support team tailored to the needs of schools in the I-zone. The Beacon Zone will allow schools to pool resources and leverage additional I-zone funding to hire experts in areas such as personalized learning to provide additional support, training, and coaching to teachers on implementing the personalized learning model or operations to relieve administrative and operational responsibilities at the school level, freeing up more time for school-based teams to focus on teaching and learning.

5. Increased Flexibility: I-zones are empowered to set priorities specific to the schools within them; these priorities must align to the I-zone plan and to schools’ individual innovation plans and must be informed by data trends on an ongoing basis. I-zone schools may choose not to participate in most programs or practices offered by DPS support services that are not aligned to I-zone and school priorities, although areas related to legal responsibility and compliance will not be made flexible. The Beacon Zone will allow Beacon Schools to maintain a steadfast focus on implementing the personalized learning model and executing the flexibilities granted in their innovation plans.

6. Codifying Relationship Between Schools in the Zone & the District: I-zones create clear structures for providing efficient and effective support and accountability to schools within the Zone, aligned to innovation plan goals. The Beacon Zone will provide Beacon Schools with opportunities to work with other I-Zone leaders and senior district leaders to ensure that support provided by district partners is aligned to zone priorities, to ensure that I-zone leaders have a voice, and to ensure that the district achieves the full potential of innovation zones.

Within the existing IMO structures, the Beacon Network Schools have expended a significant amount of time to negotiate with district personnel in order to implement existing waivers in ways that allow the schools within the


3

Beacon Network to collaborate and share resources. Some examples of challenges that Beacon schools have experienced in implementing existing waivers include cumbersome and lengthy processes to get staff positions and contractor agreements approved and posted, contracting with enrichment and professional development providers, changes in payroll processes without advance notice or opportunities for input, and inconsistencies in communications from district departments. In addition, district policies and related flexibilities have changed multiple times since the initial approval of the GBMS innovation plan in 2010. The Zone structure will allow Beacon Network Schools to pursue a long-term strategy in keeping with their existing innovative programming that has resulted in student achievement and school performance gains, and ensures the continuity of the Beacon Zone vision beyond an individual leader. Within the Zone structure, the Zone Board will serve as an advocate for the Zone and the Beacon model, both through their formal relationship with Denver Public Schools and as members of their communities, while also holding the Zone accountable for its impact on student outcomes. Zone Outcomes: All Beacon Zone students will have access to cutting-edge personalized learning and high-quality enrichment programming that will support them in attaining high academic achievement gains, closing opportunity gaps, and engaging students in leading their own learning. Beacon Zone structures will enable Beacon Schools to have collaborative professional learning opportunities, excellent teacher and leader recruitment and retention, funding to sustain high-quality programming as the Beacon Network grows, support for executing on innovation plan flexibilities in an efficient, effective and sustainable way, and increased public awareness and marketing of Beacon Schools. Zone Alignment: Beacon Network Schools, currently including Grant Beacon Middle School & Kepner Beacon Middle School, share common vision, mission, and values. All Beacon Schools will have common instructional practices, data team systems, culture development, and enrichment programming. The Beacon Zone will ensure that Beacon Schools uphold the Beacon vision, mission, and values and implement common practices by monitoring, gathering community input, and evaluating the Executive Director.

Beacon Vision: Beacon Network Schools students will be among the highest in academic growth in the state, will be well-rounded in their interests and abilities, and will be recognized in the community for outstanding leadership.

Beacon Mission: Achieve, Lead, and Grow Together Beacon Schools are committed to the high achievement and growth of every student, providing a college preparatory program of study that sets high expectations and requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Through the integration of technology and collaborative work of students, staff, families, and community partners, BNS will bring together its neighborhoods’ diverse communities and prepare students with the academic knowledge and 21st century leadership skills necessary for college and career success.

Beacon Values: How We Are Successful In support of our vision and mission, BNS staff members anchor their daily work in the following beliefs:

● Culture Drives our Performance ● Growth Mindset Creates our Solutions ● Our Teams Lead Our Transformation ● Blended Learning is Our Path to Personalization

● Data Informs Our Instruction ● Social Emotional Learning Builds Our Character ● Rich and Varied Learning Experiences Motivate Us

Denver Plan Vision: The Denver Plan 2020’s fundamental goal is: “By 2020, 80% of DPS students will attend a high-performing school, measured by region using the district’s school performance framework.” On that measure, we have a very long way to go. Thirty-five thousand students in Denver still attend schools that are not yet meeting expectations for performance. The Denver Plan also reminds us that, to meet our goal, we must “expand high-quality school choices in all communities through differentiated supports for existing schools, new school strategies, turnaround efforts and strong accountability systems.”

The Beacon Zone will address the ongoing need to provide more Denver students with a high-performing school to attend. Implementing the Beacon Model, both GBMS and KBMS have achieved high growth on state assessments and have met state and district expectations on School Performance Frameworks.

While new middle school options have recently opened, there continues to be a need for high-performing middle schools with only 64% of Southwest students and only 28% of Northwest students attending middle schools that have


4

met state and district expectations on School Performance Frameworks. Beacon Network Schools has recently obtained approval from the DPS Board of Education to open new Beacon Schools to increase the opportunities for DPS students to attend a high-performing school. As the need arises, the Beacon Zone will work with the District and each community to determine the best placement for new Beacon Schools.

2. Describe the proposed zone’s theory of action, including a description of how the public schools in the zone would be integrated to achieve results that would be less likely to be accomplished by each public school working alone.

The Beacon Zone’s Theory of Action…

If…we integrate and share resources and personnel; increase financial resources and efficiencies; replicate and vertically align programming for personalized learning and enrichments; and engage and empower community collaboration…

Then…we will increase effectiveness of instruction and retention of highly effective teachers; increase resources and support for students and teachers, increase student achievement gains and reduce opportunity gaps; and increase college and career readiness and prepare students to meet new graduation requirements. Integrate and Share Resources and Personnel The Beacon Zone will operate with shared resources and human capital. Beacon Zone personnel will include: an Executive Director who provides oversight and support to school principals and network leadership team members; a director of operations who supports Beacon Schools to efficiently and effectively execute innovation waivers and fluidly access funding to support program operations; instructional deans with expertise in personalized learning, literacy, math, data analysis, and teacher development to facilitate collaborative learning and teacher recruitment and retention initiatives; and community outreach and enrichments coordinators to ensure strong partnerships and high quality experiences for students. By sharing personnel, Beacon Schools are able to provide teachers with modeling, coaching, and support to implement the Beacon personalized learning model and are able to reduce the time that school principals spend on navigating district systems in order to implement innovation plans. In expanding the Beacon Zone, geographical proximity will be a consideration in order to allow network schools to more easily share physical resources such as space, technology, assessments, and curricula, as well as high-performing staff such as coordinators, specialists, and content experts.

Engage and Empower Community Collaboration The Beacon Zone will increase community engagement and voice in decision-making through the community-based nonprofit charged with oversight and support for Zone schools and the unique Teacher Council and Parent Council structures for providing input to and participating on the Beacon Zone Board. The Beacon Zone will facilitate community collaboration and input. Collaborative work of students, staff, families, and community partners is central to our Beacon mission to prepare students with the academic knowledge and leadership skills necessary for college and career success.

Increase Financial Resources and Efficiencies

The Beacon Zone will use increased budgetary flexibility to leverage efficiencies and provide increased supports to students and schools. An alternative funding model will allow us to minimize costs for shared services and staff within the network. School leaders will be able to strategically prioritize the resources critical to meeting the needs of the students and families whom their schools serve, and then maximize funding and resources dedicated directly to school-based priorities and the work happening in classrooms. For example, a school might add extra instructional staff to assist with intervention and enrichment or add a social worker.

Replicate and Vertically Align Beacon Programming The Beacon Zone has successfully implemented its model for Personalized Learning through Blended Learning, Critical Thinking, Extended Learning Opportunities, and Character Development in two middle schools thus far and has secured approval from the Denver Public Schools Board of Education for up to three additional middle schools, based on community need and demand. The Beacon Zone will explore options for creating vertically-aligned programming options for Beacon Middle School students, working with existing high schools to create cohesive experiences for Beacon students.


5

3. Describe the key flexibilities being sought that are only available to innovation zones and how they will impact student achievement.

Innovation Zones are designed as an opportunity for school communities to self-organize in support of shared learning, while also granting them additional autonomies to best align programming and resources with student and school needs.

The key flexibilities being sought by the Beacon Zone include:

A. Teacher, family, and community engagement to elevate and empower those served by the schools, including those who may not yet have developed a voice, and to ensure that these schools meet the needs of the communities they serve. The Zone structure will empower teachers, families, and community members as formal partners in decision-making through roles on the Beacon Zone Board. The flexibility and strategic support enabled by this governance innovation will support the nimble implementation of data-driven decision-making to meet student needs and accelerate student achievement.

B. Teacher and leader recruitment, support, and retention through shared professional learning opportunities, leadership opportunities, coaching, mentoring, and internships or residencies across the Beacon Network; flexibility to opt out of district PD when not aligned to Beacon Zone priorities; and additional compensation and recognition for increased responsibilities and time associated with implementing the Beacon Innovation Model. By increasing the effectiveness of instruction and the retention of highly effective teachers in Beacon Zone Schools, these human resources flexibilities will drive student achievement gains and prepare students to meet rigorous standards in high school, college, and careers.

C. Financial flexibilities including SBB+, financial contributions from each school budget to support the Beacon Network structures, fundraising from private and non-profit organizations to support Beacon Network structures, and a non-profit organization to collect, account for, and distribute Beacon Zone moneys. Increased financial flexibilities allow the Beacon Zone to leverage financial resources to adequately fund the Beacon Network Schools priorities and programming, such as personalized learning and enrichments, that have resulted in student achievement gains, closing opportunity gaps, and school performance that meets state and district expectations.

D. Governance by a non-profit board responsible for supervision and evaluation of the Executive Director who is responsible for the oversight of all schools in the Beacon Zone. The Beacon Zone Board ensures a consistent and sustainable focus on the Beacon Network Schools’ mission, vision, and goals, through changes in district leadership and allows the district to concentrate their limited resources on other district-wide priorities. The Beacon Zone Board holds the Executive Director accountable to carrying out the Beacon Schools’ Innovation Plans and the Beacon Innovation Zone Plan. Ultimately, the Beacon Zone Board is accountable to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education that approves the Beacon Innovation Zone plan every three years. In addition, individual schools in the Beacon Zone are also accountable to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education that approves School Innovation Plans on the same three-year cycle. The flexibility for the Beacon Zone to oversee Beacon Schools and evaluate the Executive Director will ensure that school innovation plans are being implemented, student achievement gains are being made, and school performance goals are being met. Members of the Beacon Zone Board will also bring in important skills and expertise in areas that will support the schools and Zone entity in becoming more effective and financially sustainable organizations. The Executive Director will be able to leverage this expertise in the oversight and improvement of Beacon Schools through Board meetings and formal strategic guidance, given the Board’s role.

4. Identify the elements of the proposed schools’ performance, programming, and/or operational organization that demonstrate a common interest/unifying element, including how the proposed organization will promote shared learning and the associated systems and structures.

Programming Beacon Network Schools implement an innovative educational program of Personalized Learning through Blended Learning, Critical Thinking, Extended Learning Opportunities, and Character Development. Through our blended learning model and extended day programming, we are able to personalize learning experiences for students with different


6

achievement levels and language development and learning needs, provide language development support to English language learners, intensify academic interventions for struggling students, and provide a multitude of high-quality enrichment opportunities for all of our students.

At the heart of Beacon Network Schools is a commitment to serving students who lack access to other excellent educational options. BNS welcomes all students and embraces diverse student populations. The students we most passionately seek to serve are likely to: qualify for free and reduced lunch; be second language learners, have IEP’s, and/or have one or more other factors that put them “at risk.” The Beacon Network Schools model of personalization through blended learning, critical thinking, extended learning opportunities, and character development is designed to engage every learner, close opportunity gaps, and prepare students with the skills to succeed in high school, college, and career choices as well as to participate in and contribute to the greater community.

Personalized Learning With a focus on Personalized Learning, Beacon Schools design and implement lessons that use a variety of instructional techniques including blended learning and critical thinking questions to meet the needs of the diverse learners in every classroom. Beacon Schools curriculum and instruction are student-centered and culturally responsive, providing equitable access to high-level learning opportunities to students from all cultures. Beacon Schools lessons are standards-based with an emphasis on Essential Learning Goals (ELGs) and follow the Beacon Schools curriculum and pacing and planning guides. All classroom teachers maintain the Beacon Schools Learning Management System (Moodle) by ELGs or by themes. Each department agrees on the ELGs, blended learning model, grading policy and curriculum that supports the Personalized Learning Model. Each Beacon Schools teacher creates a class syllabus that outlines the specifics of the grading policies, rituals and routines for their classrooms, and any other significant information students need to be successful.

The Beacon Zone culture fosters collaboration and structures opportunities for students, teachers and parents to work together on diverse teams that span multiple cultures, abilities, and interests. Technology is an integral part of teaching and learning at Beacon Schools. Teachers use computers, promethean boards, screencasts, podcasts, and online/blended instructional approaches to deliver instruction. Students use iPads, Chromebooks, laptops, computer, and video technology to access information, engage in collaborative learning networks, and demonstrate learning through presentations and assessments. Elements of the Beacon Schools Blended Learning Model include: 1) differentiation / pathways; 2) use of technology and face to face with instruction; 3) synchronous & asynchronous learning; 4) data analysis and progress monitoring; 5) multiple supports and resources; 6) student ownership & reflection; and 7) culture of sharing.

The Beacon Zone provides services to Beacon Schools aligned to the Beacon Model of Personalized Learning. Services include: professional development, training, coaching, and modeling; systems to create personalized learning environments, technology, learning management systems, and resources; and evaluation of implementation, observations, and feedback.

Enrichments Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) time provides enrichments for our students to build their critical thinking and 21st century skills. In collaboration with community partners, parents, teachers and students, Beacon Schools offer diverse enrichment programming, which allows our students to explore interests and professions that they may otherwise not be exposed to. These opportunities contribute to our mission of developing our students academically, personally, and professionally. The enrichment time allows our educators to create personalized learning environments for our students, as their enrichment schedule will reflect the academic or social needs of the student. Our ELO model will continue to encourage and support creative learning environments for our students and educators, while fostering an enrichment program that empowers our students academically and personally.

Beacon Network Schools offer a wide array of enrichment activities to all students including: advanced, intermediate and interventions in language arts and math, and classes in STEM, Leadership, Arts and Culture, Athletics, and Humanities. Classes are taught by BNS teachers or community providers and change every quarter. Enrichments provide students with incredible opportunities that are outside of the realm of the traditional school day, and may include field trips off campus (e.g., symphonies, plays, museums, etc.). Teachers create innovative classes to teach and share their interests and talents with students. Community-based organizations and experts in a variety of fields provide students with enrichment opportunities in school. Students have the opportunity to sign up for enrichments from a catalog of many different class offerings each quarter. BNS Middle School Sports are integrated into enrichments. Students practice daily during enrichment and play games both at BNS and at other Denver Public Schools. Every student has the opportunity to try out


7

for any team. In addition, enrichments provide non-traditional athletic programming such as martial arts, tennis, rugby, etc. All enrichment providers are required to go through a contracting process which includes background checks.

The Beacon Zone provides services to Beacon Schools aligned to the BNS vision of enrichments. Services include: identification of teachers and providers to offer enrichment classes, scheduling of classes, organizing stipends, contracting with providers, fundraising and grant writing, and evaluating student interests and needs and the quality of enrichment classes and provider services.

Performance Both of the schools in the proposed Beacon Zone are meeting expectations on District and State School Performance Frameworks (SPFs). Since first implementing its Innovation Plan in 2012, GBMS has consistently achieved high growth and a “green” rating, meeting expectations on SPFs. In its first year of operation, KBMS 6th graders also achieved high growth on CMAS and a “green” rating on SPF. Innovative programs, committed teachers, and documented student achievement and growth will maintain the high demand of the Beacon Network Schools and create a truly diverse and high-achieving learning community.

All schools in the Beacon Zone will offer Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) through enrichment classes that help our students to build their critical thinking and 21st century skills. In collaboration with community partners, parents, teachers and students, Beacon Schools offer diverse enrichment programming, which allows our students to explore interests and professions that they may otherwise not be exposed to, reducing opportunity gaps. These opportunities contribute to our mission of developing our students academically, personally and professionally. The enrichment time allows our educators to further create a personalized learning environment for our students, as enrichments reflect the academic or social needs of the student. Our expanded learning model will continue to encourage and support creative learning environments for our students and educators, while fostering an enrichment program that empowers our students academically and personally.

Operational Organization The Beacon Zone promotes shared learning through the work of a central network team that includes: instructional deans with expertise in personalized learning, literacy, math, data analysis, and teacher development; a manager of community outreach, enrichments coordinator, and parent engagement coordinator; a director of operations; and an Executive Director.

The Beacon Zone provides professional development support to teachers through access to leaders who provide training, modeling, and coaching on personalized learning instruction across schools within the Network. By providing teachers with both 1:1 coaching and shared learning opportunities, the Beacon Zone increases access to resources for all of its schools.

The Beacon Zone provides advocacy support to schools for engaging parents and community members and securing and coordinating community-based organizations to provide enrichment opportunities in each of the Beacon Schools.

The Beacon Zone provides operations support to schools for increasing funding for schools, managing the non-profit accounting, negotiating and managing funding and human resources flexibilities with the district, facilitating the analysis of school performance data across the network, and evaluating the Executive Director and how effectively the Zone structure supports the participating schools.

In the Beacon Zone, the network will be able to build off of and expand existing collaborative systems and structures currently employed by Beacon Schools. The Beacon Network Leadership Team will assess best practices across all schools, redesign sharing and collaboration systems to leverage those best practices, and realign staffing to support those systems. School and network leaders will participate in a design session to determine the most effective ways to align programming and operations. This will include programmatic alignment through Team Leads and Instructional Deans collaborating and observing teaching staff at multiple campuses, then leading weekly planning meetings and data teams, and providing instructional coaching and feedback to teachers in their respective content areas and areas of expertise across schools. Teaching and mental health staff can be shared across campuses on an as-needed basis as well. In addition, schools may offer common electives or enrichments at their respective campuses and participate in aligned after-school programming.

5. Identify the key innovative elements the zone seeks to implement in each of the following areas. More information about each will be asked for throughout the application.


8

a) Leadership: The Beacon Zone will be governed by an independent board composed of community leaders and non-voting Beacon Network Schools representatives. The Executive Director of the Beacon Zone will work on behalf of the Zone Board to serve Zone schools in the following areas:

● Advocating for Zone Schools ● Engaging with the Community ● Leveraging Best Practices ● Facilitating the Sharing of Resources Across Zone Schools ● Maximizing Budget Efficiencies ● Facilitating Alignment of Instructional Practices and Curricula ● Facilitating Shared Professional Development ● Serving as a Liaison to the Zone Board ● Serving as a Liaison to Denver Public Schools ● Securing Additional Funding for Zone Schools ● Developing and Growing a Leadership Pipeline for Zone Schools ● Developing, supervising, and evaluating Beacon School Principals ● Managing the Zone Expansion Process, as needed

b) Teaching: The Beacon Zone will support teaching by facilitating the following innovative practices: ● Sharing professional development opportunities ● Participating in monthly observation protocols ● Participating in shared Professional Development across campuses ● Aligning Zone curriculum vertically and horizontally across schools ● Calibrating the scoring of student performance across schools

c) Education Program: Features of educational programming in the Beacon Zone include: ● Instructional priorities for the network focused on Personalized Learning through Blended Learning,

Critical Thinking, Extended Learning Opportunities, and Character Development. ● A shared Beacon Instructional Monitoring process, led by the Executive Director, will be implemented

across campuses where Network leadership team members and school leaders from Beacon Schools participate on site visits and provide schools with qualitative feedback.

● BNS Levers is an anonymous survey of all staff members quarterly to solicit input on: culture, professional learning, data driven instruction, and observation & feedback.

● A site review team comprised of the Executive Director, two members of the leadership team and Beacon Zone principals will perform site reviews twice a year at each school. The site quality reviews will include a review of school documentation including an analysis of student culture, staff culture, quality of classroom instruction, and academic performance data.

d) School Culture: Features of organizational culture for the Beacon Zone include: ● Parent and Student Participation will continue through existing school-based organizations and

structures such as the School Advisory Boards and Student Voice Committees. In addition, a Parent Council will advise and participate on the Beacon Zone Board to ensure community engagement.

● Schools in the Beacon Zone will continue to contract with Denver Public Schools for the services of facilitators/mediators from the office of Family and Community Engagement in order to address concerns or complaints raised by parents and students.

● All schools in the Beacon Zone will comply with standard DPS practices regarding student discipline. Zone schools will not be able to opt-out of district services related to discipline or legal supports; therefore, Denver Public Schools will continue to oversee school-level discipline practices to ensure compliance.

e) Governance and Finance: The structure of the Beacon Zone will enable schools to operate effectively as they work to fulfill their educational missions:

● The Beacon Zone Board will take responsibility for ensuring that the Beacon Zone fulfills its mission, vision, and goals as outlined in the Innovation Zone application, and will also have an important role in ensuring the sustainability of the Beacon Zone.


9

● The Beacon Zone Board is committed to both supporting network-level leaders and holding them accountable for the Zone’s performance.

● The Executive Director will determine and propose the budget for the Zone, aligned with the Beacon Network Schools’ mission, vision and goals.

● The overall decision-making framework for the Beacon Zone is: ■ Beacon Zone Board approves the strategic vision for the Zone and empowers the Executive

Director to meet that vision, then holds Executive Director accountable for executing on the vision and achieving outcomes.

■ Beacon Network Leadership approves common elements across Beacon Zone Schools while still allowing for individual school decisions in some areas; and implements the Beacon Zone Board’s vision while supporting schools to implement innovation plans.

■ Beacon Zone Principals work within the framework defined at the network level to make school-level decisions about culture, schedule and calendar, budget, staffing, and curriculum. Beacon Zone principals manage execution of innovation plans at the school level.

6. If the zone is going to provide shared services to schools separate from currently existing District services, describe the shared services that would be provided by the zone for schools to access and/or a plan to develop this menu of shared services. Additionally, describe how the shared services support the zone vision and mission.

The Beacon Zone will provide shared services to Beacon Network Schools to support teacher and leader empowerment, shared learning across schools, and increased amount of resources to schools. By leveraging the talents of top-performing staff and the benefits of economies of scale, network schools will work together to achieve the collective goals of increasing student achievement gains, reducing opportunity gaps, and preparing students for college and career success. In some areas, such as special education and English Language Acquisition, Beacon Zone schools will maintain DPS structures and access DPS supports without opting out. For some other areas where the schools in the Zone may have similar needs, such as personalized learning & enrichments, the Beacon Zone will help provide responsive Zone-wide service while also ensuring that the differentiated needs of each school are met, and will solicit feedback regularly on the efficacy of these Zone-provided shared services. Specifically, the network will provide shared services in several key areas:

● Coaching and Evaluating: The network will be responsible for evaluating school leaders and holding them accountable, with the Executive Director performing principal evaluations. Having a common vision for evaluation across Zone schools - which are already aligned in mission and vision - will provide opportunities for identifying both bright spots and problem areas across the network. These evaluations will help inform coaching of school leaders, with coaching and development happening through a Zone professional learning community facilitated by the Executive Director. Coaching feedback cycles that take into account the Executive Director’s ongoing assessment of leader performance will allow for quick engagement on issues of concern and ultimately accelerate student achievement by emphasizing rigorous standards for accountability. The coaching, evaluation, and accountability components will be integrated with quarterly improvement cycles, biannual site reviews, and participation in school monitoring by network leadership teams.

● Advocating for Zone Schools: The Executive Director and Director of Operations will be responsible for advocating on behalf of the Zone schools with DPS in order to effectively use flexibilities with budget, systems, staffing and other areas as the need arises. The network will also coordinate how schools are using autonomies by aligning processes across schools so that members are working to the benefit of all students in the Zone. For example, network staff will coordinate with the DPS human resources department to be a single point of contact who can help ensure that both principals and DPS staff are working efficiently to support all human resources needs. Centralizing this task with the Zone leadership will free up time for principals to be in school focused on teaching and learning, and will support student achievement.

● Leveraging Best Practices: The Executive Director will take lead responsibility for identifying “bright spots” and determining how to leverage areas of strength at individual schools to help improve the performance of other network schools. If one school is excelling in its ability to intervene and remediate significant learning gaps, for


10

example, the Zone can help arrange the sharing of best practices and expertise across all Zone schools. Alignment on mission and vision, coupled with geographic proximity and a network culture of sharing, will accelerate student achievement across schools.

● Facilitating the Sharing of Resources and Social Capital: The Executive Director will identify opportunities for the sharing of resources such as physical space, technology, etc. Additionally, and importantly, network schools will benefit from increased social capital from community members, local businesses and philanthropic groups. These groups can help introduce schools to best-in-class partners both locally and nationally who can provide exposure to best practices and high-quality support. By grouping schools across the Zone, each school will expand its access to such resources and accelerate student achievement gains by tapping new sources of funding and both co-curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for students.

● Maximizing Budget Efficiencies: The Executive Director and Director of Operations will research and identify cost-effective alternatives to district services where appropriate, using identified savings in targeted ways to further student achievement. By sharing instructional expertise across schools, for example, the Zone can allow a smaller number of exceptional teacher-leaders to have outsized impact. Generally, the Executive Director will facilitate regular reflection on the most effective ways to leverage economies of scale for network schools to reduce costs and maximize benefits for staff and students.

● Facilitating Alignment of Instructional Practices and Curricula: The Executive Director will ensure that schools in the Beacon Zone are grounded in common best instructional practices and that the scope and sequence of curricula are aligned amongst schools in the Zone. Specifically, the Beacon Network will focus on creating common high expectations through analysis of student work and will align curriculum horizontally across schools and vertically across grade levels. These efforts will accelerate student achievement by ensuring clear, rigorous standards across schools and allowing for increased leverage of best practices, as described above.

● Sharing Professional Development: Beacon Network Schools, with coordination assistance from the Executive Director, will have the opportunity to pool professional development resources to reduce individual school costs by leveraging economies of scale. This effort will allow for schools to share some common instructional practices, such as personalized learning, across campuses and to offer collective support with implementation as well. In addition, schools can jointly fund partnerships with organizations that might not be feasible or cost-effective if only one school were to work with the partner. This will help to accelerate student achievement by building capacity in instructional staff and accelerating the development of teachers to the benefit of students. In addition, money saved by sharing professional development costs would be re-allocated to provide additional and higher quality resources to students.

● Ensuring Compliance with DPS Policies for Special Populations: Because no Zone schools will opt of district services related to Special Education and English Language Learners, the network will work with Zone schools and the appropriate district staff to ensure that all Zone schools are in compliance with district policies and expectations for special populations.

7. Describe how staff members at the individual schools were engaged in the development of this plan.

Beacon Zone Committee Planning Meetings The Beacon Network Schools Executive Principal collaborated with all BNS teachers to apply for an Innovation Zone and asked for a teacher representative from each school to participate on the Beacon Zone planning committee. The Beacon Zone planning committee teacher representatives have met twice a month with the Executive Principal and application writer to review survey input from teachers and leaders and to provide feedback on drafts of the application. The Beacon Zone planning committee teacher representatives have also met with teachers and families to share the key components of the application and to gather additional input and answer questions.

● May 16: Input on Theory of Action, Zone Outcomes, and Zone Board composition and charge ● May 23: Input on Zone Board focus and on communicating with staff members throughout the process ● May 29: Review other Zone application and provide input on similarities & differences, identify priorities ● June 6: Review and provide input on: Overview Section, Teaching Section, and Beacon Zone Org Chart ● August 1: Review and provide input on 1-Page Overview and plan for gathering staff and community input ● August 15: Review application, 1-Page overview, and prepare presentation to staff and families ● August 29: Review FAQs, waivers, and final preparation for presentation to staff and families


11

● Sept 5: Review draft application prior to initial submission to district ● Sept 12: Prepare for final presentation of the plan to staff

Beacon Network Schools Staff Meetings

● May 11: Initial presentation to staff soliciting input & participation on Zone Planning Committee ● June 4: Network Leadership Team planning meeting, innovation zone plan input ● Aug 31: Zone Committee presentation to all staff & input in person and via anonymous survey ● Sept 5: Zone Committee lunch meeting with staff at KBMS to discuss plan and gather input ● Sept 6: Zone Committee lunch meeting with staff at GBMS to discuss plan and gather input ● Sept 21: Zone Committee detailed review of plan with all staff & solicit final input in person and via survey ● Sept 21: Beacon Zone Board Member met with all teachers and staff to discuss his role and start building a

trusting relationship with staff in Beacon Schools ● Sept 27: Final Beacon Zone Plan to be sent out to all staff ● Oct 12: Staff Vote to be conducted at each school

Network Advisory Board ● Jan 16: Innovation Zone v. IMO discussion, review of Innovation Law ● Apr 24: Innovation Zone application timeline & discussion of pros v. cons ● May 15: Beacon Zone confirmation of support & input on potential board members

8. Describe how students and community members at the individual schools were engaged in the development of this plan and any future opportunities for them to build understanding. Please include a schedule of events both past and future.

Grant Beacon Middle School ● May 16: School Advisory Board Meeting - Discussion and input on decision to pursue applying for a Beacon Zone ● Aug 24: Family e-newsletter sent out with 1-pager about the Beacon Zone ● Aug 30: Back to School Night - Overview presented & 1-pager provided in English & Spanish ● Sept 10: Coffee with the Principal, Michelle Saab - Information provided, Discussion and Q&A ● Sept 12: School Advisory Board Meeting - Beacon Zone discussion, vote, and letter of support ● Sept 28: Second family e-newsletter will be sent out with additional Zone FAQs

Kepner Beacon Middle School ● May 17: School Advisory Board Meeting - Discussion and input on decision to pursue applying for a Beacon Zone ● Aug 24: Family e-newsletter sent out with 1-pager about the Beacon Zone ● Aug 30: Back to School Night - Overview presented & 1-pager provided in English & Spanish ● Sept 11: Coffee with the Principal, Dan Walsh - Information provided, Discussion and Q&A ● Sept 13: School Advisory Board Meetings - Beacon Zone discussion, vote, and letter of support ● Sept 28: Second family e-newsletter will be sent out with additional Zone FAQs

Student Voice Committees Each Beacon Network School has a Student Voice Committee composed of students who exemplify the BNS Character Traits of perseverance, integrity, curiosity, kindness, and Leadership. Students are nominated by their teachers and selected by school leaders. BNS Student Voice Committees work with school leaders on issues such as culture building, problem solving, student led culture, living and inspiring the BNS Character Traits, and other important issues impacting the school. In addition, Student Voice contributes to the school and community through kindness and empathy related service projects. School Principals shared the Beacon Zone plan with each Student Voice Committee, gathered input, and facilitated conversations about how Student Voice could participate in providing input to the Beacon Zone Board through School Advisory Boards, the Beacon Zone Parent Council, or directly by requesting time on the Beacon Zone Board agendas.

The Beacon Zone Planning Committee gathered input from teachers, leaders, students, parents, and community partners through extensive process described in questions 7-9 below. The Beacon Zone’s purpose, priorities, and theory of action were derived from this input. In addition, input from teachers was used in developing the composition and charge of the Beacon Zone Board and the Beacon Zone Teacher Council. As the Beacon Zone team discussed the plan


12

for Zone application with a variety of stakeholders, including students, families, and community members, the clearest unifying thread was around a desire to maintain Beacon programming at a level where it continues to serve all students well. This priority is reflected and emphasized throughout the application based on this feedback.

9. Provide evidence that a majority of the administration, staff, and School Accountability Committee/Collaborative School Committee at each school consent to inclusion in the zone. If this has not yet occurred, please provide a time frame by which it will be completed1.

The final Beacon Innovation Zone application will be shared with Grant Beacon and Kepner Beacon staff on September 27, 2018. Staff are permitted a two-week review period, and staff votes at each of the two schools will take place on October 12, 2018.

The School Advisory Boards at GBMS and KBMS will discuss the Zone application and vote on consent to inclusion in the Zone on September 12th and September 13th, respectively. School Advisory Board letters of support will be appended to this application submission prior to the teacher votes and DPS Board of Education vote.

Please see Appendix A for Letters of Support from members of the school communities at the two schools applying to form the Beacon Zone.

Section 2: Leadership 1) Describe the prior experiences that the proposed network leader(s) will leverage to be successful in this role,

including academic outcomes achieved and data where applicable. (ATTACHMENT: Appendix B - Network Leader Resume; Appendix C - Executive Director Job Description)

Alex Magaña, Beacon Zone Executive Director

In the Beacon Zone, Alex Magaña will act as the Executive Director and continue in his role as Executive Principal. Alex has led the development and implementation of the Beacon Network Schools Innovation Management Organization as Executive Principal for both GBMS and KBMS. Alex led the initial GBMS innovation planning and the replication at KBMS, resulting in high levels of student achievement growth, increased student attendance and enrollment, and increased school performance in both schools. Alex graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting and finance. After rapidly advancing in his corporate business career, he realized something was missing. He needed to give back to education what education had given him: success. He decided to take his talents and become a math teacher in Immokalee, Florida. After teaching in Florida he then moved to Denver, Colorado, and continued teaching math. Shortly after, he obtained his Master’s Degree from the University of Denver and advanced professionally becoming first a math coach, leading school wide implementation of data-driven instruction that was recognized by the state for the resulting achievement gains, and then becoming the school’s assistant principal. Having demonstrated his school leadership skills, Alex was recruited to become the assistant principal of Grant Beacon Middle School, and within two years, was selected as the principal. Over the past eight years, Alex has worked collaboratively with teachers, parents, and community partners to create the vision for Beacon Network Schools and has led the implementation and expansion of this vision to increase the achievement of students and close opportunity gaps in multiple schools.

2) Describe the prior experiences that the school level leaders will leverage to be successful within the zone, including academic outcomes achieved where applicable. (ATTACHMENT: Appendix D - School Leader Resumes)

Michelle Saab, Grant Beacon Middle School Principal

Michelle has been with the Denver Public Schools since 2006 and at GBMS since 2010, participating on the original innovation planning committee. Her career in education has been diverse from working with community and parent engagement and conflict resolution, development and implementation of extended day programs and restorative and proactive cultural practices, to school administration. Michelle has led GBMS to a green rating on SPF. Under her

1 Consent processes will be facilitated by DPS Staff. If they are not completed at the time of submission, there must be a clear plan for doing so within 7 days of submission.


13

leadership, student attendance has increased from 89% to 93%, and continuously enrolled students have demonstrated gains of more than 10% on CMAS ELA and Math. In addition, she has led Beacon school culture initiatives including character development, student leadership, social emotional learning, and mindful practices that have resulted in increased student and parent satisfaction, and reduced behavioral referrals. Dan Walsh, Kepner Beacon Middle School Principal As Principal Resident, Dan led KBMS to a green rating on SPF in its first year. Due to his leadership, the school was green in student engagement, growth, and parent engagement. Prior to his role as Principal Resident, opening the new school at KBMS, he was recognized for his exceptional math growth scores as an 8th grade teacher leader at GBMS, demonstrating MGPs of over 80 for four years. Dan was an early adopter of blended learning in the classroom and led the math team in developing blended learning curriculum and assessments aligned to CCSS at GBMS. Each year he contributes to data analysis, time analysis, and assessment of the impact of blended learning on achievement for Beacon Schools.

3) Describe the key roles and responsibilities of network level staff, including network partners in other District departments as applicable. (ATTACHMENT: Appendix E - Organization Chart)

Executive Director - The Beacon Executive Director will be an experienced innovation leader with the following responsibilities:

● Accountable for the performance of Beacon Network Schools ● Shapes and drives organizational strategy and vision ● Hires, manages, and develops School Principals and the Network Leadership Team ● Approves Beacon Schools’ personnel decisions ● Determines and proposes the budget for the Zone and Zone Schools ● Primary external face with funders, district and other key stakeholders ● Drives innovation and continuous improvement in Beacon Network Schools ● Reports to Beacon Zone Board

The Executive Director will oversee the Director of Operations, Director of Academics, and Beacon Zone Principals. As mentioned above, Alex Magaña will be the founding Executive Director and will continue to serve in his role as a DPS-employed Executive Principal.

The Beacon Zone also plans to continue to use the Executive Principal structure that has proven effective for these schools in the past. The Executive Principal will remain ultimately subject to the district’s employment authority, though the Beacon Zone board’s hiring recommendation for the role will be followed by the district unless there are clear and convincing reasons otherwise. Because of the new organizational structure, however, the Executive Principal would now be supervised and evaluated by the Executive Director. Initially, the Beacon Zone plans to have the same person serving in the role of Executive Director (ultimately subject to the Zone nonprofit’s employment authority) and Executive Principal (ultimately subject to the district’s employment authority). In that case, despite the divergence in ultimate employment authority, the nonprofit’s board is supervisor and evaluator of the individual in both his capacities.

Director of Operations (see Appendix F for Job Description) - The Beacon Director of Operations will be an experienced manager and leader accountable for the delivery of the high performing operational services and capacity building required to support BNS’ current scale and future expansion. Key areas of responsibility include the following:

● Accountable for the operational excellence and financial health of Beacon Network Schools

● Responsible for delivering outstanding operational support to schools

● Responsible for all compliance matters

● Leads growth strategy and business planning

● Manages all school-facing operational staff and ELO Director

● Serves on the Network Leadership Team and reports to the Executive Director

● Serves as a key liaison to Denver Public Schools central office team and leadership

● Seeks funding sources through outside grants


14

The Director of Operations will oversee the Manager of Community Outreach, Coordinator of Enrichments, School Technology Representatives, and School Office Support Staff.

Director of Academics - Currently, the Executive Director serves the function of the Beacon Director of Academics, overseeing personalized learning and instructional deans and developing systems for Beacon Zone collaborative professional development and data driven instruction and feedback loops. When the Beacon Network grows to include more schools, a Director of Academics will be hired and mentored by the Executive Director to take on this essential role in the Beacon Zone. The Director of Academics will oversee the Dean of Personalized Learning, Dean of Instruction - Math, Dean of Instruction - Literacy, Dean of Teacher Development, and the Manager of Data Process.

District Department Partners - As required, the Beacon Zone will continue to work with DPS department partners including: English Language Acquisition, Special Education, Human Resources / Payroll, Financial Services / School Budgets, and Legal Services. In addition to required partners, the Beacon Zone will opt in to work with other departments as appropriate (e.g. Facilities, Transportation, Choice & Enrollment, Federal Programs, etc.). For all District services that the Beacon Zone opts out of through the SBB Plus process, the Beacon Network will establish structures to provide professional development and support to Beacon Schools, that are aligned to the Beacon Model and exceed District criteria. Beacon Network staff will attend District PD that is aligned or universal.

4) Describe the systems and structures in place at the network to support school level leaders in implementing their school level innovation plans in alignment with the mission and vision of the zone.

The Beacon Network supports Beacon School Leaders through the following systems and structures: Network Leadership Team (NLT)

● Contributes to the decision making and implementation of the BNS Innovation Plans at both schools ● Analyzes school-wide data to define steps needed to meet school goals ● Meets bi-weekly to evaluate progress on critical metrics ● Represents and communicates to their assigned constituents ● Communicates with department, data, grade, culture, and support teams ● Ensures that all Beacon Schools apply the Beacon model to drive outstanding student achievement while still

empowering uniqueness and innovation ● Clear barriers for schools so they can focus on great outcomes for students ● Attracts and develops talent ● Promotes of “Best Practices” and a “Culture of Sharing” ● Delivers efficiencies through scale and shared resources

Leadership Development, Coaching, & Evaluation ● 1:1 Check-Ins and Feedback from IMO Executive Director (Weekly) ● Executive Coaching (2/month) ● Administration Team Work Sessions focused on Personalized Learning, DDI, & Culture (2/month) ● Network Site Visits focused on Culture or Instruction (1/month) ● Network Leadership Team PD and Instructional Rounds (1/month) ● Professional Growth Plans & Mid-Cycle and Final Ratings Conversations (2/year)

In alignment with the mission and vision of the Beacon Zone, the Beacon Network will support school leaders to learn together, grow, and excel through the Network Leadership Team and strategic leadership development activities.

5) Describe the systems and structures in place at the network to hold school level leaders accountable, including any interventions, if different than current District practice.

Beacon School Principals are evaluated by the Beacon Zone Executive Director using the DPS LEAD framework with modifications to focus evaluations on each school’s innovation plan goals and individual leader development needs.

The Beacon Zone School Leader evaluation system is adapted from the School Leadership Framework and LEAD Growth and Performance System, with modifications to support the implementation of the School-level Innovation Plans. Consistent with SB 10-191, 50% of leader effectiveness ratings are based on professional practice and 50% are based on student growth. Data from several sources will be used to inform a school leader’s Professional Practice rating including:


15

ongoing supervisor observations (see Appendix G - Culture Rubric Sample), teacher observation completion rates, handling of HR decisions, parent satisfaction surveys, and CollaboRATE teacher perception surveys. The school’s academic growth on the School Performance Framework (SPF) will be used to determine a school leader’s Student Growth rating. Professional Growth Plans (PGPs) are created for Beacon Zone school leaders at the beginning of the performance year (January through December) and are intended to provide direction for the school leader’s growth throughout the year. The PGP aligns to the school’s overall goals and the school leader’s growth areas so that a leader can grow as an individual while supporting the growth of the school. PGPs are revisited frequently throughout the year during formal and informal feedback discussions to gauge progress toward goals. During Mid-Cycle Conversations, in May or June, school leaders can identify strengths and growth areas so they can continue to improve their practice during the following semester. The Final Ratings Conversation, in January or February, is used to review the school leader’s work throughout the course of their last performance year, come to a final rating and establish a Professional Growth Plan for the school leader’s continued professional learning.

6) Describe the network systems and structures to support leader recruitment, hiring, and retention at both the school and network level, if applicable.

Beacon Zone School and Network Leaders are recruited, developed, and retained using a variety of approaches designed to ensure commitment to the Beacon vision, mission, and values; knowledge and skills for effective implementation of innovation plans and the Innovation Zone; support for leadership growth; and recognition of accomplishments.

a. School Leader Residency - The Beacon Zone will provide opportunities, when funding is available, for internal leaders and teacher leaders to develop school leadership skills as a Principal Resident, for potential future leadership roles within the Beacon Zone. Beacon Principal Residents will be provided with additional leadership training, responsibilities, and coaching from the Executive Director and experts in the field.

b. School and Network Leader Development - The Beacon Zone will provide school and network leaders with leadership development, leadership team collaboration, and opportunities to participate in instructional rounds, as well as individual coaching and feedback to support ongoing development of leadership skills and foster a professional learning community that retains highly effective leaders within the Beacon Network.

c. Network Leader Evaluation Process - Network Leaders will be evaluated by the Executive Director using the LEAD Framework (for academic personnel) or the LIFT Framework (for operations personnel). Network Leaders will set annual goals aligned to Beacon Zone goals and to individual job roles and responsibilities. Network Leaders will provide evidence of meeting goals as part of the evaluation process.

d. Network Leader Differentiated Responsibilities & Pay Structures - Network Leaders have unique job descriptions and compensation structures that are differentiated to align with leadership responsibilities.

7) Describe the process by which hiring decisions will be made for school and network level leadership, including

decision-making rights. Additionally, describe what role the network will play in succession planning should a leader at the network or school level leave.

The Beacon Network’s leadership succession plan ensures continuity in the implementation of the educational program outlined in the Innovation Plan in the event that network and/or school leadership changes. The leadership succession plan will begin by thoroughly orienting all staff and families to the mission, vision, values, and school culture systems within the Beacon Network. This orientation will, in part, be intended to obtain formal and direct commitment from the community to support the Beacon Zone plan for student success. As a result, all subsequent hiring and staff assigned to Beacon Zone Schools will be responsible for upholding the strategic goals developed to support the mission, vision, values, and instructional and intentional school culture systems.

The Beacon Zone leadership succession plan will include a process for both internal succession, i.e. promotion of existing staff, and external recruitment and hiring of new leadership from outside the Zone’s school communities. A Beacon Zone Leadership Profile will be developed that specifies the attributes necessary to ensure that there is leadership in place to support the Beacon Zone mission, vision, values, and goals. The Leadership Profile will describe attributes, roles, and expectations for the Beacon Zone Executive Director and Beacon School Principals.


16

The Beacon Zone Executive Director, in consultation with the Network Leadership Team and School Advisory Boards, will facilitate the search for a new Beacon School Principal or Executive Principal. The Executive Director will make a recommendation to the Beacon Zone Board for approval. The Beacon Zone Board will make a recommendation to the DPS Superintendent. The DPS Superintendent will make final decisions about hiring and/or termination of Beacon Zone Principals and Executive Principal, based upon Beacon Zone Board recommendations. If there is a vacancy pending Beacon Zone Principal selection, the Executive Director will make recommendations for an interim School Principal. If a candidate is not approved by the Superintendent, the Beacon Zone Board will submit additional candidates. The Executive Principal may fill in as the interim Beacon School Principal in the event of an extended vacancy.

The Beacon Zone Board, in consultation with the Network Leadership Team, Teacher Council, and Parent Council, will facilitate the search for a new Executive Director, should a vacancy occur. The Beacon Zone Board will approve and hire the Beacon Zone Executive Director.

Section 3: Teaching 1) Describe how the network will provide oversight of teacher growth, development and performance to ensure it

is meeting the needs of teachers, including how any supports no longer being provided by the District will be replaced.

The Zone will support the development and growth of teachers by identifying opportunities for high-quality shared professional development between schools and contracting for these services at a reduced rate to schools by leveraging economies of scale. Professional development for teachers will be explicitly aligned with network goals and the Beacon personalized learning model. Accountability for implementation of the training at the classroom level will be the responsibility of the individual school leaders and their instructional leadership teams using Zone tools to ensure fidelity of implementation of the Beacon model.

The schools joining the Zone will continue to use the DPS Teacher Leadership and Collaboration model to support teacher growth, development, and performance. Instructional Deans and Team Leads will be responsible for observing teachers and providing coaching and feedback on a bi-weekly basis in addition to evaluating teacher performance at least twice a year. These Zone structures will replace district services related to coaching and evaluation of teachers.

The schools in the Beacon Zone will also continue to use the LEAP evaluation framework, or approved replacement per individual school innovation plans, to assess and score teacher performance. In addition, they will use the LEAP toolkit, or approved replacement per individual school innovation plans, to manage all data regarding teacher performance including LEAP scores, student growth scores, Student Perception Survey data, and Professionalism scores.

Every year the Beacon Zone will work with the district to determine services the Zone schools will opt out of in this area, services that are not aligned to Zone and school priorities, and determine the amount of funding that will be provided by the district in lieu of these services.

2) Describe how the network will provide teachers with opportunities for shared learning across the zone and how this differs from DPS’s current structure.

Currently, there is no existing structure in DPS to facilitate shared learning across groups of schools with common educational programming and services. The goal of the Beacon Zone will be to build formal lines of communication and operations among schools in Beacon Schools, with both horizontal and vertical alignment, collaboration, and sharing.

The Executive Director will facilitate shared learning for teachers and leaders across the Beacon Zone by: ● Sharing professional development opportunities. Network schools will bring teachers and leaders together for

shared professional development and collaborative work focused on implementing the Beacon personalized learning educational model.

● Participating in a monthly teacher-to-teacher observation protocols. Teachers will have the opportunity to visit the classrooms of master practitioners across the Zone to observe specific instructional strategies being implemented at a level of mastery. Teachers then have the opportunity to debrief and solidify their learning in a facilitated process following the observation.


17

● Participating in shared DPS Professional Development Units. Zone teachers will be able to participate in network PDUs as a means of expanding collaborative study and learning opportunities for teachers around a problem of practice and working towards pay increases in the existing district compensation structure.

● Aligning curriculum vertically and horizontally. By collaborating across schools and grade levels, Zone teachers will be more familiar with what students are being taught across schools and at earlier grade levels (6-8) and will ensure that there are not redundancies or overlaps in skills and content that are being taught between schools in the Zone.

● Calibrating the scoring of student performance. Zone teachers will come together at the end of interim cycles to analyze student work and to calibrate the scoring of student work. The purpose of this effort is to create a set of criteria and common understandings for student performance at each grade level. This enables teachers to have a consistent set of expectations regarding rigor and student performance across the Zone and it allows for deeper understanding of expectations for student growth along the learning continuum.

3) Describe how teacher voice will be gathered and used to inform decision-making.

The Beacon Zone Board will be advised by a Parent Council and a Teacher Council. The Teacher Council will be composed of teachers, elected to the council by their peers, with representation from grade levels, and an annual term in order to ensure broader participation. The Councils will be responsible for surveying constituents and providing input on decisions to be made by the Beacon Zone Board. A representative from each council will be a non-voting member of the Beacon Zone Board, providing the councils with a formal voice. The Beacon Zone Board will provide a rationale for its decisions to the Councils, with reference to input from the Councils. Decisions of the Beacon Zone Board are limited to the charge of the board and do not supersede individual school Innovation Plans.

4) Describe the network systems and structures to support teacher recruitment, hiring, and retention, and how the network will work to ensure diversity in school staff.

The Beacon Zone will support member schools with the recruitment and retention of excellent teachers. Even though Zone schools will continue to use DPS HR services for the hiring and onboarding of staff, the network will support the effort to recruit high quality teachers to Zone schools by establishing relationships with local universities and alternative licensure programs (TFA, Relay, and Boettcher). These relationships will ideally create a consistent pipeline of teaching talent for Zone schools. In addition, the Beacon Network will work to ensure diversity in school staff by executing targeted recruitment of people of color, working with community partners to identify candidates, establishing an equitable screening process that includes qualified candidates of color, and evaluating hiring processes for potential bias.

Beacon Zone Schools will also have the opportunity to share best practices for hiring by sharing recruiting resources, screening processes, interview questions, and applicant trackers. In addition, Zone schools would perform collaborative recruitment outreach by sharing the cost of advertising postings on forums like EdWeek, Chalkbeat, and other job boards. Representatives for Zone schools that travel to out-of-state teacher career fairs would be able to recruit on behalf of all Zone schools with the cost again being split across schools.

Teacher retention will be supported by the Beacon Zone, but managed at the school level. At the school level, teachers will receive regular coaching, including formal mid-year and end-of-year evaluations. The network will support the retention of the best talent in schools through a variety of strategies including those outlined in The Irreplaceables Framework developed by TNTP. Beacon Schools will have clear expectations for quality teaching and will support best practices for teaching through observation, feedback, and coaching. The network will ensure that excellent teaching is identified and celebrated through coaching, walkthroughs, and site reviews. School leaders will have conversations with their best teaching staff prior to the end of January each year to determine what can be done to ensure that they stay in the Beacon Zone. Teacher retention will also be supported by ongoing opportunities for career development and advancement. This may include a career lattice tool, that provides an explanation to teaching staff of different pathways to advancement and leadership. The Beacon Network will also use tools from Teach Like a Champion, Leverage Leadership, and Personalized Learning Strategies with LEAP INNOVATIONS for teacher coaching, observations, and feedback. These strategies will be reinforced at network-level school leader meetings and the Executive Director will ensure that individual schools are taking these steps as they are shown to help retain teachers at schools for twice as long (an additional 2 to 6 years) as normal.


18

Beacon School Principals will lead the process for all school based hiring and make recommendations to the Beacon Zone Executive Director for hiring decisions. Where mutually beneficial, staff will have the opportunity to work across campuses in an effort to share expertise between schools and to expand professional growth opportunities for teachers. Sharing staff allows for the cross-pollination of ideas across schools and for schools to address needs without having to seek out full-time staff to perform part-time work.

5) Describe how teachers will be educated on the zone structure and their relationship with the zone and District

as District employees.

Beacon Schools teachers will remain Denver Public Schools employees and their terms of employment will continue to be determined by the school Innovation Plan. The Beacon Zone structure will not impact employment terms. Beacon teachers have been included in the development of the Beacon Innovation Zone Plan and have had several opportunities for input as described in Section 1, Question 7 of this application, as well as the opportunity to vote on the plan prior to its submission to the DPS Board of Education. Beacon Zone teachers are provided with a copy of the Beacon Staff Handbook and an agreement (see Appendix H) that they will follow their school’s innovation plan, both of which will be updated to include a description of the zone structure and the relationships between teachers, the district, and the zone. This agreement will make clear that abiding by the terms are not a condition of employment. These documents are used for effective alignment of mission and vision across the Beacon schools, and are not a term of DPS employment.

Section 4: Education Program 1) Describe the instructional priorities for the network over the next 1-2 years and how they were developed.

Beacon Network Schools has identified the following instructional priorities for the network over the next 3 years. These priorities were identified through the data-driven process used annually to set performance goals and analyze the root causes of areas in need of improvement. These are the major improvement strategies that are reflected in each of the Beacon Schools’ Unified Improvement Plans as well as in each of the Beacon Schools’ Innovation Plans.

Major Improvement Strategies 1. All instructional staff create and manage effective learning environments that foster Personalization of

Learning, ensuring all students, including English Language Learners and students with IEPs, can regularly engage in high-level critical thinking by implementing proficiency scales school wide and providing comprehensive ongoing professional development on Personalized Learning.

2. Instructional staff will effectively utilize common Data Team Processes and Progress Monitoring Systems to assess and implement instructional strategies to ensure 100% of students demonstrate adequate yearly growth in Literacy, Math, and Language Development by monitoring network-wide instructional plans and implementing Proficiency Scales through the data team process.

3. The school will positively increase Student Engagement through implementation of staff professional development focused on positive learning environments and with a whole-child approach: including mindfulness, student voice, knowledge of self and others, growth mindset, character development, and social-emotional supports through advisory classes and enrichments.

4. The school will increase Parent Engagement through outreach, parent education, and meaningful two-way communication regarding attendance monitoring, character development, and academic achievement.

One prioritized area of improvement that will be supported by each of these improvement strategies is student growth and achievement in Math. The Beacon program has supported strong student gains in ELA. This is due to the additional time and data team processes that have been developed and replicated in the Beacon Network. Both Beacon Schools have shown the highest gains in the district by averaging a 65 MGP for the past few years. Math has not shown comparable consistent gains across Beacon schools. Some of these challenges may be attributable to changes in personnel at each school, and we must drive toward instructional systems and structures that support student gains even with these types of changes. In order to address this, Beacon Schools have made an aggressive move by adding additional time for math classes, while maintaining other programming. The math standards and proficiency scales have been calibrated and additional supports have been put in place for both teachers and students.


19

Denver Plan 2020 Alignment The Beacon Network Schools instructional priorities align with the following DPS strategic priorities: Teaching

● Significantly increase the quality and rigor of classroom instruction through a deep implementation of grade-level content standards and best practice instructional strategies targeting the needs of English language learners.

● Improve support systems—including feedback and coaching loops, curriculum and professional development—and refine progress monitoring tools and assessments.

● Enhance our efforts to recruit, develop and retain effective teachers for every DPS school with incentives and supports for teaching in our highest needs schools.

● Implement intentional strategies to focus on culturally responsive education in every classroom. Culture

● Live, celebrate and hold ourselves accountable to our Shared Core Values. ● Build positive, empowering cultures at all of our schools that embrace families and communities. ● Promote a culture of service to schools across DPS support functions and DPS partners.

2) Describe the systems and structures the network will use to oversee educational programming at the individual schools, including monitoring fidelity to school level innovation plans.

The Beacon Zone Executive Director is responsible for overseeing educational programming and monitoring fidelity to school level innovation plans in individual schools. The Executive Director will work with the Network Leadership Team to provide training, modeling, coaching, feedback, and support to teachers and leaders in individual schools. The Network Leadership Team, led by the Executive Director, will conduct a quarterly review to monitor implementation of major improvement strategies and progress toward school performance goals. Quarterly reviews will include a broad range of data to ensure the implemented major improvement strategies are supporting progress toward school performance goals, and will include several of the following indicators: CMAS, ACCESS, Attendance, Student Satisfaction Surveys, Parent Satisfaction Surveys, interim assessments (including disaggregation by student groups), culture and environment checklists, Teacher/Staff Satisfaction surveys, LEAP & LEAD observations and evaluations, budget and fundraising, human resources, legal standing, and facilities and technology. In the event that adequate progress is not being made, an action plan will be developed and implemented by the Network Leadership Team.

The Beacon Zone Board will hold the Executive Director accountable for overseeing educational programming through midyear and end of year evaluations. These evaluations will include the ED’s support for school leaders in implementing school-level innovation plans with fidelity.

3) Describe how the zone will identify, document and share broadly best practices in Zone schools.

The Beacon Zone Executive Director will oversee sharing of best practices across schools within the Zone through the Beacon Network Leadership Team. The Network Leadership Team will be a Professional Learning Community of Beacon Zone Leaders, meeting quarterly to allow leaders to learn from each other and bring best practices in leadership back to Beacon Schools. The Beacon Network will empower all employees to take on leadership responsibilities within the schools and across the Network. All staff will be participants and leaders in the Beacon Network professional learning community. In addition, teacher leaders will have opportunities to: facilitate data teams focused on language arts, math, writing across content areas, or character education; participate on the School Leadership Team; and take on teacher leader roles.

Teachers across the Beacon Network share instructional practices through the learning management system and through the data team meetings and collaborative professional learning communities. The Network Leadership Team will use data to identify and document best practices in Zone schools. Teachers from all Beacon Network Schools will collaborate weekly in Professional Learning Communities to learn about and then implement best practices using data to drive instruction. Ongoing PLCs will focus on literacy instruction, math instruction, and school culture. Data teams engage with curriculum and assessments to intentionally implement CCSS and prepare students for demonstrating learning on state assessments such as CMAS and PARCC. In PLCs, teachers collaboratively plan assessments, analyze data, and develop plans for re-teaching and re-assessing standards that are not yet mastered. In subsequent PLC


20

sessions, teachers share what they have learned about their students and plan and implement further targeted instruction before the next cycle assessment begins. Student work and teaching strategies align with the school’s UIP goals, LEAP framework expectations, and CCSS Instructional Shifts. The differentiated, collaborative, teacher-led structure of our PLCs allows teachers in Beacon Network Schools to increase skills and knowledge to better meet the learning needs of students. Our Student Learning Objectives are tied to the common assessments and common teaching tools that will be used across Beacon Schools.

The Beacon Zone Executive Director and School Leaders will continue to be involved in principal leadership within the District, as appropriate. Beacon Network leaders will invite other district leaders to visit Beacon Schools and will share learning and results district-wide. The Beacon Executive Director will meet with other Zone Leaders to share successes and challenges and engage in problem solving as a community of practice. Annually, the Beacon Zone Executive Director will document and share school performance outcomes and successful practices with each school community and the Beacon Zone Board. Additionally, the Beacon Zone Board will play an important role in convening a District-Zone Collaborative Council, modeled off of the existing District-Charter compact, to share best practices and challenges from across Innovation Zones with Senior District Leaders.

4) Describe how the network will ensure schools are providing required programming for special education and ELL students, as well as any supports for these programs that will be provided by the network, if different than current District systems and structures.

The Beacon Zone Board evaluation of the Beacon Zone Executive Director includes accountability for school compliance with required programming for special education and ELL students as outlined in school innovation plans. The District ELA and Special Education departments monitor school compliance with laws, rules, and policies. The Beacon Zone will work collaboratively with DPS to ensure that the ELA program complies with state and federal law, as well as any court order applicable to the District’s ELL programs, including the Consent Decree, in a manner that preserves the essential nature of the education program of the Beacon Zone schools. The Beacon Zone will also ensure that all Zone Schools will comply with all Board policies, procedures and regulations, and the requirements of federal and state law and regulations concerning the education of students with disabilities.

At the time of the midyear and end of year evaluations, the Beacon Zone Board will review District findings on ELA and Special Education practices in Zone Schools. Should the Beacon Zone Board identify issues related to compliance, the Board will require the Executive Director to take corrective actions. The Executive Director will work with the appropriate parties to resolve matters and follow DPS Board of Education policy.

5) Describe how network staff will support culturally responsive education and engagement practices across the network.

Beacon Schools define cultural competency as respecting and valuing diversity and making teaching and learning relevant and meaningful to students of various cultures (NASSP, 2006). Beacon Schools are committed to the high achievement and growth of every student, providing a college preparatory program of study that sets high expectations and requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Through the integration of technology and collaborative work of students, staff, families, and community partners, each Beacon School brings together its neighborhoods’ diverse communities and prepares students with the academic knowledge and 21st century leadership skills necessary for college and career success.

Beacon Schools serve students from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Beacon Schools learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families. They celebrate the differences and diversity among students, families, and staff members through parent and community engagement and cultural enrichments and events. Culturally responsive teaching is integral to the Beacon personalized learning approach that identifies each student’s unique interests and abilities and uses a variety of instructional techniques including blended learning and critical thinking questions to meet the needs of the diverse learners in every classroom. Culturally responsive instructional strategies used by Beacon Schools include integrating student voice and choice into learning experiences, using explicit examples that positively depict a variety of cultures, using learning styles of diverse students to differentiate instruction, language bridging activities, and group problem-solving experiences.


21

Beacon Zone curriculum and instruction are student-centered and culturally responsive, providing equitable access to high-level learning opportunities to students from all cultures and backgrounds. Beacon lessons are standards-based with an emphasis on Essential Learning Goals and follow the Beacon curriculum and pacing and planning guides. The Beacon Network ensures that its curriculum includes topics related to student cultures, includes varied perspectives, and is modified as needed to ensure cultural representation in its annual review of curriculum prior to the start of the school year and throughout the year in collaborative unit and lesson planning.

Beacon Schools with TNLI programs promote bilingualism and the use of both English and Spanish throughout the school day. TNLI students receive instruction in both English and Spanish as well as both English Language Development and Spanish Language Arts. Student Advisories are conducted in both English and Spanish. Language interpretation services are made available to Spanish speaking students participating on Student Voice Committees.

The Beacon Network Leadership Team will support culturally responsive education and engagement practices across the network through collaborative professional development on curriculum, instruction, assessments, and student engagement and discipline practices, and through quarterly monitoring of attendance data and information on student and parent satisfaction gathered by school leadership teams through parent and student surveys, school advisory boards, and student voice committees.

In addition, the Beacon Network ensures that the school and work environments are open to and accepting of diversity and free from discriminatory behavior and practices through the establishment of a strong and positive school culture and climate, clear policies, and continuous data and feedback loops.

6) Describe how the network will progress monitor individual school performance and any associated interventions, including public reporting.

The Beacon Network Schools Program Evaluation system evaluates indicators including: Performance Goals, Organizational Goals, Leader Effectiveness and Teacher Effectiveness. Performance and Organizational Goals will be monitored quarterly by the Network Leadership Team and will be presented to and discussed by School Advisory Boards and the Beacon Zone Board in their respective public meetings.

Performance Goals include indicators of student achievement and growth and language proficiency. Progress toward performance goals will be used by the Network Leadership Team to make adjustments to instruction and interventions as well as student grouping and teacher placement on a quarterly basis.

Organizational Goals include indicators of: curriculum, assessment, & instruction; school culture, student engagement, & family and community support; professional development, leadership, organizational structure, & resource allocation; and strategic planning & Zone board effectiveness. Progress on Major Improvement Strategies will be used by the Network Leadership Team to make adjustments to school and network level actions on a quarterly basis.

Teacher and Leader Effectiveness will be based on the Beacon Network Schools evaluation system, which is adapted from the DPS LEAP & LEAD evaluation frameworks per Innovation Plans.

The Network Leadership Team will conduct an annual program review. When goals are not met, corrective actions are recommended by the School Advisory Boards and the Beacon Zone Board, respective to their charge, to be implemented in the following school year. For example, School Advisory Boards may recommend school level interventions including changes to staffing, student grouping, instructional strategies, school culture, student & family engagement, and resource allocation. If a school is struggling, the Beacon Zone Board can make decisions around interventions from the network level including changes in staffing, curriculum, professional development, and resource allocation, after engaging in appropriate feedback processes with impacted stakeholders. The Beacon Zone Executive Director, Network Leadership Team Members, School Principals, and School Leadership Team Members will be responsible for implementing corrective actions, as appropriate.

Continued failure to meet performance goals may result in loss of funding, change of leadership, or loss of autonomy and innovation status. Innovation Plans are reviewed and renewed by the DPS Board of Education every three years.

7) Provide network level academic goals for a three-year period that are aligned with the SPF and a rationale for selecting these goals.


22

Each Beacon School sets three-year goals in the School Innovation Plan that are aimed at meeting or exceeding SPF expectations in all areas within three years. Aligned with the vision that Beacon Network Schools’ students will be among the highest in academic growth in the state, the Beacon Network sets academic growth goals that exceed SPF expectations with median growth percentiles of 60 or above in English Language Arts, Math, and English Language Proficiency. The network-level goal is to hold schools accountable for achieving school goals, accounting for context and starting point. See Appendix I for school goals extracted from school innovation plans.

Section 5: School Culture 1) Describe how families and students will be directly engaged in network level decision-making on a long-term,

ongoing basis. Include how you will ensure that participating families and students will be representative of the zone overall.

The Beacon Zone Board will be advised by a Parent Council and a Teacher Council. The Parent Council will be composed of parents from each of the participating school’s School Advisory Boards. The Parent Council will be representative of the diverse students and families served by the Zone. The Teacher Council will be composed of teachers, elected to the teacher council by their peers, with representation from grade levels, and an annual term in order to ensure broader participation. The Councils will be responsible for surveying constituents and providing input on decisions to be made by the Beacon Zone Board. The Chair of each Council will be a non-voting member of the Beacon Zone Board, ensuring that the Councils receive all Board communications and are involved in all Board discussions. The Beacon Zone Board will provide a rationale for its decisions to the Councils, with reference to input from the Councils. Decisions of the Beacon Zone Board are limited to the charge of the board and do not supersede individual school Innovation Plans or decisions that are the authority of School Advisory Boards or the Executive Director.

2) If creating a zone governed by an independent non-profit, describe how resolution of family and student complaints will be overseen by the network.

The Beacon Zone Board policies will include a process for resolution of complaints related to decisions made by the Board or the Executive Director. Complaints related to network policies and practices will be made to the Executive Director and will be escalated, if necessary, to the Beacon Zone Board. Complaints related to individual school policies and practices will be made to the School Community Liaison. If the complainant is not satisfied with the resolution at this level, the issue will be escalated to the School Principal, and then the School Advisory Board. If the complainant is not satisfied with the resolution at the School Advisory Board level, school-level complaints may be further escalated to the Executive Director, and, subsequently, the Beacon Zone Board. Ultimately, complaints that are not adequately addressed by the Beacon Zone Board may be further escalated to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education, the authorizer of the Beacon Zone Innovation Plans.

3) Describe the systems and structures the network will put in place to support the whole child across schools.

The Beacon Zone Board will be focused on ensuring high quality implementation of the Beacon Model of Personalized Learning through Blended Learning, Critical Thinking, Extended Learning Opportunities, and Character Development, a model designed to support the whole child. Through our blended learning model and extended day programming, we are able to personalize learning experiences for students with different achievement levels and language development and learning needs, provide language development support to English language learners, intensify academic interventions for struggling students, and provide a multitude of high quality enrichment opportunities for all of our students, closing opportunity gaps for students who do not have access to enrichments outside of school.

The Beacon Network includes leaders with expertise in personalized learning & enrichment programming who will develop and oversee implementation of the model in individual schools, providing professional development, modeling, coaching, and support to school personnel. In addition, the Beacon Zone will secure additional financial resources and partnerships with community based organizations to support the implementation and expansion of Beacon programming.


23

4) Describe how the network will oversee school-level discipline practices to ensure compliance and its plans to address discipline disproportionality, should it arise.

The Beacon Zone Board evaluation of the Beacon Zone Executive Director includes accountability for school compliance with discipline policies and practices as outlined in school innovation plans. At the time of the midyear and end of year evaluations, the Beacon Zone Board will review school level discipline practices and discipline data. Should the Beacon Zone Board identify issues related to compliance or disproportionality, the Board will require the Executive Director to take corrective actions.

Section 6: Governance and Finance 1) Articulate the key functions of the Organization board, including its relationship with the DPS Board of

Education.

The Beacon Zone Board will approve the strategic vision for the Zone and is ultimately accountable to the DPS Board for improving student outcomes at Zone schools. It will provide oversight and advising to Zone-wide staff members and school leaders, supporting their efforts and holding them accountable for results within the Beacon Zone schools, as well as ensuring that the Beacon Zone meets its mission and goals as outlined in the Innovation Zone application. The Board will also have an important role in ensuring the sustainability of the Beacon Zone, and will perform other key functions as specified in the Zone’s MOU.

The Zone Board supports the overall operation of the Zone. Its key functions include: ● Establishes structure that prioritizes school autonomy ● Provides strategic guidance to Zone leadership ● Provides expertise in promoting the Beacon Network and advocating for school model and offerings ● Approves key policies, contracts, and annual budget at the Zone level ● Represents community interests ● Ensures compliance with state and federal law ● Hires, evaluates, and renews the Zone Executive Director ● Oversees the ED’s maintenance of district and nonprofit requirements ● Oversees implementation of school-level innovation plans ● Approves Executive Director’s proposed annual school operational plans and school budgets ● Approves Executive Director’s recommendations for school principals and sends to the Superintendent for hiring ● Monitors the Zone leadership’s administration of the nonprofit and Zone operations to ensure compliance ● Ensures adequate and effective communication and collaboration with the DPS Board of Education, particularly

through a District-Zone Council, currently under development Across these functions listed above, the Beacon Zone Board of Directors has 3 primary responsibilities:

1. Represent and give voice to the needs and desires of the diverse school communities they serve (students, families, educators and staff) - with a particular emphasis on ensuring that members of the school communities whose voices are less frequently heard are proportionately represented in decision making.

2. Own and advocate for the mission, vision and strategy of the Innovation Zone - providing guidance to the Executive Director as well as focus and stability, even through periods of leadership or political change within the Zone, member schools, or DPS.

3. Hold the Executive Director and member schools accountable for providing high-quality, continuously improving educational opportunities for all students.

To deliver against these responsibilities, the Beacon Zone is committed to identifying and selecting a diverse, volunteer Board of Directors, who represent and reflect the school communities they serve (students, families, educators, and staff) and together possess the skills, experiences and networks to support and hold the Zone accountable on its path to achieving its mission and vision. The Founding Board for the Beacon Zone has been carefully selected with these tenets in mind.

In particular, the by-laws of the Beacon Network Schools Innovation Zone specify that, when selecting new members of the Board of Directors, the Board shall prioritize candidates who are residents of the Beacon Zone Schools communities;


24

people with substantial and lasting connections with the Beacon Zone Schools communities; and people with expertise to support the Beacon model.

When Board vacancies occur, the Beacon Zone Board will post, in conjunction with its Open Meeting notice prior to an upcoming meeting, a solicitation of interest from community members to serve on the Board. This solicitation of interest will be shared with each member school’s School Advisory Board for dissemination to the broader school community. Interested candidates will be asked to attend the upcoming Zone Board meeting and submit a statement of interest to the Zone Board. New board members will be selected by the existing Board in accordance with the by-laws.

As part of the Board’s role in amplifying and supporting school communities (students, families, educators and staff), Board members on the Beacon Zone Board will seek to attend at least one community event and one event for school-based staff each quarter. This attendance can contribute to the Zone Board building trust with the school communities, including their staff; ensure that Board members have a pulse on what is happening in the schools and community; and are approachable in a way that can contribute to the work of the Zone to support student opportunity.

2) Articulate why the governance innovation is necessary to implement the zone design and how it will support

accelerating student achievement.

The Beacon Zone will empower Beacon Schools with collective flexibilities and resources; support for teachers and leaders to learn together, grow, and excel; and community ownership and involvement. Beacon Network Schools have a unique model, unlike those of other schools currently grouped under a shared Instructional Superintendent. The goal of the Beacon Zone will be to build deeper engagement from the community with Beacon schools, facilitate long-term strategic focus of the Zone schools, and empower educators to best serve our students. In its role of deepening community engagement, the Zone Board will seek to elevate community voice and engage those who may not yet have developed a voice in ensuring that these schools meet the needs of the communities they serve. By implementing this governance innovation, the Beacon Zone will also benefit from having a group of individuals responsible for oversight who are dedicated specifically to stewarding the strategy of this Zone and supporting its work to best serve its students. The Zone structure will empower educators as formal partners in Zone and school-level decision-making through both new and existing structures, such as Council representatives on the Zone Board and the convening of School Advisory Boards as crucial partners. The governance innovation that allows for each of these strategic initiatives and structures will support accelerating student achievement through setting a foundation for operation that empowers school leaders and educators to determine what is best for their students. At Beacon, this will range widely across traditional academic supports, personalized learning initiatives, enrichment activities, and more, all in support of student growth and achievement. The flexibility and strategic support enabled by the governance innovation will support the nimble implementation of data-driven decision-making to meet student needs and accelerate student achievement.

Lastly, through participation in the District-Zone Council currently in development, the Zone Board can engage in building effective collaboration between the Zone and the District. Through these increased and streamlined structures for community engagement, communication, and collaboration, Beacon Network Schools can continue to improve outcomes for students while maintaining sustainable conditions for operation, as long as Zone schools are successful.

3) Describe the experiences and skills identified board members will bring to the organization that will ensure

effective oversight of the network. (ATTACHMENT: Appendix J - Board Member Resumes; Appendix K - Board Officer Role Descriptions)

The Beacon Zone Board will have five founding voting members as well as one non-voting representative from the Parent Council and one non-voting representative from the Teacher Council. Our goal is to ensure that Board members are committed to the Beacon Network Schools vision, mission, and values and that there is strong representation from the neighborhoods of the Beacon schools. The Board will be composed of members with a broad range of experience and areas of expertise to ensure the Board is able to effectively carry out its fiduciary responsibilities and assist the Beacon Network Schools in reaching their goals. Identified areas of expertise we are seeking include but are not limited to include:

● Fundraising & Public Relations ● Education/Academics

● Business, Finance, and Accounting ● Policy & Legal


25

● Community Involvement & Advocacy ● Race & Equity

● District Support

Janet Lopez - As Senior Program Officer at Rose Community Foundation, Janet directs the Education program area, which seeks to eliminate the achievement gap and create equitable opportunities for all children to achieve academic success in the K-12 public school system. Her portfolio focuses on improving public education through systemic change and educator effectiveness. She has also been instrumental in partnering with local and national funders to create and direct the Denver Opportunity Youth Investment Initiative, the Colorado Education Organizing Fund, and the Climb Higher Colorado Coalition. Janet’s community involvement has included serving as a board member of Colorado Public Radio’s Community Advisory Board, Colorado Youth for a Change, Denver Urban Gardens, Mental Health of America Colorado, and The Latina Initiative. She received a bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University, a master’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Eliot Lewis - Eliot’s community experience includes membership on the collaborative school committees for McKinley-Thatcher Elementary, Grant Beacon Middle School and South High School. He was a part of the 2012 Mill Levy Oversight Committee, which was created to evaluate the success of the Mill Levy investments including Early Childhood Education and Math Tutoring fellowships and Continuing Technical Education. He chaired the 2012 Mill Levy Committee during the 2015-2016 academic school year. Eliot is currently a member of the 2016 Mill Levy Committee which has similar charge from the Denver Public School Board. Eliot’s professional experience includes employment in public accounting for two of the top tier accounting firms, KPMG Peat Marwick and BDO Seidman. Eliot has spent the last 18 years of his career as an accounting and project management consulting advisor for interior designers.

Liz Drogin - Liz has worked in education for over 15 years, including roles in universities, community colleges, high schools, and nonprofits. She is currently the Executive Director of Challenge Denver, a nonprofit organization that provides social emotional programming in public schools. Previously, Liz served as a consultant, supporting schools and school districts with professional learning, facilitation, and research/writing, primarily focused on equity. Liz spent over a decade teaching sociology and writing at the college level. Liz is committed to community-engaged learning, and in 2013 was recognized as DU’s Public Good Faculty of the Year for her efforts to forge community partnerships with both nonprofits and local public schools. Liz holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.A. in Sociology from Harvard University.

Russell P. Bryant, III - Russell is Managing Partner- Whole Loan Trading, Strategy & Marketing. Russell has experience with business development, marketing, and communications, including facilitating community engagement. He is the founder of The Go Urban Companies, a holding company that facilitates the buying and selling of bulk portfolios, performing, sub-performing and charged-off loans and bankruptcy notes in auto, consumer and commercial accounts receivable. Russell earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurial Studies from Reinhardt University.

David Hart - David currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Cherry Creek School District. David has extensive experience in school, district and non-profit administration, operations and financial services. Prior to his current role, he served as Chief Financial Officer for Cherry Creek School District, Douglas County School District, and Denver Public Schools. David also served as the Denver City and County Treasurer and Manager of Revenue. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver.

4) Identify any gaps in current board member capacity and the process you will use to fill these gaps. If applicable, describe a plan to recruit new board members in alignment with the identified gaps.

While the initial 5-member board plus the non-voting staff, parent, and student voices strongly represent the communities we serve and bring a unique and valuable blend of skills and experiences across school accountability, talent development, legal matters, organizational operations and board service, skill and experience gaps remain which we intend to fill-in by recruiting additional strong board members in the future. The current skill gaps we will consider prioritizing include a) experience with strategic planning and building a sustainable model; b) expertise in building and sustaining effective personalized learning models, and c) additional members who reflect the diversity of the


26

communities where Beacon schools are. The Beacon Zone will consider expansion of the Board once the Zone has launched its first full school year in Fall 2019. The Zone Board seeks to ensure that all board members are fully invested in the success of the Zone, consistently providing added value in the oversight of the Zone, and are adequately equipped to fulfill their crucial roles, and thus will approach expansion thoughtfully.

When recruiting new Board members, the Beacon Network Schools Innovation Zone will prioritize candidates who are residents of the Beacon Zone Schools communities; people with substantial and lasting connections with the Beacon Zone Schools communities; and people with expertise to support the Beacon model. When Board vacancies occur, the Beacon Zone Board will post, in conjunction with its Open Meeting notice prior to an upcoming meeting, a solicitation of interest from community members to serve on the Board. This solicitation of interest will be shared with each member school’s School Advisory Board for dissemination to the broader school community. Interested candidates will be asked to attend the upcoming Zone Board meeting and submit a statement of interest to the Zone Board, including the skills, experience, and expertise that the interested individual can contribute to the Board. New board members will be selected by the existing Board in accordance with the by-laws.

5) Describe how the board will support and hold accountable network level leadership, including interventions

when a leader is not meeting expectations. (ATTACHMENT: Appendix L - ED Evaluation Tool)

The Board is committed to both supporting network-level leaders and holding them accountable for the Zone’s performance. Support for network-level leaders begins with active and ongoing opportunities for the Board to provide specific help, and regular convenings will include discussions of key network-level challenges and decisions.

In addition, several board members have particular content knowledge and expertise that they can directly offer to Zone-level leaders. Creating positive communication between board members and key network-level leaders is an important priority of the Zone’s first year and will facilitate support.

The Board will also help facilitate learning opportunities for network-level leadership. That may include the hiring of an executive coach for the Zone, and certainly will include drawing on formal and informal networks to connect Zone leaders with fellow leaders (within DPS structures and DPS’s existing Zones, like the Luminary Learning Network and Northeast Denver Innovation Zone). These leaders can share best practices and work with network-level leadership to solve problems collaboratively.

Accountability is, along with support, also crucial. In Year 1, the Zone Board will use the district’s LIFT tool for evaluation of network-level leadership. In the future, the Zone Board may explore or build other options that may more closely align with the work within a Zone and thus can be more effective in evaluating the work of network-level leadership on an annual basis. If the Zone Board makes the decision to pursue a different tool, they will ensure that they are leveraging best practices from other Zones and existing research on effective network leadership in education. The Zone Board will also plan to use the CollaboRate survey at the network level, so that all school-level staff can provide their input on evaluation of the Executive Director.

Fundamentally, the Executive Director and any other key network leaders must be effectively facilitating success at Zone schools. If Zone schools are not providing excellent educational opportunities to students and/or if the Executive Director is acting in negative ways in her/his crucial leadership role, then ultimately there will have to be leadership changes at the network level if intervention and support efforts are not successful. In the case of inadequate performance, the Board will determine the need for direct intervention or mandated support, either directly from the Board or through a hired consultant. Interventions implemented by the Board, or a consultant hired by the Board, may include the network leader being placed on a detailed improvement plan, additional resources being dedicated to support the network leader, and/or the network leader losing some decision-making rights that would then be elevated to the Board level. Given the seniority of the Executive Director role, inadequate performance will be addressed swiftly, and interventions and leadership changes will be put on the table early on in conversations regarding network leader performance.

6) Describe the systems and structures the board will use to provide academic oversight of the organization.

The Beacon Zone Board will provide academic oversight of the organization through the review of Network-level data and monitoring of educational programming. The Board will review data presented by the Network Leadership Team


27

quarterly - the data presented will include indicators at both the network and school level, including disaggregation by subgroup. The Board will use a consistent protocol for considering this data quarterly to ensure that longitudinal trends are part of their considerations.

Data presented to the Board throughout the academic year will include all indicators of the Beacon Network Schools Program Evaluation system: Performance Goals, Organizational Goals, Leader Effectiveness and Teacher Effectiveness. Performance and Organizational Goals will be monitored quarterly by the Network Leadership Team and will be presented to and discussed by the Beacon Zone Board. Performance Goals include indicators of student achievement and growth and language proficiency, and Organizational Goals include indicators of: curriculum, assessment, & instruction; school culture, student engagement, & family and community support; professional development, leadership, organizational structure, & resource allocation; and strategic planning & Zone board effectiveness. Teacher and Leader Effectiveness will be based on the Beacon Network Schools evaluation system, which is adapted from the DPS LEAP & LEAD evaluation frameworks. Metrics integrated into the program evaluation system include CMAS, ACCESS, Attendance, Student Satisfaction Surveys, Parent Satisfaction Surveys, interim assessments (disaggregated by student groups), culture and environment checklists, Teacher/Staff Satisfaction surveys, and LEAP & LEAD observations and evaluations.

Additionally, the Network Leadership Team will conduct an annual program review. The purpose of the program review is to ensure that Beacon Network Schools are making adequate progress to meet goals and to ensure that the Executive Director is using data to make midcourse corrections as necessary. When annual goals are not met, corrective actions are recommended by the School Advisory Boards and the Beacon Zone Board, respective to their charge, to be implemented in the following school year. The Beacon Zone Executive Director, Network Leadership Team Members, School Principals, and School Leadership Team Members will be responsible for implementing corrective actions, as appropriate.

7) Describe the systems and structures the board will use to provide financial and operational oversight of the organization.

The Executive Director will determine the budget for the Zone (with Board approval), while prioritizing school-level control of resources, and regularly review it to ensure it is on track. The Executive Director is responsible for coordinating with all principals to properly manage performance against budgets and will also build relationships with key DPS finance staff in order to work collaboratively - both to implement financial procedures effectively and to solve problems together if any arise.

The Board treasurer will work closely with the Executive Director to ensure that there are effective processes in place that will promote the financial health of the organization. The Zone must work effectively with DPS and with Zone principals, while also meeting all the obligations incumbent upon a nonprofit organization. The ED will ensure there are appropriate controls and will follow them, and the will work closely with school-level staff and DPS staff to coordinate budget and financial matters successfully. To support that work, the ED will also explore options with other Zones to collaboratively define the right way to implement and sustain these controls and processes and then implement them. For example, Zones may decide to share a contracted auditor for annual review of finance and operations to maximize economies of scale.

The guiding principle for operational oversight is to ensure that the Zone’s work supports the essential educational efforts happening in schools while also integrating as effectively as possible into DPS’ broader systems. The Executive Director will coordinate with school-level and DPS-level stakeholders, and will work together with them to iteratively improve all processes so that Zone operations continually improve. In addition, the Board will review each school’s operations plan as described through an annual planning process and will also work closely with DPS and school leaders to ensure that each aspect of operations (including human resources, legal, payroll/compensation, facilities, technology services, nutrition services, transportation, and Zone organizational/nonprofit responsibilities) is ultimately assigned to one responsible party with a careful monitoring plan.

As described in Question 6, data presented to the Board throughout the academic year will include all indicators of the Beacon Network Schools Program Evaluation system. Performance and Organizational Goals will be monitored quarterly by the Network Leadership Team and will be presented to and discussed by the Beacon Zone Board. Data presented to the board will include indicators around family and community support, strategic planning, organizational structure,


28

resource allocation, facilities, legal issues, and human resources. Based on this data, the Board will make strategic decisions about necessary supports or interventions, first determining whether a given shortfall is occurring at the school or network level. In the case of inadequate performance at the network-level, the Board will determine the need for direct intervention or mandated support, either directly from the Board or through a hired consultant. Interventions implemented by the Board, or a consultant hired by the Board, may include the network leader being placed on a detailed improvement plan, additional resources being dedicated to support the network leader, and/or the network leader losing some decision-making rights that would then be elevated to the Board level. In the case of inadequate performance at the school level, the Executive Director will review data with an individual school leader and set a specific plan for addressing the issues at hand that will then be presented to the Board.

8) Describe the practices the board will use to identify and address any conflicts of interest. (ATTACHMENT: Appendix M - Conflict of Interest Policy)

The Beacon Zone Board will follow the attached conflict of interest policy. Each year, members of the Beacon Zone Board will review the Conflict of Interest policy and complete the Affirmation of Compliance. If a conflict of interest is identified, the Board will address the conflict of interest following the policy as detailed in Article III.

9) Describe how the board will use community and stakeholder voices in making decisions and how they will

ensure that voices are representative of the zone population.

The Beacon Zone Board will be advised by a Parent Council and a Teacher Council and one representative of each council will hold an non-voting seat on the Board. The Parent Council will be composed of parents from each of the participating schools’ School Advisory Boards. The Parent Council will be representative of the diverse students and families served by the Zone. The Teacher Council will be composed of teachers, elected to the teacher council by their peers, with representation from grade levels, and an annual term in order to ensure broad participation. The Councils will be responsible for surveying constituents and providing input on decisions to be made by the Beacon Zone Board. The Beacon Zone Board will provide a rationale for its decisions to the Councils, with reference to input from the Councils. Decisions of the Beacon Zone Board are limited to the charge of the board and do not supersede individual school Innovation Plans or decisions that are the authority of School Advisory Boards or the Executive Director.

Additionally, the Board will seek to ensure that at each Board meeting, in addition to Public Comment, there is a specific agenda item dedicated to school communities (students, families, educators and staff) sharing feedback with the Board. While teachers and families can also work through their Teacher Council and Parent Council representatives, this direct communication line with the Board can allow for more authentic and transparent engagement. A request for time in the Board meeting agenda must be submitted to the secretary seven days in advance of the publicly noticed meeting to ensure inclusion in the agenda, though the Board may be able to include requests submitted in closer proximity to the meeting date on a case-by-case basis.

10) Describe the funding mechanisms for the network, both in the short and long term and how these will lead

to financial sustainability. If long-term sustainability is dependent on additional schools joining the zone, please articulate contingency plans should expansion not occur. (ATTACHMENT: Appendix N - Completed budget template)

The Beacon Zone seeks to create an environment where resources are maximized at the school level, and will strive to minimize centralized expenses and allow individual schools to make budgetary decisions whenever possible. Central costs will be focused on Network staffing that will maximize the impact of the collective Zone vision, leveraging economies of scale, and promoting shared learning across the Zone.

To support the central expenses that do exist, school leaders in the Beacon Zone have indicated a willingness to allocate a negotiated amount of their per-pupil funding to pay for services and supports provided to the schools by the Beacon Zone network team. Since detailed school budgets are still being negotiated, it is not possible to determine a precise amount at this time, but once the formula is determined, the Zone will work together with school leaders to build out a more specific budget. However, at such a small scale, even with minimal centralized costs it is likely that supplemental


29

fundraising, including applying for public and private grants on behalf of the Beacon Zone or its schools will likely be required at launch.

Philanthropic sources, including Blue School Partners, will provide funding during the initial launch phase. The Beacon Zone seeks to become financially sustainable on public funds over time and will make decisions with this as a guiding principle.

The attached Budget Template is a highly preliminary estimate of initial Beacon Zone costs and is subject to change. We have made an effort to provide thoughtful estimates, where possible, knowing that the schools’ fees and Beacon Zone needs will be fleshed out in more detail throughout the Zone design and launch process.

11) Describe how the board will ensure the network and schools are in compliance with legal requirements and

the associated interventions the board will use when expectations are not being met.

A key function of the Beacon Zone Board is to ensure compliance with all legal requirements across the Network, and the Board will work closely with the DPS legal department to ensure the network and schools are in compliance with legal requirements. The Executive Director will consult with DPS colleagues to ensure he is aware of all important school-level legal requirements and will monitor implementation at Zone schools.

At the network level, the Board will be trained on organizational compliance, including topics like Open Meeting Law and the set of requirements necessary in order to maintain 501(c)3 status both at the federal level and in the state of Colorado. In addition to opting into all DPS legal services, the Beacon Zone will have independent legal representation focused on its obligations as a nonprofit entity, and it will carefully follow the advice of counsel.

Fundamentally, the Executive Director, other key network leaders, and school leaders must be effectively implementing all legal requirements at the network and school levels. If the network-level or school-level leaders are not acting to uphold all legal requirements, the Board will first address the issue directly with the Executive Director to swiftly determine root cause and set a path to rectifying any specific issues. In the case that issues are not resolved on that path or seem to be rooted in broader network systems, the Board will determine the need for direct intervention or mandated support, either directly from the Board or through a hired consultant. Interventions implemented by the Board, or a consultant hired by the Board, may include the network leader being placed on a detailed improvement plan, and/or the network leader losing some decision-making rights that would then be elevated to the Board level. Given the seniority of the Executive Director role and the importance of maintaining legal compliance at all levels, inadequate performance will be addressed swiftly, and interventions and leadership changes will be put on the table early on in conversations regarding the fulfillment of these responsibilities.

12) Describe the board’s decision-making protocols and all relevant documents. (ATTACHMENT: Appendix O -

Completed Attestations related to potential conflicts for current board members; Appendix P - Board Bylaws; Appendix Q - Documentation of Incorporation as a Colorado nonprofit)

The Beacon Zone Board seeks to empower school-level decision-making whenever possible, while also ensuring that all key decisions prioritize student achievement and organizational health. The organization’s bylaws lay out several key areas where the Board is the primary decision-maker; in those instances, the Board will carefully weigh information presented by the Executive Director, principals, and other key stakeholders. The Board will also use data presented at quarterly meetings and other concrete information to drive decision-making whenever possible. Please see Appendices O, P, and Q for relevant documents and policies around board-level decision-making.

13) Describe how the creation of the zone will create economies of scale, and provide an estimate of these

savings.

The Beacon Zone will identify key areas in which to pool resources and leverage economies of scale to address common interests. Beacon Zone schools will annually allocate a small portion of their budget to cover the shared expenses of a small central administrative team. By supporting a lean service center, Zone schools will also have the ability to pool resources and achieve economies of scale around distinct services aligned directly to their needs. Examples of shared services might include professional development, instructional and leadership coaching, knowledge management, data


30

analysis and coaching, wraparound service coordination across schools and certain administrative supports such as test administration or UIP completion.

Additionally, the Beacon Zone will plan to utilize district standardized services in instances when differentiation for Beacon Zone schools does not add substantive value. By remaining interconnected with district services, the Zone will continue to leverage economies of scale for services that are less unique to the Zone schools and more easily standardized at a larger scale. Examples include risk management, transportation services, food services, Special Education, adherence to and compliance with the Consent Decree to best serve English Language Learners, and other services outlined in the MOU. Once the Beacon Zone is approved, a more specific estimate of savings can be calculated.

14) Describe at what level of the organization (board, network, or school) key decisions will be made, the role of

stakeholder voice in decision-making, and the process for revisiting these decision-rights.

The Beacon Zone model centers on integrating and sharing resources and personnel, increasing financial resources and efficiencies, replicating and vertically aligning programming, and engaging and empowering community collaboration. The Zone exists to enable and support the work of schools to best meet the needs of students and to encourage the continual growth and improvement of the school community. Each school in the Zone is responsible for creating a customized plan for excellence via its UIP and its innovation plan. The school relies on the principal and leadership team to develop and execute these plans. The school is ultimately accountable for its performance and operates as a collaborative member of the district and the community of schools in DPS.

Decision-making at the Board and network-level will be informed by the input of a network-level Parent Council and Teacher Council, composed of parent representatives from each school’s advisory board and teachers elected by their peers. The Councils will be responsible for surveying constituents and providing input on decisions to be made by the Zone and the Zone Board. At the school level, stakeholder voice will be integrated into decision-making through the respective School Advisory Boards, in addition to other broader parent engagement through events like Back to School night, periodic Parent Meetings, and weekly Parent Coffees.

The overall decision-making framework for the Beacon Zone is:

● The Beacon Zone Board approves the strategic vision for the Zone and empowers the Executive Director to meet that vision, then holds Executive Director accountable for executing on the vision and achieving outcomes. Zone Board is responsible for selection and evaluation of the Executive Director. Zone Board approves and recommends the Executive Director’s school principal recommendations to the superintendent for hiring. Zone Board has fiduciary responsibility for the Beacon Zone Non-profit 501(c)3. Zone Board approves the Executive Director’s proposed school and Zone budgets.

● Beacon Network Leadership, the Executive Director with support from the network leadership team, approves common elements across Beacon Zone Schools while still allowing for individual school decisions in some areas; and implements the Beacon Zone Board’s vision while supporting schools to implement innovation plans. The Executive Director hires and evaluates Zone staff. Final approval of all school-level hiring is made by the Executive Director. The Executive Director proposes budgets and principal candidates to the Zone Board for approval and recommendation to the District. The Zone Board will approve the Executive Director’s proposals providing they are legal and aligned to the strategic vision. The network makes network-level decisions on curriculum & assessments, Essential Learning Goals & Proficiency Scales, calendar, schedule priorities, budgets (differentiated by school), culture priorities, and enrichment partners. The network will be accountable to implementing individual school innovation plans and reaching school goals. The network will ensure supports and resources are developed for personalized learning, enrichments, and strong operational systems for enacting flexibilities. The network will provide service to the schools that aligns to the overall Beacon vision.

● Beacon Zone Principals work within the framework defined at the network level to make school-level decisions about culture, daily schedules, school budget priorities, parent involvement, enrichment scheduling, teacher-based decisions on curricular materials, staffing, and classroom instruction. Beacon Zone principals manage execution of innovation plans at the school level.

More specifically, the Board approves overarching strategy and oversees the Zone without intervening in the day-to-day operations of schools. The Zone Board is responsible for making decisions in the following areas:


31

• Empowerment • Approves Zone strategy that prioritizes strategic network-level decision-making and significant school-

level autonomy • Hires and gives substantial responsibility to the Zone’s Executive Director and team

• Accountability • Approves a performance management system, aligned with DPS’s system, used to evaluate school and

school leader performance • Ensures a pipeline of school leadership options • Approves Executive Director's school principal recommendations and sends to the superintendent • Evaluates the Executive Director

• Efficiency and Equity • Approves key policies and contracts at the Zone level • Approves Executive Director’s proposed annual budgets at the school-level • Ensures compliance with state and federal laws • Oversees Zone leadership’s maintenance of district and nonprofit requirements • Prioritizes success for all students and nurturing of a collaborative community of schools within the Zone • Ensures that community stakeholder voice is integrated into Zone decision-making

The responsibilities of the Zone Board Chair may include: • Liaison between Zone leadership and the Zone Board

• The board chair directly liaises with the Zone’s Executive Director around Zone operations and decision-making and serves as the key connection between the Zone leadership and board members

• Liaison between district leadership and the Zone • In collaboration with the Zone’s Executive Director, the board chair directly liaises with the

Denver Public School’s Board of Education and the superintendent around key strategic topics and decision-making and serves as a key connection between the district and the Zone

• Steward of Beacon Zone strategy and direction • The board chair is aware of all strategic decisions made by the Executive Director and ensures an

appropriate level of communication with board members • The board chair is responsible for ensuring the board’s fidelity to the Zone strategy

The network implements the strategy approved by the Zone Board by: • Proposing and implementing overall strategies and critical procedures for the Zone • Creating framework that defines common interests across the Zone, provides structure for network-level and

school-level decisions, and encourages collaboration across schools • Making key recommendations to the Board • Addressing day-to-day systemic issues (e.g., crisis response, finance and operations, transportation, facilities,

etc.) • Providing effective support to schools and implementing equitable systems (ensuring a level playing field,

working within the Beacon Zone framework, and ensuring high-quality programming aligned with DPS supports regarding special education and enrollment, for example) while ensuring that school autonomies are upheld

• Keeping the Zone Board well-informed regarding the Zone schools’ performance • Effectively integrating community stakeholder voice into Zone decision-making

Finally, schools make all other significant choices and manage day-to-day implementation. Beacon Zone schools work to create an effective and aligned Zone while recognizing that particular structural and implementation decisions may fit the needs of one school better than another and so there is no expectation of complete uniformity.

In order to implement this decision-making structure, the Zone Board sets strategy and makes several important decisions but meets relatively infrequently. The Beacon Zone’s Board mechanics include:

● The Board generally meets at least quarterly (August, October, February, April) and more as necessary ● Agendas are set by the Executive Director in collaboration with the board chair


32

● Meetings are public and follow Open Meeting Laws

The Beacon Zone Board will have a performance contract with the Denver Public Schools Board of Education and is accountable to the school board for performance and for carrying out the approved Innovation Zone plan. The performance contract will set ambitious goals for performance in line with state and district accountability targets/structures and it will delegate managerial and operational control of Zone schools to the Zone Board.

15) Describe the role of the board in sharing best practices across schools within the zone and more broadly.

The Board will oversee sharing of best practices across schools within the Zone through the Executive Director. The ED is charged with ensuring that the Beacon Zone will facilitate strong sharing across the Zone that drives student growth and achievement. The Board will be responsible for ensuring that the Executive Director is faithfully executing or facilitating the shared learning activities mentioned throughout this application. Part of the Executive Director’s role will be to facilitate learning across Zone schools through their leadership, allowing leaders to learn from each other and bring best practices in leadership back to their respective schools. Additionally, the Board will play an important role in supporting the development of an effective District-Zone Council, modeled off of the existing District-Charter compact.

Appendix A - Letters of Support See PDF attached to submission email


33

Appendix B - Network Leader Resume See PDF attached to submission email


34

Appendix C - Executive Director Job Description See PDF attached to submission email


35

Appendix D - School-Level Leader Resumes See PDF attached to submission email


36

Appendix E - Organization Chart See PDF attached to submission email


37

Appendix F - Director of Operations Job Description See PDF attached to submission email


38

Appendix G - BNS Culture Rubric Sample See PDF attached to submission email


39

Appendix H - Beacon Staff Innovation Agreement 2018-2019 See PDF attached to submission email


40

Appendix I - GBMS & KBMS Innovation Plan Renewal Goals See Excel document attached to submission email


41

Appendix J - Board Member Resumes See PDF attached to submission email


42

Appendix K - Board Officer Role Descriptions See PDF attached to submission email


43

Appendix L - ED Evaluation Tool See PDF attached to submission email


44

Appendix M - Conflict of Interest Policy See PDF attached to submission email


45

Appendix N - Completed budget template See Excel document attached to submission email


46

Appendix O - Completed Attestations related to potential conflicts for current board members See PDF attached to submission email


47

Appendix P - Board By-laws See PDF attached to submission email


48

Appendix Q - Conflict of Interest Policy See PDF attached to submission email


49

Appendix R - Waivers and Replacement Policies See Word document attached to submission email

new beacon network schools innovation zone fall 2018 proposal · 2019. 6. 20. · beacon network...

Documents