EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
885 BARNABY STREET SE, WASHINGTON, DC 20032 www.ecapcs.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: IT IS THE MISSION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL TO FOSTER THE ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF EACH STUDENT IN A SAFE AND HOLISTIC LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL EQUIP ALL STUDENTS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS TO BECOME HIGH ACHIEVERS, PROFICIENT READERS, AND CRITICAL THINKERS WHO WILL THRIVE FOR A LIFETIME AS PRODUCTIVE AND CARING CITIZENS.

EDUCATIONAL APPROACH ECA HAS A STRONG CURRICULAR FOCUS ON LANGUAGE AND LITERACY, GIVEN THE TREMENDOUS IMPACT OF EARLY LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT ON NEARLY ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT. INSTRUCTION IS BASED ON THE EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS FOR PREKINDERGARTEN AND ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATH COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE THREE. EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL HAS SELECTED PEARSON OPENING THE WORLD OF LEARNING (OWL) AS ITS INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL FOR PRE-KINDERGARTEN AND HOUGHTON MIFFLIN SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES, AS WELL AS MCGRAW HILL MY MATH AND READING WONDERS FOR KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE THREE. OPENING THE WORLD OF LEARNING IS A COMPREHENSIVE, CENTER-BASED PROGRAM THAT INTEGRATES ALL DOMAINS OF EARLY LEARNING. THE CONTENT OF EACH UNIT IS BUILT AROUND A CAREFULLY CRAFTED DAILY ROUTINE WITHIN ACTIVITY CENTERS. THEMES, SKILLS, AND CONCEPTS ARE DEVELOPED THROUGH QUALITY CHILDREN'S FICTION AND NONFICTION TRADE BOOKS, AND CENTER PLAY. MCGRAW-HILL MY MATH AND READING WONDERS PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH RESEARCH- BASED CONTENT ALIGNED WITH THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS. WHOLE GROUP AND SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION ALLOW TEACHERS TO REACH EVERY STUDENT AND ENSURE SUCCESS ON FORMATIVE AND STANDARDIZED TESTS. TOGETHER, THESE CURRICULUM TOOLS ENSURE THAT ECA STUDENTS RECEIVE AN APPROPRIATE AND CHALLENGING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOCUSING ON CHILDREN'S ACADEMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND ATTAINMENT OF FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS AS WELL AS HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS. HOUGHTON MIFFLIN SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES ARE COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDE A VARIETY OF RESOURCES TO SUPPORT INSTRUCTION, INCLUDING WORKBOOKS, TEACHERS' GUIDES, AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS, AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE. ASSESSMENT ECA BELIEVES THAT THE PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT IS TO INFORM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESS STUDENT PROGRESS. THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF A VARIETY OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL ASSESSMENTS, TEACHERS OBTAIN USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT EACH CHILD'S KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND PROGRESS BY OBSERVING, DOCUMENTING, ANALYZING, AND REVIEWING WORK SAMPLES OVER TIME. TEACHERS AT EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMY PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL MEET IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES WEEKLY, TO ANALYZE DATA AND USE IT TO INFORM INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING. BASELINE AND BENCHMARK FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS FOR PREKINDERGARTEN INCLUDE THE EVERY CHILD READY ASSESSMENT PROVIDED BY THE APPLETREE INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION INNOVATION. PREKINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS ARE ALSO EVALUATED USING THE CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT SCORING SYSTEM (CLASS). FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE THREE ARE ADMINISTERED USING THE NORTHWEST EVALUATION ASSOCIATION MEASURES OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS (MAP). IN THE SPRING, THIRD GRADE STUDENTS ALSO COMPLETE THE PARTNERSHIP FOR ASSESSMENT OF READINESS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS (PARCC), WHICH IS THE REQUIRED STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT. DATA FROM THESE ASSESSMENTS GUIDE PLANNING AND INSTRUCTION FOR ALL STUDENTS TO ENSURE STUDENT GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT. DISCIPLINE ECA PROMULGATES CLEAR, SCHOOL-WIDE EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT AND ADULT BEHAVIOR, AS WELL AS CONSISTENT, RESPECTFUL, AND DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE CONSEQUENCES ADMINISTERED AS NECESSARY. BY IMPLEMENTING A SCHOOL-WIDE BEHAVIOR SUPPORT PLAN AND PROVIDING ON-GOING STAFF TRAINING IN POSITIVE BEHAVIOR FACILITATION, ECA CREATES AND MAINTAINS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT IS NURTURING, CHILD-CENTERED, AND CULTURALLY SENSITIVE. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ECA BELIEVES THAT HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ONGOING FEEDBACK AND SUPPORT FROM ADMINISTRATORS AND EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONALS PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS NEEDED TO PROMOTE CHILDREN'S LEARNING. THEREFORE, EACH YEAR, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PRINCIPAL, AND GRADE LEVEL DIRECTORS DRAFT A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR BASED ON THE ASSESSED NEEDS AND EXPLICIT FEEDBACK OF TEACHERS. THE PLAN ARTICULATES GOALS, ACTIVITIES, RESOURCES, AND EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS. EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS ARE CONTRACTED TO SUPPORT HIGH STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN ELA AND MATH. ROBYN SILBEY, ECA'S MATH COACH, TAUGHT FOR 36 YEARS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MARYLAND, A LARGE, URBAN/SUBURBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH A WIDELY DIVERSE POPULATION. MS. SILBEY HOLDS A MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION AND A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION. FOR OVER 30 YEARS, ROBYN HAS AUTHORED AND CO-AUTHORED BOOKS, COMPUTER SOFTWARE, WORKBOOKS, AND ARTICLES. MELODIE BARRON HAS WORKED AS A LITERACY COACH ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR THE LAST DECADE. SHE HAS A MASTER'S DEGREE IN TEACHER LEADERSHIP AND HAS WORKED AS A TEACHER AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR FOR OVER 25 YEARS. MS. BARRON CURRENTLY WORKS WITH A NUMBER OF CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE DC AREA, INCLUDING ECA AND DC PREP. DR. LYDIA CARLIS SERVED AS PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT FOR EYEMAGINED, WHERE SHE WORKED WITH SCHOOLS, DISTRICTS, STATES, FOUNDATIONS AND OTHER ED-FACING ORGANIZATIONS TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN MOST AT RISK. PRIOR TO STARTING EYEMAGINED, DR. CARLIS SERVED AS THE CHIEF OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FOR APPLETREE INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION INNOVATION. DR. CARLIS SUPPORTS CENTERS, SCHOOLS, DISTRICTS AND EDUCATION NONPROFITS IN MAXIMIZING CHILD OUTCOMES BY LEVERAGING INVESTMENTS IN LEADERS AND STAFF. DR. CARLIS' CLIENTS INCLUDE THE DC OFFICE OF THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT FOR EDUCATION, APPLETREE INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION INNOVATION, BAINUM FAMILY FOUNDATION, BELLWETHER EDUCATION PARTNERS, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, EXCEL PCS, KIPP DC, LEADING EDUCATORS, MARTHA'S TABLE, NATIONAL COUNCIL ON TEACHER QUALITY (NCTQ), SYMPHONIC STRATEGIES, THE NEW TEACHER PROJECT (TNTP) AND VERSED EDUCATION GROUP. PARENT INVOLVEMENT ECA IS DEDICATED TO ENCOURAGING STRONG AND CONSISTENT PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE STUDENTS' EDUCATIONAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. ORIENTATION MEETINGS ARE HELD EACH SUMMER, DURING WHICH PARENTS RECEIVE PARENT HANDBOOKS AND SIGN A "SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT" OUTLINING THEIR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE TEACHING/LEARNING PROCESS. PARENT COMMUNICATION, INCLUDING WRITTEN PROGRESS REPORTS AND INDIVIDUAL PARENT MEETINGS ARE HELD AT LEAST QUARTERLY TO DISCUSS EACH STUDENT'S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND PLAN FOR CONTINUED LEARNING. PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS MEET WITH THE SCHOOL MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM REGULARLY TO UPDATE IEP GOALS, DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF SERVICES PROVIDED, AND ASSESS THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THEIR STUDENT'S INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN. A NUMBER OF PLATFORMS ARE UTILIZED, INCLUDING THE SCHOOL'S WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, TO ENSURE THAT PARENTS ARE INFORMED OF PERTINENT SCHOOL INFORMATION. PARENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHOOL'S PARENT ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND SCHOOLWIDE PLANNING COMMITTEE, MEETING QUARTERLY TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ON THE USE OF SCHOOL FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHOOL PROGRAMS.

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