Fell Charter Elementary School

Fell Elementary Charter School
Address
777 Main Street Simpson, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County 18407 United States of America
Information
Type	Public
Opened	May 12, 2005
Oversight	Carbondale Area School Board, Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania General Assembly, US Department of Education
President	Ed Diehl, School Board President
Administrator	Mary Jo Walsh, CEO (2015)[1]
Principal	Mary Jo Walsh
Staff	10 non teaching staff members
Faculty	14 teachers (2012)[2]
Grades	K-8
Age	5 years old to 14 years old
Pupils	164 pupils (2014),[3] 157 pupils (2012-13)[4]
• Kindergarten	22 (2014), 25 (2012)
• Grade 1	22 (2014), 23
• Grade 2	23 (2014), 14
• Grade 3	14 (2014), 18
• Grade 4	22 (2014), 13
• Grade 5	14 (2014), 15
• Grade 6	14 (2014), 13
• Grade 7	16 (2014), 21
• Grade 8	17 (2014), 15 (2012)
Language	English
Website	http://www.fellcharter.org

Fell Elementary Charter School is a diminutive, rural, public charter school operating in Simpson, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The School is located in the upper northeast corner of the county within the political boundaries of Carbondale Area School District. In 2014 it reported an enrollment of 164 pupils in grades kindergarten through 8th, with 49% of pupils eligible for a free lunch due to family poverty. Additionally, 12% of pupils received special education services, while none of its pupils were identified as gifted.^[5] The school employed 14 teachers. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 12% of the teachers were rated "Non‐Highly Qualified" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The school provides full day kindergarten. Fell Charter Elementary has a state-approved, longer school day, a longer school year, more intensive core classes, and a specialized, rigorous curriculum. Fell Charter Elementary School is one of two Pennsylvania public charter schools operating in Lackawanna County in 2015.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2012, the Fell Elementary Charter School reported an enrollment of 157 pupils in grades kindergarten through 8th, with 124 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced price lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. In 2012, the School employed 14 teachers yielding a student-teacher ratio of 11:1.^[6] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 5 teachers were rated "Non‐Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind.^[7]

Fell Charter Elementary School opened in August 2002. It was originally chartered on August 1, 2002 for a period of five years by the Pennsylvania State Charter School Board of Appeals. Fell Charter Elementary School is currently chartered by the Carbondale Area School District. In Pennsylvania, public charter schools are initially approved and subsequently overseen by the local school board. Fell Charter Elementary school draws students from the following local public school districts: Carbondale Area School District, Forest City Regional School District, Lakeland School District, Mid Valley School District, Mountain View School District, Valley View School District, Wayne Highlands School District and Western Wayne School District. By law the school district must provide transportation to all schools that lie within 10 miles of the district's borders.^[8] Pennsylvania public charter schools have the same academic accountability as traditional public schools and must give the PSSAs to their pupils each year, working to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status.^[9] According to PA Charter School law, if more students apply to attend than there are open slots available, Charter Schools are required to use a random lottery system to select new incoming students.^[10] According to the Charter School law, siblings (brothers and sisters), and children of individuals who help establish a charter school, are granted an “admissions preference.” The Commonwealth bases the funding for charter schools on the principle that the state’s subsidies should follow the students, regardless of whether they choose to attend traditional public schools or charter schools. The Charter School Law also requires that charter schools bill each sending school district on a monthly basis for students attending the charter school.^[11]

On October 26, 2006, Fell Charter Elementary School sent a Charter Renewal Package to the District declaring its intent to renew the charter commencing with the 2007-2008 school year. The District conducted a comprehensive review of the school, including two site visits to the school in September and November, 2006. It then notified Fell Charter Elementary School of its intent to deny renewal. On April 2, 2007, the Carbondale Area Board of Education voted to revoke/not renew the Fell Charter Elementary School charter. Fell Charter Elementary School appealed the decision to the Pennsylvania Charter School Appeals Board. The CAB found that The District did not meet its statutory obligation of presenting compelling evidence to substantiate its reasons for non-renewal and approved a renewal of Fell's charter.^[12] The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the charter school's grant and loan application in January 2010. The school will receive a $5 million loan to build a new school facility.^[13]

During the school year 2009-10 the Charter School provided educational services to 165 pupils from eight sending school districts through the employment of 14 teachers, 2 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 1 administrator. The Fell Charter Elementary School received approximately $1.6 million in tuition payments from school districts required to pay for their students attending the Charter School in school year 2009-10. The amount each school district pays is set annually by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. It is based on the amount that the student's home school district spends on instruction.^[14]

The Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit IU19 provides the school with a wide variety of services like specialized education for disabled students and hearing, speech and visual disability services and professional development for staff and faculty.^[15]

Academics

2014 School Performance Profile

Fell Charter Elementary School achieved a score of 79.6 out of 100. The score reflects on grade level: reading, science, writing and mathematics achievement. In 2013-14, 71% of the students were reading on grade level in grades 3rd through 8th. In 3rd grade, 86.7% of the pupils were reading on grade level. In math/Algebra I, 73.5% were on grade level (3rd-8th grades). In 4th grade science, just 61% of the pupils demonstrated on grade level understanding. In writing, 84% of 5th grade and 8th grade pupils demonstrated on grade level skills.^[16] The achievement exceeded that of Carbondale Area Elementary School which scored just 62.5 in 2014.^[17]

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,181 public schools (less than 73 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Pennsylvania 11th grade students no longer take the PSSAs. Instead, beginning in 2012, they take the Keystone Exams at the end of the associated course.^[18]

2013 School Performance Profile

Fell Charter Elementary School achieved a score of 73.4 out of 100. The score reflects on grade level: reading, science, writing and mathematics achievement. In 2012-13, only 57% of the students were reading on grade level in grades 3rd through 8th. In 3rd grade, 64% of the pupils were reading on grade level. In math, 60 were on grade level (3rd-8th grades). In 4th grade science, 76% of the pupils demonstrated on grade level understanding. In writing, 73% of 5th grade and 8th grade pupils demonstrated on grade level skills.^[19] According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,181 public schools (less than 73 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. The achievement far exceeded that of Carbondale Area Elementary School which scored just 58.5 in 2013.^[20]

AYP History

In 2012, Fell Charter Elementary School achieved Warning AYP status, due to lagging student academic achievement.^[21] In 2011, Fell Charter Elementary School achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status. From 2004 to 2010, Fell Charter Elementary School achieved AYP status each school year.^[22]

PSSA results

Third, sixth and seventh graders are tested in reading and mathematics since 2006. Fourth graders are tested in: reading, science and mathematics. Fifth graders are tested in: reading, writing and mathematics. Eighth graders are tested in: reading, writing, mathematics and Science. Beginning in the Spring of 2013, eighth graders, who are enrolled in Algebra I take the Keystone Exam for Algebra I at the end of the course. The testing of 8th grade in reading and mathematics began in 1999. Testing in science began in 2007. The goal is for 100% of students to be on grade level or better in reading and mathematics, by the Spring of 2014. The tests focus on the state's Academic Standards for reading, writing, mathematics and science. The standards were first published in 1998 and are mandated by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.^[23]

8th Grade Science:

• 2012 - 35% on grade level (41% below basic). State - 59%
• 2011 - not reported due to 7 pupils tested
• 2010 - 63% (18% below basic). State – 57%^[33]
• 2008 - 7%, (46% below basic). State - 52% ^[34]

4th Grade Science

• 2012 - 93%, 79% advanced. State - 82%
• 2011 - 100%, 43% advanced. State - 82.9%
• 2010 - 89%, (5% below basic). State - 81%
• 2009 - 82%, (4% below basic). State - 83%
• 2008 - 67%, (6% below basic). State - 81%

Wellness Nutrition

Fell Charter Elementary School offers both a free school breakfast and a free or reduced-price lunch to children in low income families. All students attending the school can eat breakfast and lunch. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are provided a breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level can be charged no more than 30 cents per breakfast. A foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household is eligible for both a free breakfast and a free lunch. Runaway, homeless and Migrant Youth are also automatically eligible for free meals.^[40] The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture.^[41]

In 2013, the USDA issued new restrictions to foods in public schools. The rules apply to foods and beverages sold on all public school district campuses during the day. They limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item. Additionally, all snack foods sold at school must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein in them or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D.^[42] In order to comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 all US public school districts are required to raise the price of their school lunches to $2.60 regardless of the actual cost of providing the lunch.^[43] In 2014, President Obama ordered a prohibition of advertisements for unhealthy foods on public school campuses during the school day.^[44]

Fell Charter Elementary School provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth and the federal government. A nurse is available in the building to conduct annual health screenings (data reported to the PDE and state Department of Health) and to dispense prescribed medications to students during the school day. Students can be excluded from school unless they comply with all the State Department of Health’s extensive immunization mandates. School nurses monitor each pupil for this compliance.^[45] Nurses also monitor each child's weight.

Grants

In addition to tuition payments, Fell Charter School applied for several grants to increase its funding. Both the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Federal government offer several education grants each year.

Federal Stimulus grant

Fell Charter Elementary School received an extra $19,471 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) - Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low-income students.^[46][47] The funding was limited to the 2009-10 and 2010-2011 school years.^[48] Due to the temporary nature of the funding, schools were repeatedly advised to use the funds for one time expenditures like: acquiring equipment, making repairs to buildings, training teachers to provide more effective instruction or purchasing books and software.

Race to the Top grant

Fell Charter Elementary School officials did not apply for the federal Race to the Top grant which would have provided nearly one-quarter million dollars, in additional federal funding, to improve student academic achievement.^[49] Participation required the administration, the school board and the local teachers' union to sign an agreement to prioritize improving student academic success. In Pennsylvania, 120 public school districts and 56 charter schools agreed to participate.^[50] Pennsylvania was not approved for the grant. The failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved.^[51][52][53]

References

External links

• School Facebook page