Stage II
Criterion 1
The institution clearly identifies the lines of authority and responsibility for any and all educator preparation programs within the
institution and provides assurance that only those person(s) employed by the program sponsor will recommend individuals to the Commission for a credential or authorization.
A program of professional preparation must be proposed and operated by an entity that makes all personnel decisions regarding the employment, retention or promotion of employees without unlawful discrimination. The entity must make all decisions regarding the admission, retention, and graduation of students without unlawful discrimination.
New Hope Charter School follows lawful practices regarding employment, retention or promotion of staff, and admission, retention, and graduation of candidates as seen in the Staff Handbook and Student Handbook. In addition, the letter of assurance from the Unit Head reaffirms New Hope’s understanding of these expectations.
The institution assures all of the following:
a) That there will be compliance with all preconditions required for the initial program(s) the institution would like to propose (General and program-specific preconditions for proposed programs must accompany this document)
b) That all required reports to the Commission including but not limited to data reports and accreditation documents, will be submitted by the Commission approved entity for all educator preparation programs offered including extension divisions.
c) That it will cooperate in an evaluation of the program by an external team or monitoring of the program by a Commission staff member.
d) That the sponsor will participate fully in the Commission’s accreditation system and adhere to submission timelines.
e) That once a candidate is accepted and enrolled in the educator preparation program, the sponsor will offer the approved program, meeting the adopted standards, until the candidate;
- Completes the program;
- Withdraws from the program;
- Is dropped from the program;
- Is admitted to another approved program to complete the requirements with minimal disruption for the authorization in the event the program closes. In this event, an individual transition plan would need to be developed with each candidate.
New Hope Charter School assures compliance with all preconditions, submission of all required CTC report, cooperation with all evaluation activities, participation in the CTC accreditation system, and that the program will offer the approved programs once candidates have been accepted and enrolled until i-Iv are met as evidenced by the assurance letter
The institution must identify a qualified officer responsible for reporting and responding to all requests from the Commission within the specified timeframes for data including, but not limited to:
- program enrollments
- program completers
- examination results
- state and federal reporting
- candidate competence
- organizational effectiveness data
- other data as indicated by the Commission
Herinder Pegany, Executive Director of New Hope Charter School, is the person responsible for reporting and responding to all requests from the Commission within the specified timeframes for data, including, but not limited to:
- program enrollments
- program completers
- examination results
- state and federal reporting
- candidate competence
- organizational effectiveness data
- other data as indicated by the Commission
New Hope Charter School has clearly defined grievance policies and processes for both students and staff as outlined in their handbooks and on the links on the website. The complaint forms are in the appendices of the handbooks and on the website. The Student / Candidate handbook includes a notice that candidates will review and be asked to acknowledge policies in the handbook in their first course or orientation session. This will also be noted in the staff operations manual to ensure that it is part of all candidate orientations. This process, in addition to having these policies posted on internal and external websites, should ensure that staff and candidates are aware of these options.
The institution must provide a plan for communicating and informing the public about the institution and the educator preparation programs. The plan must demonstrate that:
The programs New Hope Teacher Charter School plans to offer are:
Each of these programs has its own section on the New Hope website as does the mission and vision, admission procedures and requirements, course and fieldwork requirements, and completion requirements. The website also indicates that we have completed Stage 1 of the approval process and now are in Stage 2. Communication Plan provides an overview of how candidates and the public will have access to all of New Hope Charter School's materials.
The institution must demonstrate that it will maintain and retain student records. Institutions seeking Initial Institutional Approval will provide verification that:
a) Candidates will have access to and be provided with transcripts and/or other documents for the purpose of verifying academic units and program completion.
b) All candidate records will be maintained at the main institutional site or central location (paper or digital copies).
c) Records will be kept securely in locked cabinets or on a secure server located in a room not accessible by the public.
a) Candidates will have access to their transcripts and/or other documents for the purpose of verifying academic units and program completion. Please see the Candidate Records Plan for more detail.
b) All candidate records (paper or digital copies) will be maintained at the New Hope Charter School campus, currently co-located with Glenwood Elementary School, at 201 Jessie Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95838. Once New Hope Charter School relocates to its permanent home on Norwood Avenue (expected by December 2023) records will be located at the permanent site. All materials will be updated with the appropriate address at that time.
c) Records will be kept securely in locked cabinets or on a secure server located in the Executive Director’s office, a locked office that is not accessible by the public. The Executive Director’s office is at the New Hope Charter School site.
Institutions must disclose information regarding:
a) The proposed delivery model (online, in person, hybrid, etc.)
b) All locations of the proposed educator preparation programs including satellite campuses.
c) Any outside organizations (those individuals not formally employed by the institution seeking IIA) that will be providing any direct educational services, and what those services will be, as all or part of the proposed programs.
a) New Hope Charter School plans to use a hybrid delivery model for all of its teacher preparation programs. While the majority of the candidates’ experience will be in person, both for coursework and fieldwork, candidates will experience portions of their coursework online (e.g. reading and online discussions, online projects, asynchronous video, summer foundations courses, pre-service.
b) New Hope Charter School plans to offer all of its programs in the Sacramento area, specifically in the area in and around the Robla School District. Classes will be held either at the New Hope Charter School co-located on the Glenwood Elementary campus or at Robla School District facilities.
c) New Hope Charter School is working in collaboration with the Robla School District and other regional partners. New Hope plans to recruit Robla, New Hope Charter, and partner program staff members to serve as field supervisors, Induction coaches, and instructors in areas of needed expertise.
The institution and its personnel demonstrate veracity in all statements and documentation submitted to the Commission. Evidence of a lack of veracity is cause for denial of IIA.
An institution’s mission and vision for educator preparation are consistent with California’s approach to educator preparation.
*Note: A complete program design with significant detail included is not what is intended here as that will be submitted to ensure alignment with the Commission’s adopted program standards in Stage III. Rather, the intent is to provide the Commission with sufficient information to ensure that the institution’s philosophy and approach about educator preparation is consistent with California’s.
Submission Requirements for all institutions seeking IIA:
Institutions seeking IIA must have sponsored an educator preparation program leading to licensure, or participated as a partner in any educator preparation programs and/or
programs focused on K-12 public education and provide history related to that experience.
CTC staff will research available information about the institution relevant to the application for initial institutional approval Institutions must submit:
Proof of third party notification enlisting comments to be sent to: [email protected]New Hope does not offer education preparation programs outside of California so c-h do not apply.
An institution must submit a Capacity and Resources plan providing information about how it will sustain the educator preparation program(s) through a 2 – 3 year provisional approval (if granted) at a minimum. The institution must submit a plan to teach out candidates if, for some reason, the institution is unable to continue providing educator preparation program(s).
a) As a new institution, New Hope Charter School does not have an audited budget for past years. New Hope Teacher Alliance will exist as a division within the New Hope Charter School which does have a 5-year projected budget. The year-by-year budget has been approved by the New Hope Charter School Board. New Hope Charter is in its first year of operation with students and, as such, has not yet gone through a budget audit. However, the budget guide and explanation document (evidence 12A.1) should provide evidence of New Hope's conservative approach to ensuring financial sustainability.