North Star Academy Charter School of Newark

According to the 2003 U.S. Census data, Newark ranks as the second poorest city in the country, with almost half of its children living at income levels of less than $18,660 for a family of four. The New Jersey City Kids Count 2003 data paints a similarly grim picture: Newark children are less healthy, less likely to finish high school, and less likely to reach adulthood than other children around the state.

When students begin at North Star in the 5th grade, they are already significantly behind their state peers. In fact, when studying the performance of the students before they enter North Star, their test scores show them to be performing below the Newark District average, which is one of the lowest performing districts in the state. Less than 35% of the students are proficient in Literacy and 15% are proficient in Math as measured by standardized assessments. North Star students are selected on a random lottery—the only requirement for admission is a Newark residence. 100% of the students are of color (85% African-American, 15% Latino), 90% qualify for a free/reduced lunch, and 90% of their parents never graduated from college.

The North Star has long been a symbol of hope and freedom. Frederick Douglas specifically used this symbol in the struggle against slavery by naming his abolitionist newspaper The North Star. Every facet of the school culture supports the vision of “seeing the star,” guiding students on the path to success in college and in life. The school strives to build a sense of community where everyone feels a part of a shared mission larger than themselves. North Star creates a structured, supportive community where everyone is an important and valued member. Students are greeted at the door with a handshake, and they, likewise, welcome over 400 yearly visitors.

The Djembe drum calls students into Community Circle each morning, where school leaders, teachers and students share words of inspiration and motivational stories. All incoming students sign and pledge to live by the core values of the community, and students are grouped into teams named after these values. Some of those names include Cuidar (caring), Respeito (respect), Ujima (collective responsibility), Gambatte (perseverance) and Ganas (heart/desire). Students carry these virtues with them as they attend classes in rooms named after colleges. Students are held accountable for living up to the community’s standards by recognizing the consequences of their actions and apologizing to their peers.

Within this well-established community, North Star has developed high standards of academic achievement. In order to achieve these goals, students attend a longer school day (8:00 am – 4:00 pm) and a longer school year (August – June). Daily blocks of literacy (two hours) and mathematics (90 minutes) form the cornerstone of a rigorous academic program in which curricula are tightly aligned with interim assessments that measure student progress. Our English program has a clear scope and sequence of reading, grammar and writing standards tied to novel-based instruction. Our math program consists of our own developed curriculum that works to prepare students for Algebra by eighth grade. It works to quickly catch students up with computational skills while developing their conceptual understanding of more complex math. Students also receive an hour of History and an hour of Science. History teaches topics such as the History of Newark, Ancient and Medieval Civilizations and United States History while building analytical and literacy skills. Science offers a spiraling curriculum of Life, Earth and Physical sciences that balance rigorous content with hands-on activities. Hard work is expected in all classes and is required. There is two hours of homework every day and study halls after school for students in need of extra assistance.

North Star’s teachers are highly skilled in using data to improve their instruction. North Star emphasizes that student learning and achievement are the most important factors in a child’s education and that teachers are responsible for that learning. North Star has designed its own six week interim assessments in English, Math, Science, and History that measure student learning. These assessments are cumulative and so measure current standards as well as previous standards to ensure they are being retained. Teachers are then trained to input information from the assessments into specially designed spreadsheets which assist them in analyzing what standards are mastered and which require further whole class and small group instruction. Teachers then plan how they will both spiral and re-teach standards for the next six weeks. This data driven instruction has helped North Star to maintain strong student results for over a decade.

At the end of each year North Star organizes final performance tasks that assess the ability of students to perform a variety of skills. A final performance task may include a speech, presentation, or a portfolio assessment. In Math and Science, students take written exams.

North Star also offers specials in physical education, computer, theater, music, and modern Latin and African dance. There are extra-curricular programs in flag football, debate, basketball, and robotics. There are also special cultural shows for Latino Cultural Celebration, Kwanzaa and Black History Month and a musical every year.

Finally, North Star believes in experiential education as well as classroom education. Our students have monthly trips to museums, special presentations, performances in the arts, and historical sites. They also have outdoor education trips hiking, canoeing, and rock climbing in beautiful areas of New Jersey. At the end of the year, students may earn extended trips to South Carolina, Washington D.C, Boston , Massachusetts, Seattle, Washington, Olympic National Park and the Florida Everglades.

Letter Grades	Numerical Equivalent	Grade Point Average
A+	97-100	4.0
A	93-96	4.0
A-	90-93	3.75
B+	87-89	3.5
B	83-86	3.25
B-	80-82	3.0
C+	77-79	2.75
C	73-76	2.5
C-	70-72	2.0
F	69 and below

*Note: Anything below a 70 is not a passing grade. All scores are factored into the grade point average.

Administratively lean, North Star stretched shorter dollars – 69% of the per pupil public funds attributable to students at traditional Newark public schools – to produce a longer program: an 11-month, extended day schedule featuring smaller classes, top-flight teaching, state-of-the-art technology, and a rich offering of educational opportunities.

In spite of the extra time, North Star students consistently logged a 96%+ attendance rate, significantly higher than both Newark and New Jersey rates.

Parents have been active in all phases of the school, from its founding to its governance. All parents signed the school covenant and came to school a minimum of three times a year to pick up their children’s report cards. For a decade, more than 98% of the parents said in a year-end survey that they were “satisfied” – and more than 95% said they were “very satisfied” – with the quality of academic standards at North Star. More than 98% were also “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the quality of teaching, leadership, curriculum, and parental participation/expectation.

North Star recruits nationally to attract and develop the top teachers available. Approximately half the teachers are of color, two thirds previously taught in traditional public school districts prior to North Star, and a third are graduates of teaching fellowships such as Teach for America. The faculty design an exciting, rigorous academic program, innovate in the classroom, work far longer hours than their colleagues in other public schools, and still log a superior 98%+ attendance rate. Teachers continuously drive towards improved student learning through in-house professional development and off-site visits to high achieving urban schools. During the summer session, faculty members spend two to four weeks in professional development and mentoring of novice teachers.

At the end of each year North Star organizes panels made up of faculty, parent, and citizen jurors that assess the ability of students to perform a variety of skills. Every student is required to complete a final performance task in English, History and Spanish. A final performance task may include a speech, presentation, or a portfolio assessment. In Math and Science, students take written exams.

Grading Scale

North Star students are held to a higher standard. Students are graded on a scale of 70-100. The minimum passing grade is a "C." In order for a student to be promoted s/he must pass four out of five core academic classes and meet graduation requirements. Honors classes receive an additional 0.5 on the grade point average.

The Clinton Hill Campus Middle School was founded in 2005 by nine-year North Star teacher Michael Mann. Expansion to a second middle school enables North Star Academy to serve more Newark students using the same model of success at the Downtown Campus Middle School. The expansion to a second middle school has also fostered cross-campus collaboration, which has resulted in refined curricula at both campuses with increased rigor. Additionally, this cross-campus collaboration has led to the refinement and further development of school systems.

North Star Academy is committed to providing its middle school students with the requisite skills to be successful in high school and college. To achieve this goal, North Star Academy works on a longer school day and a longer school year. Instead of the normal 180 days, North Star works on a 200 day school year with a day that begins at 7:30 am with the first dismissal at 3:30 pm.

All students will receive 425 minutes of Mathematics instruction, 425 minutes of English instruction, 275 minutes of Language instruction, 275 minutes of History instruction and 275 minutes of Science instruction per week. These totals translate to 85 minutes of Math and English instruction per day, and 55 minutes each of History, language and Science instruction per day.

The following is a sample schedule for a typical day at North Star Academy – Clinton Hill Campus.

Time	Class
7:15 – 7:45	Brain Breakfast
7:45 – 8:10	Morning Circle
8:10 – 8:20	Homeroom
8:20 – 9:45	Math
9:45 – 10:40	Language
10:40 – 11:35	Computers
11:35 – 12:05	Lunch
12:05 – 1:00	Science
1:00 – 1:55	History
1:55 – 3:20	English
3:20 – 3:30	Check Out
3:30	First Dismissal
3:30 – 5:00	Detention
5:00	Second Dismissal

North Star’s curricula are aligned to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, the North Star Standards, the North Star Assessments, the TerraNova Skills Test, as well as the New Jersey Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment. In all of these ways, we are getting your child ready to succeed in a college-preparatory environment.

North Star recruits nationally to attract and develop the top teachers available. The teachers at North Star design exciting, innovative and challenging lessons in the classroom, while working longer hours than their peers in traditional public schools. North Star teachers know that students learn material much better when they see how it might apply to their lives and therefore their lessons are relevant to the students’ lives. They also foster a climate of success via a positive disposition, well maintained and decorated classrooms, honest feedback, positive reinforcement, recognition of success in morning circle, and strong classroom management skills.

North Star teachers are trained to move at a fast pace so that every minute of class time is utilized for instruction. Teachers ask many critical thinking questions throughout the course of a class period as well as pack each class with a number of activities designed to keep students motivated and on task.

Structure and routine are the basis for strong learning environments. In knowing this, North Star Academy has created classroom structures that are universal to all classes despite grade or subject

Each class at North Star begins with a “Do Now” activity. “Do Nows” are short activities that students do immediately as they enter class. “Do Nows” help to reinforce the learning that students have been doing, as well as keep older skills fresh. They also serve the function of getting the students immediately started and on task from the minute the class begins.

It is expected that certain knowledge be produced instantly. Examples of this type of knowledge are multiplication facts or the state capitals. To reinforce such automatic knowledge, all North Star classes employ oral drills when students are asked questions to which they respond in unison or individually. Oral drills not only reinforce knowledge but they also bring energy and fun to the classroom.

Just as students learn the call and response in circle, North Star classes employ the chanting of quotes and poems that are designed to reinforce the values of North Star Academy, as well as to motivate students to be their best.

All students at North Star Academy will receive binders in each of their classes. Student binders will be organized the same way in all subjects, each containing the same six sections for Do Nows, Word Study (vocabulary), Classwork/Homework, Notes/Handouts, Quizzes/Tests, and Projects. All student notebooks will be kept in the classroom, with teachers checking periodically that students are maintaining the organization their notebooks.

Students will also receive a homework folder for each class. These folders will be organized such that the left side of the folder is for homework resources, and the right side for homework assignments. Students are expected to take this folder home each night and return the folder each morning. The folder should only contain the assignment from the previous night as outlined in their assignment pads.

Even though North Star students have a longer school day and longer school year than other public school students, the amount of instructional time available is not sufficient for students to master our content and skill objectives. It is essential that students continue their learning at home, therefore all North Star students will receive 2 hours of homework each night. There will be homework in each subject each night with few exceptions.

Students will turn in homework upon arrival to school at 7:30. There will be separate trays for each subject near the entrance to school. Students who come to school without homework will be required to fill out a worksheet stating why the homework was not completed. (These will be used for subsequent conferences with parents.) Students may not get breakfast or be seated until homework is submitted or an explanation worksheet is completed.

Not consistently completing homework is one of the leading reasons why students do not perform well in class, and therefore are retained. Parents are expected to assist North Star teachers with their child’s learning by checking assignment pads and ensuring that their child does the 2 hours of homework and/or independent reading each night.

North Star Academy Elementary was founded in 2007 by former North Star High School Principal Julie Jackson. With so many of our fifth grade students entering North Star far below grade level, North Star expanded to the elementary grades to reach Newark children at the very beginning of their academic careers. North Star Elementary will add a new grade each year until the class of 2020 eventually graduates to our middle schools.

School as Community
Mornings at North Star Academy’s Elementary Campus begin with Community Circle. After breakfast, students form a procession to the beat of a djembe drum. One by one each class joins the circle, lead by scholars who carry class flags and grade level flags. Scholars walk arrow straight and completely silent. As soon as the students reach their spots and sit, this school ritual explodes into a joyous chorus of class fight songs, motivational call and response, and academic chants. Ms. Jackson zips around the circle calling on students to answer questions loud and proud. Scholars solve math story problems orally, recite geography facts, give praise to each other, celebrate birthdays, and welcome visitors – all before the first literacy block starts at 8:00 A.M.

Elementary Campus students participate in Morning Circle twice per week. The Principal, Julie Jackson, leads scholars in chants, songs, and drills that reinforce academics, core values, and school culture.

Community Circle reveals just one of the many ways that North Star Academy Elementary is committed to nurturing the growth and development of students as moral leaders while maintaining a rigorous academic program that prepares them to graduate from a four-year college. Instead of room numbers, our homerooms are named after colleges that North Star Alumni currently attend, such as Rutgers University and the University of Chicago. North Star Academy Elementary operates on a longer school day and a longer school year than district public schools. Doors open at 7:00 A.M. and learning continues until 5:30 P.M. when after school programs end. From the very first day of Kindergarten, our singular focus is on preparing students to succeed in college and beyond.

A Challenging Curriculum
North Star sets a high bar for students, and instructional leaders stress academic rigor at every grade. North Star's curricula are aligned to New Jersey's Core Curriculum Content Standards, North Star Standards, North Star Assessments, and the TerraNova Skills Test. We aim beyond current grade level targets – our Kindergarten assessments include First Grade questions. From the very first day of school we are getting students ready to succeed in a college-preparatory environment. Like our middle schools, North Star Elementary teachers draw upon multiple sources to write their own curriculum. We do not rely on out-of-the-box kits. Instead, we focus on teaching critical thinking skills through a firm adherence to the philosophy of data driven instruction.

Top Notch, Caring Teachers
North Star Elementary classes have two teachers in every classroom. This ensures that we can have small group instruction and give one-on-one help to all students. Teachers design exciting, innovative, and challenging lessons in the classroom while working longer hour than their peers in traditional public schools. North Star teachers know that students learn material much better when they see how it might apply to their lives, so they write minute-by-minute plans for interactive and exciting lessons. Teachers foster a climate of success through a positive disposition, well maintained and decorated classrooms, honest feedback, positive reinforcement, recognition of success, and strong classroom management skills.

North Star teachers are trained to transition quickly and move at a fast pace so that every minute of class time is utilized for instruction. Teachers plan lessons that combine fact drills with critical thinking exercises so that scholars learn a deep understanding of the process of problem solving.

Character Development
Students will learn to live up to the core values each and every day - Caring, Courage, Respect, Responsibility, Justice, and Hard Work! We ensure that students create good habits of behavior by sweating the small stuff. Sweating the small stuff means that North Star Elementary teachers and staff pay close attention to details, ensuring that scholars are always at their best and rewarding students who live by the corps values.

Life's Work
Life's Work (homework) is an essential part of the North Star Academy educational program: it is designed to reinforce skills taught in the classroom, to help students develop a deeper understanding of concepts, and to promote good study habits. Life's Work is assigned EVERY night at North Star Academy. It is essential that parents show interest in their child's Life's Work and monitor progress each night.