FAQS

 

Browse the frequently asked questions below or, if your question isn’t here, please contact us.

 

What is a charter school?

Charter schools are tuition-free, open-enrollment, public schools that hold “charters” or contracts with authorizing agencies (typically, school districts, but occasionally, the state’s Charter School Institute). These contracts allow them to operate with some autonomy from district requirements (typically curriculum, finances, and hiring) in exchange for promising excellent academic achievement for kids. Each authorizing state or district may have slightly different requirements for charter schools. West Denver Prep schools are all authorized by Denver Public Schools (DPS) and each holds its own charter through the district.  

What is a charter management organization (CMO)?

Charter management organizations (CMOs) are nonprofit entities that directly manage charter schools. West Denver Prep is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with one governing Board of Trustees that manages four schools and a central support office in 2011-12. The central office oversees and supports a number of functions at each school including accounting, development, operations, facilities, staff recruiting and hiring, and more.   

How are charter schools funded?

Charter schools are funded by public funds and do not charge tuition. West Denver Prep receives per-pupil-revenue (PPR) like every other public school in the state. Because a high percentage of our students are eligible for free or reduced lunch through the National School Lunch Program, West Denver Prep schools also receive Title funds. Depending on the district and city in which they operate, charter schools can also be eligible for Mill Levy funds and Bond funds, just like other public schools.

West Denver Prep schools have each been opened one year at a time and require private philanthropy in their growth years. West Denver Prep has also raised additional funds for capital expenses at our Federal Campus (our only independently-owned facility—all of the rest of West Denver Prep schools lease district space), and for special projects, including performance pay for teachers and staff (DPS charter schools are not currently eligible for participation in the district’s performance-pay system, ProComp), our principal-in-training leadership development program, capstone experiential education trips for our eighth grade classes, and some additional enrichment activities such as an outdoor leadership and service-learning program for students at our Lake campus.

How can I enroll my child in a West Denver Prep school?

All West Denver Prep campuses are open to students with no review of grades, test scores, or past academic experience.  West Denver Prep recruits students through a door-to-door process of delivering information to students and families.

West Denver Prep participates in the DPS SchoolChoice process.  Any student planning to attend a new school the following school year, including those entering middle or high school for the first time, should complete a DPS SchoolChoice form.  The SchoolChoice form is the one-and-only school application that needs to be completed for all West Denver Prep campuses.  When filling out the SchoolChoice form, simply indicate West Denver Prep as your first choice. There are no additional enrollment steps for students interested in West Denver Prep as we do not regard past academic performance, household income, or any other factor when receiving students at our schools.

All West Denver Prep schools offer preference to siblings of those students enrolled in the school.  In Southwest Denver, there is a preference for students who live within the Southwest Enrollment Zone.  In North Denver, the Lake and Highland Campuses are boundary schools, and hold preference for students who live within the Lake attendance boundary.  The enrollment procedures for West Denver Prep Lake and Highland are identical to those for the district school in the same boundary.

Our recruitment methods have resulted in student populations at each of our schools that mirror surrounding neighborhood averages. Across our network, over 90% of our 1,115 students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, 96% are students of color (90% Latino), nearly 40% of students are English Language Learners, and over 10% of students qualify for special education services.  Each of these percentages nearly meets or exceeds district averages and reflects district averages in other Southwest and Northwest Denver schools.

How do you select teachers to work at West Denver Prep?

Applicants for all staff positions at West Denver Prep are aggressively recruited beginning on November 1 of each year primarily using local and national partners and online job boards.  Some of these include:  Teach for America, The Breakthrough Collaborative, The Colorado League of Charter Schools, Denver Public Schools, a variety of local and national universities and schools of education, LatPro, and many others.  The school’s hiring process will be rigorous and will involve resume review, phone interviews, and in-person interviews.  West Denver Prep only fills positions with “Highly Qualified” staff as required by No Child Left Behind.

What if my child is an English Language Learner?

English proficiency for all students is a requisite element of the mission of West Denver Prep.  At most campuses, roughly 40% of students are English Language Learners.  A structured immersion program will ensure that students learning English receive appropriate support in mainstream literacy classes.

¿Qué pasa si mi hijo es un estudiante del idioma Inglés?

Dominio del Inglés para todos los estudiantes es un elemento necesario de la misión de West Denver Prep. En la mayoría de los campus, aproximadamente el 40% de los estudiantes están aprendiendo inglés. Un programa de inmersión estructurada se asegurará de que los estudiantes que aprenden Inglés recibir el apoyo adecuado en las clases de alfabetización de la corriente principal.

Does West Denver Prep have art and music classes?  What about sports?

Each day, the final period at West Denver Prep campuses is reserved for enrichment classes, six-week courses taught by teachers in areas of personal, non-academic interest to students, such as art, music and competitive sports. We have also offered cooking, yoga, foreign languages, and special science projects, such as dissection and Rube Goldberg engineering labs. In addition, annual field trips and visits to area colleges and universities are available to all students.

What makes West Denver Prep schools different from other charter schools?

West Denver Prep’s schools represent the neighborhoods they serve, with over 90% of students qualifying for federal free or reduced price lunch and over 96% students of color across the network.

West Denver Prep leadership believes and has proven that its model of opening small, safe schools increases academic progress among middle school students who enter school below proficiency.

Each campus implements a series of best practices among high-performing urban charter schools serving low-income students of color with a college-preparatory education.  Those practices include:

  • A longer school day and longer school year, allowing for approximately 10 more instructional days at approximately 20% more time in the classroom than a traditional district school.

  • A discipline system with clear rewards and consequences, student uniforms, and an insistence on student safety and maximum time spent learning.

  • Two hours of nightly homework that clearly reinforces student classroom learning.

  • A system of regular assessments that includes six-week internal assessments, as well as weekly computerized assessments, the NWEA MAP, and the CSAP.  Teachers and administrators will use six-week assessment data to make instructional decisions and evaluate student progress toward standards.

  • A system of regular, systematic, and data-driven interventions.  Four tiers of academic intervention will be implemented based on academic data, past and present, and are evaluated on a three- and six-week basis.  Students can receive up to three hours of academic support daily in addition to the core academic program, if necessary.  Summer school also will be available for those students who do not pass core academic classes during the year.

  • Each will open one grade at a time per year until the school is fully filled.

  • Ample use of technology in the classroom, allowing for students to have experience with the technology necessary to succeed in the 21st century.

  • A neighborhood school that recruits students primarily through a door-to-door campaign.  Teachers, administrators, and volunteers visit the homes of students’ families who live close to the school and share basic enrollment information, such that every family has access to the school regardless of time to engage in community activities.

  • A parent engagement plan that includes a home visit from an administrator upon entrance to the school, summer orientations, weekly conduct reports, bi-weekly advisor calls, tri-weekly academic reports, and regular conference nights.

  • A three-week teacher training program where teachers consider and implement a consistent building-wide system of instruction and discipline.  Teachers develop detailed standards the entire year during the summer.  Teachers have a high degree of autonomy over their daily instruction in return of a high degree of accountability to very strong results.

  • An organization structure that emphasizes academic achievement above all else.  Teachers have at least two daily planning periods and very few distracting responsibilities that distract from student learning.  Administrators see their roles as removing all obstacles to effective teaching.

In each year since our founding, West Denver Prep students have demonstrated remarkable academic growth and achievement.  In 2011, West Denver Prep had four of the top five public secondary schools in the district on the Denver Public Schools (DPS) School Performance Framework, all earning the district’s highest rating of “Distinguished”.  The four schools also rank among the top seven schools at any level (elementary, middle, high) or any type (traditional, charter, magnet) for academic growth as measured by the Colorado Growth Model.  West Denver Prep’s Harvey Park Campus ranks first in all of Colorado on this same measure.

Does West Denver Prep have services for Special Education students?

The appropriate education of special education students in the least restrictive environment at all West Denver Prep campuses is an essential priority.  West Denver Prep fully complies with all district, state, and federal guidelines for the effective delivery of services to all special education students.  West Denver Prep complies with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title 11 of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

West Denver Prep identifies students with special education needs through our RTI model.  The Data Intervention Specialist and SIT team will create individual SIT plans (that include identifying a targeted area of need and setting/monitoring a goal) for students whose academic achievement is at risk and for whom Tier II interventions did not yield appropriate growth.  Students are closely progress-monitored with normative tools while receiving interventions.  West Denver Prep implements the RTI/SIT process systemically and purposively in order to avoid the misidentification of a disability.

How are West Denver Prep students promoted to the next grade?

Students must receive 65% yearly average in each course in order to receive credit.  If a student earns a grade of lower than 65% at any six-week progress report, s/he may participate in tutoring for the subsequent six weeks. If a student fails four or more of his/her six classes, or three or more among Reading, Writing, or two Math classes, s/he will be required to repeat the year.  If a student fails one, two, or three total classes, s/he will attend summer school for three weeks, and must pass each class in order to be promoted to the next grade.

Why might a student be expelled from a West Denver Prep school?

A student may be expelled for any causes outlined in the Denver Board of Education Policy in the DPS Conduct Code, in addition to laws or regulations of the State of Colorado or the City and County of Denver. The parents or guardians of any student to be recommended for an expulsion hearing will be notified before such action takes place.  Expulsion hearings will be administered by Denver Public Schools; therefore, any expulsions will be carried out in accordance with Denver Public Schools policy.

How many West Denver Prep students stay in school?

The persistence of our students is of the highest priority.  Last year, on the 2011 Denver School Performance Framework, the re-enrollment rate at the Federal Campus was 90% and at the Harvey Park Campus was 85%, both in the top five among city middle schools.