Uncommon Schools ( Uncommon ) is a non-profit charter public school managed and operated in the United States that starts and manages urban schools for low-income students. Uncommon Schools starts and manages 53 urban charter public schools. Uncommon Schools are in five regions: Boston MA, Camden NJ, Newark NJ, New York City, and Rochester NY.
16-624: The organization first supported the creation of North Star Academy Charter School of Newark, which opened in 1997. North Star was co-founded by Norman Atkins and Jamey Verrilli. In 2005, Uncommon formalized its mission as a charter management organization with the goal of starting and managing schools that create college prep opportunities for low-income children. In 2009, the founders of Uncommon, along with those of Achievement First and KIPP created Teacher U at Hunter College . In New York City, Uncommon Schools have performed well on recent standardized tests. Kings Collegiate Middle School received
32-496: A B rating on their 2011-2012 NYC DOE Progress Report, and Brownsville Collegiate Charter received an A overall rating. At Williamsburg Collegiate, 100% of fifth graders passed the 2009 state Math exam. On September 9, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recognized Uncommon Schools’ North Star Academy as a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School . The highest award bestowed by the department, it honors 304 public and private elementary , middle , and high schools that demonstrate
48-836: Is a charter school located in Newark , in Essex County , in the U.S. state of New Jersey , that educates students in kindergarten through twelfth grade . One of the initial group of 17 charter schools approved in January 1997, with plans to begin with classes for fifth and sixth grades, the school was recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 2010. In 2004, North Star Academy College Preparatory High School graduated its first senior class consisting of 19 students, all of whom were accepted into accredited four-year universities. As of
64-569: The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). With 739 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group II for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 486 to 758 students in that grade range. The Knights began the season on a nine-game winning streak. The North Star Knights won
80-565: The 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy (100.0%) and mathematics (100.0%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). In 2014, NSA High School principal Michael Mann received the Ryan Award for best urban principal in the country, one of three principals nationwide to be recognized by
96-622: The 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 6,352 students and 236.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 26.9:1. There were 4,587 students (72.2% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 727 (11.4% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch. North Star Academy has 13 campuses: six elementary schools, five middle schools ( Clinton Hill , Vailsburg , Central Avenue, Downtown and West Side Park) and two high schools (Washington Park and Lincoln Park). In 2000, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and then- Governor of Texas George W. Bush toured
112-538: The Accelerate Institute. Due to North Star Academy's success in urban district areas other schools have adopted some of their ideas in managing challenging students and have even modeled themselves after it. One such school is Foundation Academy Charter School located in Trenton, New Jersey which was established in 2007. The North Star Academy Knights compete athletically under the supervision of
128-541: The Conference Championship against Lyndhurst High School by a score of 63–57, to bring North Star its first ever basketball championship. They went on to compete in the state tournament against Bernards High School , winning 53–48. Their streak ended when they lost to Hackettstown High School , 43–40. High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment ( HSPA , pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A")
144-421: The exam on their first try were given two opportunities to retake it during their senior (and final) year. Additionally, for those who were still unable to pass the exam or felt that they were "not good test-takers," the state department of education gave students the option of participating in a "Special Review Assessment" process (SRA) to demonstrate their academic abilities. The exam, first administered in 1989,
160-664: The highest student achievement in their respective states and/or have closed the achievement gap. At Troy Prep, 100% of seventh graders passed the 2011-2012 state exam, and 38% of fifth graders passed the ELA exam, which was slightly better than the district average. Seventh grade ELA scores were significantly better at 56% passing (compared to 37% in the district). Uncommon Schools won the 2013 Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools and received $ 250,000 to support college-readiness efforts for their students. North Star Academy Charter School North Star Academy Charter School of Newark
176-541: The school, hailing it as an example of reform. For the 2010 school year, the school was honored as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education , the highest award granted to American schools. In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post , the school was ranked 11th in New Jersey and 507th nationwide. In 2008, North Star Academy
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#1732801845438192-409: The standardized assessment tests were given an Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA). An APA was a portfolio-based assessment method used to measure academic progress. The APA was given to a student in each content area where the student's disability was so severe that the student was not receiving instruction in the skill being measured and the student could not complete any of the types of questions on
208-751: Was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in March of their junior year until 2014-2015 when it was replaced by the PARCC . Together with the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK), which was administered in grades 3–8, the HSPA was part of a battery of tests used to assess student performance in New Jersey's public schools. The HSPA
224-399: Was administered over a course of three days simultaneously in all public high schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The exam tests students' proficiency in a variety of academic subjects including mathematics and language arts literacy. Beginning on September 1, 2001, state law in New Jersey required that all students pass the HSPA for high school graduation. Students who did not pass
240-406: Was awarded a Bronze Medal in the U.S. News & World Report /SchoolMatters ranking of Best High Schools. In 2015, U.S. News & World Report ranked North Star Academy 8th in its list of top-ranked New Jersey high schools. Schooldigger.com ranked the school as one of 16 schools tied for first out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 38 positions from
256-528: Was originally called the High School Proficiency Test (abbreviated as HSPT ) and was taken during the freshman year. If the examination was failed, it could be taken each year until it was passed. In 1993, only students who were in eleventh grade (Grade 11) were allowed to take the exam, and thus in 2001 the name was changed to HSPT-11 to reflect that policy alteration. Students with severe disabilities who were unable to participate in
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