ILead eyes renewal of its charter by District

LANCASTER – iLEAD Lancaster Charter School is looking for its second renewal from authorizing district Lancaster School District.

The District’s Board of Education originally authorized iLEAD in September 2011. The charter petition renewed for five years in January 2016 and is good through June 2021.

The school has a project-based and social-emotional learning model.

Jordan Goines, director of Special Programs for the Lancaster School District, explained the charter renewal process and changes in law since the charter school’s last renewal.

“Authorizers must consider — this is a must — must consider academic performance of a charter school on the state indicators located on the California Dashboard,” Goines said.

Under the three-tier system, a high-performing charter school can be renewed for five to seven years and a middle-performing charter school can be renewed for five years. A low-performing charter school

could be denied or renewed under certain considerations.

“We are excited to show you the growth that our learners have made,” Dawn Evenson, founder and CEO of iLEAD California, said at the start of iLEAD’s presentation.

Nykole Kent, school director for iLEAD Lancaster, went over how the school’s demographics have changed over the years.

Amanda Fischer, executive director of iLEAD California, covered iLEAD’s California Dashboard results and the gains achieved in its suspension rate and English language arts and mathematics.

“The longer that students are with us the more growth they’re making but when they’re coming we’re having to fill those initial gaps,” Fischer said in regard to English.

iLEAD also saw student growth in mathematics for students with the charter school for two or three years.

The charter school offers synchronous and asynchronous distance learning schedules.

“We’re a project-based learning school, so at the same time still creating rigorous core-content focused projects that are still targeting those key academic concepts,” Kent said.

The BOARD also heard from iLEAD students, parents, and facilitators.

An iLEAD sixth-grader who addressed the Board said she loved her school because of the project-based learning style, workshops, and the freedom to learn at her own pace.

“I also have great supportive friends who think like me and very kind, awesome facilitators,” the student said.