New	Horizons	Charter	Academy	
Blended	Learning	And	School	Transforma5on	
For	English	Language	Learners	and		
Students	with	Disabili5es	
	
Ramisi	Dilley	
Director	of	Opera;ons	
IEUC	Conference	2017	
Richard	Thomas,	M.Ed	
Execu;ve	Director	
Kimberly	Balcomb,	M.Ed	
Dean	of	Students	
nhcharteracademy.com
hDps://newhorizonscharter.padlet.org/
rthomas45/7k98gkws0bge	
Ques5ons	Parking	Lot	-	Padlet	
If	you	have	ques5ons	during	the	course	of	our	
presenta5on,	please	go	to	our	Padlet	and	post	them	
there.	
	
Padlet	link:
New Horizons Charter Academy # of % of Baseline #
Ethnicity/LEP/SWD/SD Students Students of Students
La;no	 185	 59%	 315	
Armenian	 44	 14%	 315	
African	American	 28	 9%	 315	
White	 38	 12%	 315	
Asian	 19	 6%	 315	
SWD	 28	 9%	 315	
EL	 129	 41%	 315	
Socio-Disadvantaged	 270	 86%	 315	
		 		 		 Per	Analysis	
		
									
Budgeted	
ADA	@	95%	 		 299	
NHCA	2016	–	2017	School	Demographics	(K-8)	
4th		Year	as	a	Charter	School
Source:	Brawn	from	brains	—	Talent,	policy	and	the	future	
of	American	compe;;veness
Source:	Project	Tomorrow
Source:	Brawn	from	brains	—	Talent,	policy	and	the	future	
of	American	compe;;veness
How	Do	We	Get	There?
FUTURE	–	READY	STUDENT	
FOCUS
Community
Empower-
ment
Infra-
structure
Building Teacher Agency
Being a Talent Scout
Encouraging
Lateral
Relationships
And Community
Best Practices
Being the LEAD
Learner
Alongside
Teachers
Building an
Organizational
Culture that
reduces
Isolation
Support with
ongoing
training
Transformative Change in
Education
Empowerment
•  Fostering	the	concept	of	shared	ownership	of	change.	
	
•  Encouraging	Board	Members,	Execu;ve	Director,	Classified	Staff,	
Central	Office	Staff,	ILT	team	members	and	teachers	to	visit	classes	to	
see	teachers	in	ac;on	and	be	a	witness	to	their	crea;ve	brilliance.		By	
allowing	others	to	witness	best	teaching	prac;ces,	this	encourages	
teachers	to	share	their	work.	
	
•  New	Discoveries	can	be	captured	and	memorialized	for	the	purpose	of	
scaling	school-wide.		Scaling	of	ideas	supports	the	concept	of	shared	
empowerment	
•  Teachers	are	con;nuously	sharing	best	prac;ces	on	their	Professional	
Learning	Network	–	email,	text	messages,	Twieer,	Facebook,	Google	
Docs/Drive,	Voxer,	Periscope,	ClassDojo	which	provides	rapid	and	
wide-range	broadcast	communica;on.	
Func;oning	Future-Ready	Empowerment
Instruc;onal	Framework
Philosophies	
•  Classrooms	are	blended	learning	
environments	allowing	for	individualized	
learning	paths.	
•  Relevant	Professional	Development	
•  Integrated	technology	that	empowers	
teaching	and	learning	
•  Connected	systems	that	create	data	"flow"
Why	Develop	Blended	Learning	Model	
	
Blended	Learning	and	School	Transforma;on	
(BLAST)	
39	
Accelerate	
Ability	to	accelerate	proficiency	on	high	priority	
content	standards	in	core	subjects	through	
individualized	pacing	using	digital	content	
Differen5ate	
Create	more	opportuni;es	for	teachers	to	
differen;ate	instruc;on	and	manage	small	groups	
where	students	broaden	learning	and	higher	order	
thinking	skills
•  Distance Learning
•  Interactive Tools
•  Digital Content
•  Online Courses
Innova;ve	
Technologies	
•  Flipped Classroom
•  Mastery Learning
•  Assessment-
Feedback-Planning
Loop
Teaching	&	
Learning	
Approach	
•  Learning and
innovation skills;
information
•  Media and technology
skills
•  Life and career skills
•  Core subject mastery
21st	Century	
College	
Readiness	
To better prepare NHCA students
for college, they need to be ready
for a different learning
environment.
•  More rapid pacing in colleges
•  Emphasis on key thinking skills
•  Inquiry and analysis based
learning
•  Active engagement in small
groups
•  Student monitor their own
progress and control of their
own learning
NHCA	BLAST	MODEL
Tradi;onal	Classroom	vs.	BLAST	Classroom	
7	
Model	for	All	Core	Subjects	
Adap;ve	Digital	
Content	–	Self	
Guided	
Project-based	
Collabora;on	&	
Discussion	
Teacher-guided	
Instruc;on	
Tradi5onal	
Classroom	
27 students in 3 groups of 927 students
BLAST	Classroom	
More	personaliza;on
Three	Sta;on	Rota;onal	Model	in	
BLAST	Classrooms	–	(K	–	8)	
43	
Individualized	Online	Instruc5on	
•  Adap;ve	engaging	content	at	students	instruc;onal	level	
•  30	minutes	with	digital	content	per	core	subject	
•  Embedded	assessments	in	each	subject-(Real-Time	Ac;onable	Data)		
•  All	core	content	has	parallel	digital	plamorm	
•  RtI-supplemental	programs	–	(remedia;on/enrichment)	
Project-based	Group	Learning	
•  Cri;cal	thinking,	academic	discourse	/	vocabulary	
•  Analyzing	problems/solu;ons	and	Applying	concepts	
•  Rubrics	Used	to	Measure	both	Standards-Based	Product	and	
Collabora;ve	Efforts	based	on	specific	Reciprocal	Roles	
Teacher-guided	instruc5on	
•  Higher	order	thinking	skills	
•  Differen;ated	mini-lessons	
•  Flipped	Classroom	methodology
Digital	Agenda	
2/19/17	 44
Richard	Thomas,	M.Ed	
Execu;ve	Director
FOSS	and	IScience	and	InspireScience	lesson…
enVision	/	RevK12	/	STMath	provides	math	content	
When	students	get	the	
answer	wrong,	Rev	Prep	
automa;cally	takes	
them	through	the	steps	
of	the	problem,	and	then	
provides	a	similar	
problem	to	aid	in	
student	mastery	of	the	
standard.
Richard	Thomas,	M.Ed	
Execu;ve	Director
MyAccess	provides	a	Holis;c	Rubric	score,	and	also	grades	Focus	&	Meaning,	
Content	&	Development,	Mechanics	&	Conven;ons,	Organiza;on,	and	Language	
Use,	Voice,	&	Style.
Tech Tools to use for ELA Online Station !
!
•  StudySync!
•  Vocabulary.com!
•  In-class Flip with Vocab, Writing and Grammar!
•  Newsela!
•  Epic!!
•  MyACCESS!!
•  ReadTheory!
•  Imagine Learning!
•  Istation!
•  ReCap!
•  FrontRow!
!
Data	Analysis	of	ELA	Weekly	Assessment	–	Student	Responses	
English	Language	Learners	and	Students	with	Disabili5es
Infrastructure Framework!
!
•  Checkout Chromebooks and HotSpots for
20% of student body w/o devices/internet!
•  Digital License all content for all students!
•  BYOD – Download content directly to
student cellphones!
•  Student/Parent Portal Data Dashboard!
Increasing	Learning	Velocity	with	Digital	Content	
67	
BLAST	Model	
Digital	content	accelerates	proficiency	
levels	and	personaliza;on	
Tradi;onal	Classroom	
Textbook	based	scope	&	
sequence	
%	of	Students	per	Grade	Level	
Increasing	the	range	and	depth	
of	core	skills	
NHCA	Classroom	
Instruc;onal	guides	used	to	
develop	lesson	plans	
End	of	Year	Grade	Level	Proficiency	
Structured	use	of	digital	content	mo;vates	students	and	accelerates	learning		of	core	skills
“Success Consists of going from failure to failure
without loss of enthusiasm”-Churchill
“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob
them of tomorrow” John Dewey, Schools of Tomorrow
“Culture does not change because we desire to change it.
Culture changes when the organization is transformed –
The culture reflects the realities of people working together
every day”
- Frances Hesselbein
@newhorizns
New Horizons Charter Academy
Facebook Page – follow us
Twitter: @newhorizns
Website: nhcharteracademy.com
rthomas@nhcharteracademy.com
All	Students	–	2015	SBAC	 All	3rd-5th	 		 Celerity	 Celerity	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 6th	Gr	 Celerity	
ELA	 NHCA	 Ararat	 Cardinal	 Palma;	 Sendek	 Bellingham	 Victory	 Lankershim	 NHCA	 Palma5	(6th)	
#	Students	Tested	 56	 221	 96	 131	 279	 272	 272	 213	 21	 28	
%	of	Students	 98%	 99%	 100%	 100%	 96%	 97%	 99%	 96%	 100%	 100%	
Exceeded	 7%	 19%	 21%	 15%	 9%	 5%	 4%	 6%	 14%	 4%	
Met	 27%	 32%	 31%	 26%	 19%	 16%	 20%	 19%	 19%	 29%	
Nearly	Met	 27%	 26%	 31%	 34%	 23%	 35%	 24%	 26%	 29%	 43%	
Not	Met	 39%	 24%	 17%	 25%	 48%	 45%	 51%	 49%	 38%	 25%	
All	Students	–	2015	SBAC	 All	3rd-5th	 		 Celerity	 Celerity	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 6th	Gr	 Celerity	
Math	 NHCA	 Ararat	 Cardinal	 Palma;	 Sendek	 Bellingham	 Victory	 Lankershim	 NHCA	 Palma5	(6th)	
#	Students	Tested	 58	 206	 96	 131	 278	 267	 266	 217	 21	 28	
%	of	Students	 98%	 92%	 100%	 100%	 99%	 98%	 97%	 97%	 100%	 100%	
Exceeded	 5%	 12%	 19%	 11%	 6%	 7%	 2%	 5%	 14%	 11%	
Met	 17%	 31%	 35%	 30%	 21%	 18%	 13%	 14%	 10%	 32%	
Nearly	Met	 29%	 32%	 30%	 37%	 26%	 31%	 34%	 38%	 14%	 39%	
Not	Met	 45%	 25%	 16%	 21%	 46%	 45%	 51%	 43%	 62%	 18%	
Economic	Disadv	 All	3rd-5th	 		 Celerity	 Celerity	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 6th	Gr	 Celerity	
ELA	 NHCA	 Ararat	 Cardinal	 Palma;	 Sendek	 Bellingham	 Victory	 Lankershim	 NHCA	 Palma5	(6th)	
#	Students	Tested	 50	 177	 91	 131	 253	 248	 259	 196	 18	 28	
%	of	Students	 86%	 79%	 94%	 100%	 90%	 91%	 95%	 88%	 86%	 100%	
Exceeded	 4%	 19%	 21%	 15%	 9%	 4%	 4%	 6%	 11%	 4%	
Met	 26%	 32%	 31%	 26%	 18%	 15%	 20%	 19%	 17%	 29%	
Nearly	Met	 28%	 26%	 32%	 34%	 23%	 35%	 24%	 26%	 28%	 43%	
Not	Met	 42%	 23%	 16%	 25%	 48%	 46%	 51%	 50%	 44%	 25%	
Economic	Disadv	 All	3rd-5th	 		 Celerity	 Celerity	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 LAUSD	 6th	Gr	 Celerity	
Math	 NHCA	 Ararat	 Cardinal	 Palma;	 Sendek	 Bellingham	 Victory	 Lankershim	 NHCA	 Palma5	(6th)	
#	Students	Tested	 51	 166	 91	 131	 261	 250	 254	 198	 18	 28	
%	of	Students	 88%	 74%	 94%	 100%	 93%	 91%	 93%	 89%	 86%	 100%	
Exceeded	 2%	 11%	 19%	 11%	 7%	 6%	 2%	 4%	 11%	 11%	
Met	 16%	 30%	 35%	 20%	 20%	 18%	 13%	 15%	 11%	 32%	
Nearly	Met	 31%	 35%	 32%	 39%	 27%	 31%	 34%	 37%	 6%	 39%	
Not	Met	 51%	 24%	 14%	 27%	 45%	 44%	 51%	 44%	 72%	 18%	
NHCA	SBAC	2015-	Analysis	vs	LAUSD	and	nearby	Charter	-	**	2nd	Year	as	a	Charter	School	**
SBAC	Test	2014/2015-	Analysis	of	Performance	Tradi;onal	vs	Charter	Statewide	
STATE	TEST	ALL	–	SBAC	2014-2015	 3rd	to	5th	 		
		 ELA	 Math	
#	Students	Tested	 1,388,510	 1,394,929	
%	of	Students	 94%	 95%	
Exceeded	 18%	 14%	
Met	 23%	 25%	
Nearly	Met	 24%	 30%	
Not	Met	 35%	 34%
I E E E E - VISION!
!
•  Innovate!
•  Engage!
•  Educate!
•  Evaluate!
•  Empower!

Blended Learning School Transformation