The Charter School of Wilmington (referred to as CSW) is a high school in Wilmington, Delaware with approximately 1000 students. It was one of the first public/private (self governed, state funded) charter schools in the country, opening in 1996. It occupies the third floor and one wing of the second floor of the former Wilmington High building. Under the leadership of Ronald R. Russo, the school's novel approaches have led to a very successful student body. Over the past 10 years, Charter has risen to one of the premiere secondary schools in Delaware and excels both academically and athletically. Charter continually comes first in many state competitions including Math League and Science Olympiad and also has many students participating in All State Band and Orchestra.
Charter schools in Delaware were authorized by Delaware Code, Title 14, Chapter five, enacted in 1995. The school is operated by a consortium of six companies: AstraZeneca, Christiana Care Health System, Conectiv (a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc.), DuPont, Hercules Incorporated, and Verizon.
The school is located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Charter School of Wilmington was chartered by the Red Clay Consolidated School District, and was indirectly descended from the 'Phoenix Academy', an earlier (now defunct) math and science magnet school run by the Red Clay School District. The school is a college preparatory academy that focuses on mathematics and science, including statistics, calculus, chemistry, biology, physics, geology, and computer sciences. It rents the third floor and part of the second floor of the building that formerly housed Wilmington High School, and shares the building with the Cab Calloway School of the Arts and the James H. Groves Adult High School.
On occasion, Charter's legality has been questioned. Although Delaware's charter schools law defines fairly specific restrictions as to admissions criteria that charter schools may use to select students, Charter's admissions process operates in part upon an assessment test administered to all prospective students. Critics of the school claim that the admissions process violates state law, which states in part that charter schools must fill seats with the assistance of a blind lottery after certain criteria have been met. School representatives claim that a clause in the law allows the school to give preferential treatment to students who show "a specific interest in the school's teaching methods, philosophy, or educational focus", expressed through performance in school, teacher recommendations, and on the admissions assessment. Charter's authorizer, the Red Clay school district, currently supports the present admissions system. Please see Criticisms from Delawareans, below, for more information.
The school celebrated its tenth anniversary of operation in the 2005-2006 school year.
Novel approach to education
Rotating schedule
Charter has taken a very novel approach to class schedules. Rather than the commonly used block system or a simple rotating schedule, Charter students take part in a rotating schedule with classes of different lengths. The first two periods of the day are both over an hour long. Periods three through five are 45 minutes, and periods six and seven are about a half hour long. This system was devised after research showed that students' attention spans decrease throughout the course of the day, so it is most appropriate to have longer classes in the mornings.
Shared classes with Cab Calloway
Periods C and E/F at Charter are fixed. They are shared periods with the Cab Calloway School of the Arts. Students may elect to take Cab classes, UD classes or other Charter classes during these periods. The other five periods of the day (A, B, D, G, H) rotate each day of the week. For example, on a Monday, students follow the schedule ABCDE/FGH. On a Tuesday, students follow the schedule of HACBE/FDG. On a Wednesday, the schedule is GHCAE/FBD. This continues throughout the week and restarts the following Monday such that all rotating periods of long and short classes throughout the week. Note that period E/F refers to the class/lunch period. Students either have 5A lunch in which case E is lunch and F is class, or 5B lunch in which E is class and F is lunch. Lunch lasts a half hour and 5th period class is 45 minutes.
Research projects
Students participate in three research projects over the course of their 4 year education at Charter. During the sophomore year, all students complete a Science Fair project. This project fulfills a grade within their Biology class. If a student takes Biology during their freshman year, they may elect to do science fair at the same time. During the junior year, students complete a Research project for their English classes. Some History classes also complete History Day projects. These are used to introduce the MLA style and teach research for Liberal Arts fields. During the senior year, students are required to participate in a senior research project, which involves either performing and investing an empirical experiment, creating an invention, or shadowing a scientist. The project comprises a series of checkpoints and a final presentation in front of faculty members. Senior Research teaches the APA style and is worth .25 credits on a student's report card and transcript.
Use of K12Planet
To get students and parents involved in a student's progress, K12Planet is used to track grades online. Passwords are handed out at the beginning of the year. CSW is the only school in Delaware to use K12Planet. [link]
Criticisms from Delawareans
Charter has come under fire in recent years due to statistics regarding its tremendous success and unorthodox admissions policies. Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner and other state politicians have condemned the school's apparent extraction of high-performing students from local schools across the state, citing that this has inflated Charter's statistics while hurting that of other schools. In a recent [Wilmington News Journal article], Representative Wagner (R-Dover) attacked the school's admissions policies saying that they are "breaking the law...[because they] look at a student's academic record and pick and choose which students to accept."
Although these criticisms appear to be shared by a decent proportion of Delawarians, the number of Delaware Charter schools are growing enormously (there were 13 for the 2005-06 school year and four more will open in the fall [link]). It should also be noted that in the week following the original publication of the article, more than fifteen opinions were published in the News Journal regarding the original article. A majority of the opinions appeared to be in support of the schools and many were written by students, parents, or alumni.
Charter has also come under scrutiny for its expulsion practices, which are often strict and unjust. Charter officially publishes a 0% expulsion rate, which many students, current and past, know to be false. The Charter School of Wilmington, rather than officially "expel" the unwanted student, "asks the student to leave", kicking them out of the school, without option, but not officially "expelling" them, in order to prevent expulsions from appearing on the school's records. The school has engaged in this practice since the founding in 1996, and still continues this method of expelling students to protect the school's statistics. To be fair, however, such equivocation is standard practice at most private schools.
Curriculum
The curriculum at the Charter School focuses on college-preparatory mathematics and sciences, although the school has a strong humanities curriculum as well. The school features many Advanced Placement course offerings.
Mathematics
Mathematics courses offered are the Integrated Math Series (Integrated Math 1, 2, and 3), AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, UD MATH 243 and 302 (more information below). AP Statistics, Pre-Calculus, and Discrete Math can be taken in lieu of the calculus classes. 4 math courses are needed to graduate. Students are required to take the three integrated math classes and one more, but many students test out of one, two, or three of the integrated math classes.
Students examine a human skull for Forensics class.
Science
Required science courses are the Introduction to Science courses, three semester-long freshmen courses in Physics, Chemistry, and Geosystems. Sophomores are required to take full-year biology, while juniors are required to take full-year chemistry and seniors are required to take full-year physics. There are a variety of AP courses in each of the respective sciences available in lieu of the normal course. The Charter School of Wilmington offers AP Biology, AP Chemistry, an AP Physics C class that covers topics on both the Electrical/Magnetic and Mechanical curricula, and an AP Environmental Science course. Electives include Digital Electronics Design Lab, Robotics, Astronomy, Oceanography, Anatomy, Forensics, Introduction to Engineering, Biogenetics, and Human Life Cycle.
English
Required English courses are Freshman English, British Literature, American Literature, and World Literature. AP English Literature can be taken in lieu of senior World Literature. Electives include AP English Language, Myths and Legends, Journalism I, II, III and IV, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Advertising and Marketing, Shakespeare, and College Preparatory Writing.
Social sciences
Required social studies courses are Integrated Social Sciences, World History, and United States History. While AP United States History is offered in lieu of the standard US History class, sophomores cannot take the AP World History class in lieu of the standard World History class. Electives include standard and AP Economics classes, a military history class, courses on pre-Civil War and modern American history, a stock market lab, a standard psychology class, and AP United States Government and Politics.
Foreign languages
A minimum of two years of foreign language is mandated, though four is recommended. Many students elect to continue language studies, sometimes up until the AP level. Latin (both Literature and Virgil), French, and Spanish are offered up to the AP level. Many students take AP French and Spanish Literature exams even though they are not part of the curriculum.
Computer science
A computer science elective is mandated by the graduation requirements. The Computer Science department at the school features Java and AP Computer Science classes. Other electives include a Data Analysis course, computer graphics and engineering drawing courses, and a course emphasizing network programming.
Cab Calloway classes
The Charter School of Wilmington and the Cab Calloway School of the Arts share several classes during the third and fifth periods. Students attending the Charter School may take courses on museum studies, visual arts, drama, and the musical arts.
Students look over a UD MATH 243 problem after school.
General graduation requirements
Delaware state standards mandate half a year of health education, as well as semester-long sophomore and junior gym classes. The school graduation requirements mandate a Technology Utilization class. A senior research project comprises a graduation requirement.
Challenge tests
A challenge test administered to incoming freshmen allows prospective students to bypass mathematics classes up to Integrated Math III (allowing students to take calculus classes freshmen year), the Introductory Science courses, Technology Utilization, or the introductory foreign language courses. These tests are also used to determine the phasing of students in each subject (Math, Science, English, History, and Foreign Language). Phases range from 3-6 with 5 being considered honors. AP and UD classes are designated as phase 6. Non-academic classes (i.e. Driver Education and Gym) are phase 4 and most electives are only offered as one phase (usually 4).
University of Delaware classes
The Charter School of Wilmington offers several University of Delaware courses taught with University curricula and professors through the University's Continuing Education program. The UD MATH 243/302 Calculus 3 and Ordinary Differential Equations classes have been successful due to the high number of students who finish Calculus BC before their senior year. The school also introduced a UD CHEM 311/312- Survey of Organic Chemistry class during the 2004-2005 school year, and offered UD CISC 220 Data Structures as a semester class for the 2005-2006 school year. The school also introduced a fourth UD class (UD HIST 300 Women in American History) in 2005-2006.
Students
The student body is made up of 936 students as of 2005, including students from seven area public school districts as well as from Catholic and other independent schools. 32% of the students come from other private schools. There is a dress code for students, who must wear a school shirt with khaki pants. However, the last Friday of each month is always scheduled to be a casual, dress-down day with modesty as a consideration. 98% of students attend college upon graduation; approximately half of each graduating class go on to the University of Delaware, in both the regular and Honors programs, but there are also students and past alumni who attend such schools as Brown University, Caltech, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Harvard, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford, and Yale. Individual students have won many state and national awards in mathematics, general science, biology, physics, journalism, French, Spanish, Latin and forensics competitions. In addition, students have also gained recognition in the humanities departments (Odyssey of the Mind) and sports (Girls' Varsity Soccer State Champions 2005)(competition cheerleading state champions 2006)[link]
Faculty
The student to teacher ratio is 18:1, and teachers have an average class size of 24 students. Members of Charter's faculty were Delaware's English Teacher of the Year in 1997, Delaware's History Day Teacher of the Year in 2002, Conservation Teacher of the Year in 1999 and recipients of the Science/Math Excellence in Teaching Award from the Science Alliance in 1999.
Academic Bowl — Four time consecutive state champion in Comcast Academic Challenge Delaware and three time repeating state champion in NAQT format. In 2005, the A Team placed t-13th at the High School National Championship Tournament hosted by NAQT. They were 6th overall in points scored in the National Academic Championship.
Engineering Competition (TEAMS) — Three time state champion and 2005 national champion for Division 4 Varsity. 4th in nation for 2005 Division 4 Junior Varsity.
Envirothon — repeat state champion.
Math League — Perennial state champion since the creation of the school, national champion of Math League Press in 2005.
Mock Trial — Delaware state champions in 2006. Competition ended 2006-02-27.
Newspaper (The Blue Streak) — winner of numerous state awards.
Yearbook (Expectations) - under consideration for national National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Award and Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Award.
Science Olympiad — State Champion since school's inception.
VEX Robotics - in the top 10 at the national competition in its first year
The school newspaper is The Blue Streak. It was originally a small newsletter, written by students and printed on 8.5x11 inch paper. In 2002, Journalism was offered as a class and the paper received more funding. Now standard newspaper size, The Blue Streak has dozens of reporters and editors. It is published approximately eight times annually. Many Blue Streak writers were honored recently with awards from the [First State High School Press Contest.] The paper won more than 25 awards, more than any other student newspaper in Delaware. The Blue Streak is currently being considered for a National Newspaper Pacemaker Award.
Standardized exam achievement
Ranked as 124th best school in the U.S. according to Newsweek [link]. Ranking based on size of graduating class and number of AP exams taken.
Top-scoring high school on the Delaware Math Assessments (1998-2004)
Top-scoring high school on the Delaware Reading Assessments (1998-2004)
Top-scoring high school on the Delaware Writing Assessments (1999-2004)
Top-scoring high school on the Delaware Science Assessments (2000-2004)
Top-scoring high school on the Delaware Social Studies Assessments (2000-2004)
Highest SAT score average in the state
All freshmen, sophomores and juniors at Charter take the Delaware Student Testing Program exams. Test scores at The Charter School of Wilmington are consistently the highest in the state with 100%, 99%, and 100% of Charter students in 11th grade scoring at or above expectations in reading, writing, and mathematics, respectively. [link]
[CharterSkool.com], student-run unofficial website, photo gallery, calendar, and forum
[Satellite Image] (Google Maps) of the campus including classrooms, pool, auditorium, gym and fields. The tennis courts are cut off in the image, but are located to the NE of the school.
[Google Earth] bookmark. If you have Google Earth installed, click the link to load the satellite image on your computer.
