KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 1
KIPP Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 1, 2023
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 2
Introduction
The annual report was established in the Urban Hope Act, N.J.S.A. 18A:36C-1 et seq., as a way to
facilitate the Commissioner’s review of renaissance school projects. A renaissance school project must
submit an annual report on August 1 following each full school year in which it is in operation.
Annual Report Submission Guidelines
Annual Report Submission
Per N.J.A.C. 6A:31-5.1(b), the renaissance school project must submit an annual report to the
Commissioner and the renaissance school district. Per N.J.S.A. 18A:36C-10(b), the report shall be made
publicly available, including on the Department of Education’s website.
Submission Process for the 2022-2023 Report
The annual report must be submitted via Homeroom as a Word document titled “Annual Report 2023.”
To submit the report, upload it to the subfolder “Annual Report 2023” located inside the folder “Annual
Report” on the renaissance school project’s Homeroom site. Each Appendix must be saved as a separate
Word or .PDF document using the file naming convention found at the end of this document and then
uploaded to the “Annual Report 2023” subfolder on the school’s Homeroom site.
Additional Submission Requirements
A copy of the report must be submitted to the renaissance school district no later than 4:15 p.m. on
Tuesday, August 1, 2023.
Written Comment Period
The school district or State district superintendent(s) of the renaissance school district may submit
comments regarding the annual report to the Commissioner by October 3, 2023.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 3
Annual Report Questions
Basic Information about the School
Fill in the requested information in column 2 of Table 1 below.
Table 1: Basic Information
Name of renaissance school project
KIPP Cooper Norcross, Inc.
Grade level(s) to be served in 2023-2024
K-12
2022-2023 Total enrollment as of June 30, 2023
2,029
Projected enrollment for 2023-2024
2,355
Current waiting list for 2023-2024
Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:31-4.5(a).
41
Waitlist within the district/region of
residence
33
Waitlist of non-resident district/region of
residence
8
Website address
https://kippnj.org
Name of board president
Rahul Goyal
Board president email address
Board president direct phone number
(973) 622-0905
Name of school leader
Ryan Hill
School leader email address
School leader direct phone number and
extension as necessary
(973) 622-0905
Name of Title IX McKinney-Vento District
Homeless Liaison
Joe Hejlek
Name of School Business Administrator (SBA)
Steve Small
SBA email address
SBA direct phone number
(973) 622-0905
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 4
School Site Information
Provide the requested information for each school location in Table 2. Copy Table 2 below and fill it out
for each school site if the school has more than one site.
Table 2: School Site Information
Site name
Lanning Square Primary School
Year site opened
2014
Grade level(s) served at this site in 2022-2023
K-4
Grade level(s) to be served at this site in 2023-
2024
K-4
Site street address
525 Clinton Street
Site city
Camden
Site zip
08103
Site lead or primary contact’s name
Brittany Middleton
Site lead or primary contact office phone number
and extension
856-966-9600
Site lead or primary contact cell phone number
N/A
Site lead’s email address
bmiddleton@kippnj.org
Site name
Lanning Square Middle School
Year site opened
2015
Grade level(s) served at this site in 2022-2023
5-8
Grade level(s) to be served at this site in 2023-
2024
5-8
Site street address
525 Clinton Street
Site city
Camden
Site zip
08103
Site lead or primary contact’s name
Bridgit Cusato-Rosa
Site lead or primary contact office phone number
and extension
856-966-9600
Site lead or primary contact cell phone number
N/A
Site lead’s email address
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 5
Site name
Sumner Elementary
Year site opened
2022
Grade level(s) served at this site in 2022-2023
K-2
Grade level(s) to be served at this site in 2023-
2024
K-3
Site street address
1600 S. 8th Street
Site city
Camden
Site zip
08104
Site lead or primary contact’s name
Ken Calemmo
Site lead or primary contact office phone number
and extension
856-350-5678
Site lead or primary contact cell phone number
N/A
Site lead’s email address
kcalemmo@kippnj.org
Site name
Hatch Middle School
Year site opened
2016
Grade level(s) served at this site in 2022-2023
3-8
Grade level(s) to be served at this site in 2023-
2024
4-8
Site street address
1875 Park Blvd.
Site city
Camden
Site zip
08103
Site lead or primary contact’s name
Travis Dempsey
Site lead or primary contact office phone number
and extension
56-359-7046
Site lead or primary contact cell phone number
N/A
Site lead’s email address
tdempsey@kippnj.org
Site name
KIPP High School
Year site opened
2020
Grade level(s) served at this site in 2022-2023
9-11
Grade level(s) to be served at this site in 2023-
2024
9-12
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 6
Site street address
740 Chestnut Street
Site city
Camden
Site zip
08103
Site lead or primary contact’s name
Charles Ware
Site lead or primary contact office phone number
and extension
856-263-6235
Site lead or primary contact cell phone number
N/A
Site lead’s email address
Organizational Performance Areas
Education Program and Capacity
1.1 Mission
a) Describe how the renaissance school project has progressed towards achieving the mission,
goals, and objectives as included in its application to the State. (Please limit your response to a
1-page maximum.)
KIPP NJ’s Vision: One day, our nation will know Newark and Camden, NJ, as cities of world-class
public education.
KIPP NJ’s Mission: The mission of KIPP New Jersey is to create a network of schools in Newark
and Camden, New Jersey, that instill in their students the desire and ability to succeed in college,
in order to change the world.
KIPP NJ’s Values: Kid focus. TEAMwork. Freedom. Fun. Improvement. Impact.
KIPP is a national network of 200+ free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools
dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and life. KIPP
New Jersey is one region of KIPP’s national network, currently comprised of twelve schools in
Newark and five schools in Camden.
KIPP’s Five Pillars
High Expectations- KIPP schools have clearly defined and measurable high expectations for
academic achievement and conduct. Students, parents, teachers, and staff create and reinforce a
culture of achievement and support through a range of formal and informal rewards and
consequences for academic performance and behavior.
Choice & Commitment- Students, their parents, and the faculty of each KIPP school choose to
participate in the program. No one is assigned or forced to attend a KIPP school. Everyone must
make and uphold a commitment to the school and to each other to put in the time and effort
required to achieve success.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 7
More Time- KIPP schools know that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success in academics
and life. With an extended school day, week, and year, students have more time in the classroom
to acquire the academic knowledge and skills that will prepare them for competitive high schools
and colleges, as well as more opportunities to engage in diverse extracurricular experiences.
1.2 Curriculum
a) As Appendix A, provide a signed assurance that the renaissance school project’s curriculum is
aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
b) Provide details about any planned changes to the curriculum and assessments for the 2023-
2024 school year. Please limit your response to a 1-page maximum.
In the 2022-23 school year, we will be implementing new curricula in several places: Illustrative
Math in K-4, Magnetic Reading Phonics in K-2, Phonics for Reading in G3-4, and Springboard in
HS ELA. Each one of these curricula are highly rated on Ed Reports and has been successfully
piloted in several pockets across our schools. We will be training leaders and teachers on how to
use these curricular items with fidelity and with their students in mind.
We have revised our assessment model to create a greater balance of formative and summative
assessment data and are being more intentional about spiraling power standards across
assessments so that we can measure growth. We have also revised our assessments to ensure
that there is a varying rigor level of questions, a balance of multiple choice and open-ended
response questions, and an opportunity to spiral in previously assessed content each quarter. We
believe that these changes will allow us to get a better understanding of a student’s true
mastery and will give us better data to respond to and to communicate out to students and
families.
1.3 Instruction
a) What constitutes high quality instruction at this school?
KCNA schools feature multiple instructional practices that are part of our approach to high
quality instruction. First and foremost, we believe strongly in the rigor, quality, and standards-
alignment of our assessments; these assessments are aligned to the Common Core and produce
data that allows us to reflect on the efficacy of our teachers’ instruction, and to then drive
instruction according to student proficiency and needs. All of our lessons are aligned to the level
of rigor and complexity of our internal assessments.
To meet the demands of the lessons and curriculum, our academic program is structured to
allow for sufficient time in literacy, math, science, and history. For instance, in our middle
schools, students spend 60 minutes a day studying each content – math, literacy, science, and
history. In our elementary schools, students spend 90 minutes a day in math, engaging with our
core math curriculum, Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), and/or spiral review and up to 140
minutes a day engaged in balanced literacy, including independent read aloud (K-2), close
reading (3-4), phonics, writing and small groups. Additionally, all of our students spend at least
40 minutes in our Intervention Block, where they engage in instruction at their individual level on
i-Ready and in small groups. Teachers use data from i-Ready and core instruction along with
resources from the i-Ready Toolbox to target gaps and the foundational skills necessary to access
grade-level content.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 8
Instruction at KCNA can be considered high quality if it is responsive at this level, driven by data,
and constantly aiming towards the rigor level of the standards.
b) Provide a brief description of the school’s instructional practices.
Our instructional vision provides a full description of our beliefs about high quality instruction
and our schools’ instructional practices.
Our schools implement a curricular and assessment model aligned not only to the Common Core,
but to the bar presented by the ACT and AP exams given at the high school level. In order to
meet this bar, our teachers engage in intellectual prep for units and daily lessons, internalize the
key tasks of a lesson by doing the student work themselves and anticipating misconceptions,
select hearty questions to emphasize over the course of a lesson, and allow students to explore
and make meaning before providing intentional scaffolds or models to help clarify and stamp
understandings. We emphasize the power of student discourse in helping students develop
understandings, valuing student voices and thinking over teacher talk and direction. This allows
our students to engage in deeper learning that they can transfer across disciplines for the longer-
term.
c) Describe how the school has made efforts to address learning loss related to the Covid-19 public
health emergency. What areas of strength and areas of opportunity remain?
Student growth was our academic priority this year. We implemented an academic intervention
block across our schools where students engaged in personalized instruction at their own level.
Our goal was to ensure that students had a space to work on foundational skills that may be
holding them back from accessing grade-level content in the core block. By utilizing the i-Ready
program with fidelity and supporting students on their personalized paths, we met our growth
goals in several areas, including middle school math and ELA. One area of opportunity that we
will tackle in the 2023-24 school year is ensuring our students that are furthest behind are
meeting their “stretch growth” goals on i-Ready. We have seen that students who meet their
stretch growth goals year over year are moving out of the bottom bands and closer to grade-
level, so it will be important to keep a pulse on that as we shift to a new academic priority.
d) Please describe the school's policies regarding instruction for students who were required to
quarantine during the 2022-2023 school year.
We did not have any students that were required to quarantine during the 2022-2023 school
year.
e) Provide the number and grade levels of any students that the school retained from progressing
to the next grade in the 2022-2023 school year. What supports will the school provide in the
2023-2024 school year?
KCNA
SY22 Grade Level
Number of Students Retained
K
1
1
3
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 9
2
2
3
3
4
0
5
2
6
1
7
4
8
1
9
11
10
3
11
8
KCNA will support retained students by prioritizing them in small groups and ensuring we are
working with the family and former teachers to gain full context of the students’ strengths and
growth areas to support them effectively.
1.4 Assessment
a) The Department is requesting data from local benchmark assessments administered during the
2022-2023 school year for the purpose of determining student achievement. Fill in the following
local benchmark assessment data by percentage of students below, on, or above grade level,
with “grade level” referencing the renaissance school project’s expectations of student mastery
of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS). Please include end of year assessment
results by percentage of students below, on, or above grade level for local assessments
administered by the school.
b) New Jersey Student Learning Assessments resumed in the 2021-2022 school year. In table 5, fill
in the table to show year over year trends in proportion of students meeting or exceeding
grade-level expectations (“proficiency rate”) on all NJSLA administered by the school. Note: If
2022-2023 NJSLA results have not been released to schools by July 15, 2023, then leave the
2022-2023 column blank.
Table 3: Proficiency Rates on Local Assessments (% of Students) —Fall Diagnostic Assessment 2022
Assessment
Below
(%)
On
(%)
Above
(%)
ELA K
22%
58%
16%
ELA 1
55%
17%
24%
ELA 2
78%
5%
17%
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 10
Assessment
Below
(%)
On
(%)
Above
(%)
ELA 3
81%
9%
10%
ELA 4
77%
3%
20%
ELA 5
93%
5%
2%
ELA 6
94%
4%
2%
ELA 7
88%
7%
5%
ELA 8
94%
4%
2%
ELA 9
n/a
n/a
n/a
ELA 10
n/a
n/a
n/a
ELA 11
n/a
n/a
n/a
ELA 12
n/a
n/a
n/a
MAT K
100%
0%
0%
MAT 1
98%
1%
1%
MAT 2
98%
1%
1%
MAT 3
99%
1%
0%
MAT 4
94%
5%
1%
MAT 5
96%
4%
0%
MAT 6
96%
4%
0%
MAT 7
93%
6%
1%
MAT 8
99%
1%
0%
Algebra I
n/a
n/a
n/a
Geometry
n/a
n/a
n/a
Algebra II
n/a
n/a
n/a
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 11
Table 3b: Proficiency Rates on Local assessments (% of Students) —End of Year Summative
Assessment 2023
Assessment
Below
(%)
On
(%)
Above
(%)
ELA K
27%
43%
19%
ELA 1
73%
13%
14%
ELA 2
80%
5%
15%
ELA 3
87%
3%
10%
ELA 4
72%
5%
23%
ELA 5
82%
12%
6%
ELA 6
84%
10%
6%
ELA 7
76%
14%
10%
ELA 8
79%
13%
8%
ELA 9
75%
25%
0%
ELA 10
72%
28%
0%
ELA 11
83%
17%
0%
ELA 12
n/a
n/a
n/a
MAT K
33%
28%
39%
MAT 1
57%
16%
28%
MAT 2
70%
21%
9%
MAT 3
75%
15%
10%
MAT 4
65%
21%
14%
MAT 5
78%
13%
9%
MAT 6
79%
16%
5%
MAT 7
80%
15%
5%
MAT 8
84%
12%
4%
Algebra I
n/a
n/a
n/a
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 12
Assessment
Below
(%)
On
(%)
Above
(%)
Geometry
66%
32%
2%
Algebra II
72%
28%
0%
c) Identify the type of assessments used for interim assessment data:
Assessment Type (interim assessment)
✓ or X
Solely renaissance school project created
Vendor and renaissance school project created
Combination of solely renaissance school project
and vendor and renaissance school project
created
x
d) Identify the type of assessments used for end of year assessment results:
Assessment Type (end of year assessment)
✓ or X
Solely renaissance school project created
Vendor and renaissance school project created
Combination of solely renaissance school project
and vendor and renaissance school project
created
x
Table 4: Proficiency Rates on NJSLA Assessments
NJSLA
Assessment
2021-2022
Percentage of
students who
met or exceeded
expectations
2022-2023
Percentage of
students who met
or exceeded
expectations
ELA 3
11%
6%
ELA 4
11%
18%
ELA 5
10%
17%
ELA 6
16%
13%
ELA 7
18%
28%
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 13
NJSLA
Assessment
2021-2022
Percentage of
students who
met or exceeded
expectations
2022-2023
Percentage of
students who met
or exceeded
expectations
ELA 8
23%
28%
ELA 9
14%
28%
MAT 3
16%
9%
MAT 4
8%
17%
MAT 5
6%
10%
MAT 6
6%
11%
MAT 7
11%
13%
MAT 8
12%
15%
Algebra I
6%
3%
Geometry
n/a
n/a
Algebra II
n/a
n/a
e) Explain what steps the school has taken, or plans to take, to ensure progress in both subjects by
grade level and by subgroup (i.e., students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, English
language learners, students with disabilities, and racial/ethnic groups).
For the past two years, our priority has been the implementation of the intervention block to
ensure there is a space where foundational gaps are being addressed coming out of the
pandemic in addition to the grade-level instruction all students receive in the core blocks. For the
2023-24 school year, our priority will be increasing our teachers’ and leaders’ efficacy with data
driven instruction. We will put structures in place to support the analysis of assessment data and
the instructional decision-making that occurs as a result of that analysis. As we move towards
this new priority, we will continue to keep a pulse on the intervention block as a space where we
continue to address individual student needs and pull small groups to help students get closer to
grade level. This coming year, we will expand our tutoring opportunities and have all schools
enroll a select group of students to participate in vetted tutoring programs.
f) For each subject and grade level, provide a list of the diagnostic, formative, and summative
assessments that were administered during the 2022-2023 year.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 14
Grade
Band
Subject
Diagnostic
Assessments
Formative Assessments
Summative Assessments
K - 2
Literacy
· F&P
· F&P
· Sight Word
Quizzes
• Exit tickets
· Mid Quarter Quiz
· Quarterly
Assessment
Math
· i-Ready BOY
Diagnostic
• Fluency
Progress Check
· I-Ready MOY
Diagnostic
• Exit tickets
· Mid Quarter Quiz
· Quarterly
Assessment
· I-Ready EOY
Diagnostic
3 - 4
Literacy
· F&P
· F&P
• Exit tickets
· Mid Quarter Quiz
· Quarterly
Assessments
Math
· I-Ready BOY
Diagnostic
• Fluency
Progress Check
· I-Ready MOY
Diagnostic
• Exit tickets
· Mid Quarter Quiz
· Quarterly
Assessment
· I-Ready EOY
Diagnostic
5 - 8
Literacy
· I-Ready BOY
Diagnostic
• I-Ready MOY
Diagnostic
• Exit tickets
Mid Quarter Quiz
· Quarterly
Assessment
· I-Ready EOY
Diagnostic
Math
· I-Ready BOY
Diagnostic
· Mid Quarter
Quiz
• I-Ready MOY
Diagnostic
• Exit tickets
• Spiral review
quizzes
· Quarterly
Assessment
· I-Ready EOY
Diagnostic
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 15
Science
· Pre-unit
Assessment
· Chapter Focus
Tasks
· Mid-unit
Assessments
· End-of-Unit
Assessment
Social
Studies
· N/A
· Mid-unit
Quizzes
· End-of-Unit
Assessments
9 - 12
Literacy
· Achieve3000
• Read180
· Unit
Assessments
· Midterm/Final
Assessments
Math
• N/A
· Mastery
Quizzes
· Midterm/Final
Assessments
Science
· N/A
· Mastery
Quizzes
· Midterm/Final
Assessments
History
· N/A
· Unit
Assessments
· Midterm/Final
Assessments
g) Describe how results from the assessments listed above were used to improve instructional
effectiveness and student learning.
In our schools, we have established several structures to analyze assessment results and use the
data to drive our instruction. Weekly, teachers participate in one-one-one meetings with their
managers and content team meetings with other teachers that teach the same grade level
and/or content area. Both of these meeting structures are spaces where teachers and coaches
look at formative or summative assessment results and student work in order to create plans for
curriculum adjustments, reteach, remediation, etc. At the end of each quarter, our schools
engage in a “Data Day” where teachers are given time to analyze summative data, create plans
for the upcoming quarter, and engage in professional development around instructional
practices that would improve student learning based on the data.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 16
h) Describe the school’s process for selecting the locally administered assessments. Explain how
they align to NJSLS and the renaissance school project’s chosen curricula.
We selected i-Ready as our K-8 diagnostic in ELA and math after vetting several different blended
learning platforms. The student level data teachers get from each diagnostic assessment, as well
as the accompanying Common Core aligned reteach materials proved to be a valuable addition
to our assessment model. With i-Ready, we can understand how our students are growing over
the school year as well as year over year on a consistent assessment. In addition to i-Ready, we
develop our own Mid Quarter Quizzes and Quarterly Assessments. These assessments are built
by assessing each standard in a variety of ways and rigor levels. The Quarterly Assessments are
cumulative up to that point in the year so that we can track growth on standard mastery and
retention of content over time.
i) Compare student results on locally administered assessments with student results on statewide
assessments (NJSLA). Explain any notable disparities.
One reason we use i-Ready is because of their “predicted proficiency” feature, which predicts
student proficiency on NJSLA based on their diagnostic scores each round. Over the last two
years of utilizing this feature and comparing it to NJSLA results, we have found it to be largely
accurate.
In general, our students perform better on our mid-quarter quizzes and quarterly assessments
than NJSLA. We have identified a few reasons why this may be the case - our assessments are
not cumulative and are not blind. The scope of what is being assessed on our internal
assessments does not match the blueprint of the NJSLA. Rather, our assessments are built to
measure student mastery of content that was just taught. For the upcoming school year, we will
be revising our 2nd and 3rd Quarterly Assessments to be cumulative up until that point of the
year, making the QA3 that closest assessment to NJSLA in terms of content covered.
j) Describe how the renaissance school project disseminated or otherwise made assessment
results accessible to stakeholders (i.e., parents, students, board members, administration).
Families - families receive bi-weekly progress reports in quarterly report card conferences.
Additionally, our teachers routinely communicate with families outside of these structures to
keep them informed of their child’s progress in school.
Students - Teachers use assessment data as an opportunity to celebrate student growth and
highlight transferable best practices. Students also receive feedback on their assessments and
have the opportunity to revise.
Board Members - data is shared with board members on a monthly basis
School Administration - leaders in the school building regularly review school wide data in
leadership team meetings and use the data to inform professional development, school-wide
priorities, and teacher observation and coaching. Regional leaders engage in monthly Academic
Progress Monitoring meetings to review network wide data and determine next steps.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 17
1.5 Progress towards Contract Renewal
a) Pursuant to N.J.S.A 18A:36C-10 and N.J.A.C 6A:31-5.3, describe how the renaissance school
project has progressed towards renewal by meeting its goals and improving student
achievement, absent a breach of the agreement that outlines the terms and conditions of the
renaissance school project. (Please limit your response to a 1-page maximum.)
We now have two years of i-Ready data from K-8 Math and 5-8 Reading as well as NJSLA to
show how our students are growing year over year.
In elementary school math on i-Ready, we ended school year 2023 with 10% more students on or
above grade level and 5% fewer students 2 or more grade-levels behind compared to last year. In
ES reading, according to F&P, we have 5% fewer students 2 of more levels behind.
In middle school math on i-Ready, we ended the school year 2023 with 11% more students on or
above grade level and 9% fewer students 2 or more grade-levels behind compared to last year. In
middle school ELA on i-Ready, we have 4% more students on or above grade-level and 7% fewer
students 2 or more grade-levels below.
On NJSLA, we had 4% more students score proficient compared to last year in ELA and 3% more
students score proficient in Math. There were several spots where we saw significant jumps in
proficiency, including grade 4 ELA (+7), grade 5 ELA (+7), grade 7 ELA (+10), grade 9 ELA (+14),
grade 4 Math (+9). Overall, we reduced students scoring in the bottom two bands of NJSLA by 6%
in ELA and 10% in Math.
1.6 Organizational Capacity
a) As Appendix B, provide an organizational chart of the renaissance school project for the
2022-2023 school year.
b) As Appendix C, provide a list of the lead person(s), teachers, and professional support staff,
certification area(s) and criminal background check date for any renaissance school project.
1.7 2022-2023 School Calendar
a) As Appendix D, please provide the 2023-2024 school calendar.
School Culture and Climate
2.1 School Culture and Climate
a) Describe how the renaissance school project promotes and maintains a culture of learning,
scholarship, and high expectations. Evidence may include, but is not limited to, student-led
organizations, student achievements and recognition, levels of disciplinary referrals, class and
staff attendance, and participation in school events and activities. Please describe any specific
changes as it relates to the mode and delivery of programming in 2022-2023. (Please limit your
response to a 1-page maximum.)
Our long-term goal is for every single one of our kids to persist successfully through college,
gaining greater access to a choice-filled life. We cannot realize this goal without more
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 18
intentionally educating our kids to do just that - we know we have to give them opportunities to
persist, challenge, inquire, engage, self-monitor and self-motivate.
At KCNA, we work to build a culture of learning from the first day of school in many ways:
● Our classrooms are named after colleges (usually the alma matter of the teacher), and our
teachers frequently discuss with students how KIPP will help them as they “climb the
mountain to college.”
● In every grade level, our students have the opportunity to tour colleges and get a feel for
what it will be like for them when they attend.
● Our students come in at very different levels – some more than four years behind and
others are at our above grade level. Our goal is for each student to receive instruction right
at their academic level and to be exposed to critical thinking and grade level appropriate
ideas. We do this through a combination of whole group instruction, small group instruction,
blended learning using educational software, and one-on-one conferencing.
● We also value both academic growth and performance. We celebrate students for many
qualities and behaviors including hard work, improvement, kindness to others, and academic
performance. We do this through various methods and are committed to continuing this
positive reinforcement in both remote and in-person settings.
● We also believe that learning should include more than just academics – and our schools
ensure that students have opportunities within the school day for physical activity, music,
and visual and performing arts.
b) Describe how the renaissance school project provides and maintains the social and emotional
supports and health services to adequately meet the needs of its students. Please include the
categories and types of services available and any specific changes as it relates to the mode and
delivery of supports in 2022-2023. (Please limit your response to a 1-page maximum.)
KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy addresses the social, emotional, and health needs of our
students in a variety of ways. Organizationally, KCNA has created a Wraparound Services team,
led by a Director of Wraparound Services, to coordinate and develop non-academic supports for
our students and families. KCNA is also on the leadership council of the Camden Promise
Neighborhood, a five-year, $30 million initiative funded by the US Department of Education to
provide a full suite of cradle-to-college supports for students and families in South Camden.
Specific services and programs include:
Health services
● The Cooper Health Center at KIPP Lanning Square is a full school-based health clinic
located in our Lanning Square school building. It is open for 8 hours per day year-round,
provides services that are free to all students, and is staffed by a full-time nurse practitioner
and full-time medical assistant. The school-based health clinic continued to operate at
reduced hours during the pandemic and provided an important alternative to parents who
were reluctant to bring their children to a crowded doctor’s office for safety reasons.
● Five full-time school nurses and one part-time school nurse oversee administration of
medications and chronic illness management, in addition to responding to the daily needs of
Students.
● Gracious Smiles provides on-site dental services - including both checkups and restorative
care such as cavity fillings - to KCNA students twice per week.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 19
Social and emotional supports
● In school year 2022-2023, we employed seven school social workers who provided
individual and group counseling for students, and worked to connect students and families
with outside resources.
● All schools have teams of behavior professionals who create and execute specialized
behavior plans for students with behavior needs, intervene proactively with targeted
students, and support students throughout the day with behavior needs.
● In partnership with the Camden Promise Neighborhood, KCNA has a Family Support team
of four individuals, including two master’s level social workers, who work full-time to support
KCNA families and students in need. The Family Support team works alongside the school
social work team to provide case management, resource connection, and in-home
interventions as needed for students and families.
● In January 2023, KCNA and Children’s Crisis Treatment Centers launched a mental health
clinic. One full-time CCTC clinician provided outpatient counseling to KCNA students during
the school day. Approximately 25 students met weekly with the clinician.
c) Fill in the requested information in Table 5 below regarding the renaissance school project’s
discipline environment in 2022-2023. If there was a noticeable increase or decrease in
suspensions and expulsions in 2022-2023 compared to 2021-2022, then please describe the
reasons for the change below the table.
Table 5: Discipline Environment 2022-2023
Grade Level
Number of students
enrolled
as of Oct. 15, 2022
Number of students
receiving an out-of-school
suspension
(unique count)
Number of students
expelled
K
148
5
0
1
144
4
0
2
147
13
0
3
165
14
0
4
180
19
0
5
191
40
0
6
197
35
0
7
195
47
0
8
228
52
0
9
114
71
0
10
150
90
0
11
154
80
0
12
N/A
N/A
N/A
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 20
2.2. Family and Community Engagement
a) List and briefly describe the major activities or events the renaissance school project offered to
parents/guardians during the 2022-2023 school year and how those events were offered, i.e. in-
person, virtual, hybrid, etc.
We held quarterly in person Parent Nights for all elementary school parents, in which teachers
discussed the work that students were doing in class and how parents could support their
children’s education.
All our grade levels held in-person parent-teacher conferences first, second, and third quarters.
In partnership with the Center for Family Services, we have a Family Support team that works
directly with KIPP families in need, providing resource connection, case management, and in-
home support.
b) List and briefly describe the major activities or events conducted by parents/guardians to further the
renaissance school project’s mission and goals and how those events were offered, i.e. in-person,
virtual, hybrid, etc.
Middle school parents led a parent leadership group that met monthly, in-person, to discuss
topics related to their children’s experience in school. That group organized events that included
a block party and a Black History Month expo featuring local Black-owned businesses.
Parents participated in virtual Title I meetings to give input on organizational priorities for the
coming school year.
c) Fill in the requested information in Tables 6 and 7, below, regarding community involvement. Add or
delete rows as necessary.
Table 6: Community Involvement with Educational Institutions
Partnering
Organization
Description of the Partnership
Level of involvement: i.e., #
students and/or staff
involved, # hours per month,
resources involved, etc.
Relay Graduate
School of Education
Partnership allowed teachers to
advance graduate education
Graduate school education
for novice teachers. Some
teachers attended 2 evening
and one Saturday class per
month. Others attended up to
8 classes per month.
Rowan University
Student teacher placement
Placement of student
teachers in KCNA classrooms.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 21
Partnering
Organization
Description of the Partnership
Level of involvement: i.e., #
students and/or staff
involved, # hours per month,
resources involved, etc.
Teach for America
Teachers
Placement of two full-time
teachers this past year at
KCNA.
Various universities
(Spellman,
Columbia, Harvard,
Clark Atlanta,
Temple, UPenn,
Rutgers, Montclair,
George Washington
University)
Recruitment
College Partnerships
Recruitment for new teachers
at various
universities. Partnering with
colleges to ensure our alumni
are graduating from 2 and 4
year institutions
Multiple universities
(University of
Pennsylvania,
Rutgers).
MSW Interns
In these partnerships provide
placement of their social work
interns in our schools. This
supports our social work
teams through facilitating
supervised counseling.
Camden U
Continuing education
One KCNA staff member
enrolled at Gateway U to
complete their bachelor’s
degree. KCNA and Gateway U
collaborated to support the
staff member.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 22
Table 7: Community Involvement with Community Institutions0
Partnering
Organization
Description of the Partnership
Level of involvement: i.e., #
students and/or staff
involved, # hours per month,
resources involved, etc.
Center for Family
Services
Family Support
Three CFS staff members
based full-time at KCNA to
support KCNA families.
Cooper University
Health Care
School-based health clinic
The Cooper school-based
health clinic at KIPP Lanning
Square provided in-person
services during school hours
for the whole school year.
Children’s Crisis
Treatment Centers
School-based mental health clinic
KCNA partnered with CCTC to
open a mental health clinic.
Beginning in January 2023,
CCTC placed a full-time
clinician at KCNA to provide
outpatient counseling to
KCNA students.
Gracious Smiles
School-based dental services
Gracious Smiles provides in-
school and off-site dental
services for KCNA families.
YMCA
Extracurricular programming
The YMCA operated an after-
school program for KCNA
elementary school students
for the 22-23 school year.
Vetri Community
Foundation
Extracurricular programming
After-school cooking classes
for high school students.
BookSmiles
Literacy
High school staff and students
partnered to help distribute
books for community
members.
Camden County
Police Department
Community outreach
Hosted monthly open gyms
on weekend evenings as part
of the police department’s
outreach initiative to keep
youth safe during high-risk
times
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 23
d) Briefly describe how the educational and community partnerships established furthers the
renaissance school project’s mission and goals.
We believe that our students’ learning depends on their basic needs being met, in addition to
their academic needs. As a result, we seek out partnerships with organizations that can provide
supports that strengthen our students’ and families’ health and well-being. We also believe that
it is important to help our students and families engage with the communities they are a part of
(neighborhood, city, state, country) and work to create a more equitable and just society.
Board Governance
a) Fill in the requested information in Table 8 below regarding the renaissance school project’s
board of trustees.
Table 8: Board of Trustee Information
Name
Start Date
Term
Expiration
Date
Role
on
Board
Email Address
Date of all
NJSBA
Training
Michael Goodman
2/13/2023
2/13/2026
Trustee
goodmanmichae@
cooperhealth.edu
5/5/2020;
6/26/2021;
6/21/2022;
7/11/2023
Sheila Roberts
2/13/2023
2/13/2026
Trustee
sroberts050@gmail.com
6/12/2020;
6/27/2021
Marcus Worlds
2/13/2023
2/13/2026
Trustee
worldsmarcus@
CooperHealth.edu
6/29/2020;
6/28/2021;
6/30/2022;
7/5/2023
William Smith
2/13/2023
2/13/2026
Trustee
11/2/2017;
6/27/2019;
5/1/2020;
6/9/6023
Jordan Metzger
3/20/2023
3/20/2026
Trustee
2/27/2018;
6/7/2019;
6/12/2020;
6/27/2021
Christine Choi
4/25/2022
4/25/2025
Trustee
wchristinechoi3@gmail.com
6/28/2019;
6/28/2019;
6/26/2020;
4/25/2022
Kathleen Nugent
Hughes
4/25/2022
4/25/2025
Trustee
kathleen.m.nugent@gmail.com
6/30/2020;
6/27/2021;
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 24
Name
Start Date
Term
Expiration
Date
Role
on
Board
Email Address
Date of all
NJSBA
Training
6/5/2022;
6/27/2023
Rahul Goyal
4/25/2022
4/25/2025
Chair
11/1/2017;
6/26/2019;
6/28/2021;
6/27/2022
Chris Keating
2/13/2023
2/13/2026
Trustee
N/A
6/11/2023
b) As Appendix E, provide a signed assurance that the board of trustees operates in accordance
with the School Ethics Act, N.J.S.A. 18A:12-21, et seq., and the Open Public Meetings Act, N.J.S.A.
10:4-6, et seq.
c) As Appendix F, provide a copy of any amendments to the bylaws the board of trustees adopted
during the 2022-2023 school year.
d) Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:11-4.12 (c) Board of Trustees and Open Public Meetings Act, which states
“the board of trustees shall post a copy of all meeting notices and meeting minutes to the
school’s website;” please provide the link to the school’s board meeting minutes below.
kippnj.org/compliance
e) Please identify the number of board members required by the renaissance school project’s
bylaws.
KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy’s bylaws require 9 members of the Board of Trustees.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 25
Enrollment
a) Fill in the requested information in Table 9 below with enrollment information for each grade
level by site. Please complete a separate chart for each site that will be operating in 2022-2023.
Please add an additional chart for each additional site.
Table 9: Enrollment for Site 1
Site 1 Lanning Square Elementary and Middle Schools Enrollment
Grade
Enrollment Count on Last Day of
the 2022-2023 School Year
Projected Enrollment for the
2023-2024 School Year
K
121
118
Grade 1
121
118
Grade 2
121
118
Grade 3
163
118
Grade 4
130
138
Grade 5
110
118
Grade 6
120
118
Grade 7
116
118
Grade 8
115
118
Grade 9
N/A
N/A
Grade 10
N/A
N/A
Grade 11
N/A
N/A
Grade 12
N/A
N/A
Total
1090
1082
Site 2 Sumner Elementary Enrollment
Grade
Enrollment Count on Last Day of
the 2022-2023 School Year
Projected Enrollment for the
2023-2024 School Year
K
41
87
Grade 1
26
59
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 26
Grade
Enrollment Count on Last Day of
the 2022-2023 School Year
Projected Enrollment for the
2023-2024 School Year
Grade 2
28
59
Grade 3
N/A
59
Grade 4
N/A
N/A
Grade 5
N/A
N/A
Grade 6
N/A
N/A
Grade 7
N/A
N/A
Grade 8
N/A
N/A
Grade 9
N/A
N/A
Grade 10
N/A
N/A
Grade 11
N/A
N/A
Grade 12
N/A
N/A
Total
95
264
Site 3 Hatch Middle School Enrollment
Grade
Enrollment Count on Last Day of
the 2022-2023 School Year
Projected Enrollment for the
2023-2024 School Year
K
N/A
N/A
Grade 1
N/A
N/A
Grade 2
N/A
N/A
Grade 3
30
N/A
Grade 4
50
59
Grade 5
81
87
Grade 6
77
118
Grade 7
88
97
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 27
Grade
Enrollment Count on Last Day of
the 2022-2023 School Year
Projected Enrollment for the
2023-2024 School Year
Grade 8
105
97
Grade 9
N/A
N/A
Grade 10
N/A
N/A
Grade 11
N/A
N/A
Grade 12
N/A
N/A
Total
431
458
Site 4 KIPP Cooper Norcross High School Enrollment
Grade
Enrollment Count on Last Day of
the 2022-2023 School Year
Projected Enrollment for the
2023-2024 School Year
K
N/A
N/A
Grade 1
N/A
N/A
Grade 2
N/A
N/A
Grade 3
N/A
N/A
Grade 4
N/A
N/A
Grade 5
N/A
N/A
Grade 6
N/A
N/A
Grade 7
N/A
N/A
Grade 8
N/A
N/A
Grade 9
115
183
Grade 10
151
113
Grade 11
147
128
Grade 12
N/A
128
Total
413
552
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 28
b) Fill in the requested information in Table 10 below for the total enrollment and revenue of all
school sites. If final fiscal year funding from Camden City School District is unavailable, please
provide the anticipated final funding amount.
Table 10: Total Enrollment and Revenue for all Sites
Final Fiscal Year 23 Total Enrollment for all Sites
1,973
Final Funding from Camden City School District Fiscal Year 23
$38,291,064
Final Fiscal Year 23 Enrollment for non-resident district students
0
Final Fiscal Year 23 non-resident enrollment tuition received
0
Projected Fiscal Year 24 Total Enrollment for all Sites
2,324
Projected Funding from Camden City School District Fiscal Year 24
$51,591,270
Projected Fiscal Year 24 Enrollment for non-resident district
students
0
Projected Fiscal Year 24 non-resident enrollment tuition received
0
c) Describe how the renaissance school project monitors and minimizes attrition rates to ensure
stable enrollment. (Please limit your response to a 1-page maximum.)
To ensure that our attrition is as low as possible, KCNA monitors attrition rates in real-time via
an online dashboard accessible to all school leadership and operations team members. We
internally track intra-city attrition (students choosing another school in Camden) and inter-city
attrition (students moving outside the city). We believe it is our responsibility to minimize the
former by continuing to meet the needs of all students and families, and the latter we view as
largely unavoidable.
Additionally, KCNA works to minimize attrition rates via daily attendance monitoring and weekly
enrollment blasts. Every day, each school’s School Operations Manager (SOM) makes calls home
to absent students. During these calls, the SOM helps families proactively problem-solve around
issues such as transportation that could lead to attrition if a family does not receive early
supports. Weekly enrollment blasts include a report of all students who have been absent for 3+
days. This report allows school leadership teams to identify students at risk for attrition and
escalate attendance issues to proper supports such as the school nurse, transportation
coordinator, school social worker, displacement coordinator, etc. These monitoring systems help
to ensure stable enrollment at KCNA.
Additionally, if a parent informs our operations team that they would like to transfer to another
school in Camden, the student’s advisory teacher and School Leader reach out to the parent to
better understand the reasons for their desire to leave and to work to find a solution with the
family that will keep them in our schools.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 29
Facilities
5.1. Funding
a) Describe any anticipated change(s) in the renaissance school project’s facility financing.
On November 15, 2022, the School borrowed the proceeds of a tax exempt municipal bond financing
issued by Camden County Improvement Authority with par amount of approximately $84.13 million.
The proceeds are being used to (i) fund construction costs of an addition at the Whittier Project
(complete), (ii) fund acquisition and renovation costs for the Hatch Project (opening for 2023-24
school year), (iii) refinance certain existing capital outlay debt, and (iv) fund costs of issuance,
construction period interest, and debt service reserve fund.
b) Are all the renaissance school project’s facilities funded at ninety-five percent of the per-pupil
amount? If no, please describe.
Yes
5.2 Structural Changes
a) List renaissance school project sites that will be undergoing construction between July 2023 and
June 2024.
Construction is nearing completion for the Hatch building located at 1875 Park Blvd, Camden,
that began in 2022.
b) Provide assurances that site plans and/or substantial reconstruction plans have been submitted
to the Department for each site.
The Department received plans for the Hatch building in September 2022.
c) Please provide details of any modifications to existing site plans and/or substantial
reconstruction plans that have been submitted to the Department. If there are no modifications
to the existing plans, simply indicate that here by writing “N/A” next to numbers 1–4.
1. Provide the facility name and address.
Hatch Middle School, 1875 Park Blvd, Camden, NJ, 08103
2. Provide a description of changes/modifications to the facility(ies).
Changes include complete renovation of classroom spaces, fully sprinklered building, new
roof, new HVAC systems, new fire alarm system, new security system, new finishes
throughout, renovated gymnasium, renovated auditorium, renovated kitchen and cafeteria.
3. Provide assurances that the facility meets regulations pertaining to the health and safety of
pupils, per N.J.S.A. 18A:36C-4.b(11).
The facility meets regulations pertaining to health & safety of pupils.
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 30
4. As Appendix G, provide a revised timeline for implementing the changes.
Substantial completion and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy inspection passed on
7/14/23. As such, there has not been a revised timeline for implementing changes. Thus,
there is no separate Appendix G.
File Naming Convention
Table 11: Appendix File Naming Convention
Each appendix must be submitted as a separate Word or .PDF file to the Homeroom folder “Annual
Report 2023.” Save each appendix by the file naming convention provided in the second column of the
above table.
Appendix
File Naming Convention
Appendix A
Appendix A Curriculum Statement of Assurance
Appendix B
Appendix B Organizational Chart
Appendix C
Appendix C Staff List
Appendix D
Appendix D 2023 – 2024 School Calendar
Appendix E
Appendix E Board Statement of Assurance
Appendix F
Appendix F Amendments to Bylaws
Appendix G
Appendix G Facilities Timeline
KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation
Annual Report
August 2023 Page 31
Signatures
School Official / School Lead
Signature:
Date:
Print/Type Full Name:
Title:
Signatory Official (President, Board of Trustees)
Signature of Signatory Official (President, Board of Trustees):
Date:
Print/Type Full Name:
Title:
