2022 - 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS A Letter from our CEO
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Student Outcomes
5
Serving Kids More
11
Staff and Student Culture
21
Change Through Feedback
27
Finances and Gratitude
33
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
A LETTER FROM OUR CEO: Dear Friends of Caliber, As we move into the final stretch of this calendar year, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and partnership in helping us pursue our mission. Your generosity is key in providing exceptional programming for our students. I am incredibly proud of our school leaders, teachers, clinicians and support staff who work tirelessly to help our students achieve their goals. The challenges of closing the achievement gap for our students have never been more complex, given the long road to learning recovery post- distance learning. The 2023-24 school year is a “back to basics” year for Caliber Public Schools. In the years returning from distance learning, trends in attendance nationwide have dipped, and young students, who missed foundational years for learning and socializing in person, continue to adjust to live instruction. In the Spring of 2023, we decided not to take for granted any of the fundamental pieces of school culture, and prioritized two cornerstones of academic achievement. The first priority is to increase our average daily attendance. Bringing our attendance up to pre-pandemic levels is key for student learning, teacher morale, maintaining state funding, and predictability in our school community. When our students are in school, they are learning. In the 2022-23 school year, students who attended school 90% of days or more were far more likely to make more than one year of growth in Math and Reading. The second priority is to establish and maintain consistent and predictable learning environments in all classrooms and common spaces. We are setting expectations for what a Caliber classroom, hallway, playground, and lunchroom looks, feels, and sounds like by coaching and training staff around common culture management practices. A safe, positive, and joyful school culture is the foundation for student success, and we are committed to ensuring that every student, in every space, has the opportunity to meet high expectations. Please come see us in action anytime - we are already seeing the outcomes of these priorities and look forward to continuing to share our successes with you.
In partnership,
Terence Johnson Chief Executive Officer
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MEMORIAL MURAL FOR DR. GWEN AGUSTIN-NODORA August 8, 1979 — September 6, 2021
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, Gwen Agustin-Nodora’s life and service to students was celebrated with the reveal of a Mural painted in her honor at ChangeMakers. The mural was painted by Eric Nodora, Gwen’s husband. Caliber staff and Gwen’s friends and family members gathered to honor Gwen. Gwen had served as Caliber’s Director of Special Education and Student Services from 2018-2022. Her commitment to and impact on education in the Bay Area was broad and long-standing and she will not be forgotten.
Artwork Credit: Eric Nodora
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Student Outcomes Caliber’s priority is to provide students what they need to succeed academically. Each year we analyze data and reflect on where gaps exist and why. As we continue to catch up on learning lost during the pandemic, we have refocused our efforts on early literacy and used iReady- an adaptive learning tool- to offer targeted lessons to students. Our data from 2022-2023 shows significant growth in many of our student groups and we are excited to continue building off the successes of past years.
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
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SBAC OUTCOMES GRADES 3RD-8TH GRADE Data from the annual Standardized and State-Wide Smarter Balance Assessment shows that around half of our students who have been reclassified as Fluent English Proficient are meeting grade level standards in ELA.
Beta ELA 51% Met/Exceeded Grade Level Standards
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CMA ELA 48% Met/Exceeded Grade Level Standards
IREADY OUTCOMES GRADES K-8 iReady is a computer adaptive test that measures student growth. Students work at their level on iReady throughout the year and take the iReady assessments three times each year.
READING
MATH Beta 139%
Beta 112%
of a year of Growth
of a year of Growth
CMA 97%
CMA 100%
of a year of Growth
of a year of Growth
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EARLY LITERACY HIGHLIGHTS
94%
66%
of Beta Kindergarten students score on Grade Level or Above on End of Year iReady
of CMA Kindergarten students score on Grade Level or Above End of Year iReady
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I am most proud of our implementation of Foundations Phonics Curriculum and the Dibels Assessment [in 2022-2023 school year]. Transitioning to new
curriculums is not always easy, but through Phonics PLCs, cycles of observation and feedback, and internationalization of lesson plans, we were able to successfully implement Foundations. During the beginning of the year assessment, the vast majority of my class was performing below grade level. Through both whole group and small group instruction with a focus on data, we were able to support all but three students with performing on or above grade level by the end of the school year. The students that remained below grade level still made extensive growth and were very proud of the work they accomplished. This is my sixth year at CMA, and last year was the first year I saw an entire class make huge strides with building foundational phonics skills.”
-Michaela Darden, Kindergarten CMA 2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
Nearly
67%
of students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade in the network scored at Average, Above Average or Well Above Average growth in phonics assessments
CALIBER IS HAVING AN IMPACT CBA 8th Grade Compared to Other 8th Grade Students in West Contra Costa
CMA 8th Grade Compared to Other 8th Grade Students in Vallejo
Out of 22 charter and district schools with 8th graders in West Contra Costa in the 202223 school year, Caliber Beta Academy’s 8th grade students had the highest proficiency in SBAC ELA with 59% of students meeting or exceeding standards. In SBAC mathematics, Caliber Beta Academy’s 8th grade students had the third highest proficiency with 30% of students meeting or exceeding standards.
Out of 10 charter and district schools with 8th graders in Vallejo in the 2022-23 school year, Caliber ChangeMakers Academy’s 8th grade students had the third highest proficiency in SBAC ELA with 32% of students meeting or exceeding standards. In SBAC mathematics, Caliber ChangeMakers Academy’s 8th grade students had the second highest proficiency with 25% of students meeting or exceeding standards.
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The 8th grade team turned around the academic experience of our 22-23 cohort of 8th grade students. Students gained ownership of their academics and their 8th grade culture through the love and hard work of the 8th grade team. They know their value and believe in themselves because the 8th grade teachers expressed that belief in them throughout the year.”
-Aleesha Spurr, 22-23 Assistant Principal, 23-24 Principal, Caliber Beta Academy 10 8
Serving Kids More Caliber works to implement a strengths-based approach to school, where students can reach their full potential. Our students are diverse in so many ways. Our goal is to celebrate each of their individual identities and individual talents and interests. Since returning from distance learning, we have worked to provide opportunities to support the academic outcomes and cultivate the interests of our students in a variety of ways. We’ve received positive feedback on the extracurricular and focused academic programs we’ve offered and have worked to expand these offerings to reach more students.
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SOCIALEMOTIONAL LEARNING AT CALIBER
After returning from distance learning, our social-emotional programming has remained a key part of our model and has become even more important to ensure students can find success at our schools. Caliber has expanded the number of SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) support staff at campuses. In addition to Directors of Mental Health and SEL at each campus, both campuses also have licensed clinicians, SEL Leads who support the coordination of SEL team members, and SEL Associates who provide an immediate behavior response support for students.
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Social emotional learning allows us to take a whole child approach by taking care of emotional and academic needs.”
-Shontay Rand SEL Lead Changemakers Academy
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
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We believe a social emotional support is truly effective when there is a collective approach. Every single individual on our campuses believes that this is our vision and it is connected to their personal why.”
-Vivian Johnson Director of Mental Health and SEL, Caliber Changemakers Academy
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SEL uses the trauma lens to ask not what’s wrong with a student but what has happened to them.”
-Danielle Schnur Beta Academy Director of Mental Health and SEL
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BLACKADEMICS AT CALIBER Caliber Beta Academy’s Blackademics program was established to provide academic support and validation for African-American students. It aims to create a safe haven for black students where they can feel supported and surrounded by educators and peers who share their cultural backgrounds. Research suggests that black students are more likely to succeed academically when they have a sense of belonging and community, and that’s precisely what the Blackacademics program offers. Apart from creating a supportive community, the program also provides weekly tutoring to aid students in their academic progress. This makes it an all-inclusive resource for academic success, where students can get the support they need to achieve their full potential. During the program, students are recognized for their academic achievements, motivating and encouraging them to strive for excellence. At the end of each academic year, the program unites all its students and families for a massive community celebration to commemorate their commitment to the program and the year’s academic success. The chart shows that the program is having an impact. Black student at Beta are narrowing historical achievement gaps on state tests.
SBAC ELA PROFICIENCY BY RACE 60% 60 50% 50
53% 49%
40% 40
44% 38%
30% 30
35%
34%
29%
20 20% 10 10% 0 0% Beta
Asian
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
31%
CMA
Black
Hispanic
Other
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT The ELD Mission Statement is to empower educators to provide ELLs and all students with the tools, resources and support they need to achieve their highest academic and social capacity. Caliber Public Schools recognizes the important social and economic contributions that English Language Learners and their families make to our community.
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS RECLASSIFIED IN 22-23 SY 20 15 10
CALIBER BETA ACADEMY
CALIBER CHANGEMAKERS ACADEMY
*We had an ambitious goal of 16% for reclassification after the learning drop from distance learning. Although we did not reach our goal, we are excited to continue pushing and use our data to successfully reclassify more students to reach our goals.
5 0
State and Federal law require all EL students to be administered the ELPAC until they are reclassified as fluent English Proficient (RFEP). We are so proud of our Firebirds and Dragons for continuing to push for academic excellence and proving that we are all #CaliberStrong 16
This year, Caliber experienced a shift in what it means to provide enrichment for students outside of the classroom hours. We launched and developed our expanded learning program.
But what is expanded learning? The Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) provides after-school, before-school, intersession, and summer school enrichment programs for transitional kindergarten through sixth grade. Caliber’s Expanded Learning programs focus on developing the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs and interests of pupils through hands-on, engaging learning experiences. Our Expanded Learning Programs are pupil-centered, results-driven, include community partners, and complement, but do not replicate, learning activities in the regular school day and school year.
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
WHAT HAS CALIBER ACCOMPLISHED WITH EXPANDED LEARNING THIS PAST YEAR?
Serve 650+ unduplicated students
After school Program Summer Camp 4 Intersession Camps
Field TripsAquarium of the Bay, Sacramento Zoo, Great America, Pier 39, Exploratorium
Created New ELOP Job Roles for existing Caliber EmployeesSite Lead, SEL Leads, & Group Leaders
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Providing students enriching activities during our Expanded Learning Programs has been extremely rewarding. On days that are considered non-school days, we’ve been able to take students on field trips, offer enrichment and academic classes, and provide a safe place for our students to continue thriving. In addition to this, I appreciate being able to create joyous experiences for our Caliber Community.”
-Christina Jarvis, Head of Expanded Learning
Received over 90% satisfaction rate from family surveys 18
SERVING OUR STUDENTS THROUGH THEIR INTERESTS AND TALENTS Caliber is committed to taking a whole-child approach to school for our students. One way our teams are able to expand their impact with students is through sports and clubs offered at all of our schools. Our staff step up to plan for, lead, and coach these clubs. The range of clubs and sports we offer continues to expand as we work to include a broader range of interests and ages.
Student Academic and Social Clubs • Student Council • Pride Club • Jewelry Making Club • Math Club • Chess Club Student Sports Clubs • Flag Football • Volleyball • Basketball • Soccer • Dance • Cross Country
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Dance is a powerful ally that develops an array of attributes in young people. At Caliber Beta Academy, students in grades 2nd - 5th have been fortunate to participate in beginning Jazz and Contemporary extracurricular classes. These courses have increased their physical stamina, visual perception, memory, and social development. Most importantly, students feel a sense of community as their self confidence and appreciation for music, culture, and diversity shines bright!.”
-Bianca Monroe, 3rd Grade Teacher and Dance Club Co-Lead
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
PARENTS ARE A KEY SORT OF FEEDBACK. We want to listen to our community and see what we are doing well and what improvements we can make. Here are some of the things that Caliber families love about our community:
“I like Caliber very much because it is safe. They don’t let just anyone in since the doors are locked. I feel like there is great communication with the teachers and I feel supported. My kids are here for about half their day here so it is beautiful that they feel comfortable and that they are learning, and that’s what I really like about Caliber.” -Veronica Caliber Parent for 7 years
“I love the [support], I have asked for support for my 3rd son, Alfredo, to make sure he’s not falling behind. If he is, the staff push him and make sure he isn’t just falling behind but get support to not stay there. My other son, Antonio, loves math and his teachers constantly push him to be better. If he gets it, they push him to challenge him. I love this program. If you ask for teacher support, they always help out.” -Yuliana Caliber Parent for 8 years
“Since my oldest child started here at Caliber in Kindergarten, I feel like he has advanced a lot [academically]. It is the same with my 2nd student. I feel that when it comes to academics, they are very far ahead and know a lot, way more than me. Because of this, I feel like Caliber has helped my students a lot.” -Rosemary Caliber Parent for 6 years
WANT TO SEE AND HEAR OUR PARENTS? View them here:
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Staff and Student Culture Caliber works to affirm and validate all of our student and staff members’ unique identities. We work to make sure and celebrate a wide variety of cultures and personal identities throughout the year.
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CULTURAL & IDENTITY PRIDE AT CALIBER Caliber takes pride in accepting students and letting them flourish in their identities. We consistently hold cultural events for Latinx History Month, Black History Month, Asian American Native American, and Pacific Islander History Month, and more. We are so proud of our scholars who educate their peers and staff on their Heritage and showcase how beautiful diversity is.
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
Caliber accepts all identities. This 2023 Spring semester, we wanted to showcase our support to our LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and community. With the love of allies as well, our Beta community was able to celebrate with each other acceptance, feeling free, and being one regardless of your identity. We have #CaliberPride.
CALIBER ART PROGRAMS
Caliber has added arts classes and programs at both Beta and ChangeMakers since returning from the pandemic. At Beta, the 8th grade art classes engaged in a mural design creation project. This project included a panelist proposal, painting and project reveal which culminated in a celebration. The 8th graders were led through this process by Glam Spencer, Beta’s fantastic Middle School Art Teacher.
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STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS American Indian or Alaska Native 0.37% Asian 9.21%
1911
Black or African American 23.02% Hispanic or Latino 59.76% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0.68% Two or More Races 2.98% White 3.19%
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
STAFF DEMOGRAPHICS American Indian or Alaska Native 0.41% Asian 8.30%
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Black or African American 32.37% Hispanic or Latino 31.95% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0.41% Two or More Races 5.39% White 21.16%
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Change Through Feedback Feedback is one of Caliber’s core values. We are constantly analyzing data, gathering opinions from staff, students and families, and working to understand how we can continually improve our schools. At the end of the 22-23 school year, we prioritized three key areas for change during the 23-24 school year: student attendance, predictable learning environments, and staff sustainability.
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SCHOOL YEAR PRIORITIES During the 2022-2023 school year, we elicited feedback from staff members through surveys, listening tours and one-on-one conversations. This feedback confirmed some of what we were noticing in network-wide data and our observations of changes within schools after returning from distance learning. Given this feedback and data Caliber Schools determined three key priorities for the 2023-2024 school year.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE Students need to be at school to meet their academic and social-emotional goals. PREDICTABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS Students will thrive if they have a calm and predictable environment in which to learn. STAFF RETENTION AND STAFF SUSTAINABILITY It is imperative to retain the amazing staff Caliber already has.
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
With the return from distance learning, Caliber has been working on ways to make working in schools more sustainable for our staff.
In January of 2023, we surveyed staff around some options. As a result of these surveys, we made three key changes for the 2023-2024 school year.
DECISIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY • Staff shared that they prefer a later start time to the day. Staff start time was moved from 7:45 to 8:00 for most staff members • We had provided staff with several wellness days during the 2022-2023 school year, but not all of these days were planned ahead of time. Staff shared that their preference would be for all wellness days to be pre-determined. As a result, the calendar for the 2023 school year includes all wellness days for the entire year so staff could plan for appointments or trips. • Caliber students have traditionally had half days on Fridays for staff to engage in afternoon professional development. Staff shared in our surveys that they preferred to keep professional development afternoons on Fridays, and as a result, this schedule was not changed. 30
STUDENT ATTENDANCE IMPROVEMENT When it comes to Average Daily Attendance, Caliber wants to set a standard of expectation and assure we are delivering high results. The 22-23 school year was the first full year students attended school since the lock down in 2020. While there were many challenges that arose due to this shift, our students’ learning continues to be a Caliber priority. This year, we received a lot of feedback that students are not coming to school with the same consistency prior to 2020, and we took this as an area for improvement. The 23-24 school year has set a 92% ADA goal, and in order to assure we achieve this goal, Caliber has created a Student Wellness and Attendance Team. SWAAT is leading and owning Caliber’s efforts to achieve our organizational-wide attendance goal each year. SWAAT is utilizing both proactive and reactive approaches to help achieve our Average Daily Attendance goal. SWAAT’s efforts include: identifying historically low attending school days and assure we have proactive approaches to have students come to school, create stronger communication to staff to highlight attendance data to ensure everyone is aware of our progress, a strong tiered escalation process, and a system for teachers to call students’ parents when they hit a threshold of absences. We are proud to share our efforts are seeing success with our ADA, especially compared to the past 2 school years.
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
FIRST TWO-MONTHS AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE 2022
2023
2024
100% 100 80% 80
94.55% 89.32% 91.96%
91.7%
94.32% 95.22%
60% 60 40% 40 20% 20 0% 0
CBA Lower
CBA Upper
93.35%
93.77% 89.64% 91.97%
CMA Lower
CMA Upper
100% 100 80% 80
88.09% 90.61%
60% 60 40% 40 20% 20 0% 0
PREDICTABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS We believe students can meet their potential when they are a part of a safe and organized environment where they have trusting relationships with peers and staff and the time in the day is maximized for learning. The Predictable Learning Environments strategy has four key components. These components have been defined and are consistently monitored by our teams, so that teachers and staff can get clear coaching and support towards improvement in these areas.
Relationships Active Engagement School-wide Routines and Transitions Behavior Response System
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Finances Caliber’s goal is to offer an excellent educational experience while maintaining long-term financial sustainability. Although we operate largely on public funds, we are endlessly grateful for the generosity of our donors. Our donors support efforts to expand beyond our current student base, to offer additional support to our families, and to help us to continue to think big for the future.
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2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
REVENUE
Public / Operating 98% Philanthropy 2%
EXPENSE School Staff & Benefits 55% Other Instructional Costs 13% Other School Expenses 9% Facilities 9% SSO Staff & Benefits 8% Other SSO Expenses 5%
BALANCE
$66.4M in Assets
$40.8M in Liabilities
$25.6M in Net Assets
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Donors and Gratitude
2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
Thank You Donors $2,000,000+
Tipping Point Community Foundation
$1,000,000+ The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Pete & Devon Briger Public Charter School Grant Program
Russ and Beth Siegelman Family Foundation Silicon Schools Fund
$500,000+ Ron Beller & Jennifer Moses Julie & Greg Flynn Diana Nelson & John Atwater
Next Generation Learning Challenges Toni Rembe Rock and Arthur Rock
$250,000+ New Schools Venture Fund Matt and A.K. L’Heureux Susan & Bill Oberndorf
Jackie Reeses & Matt Apfel Walton Family Foundation
$100,000+ Charter School Growth Fund Divco West Kowitz Family Foundation
Matt Rogers & Swati Mylavarapu Mr. Derek Schrier & Ms. Cecily Cameron Andrew & Elizabeth Spokes
Zierk Family Foundation
$25,000+ Stacey Case Martha Conte Stephen Davis & Jill Cowan Philip & Alicia Hammarskjold
Henrik Jones Lisa Pritzker Tom & Jill Pulley Mike and Paula Rantz
Greg & Lisa Wendt Mrs. Carrie Wheeler & Mr. Kit Codik Vivian Wu Poju and Anita Zabludowicz
Fortress Investment Group Full Circle Fund Jonathan & Abby Gans The Kwait Family Laura & Gary Lauder Drew McKnight Bryan & Tara Meehan
Pantera Capital Management Elizabeth & Jeffrey Ostrow John Pritzker Paul & Sara Recktenwald Jane Sung James Tananbaum Diane & Howard Zack
$10,000+ Steve Almeida Gwen Campbell Dan Carroll Wences Casares JP Conte Chamberline Foundation Jason Fish & Courtney Benoist
$5,000+ The Baker Family Chris Buchbinder Melinda Ellis Evers and Will Evers Michael Feldman and Christine
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Glastonbury John Fisher Sarah and Quentin Gallavin Gliffy Inc.
Ken Linsteadt Jonathan Mariner Paul Ullman Ted Ullyot
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FOUR PILLARS LEADERSHIP CIRCLE The Four Pillars Circle is a group of dedicated supporters who serve as advisors to the Caliber Leadership team, ambassadors to the community and commit to providing financial support to Caliber for three years. The group is named “Four Pillars” to reflect our student pillars of Heart, Smart, Think and Act.
Jackie Reses and Matt Apfel Diana Nelson and John Atwater Pete and Devon Briger Stacey Case Carrie Wheeler and Kit Codik Martha Conte Greg and Julie Flynn Henrik Jones Ron Beller and Jennifer Moses Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Russ and Beth Siegelman
Thank you, Four Pillars Circle! 2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
Caliber Tax ID: 46-1219795
I AM CALIBER STRONG
AM II AM CALIBER CALIBER STRONG STRONG 2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT
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