Invictus High School 2020/2021 Annual Report

THE INVICTUS HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM

2020-2021

Annual Report

APPROVED BY THE IHSS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 26 OCTOBER 2021

Letter from the Executive Director It continues to be an honor to serve as the Executive Director & CEO of the Invictus High School System. Each academic year, our students and families are faced with different challenges to overcome, and I view it as our role to educate, support, and empower them with the tools to be successful as they do so.

As I reflect upon the 2020/2021 academic year, it is hallmarked by community and adaptability. The COVID19 pandemic throughout the 2020/2021 academic year challenged our entire community to find creative ways to achieve our mission and vision by supporting our students to overcome personal and academic obstacles alike. One of our biggest challenges this year was to engage our students in a fully remote environment for the Fall 2020 Semester and in a hybrid reporting model for the Spring 2021 Semester.

The resilience exhibited by our students and graduates, who continue to push forward despite difficulty and uncertainty is a constant source of inspiration to me.

Further, the flexibility shown by our faculty and staff as we operate in an often unpredictable pandemic environment highlighted our community’s commitment to the growth and support of one another.

Our team has shifted toward the provision of innovative programming and unprecedented adaptability in our instructional model to continue providing high-quality and equitable education to every Invictus High School Student. I look forward to continuing this pursuit throughout the 2021/2022 academic year and beyond.

I thank you for your continued support and I know that through our combined efforts the school will continue to live up to its name - Home of the Undefeated.

CHAUNCEY J. JACKSON, MBA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO THE INVICTUS HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM

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About the Invictus High School System Invictus High School’s educational program focuses on providing all students an individualized education that builds their foundation for a lifetime of success. We understand students have different needs, learn at different rates, and have diverse learning styles.

Our studentcentered program allows students to reach their academic goals and graduate on time. Invictus High School strives to provide the personalized attention that each student needs in order to succeed both in the classroom and in their future career endeavors.

Invictus High School provides students a safe and flexible learning environment in which students can work at their own pace with the assistance of teachers and support staff.

Our mission is to educate, support, and empower our students.

Our team of highly qualified teachers and support staff provides students with the one-on-one support our students need to reach their academic and postsecondary goals.

Invictus High School uses both computer-based learning software and teacher-directed lessons and projects, each in alignment with Ohio’s Learning Standards.

Individualized student success plans include lessons on reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.

The school's improvement plan, designed to align with the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP), focuses on the areas of literacy, retention, and persistence to graduation through interventions and mentoring relationships among staff.

Invictus High School also offers four academies in healthcare, law & public safety, trades, or post-secondary education which each focus on the student's post-graduation success allowing students to earn industry credentials and graduate prepared to enter college or one of a variety of trades giving them an advantage in a competitive job market.

Our faculty and staff work to individually assess each student’s needs and abilities to create a learning plan uniquely designed for the individual to ensure that our students receive the necessary support and resources to graduate with an accredited high school diploma.

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Invictus High School Senior Leadership Team The Invictus High School System utilizes a Senior Leadership Team, a core group of leaders from all three campus locations who contribute to the development of programming, policies, enrichment opportunities, and making student-centric decisions for the school.

This team of dedicated leaders includes individuals from multiple campuses and was selected because of the community relationships they utilize to provide insight into the needs of the greater community.

Chauncey J. Jackson Dean Manke

Robert Williams

Wendall Garth Keating Donahoe

Latonya Jones

Roseanna Blair

Sean Scott

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Executive Director & CEO

Senior Director of Academic Affairs & IHS Downtown

Director of Student Engagement & IHS East

Director of Operations & IHS West

Director of Strategic Communication & Administration

Business and Human Resources Manager

Academic Affairs Coordinator/Academic Coach

Post-Secondary Coordinator

About Our Sponsor & Board of Directors Our Sponsor Statement St. Aloysius, as the sponsor of this school, is legally mandated to provide oversight, monitoring, and technical assistance. As part of the monitoring process, the performance of the school on each of the required Ohio School Report Card components is assessed and evaluated. Additionally, St. Aloysius has a regular presence at school board meetings where student performance indicators such as attendance, behavior, and academic achievement are tracked and financial and organizational issues that impact student success are reviewed and discussed. Key to the oversight, monitoring, and technical assistance is St. Aloysius' review of the school's Ohio Improvement Process (OIP) plan development and implementation. As a result of our thorough oversight and monitoring, St. Aloysius has determined that this school is substantially compliant with the rules and regulations governing community schools.

All community school sponsors are required to submit a written report of the evaluation results of the school’s academic (State prescribed academic data is not available f or SY2020-2021), financial, and organizational performance, as well as the school’s legal compliance to the Ohio Department of Education. This report must be made available to parents of students enrolled in the community school by November 30th of each year under OAC 3301-102-05 (A) (3). An Annual Report regarding the performance of this school and other schools under the sponsorship of St. Aloysius will be posted on our website at www.stalschildren.org/charterschools and www.charterschoolspec.com no later than November 30, 2021. Parents are urged to review this report, in addition to other monitoring and evaluation reports available through the school or the sponsor, for a full understanding of the school’s performance.

IHSS Board Members

Antoine Williams Board President Britton Hill Erica Stewart Tonya PerkinsStoudemire Shari L. Cloud Curtis Orr

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Academic Goals

Our goal is to provide all students with wraparound support services and training in the skills needed to earn a high school diploma and succeed in life. Using the Ohio Improvement Process, the school has developed student growth goals in literacy, attendance rates, and graduation.

Invictus High School accomplishes the Ohio Improvement Plan goals by implementing the following strategies:

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The school uses a literacy intervention program for students whose state assessment scores are at least three grade levels below their current grade level.

The school has integrated staff check-ins to connect with students and leverage their relationships to encourage attendance and retention.

The school is utilizing a robust Academies model to identify student proficiencies and interests early and to build post-secondary planning and success into their individualized success plan.

Academic Assessments Invictus High School uses a number of academic measures to assess the academic progress of its students: -State Assessments (STAR) -End-of-course exams -Ohio Graduation Test -Industry Credentialing Exams -WorkKeys -ACT The school uses these assessments to monitor student progress and adjusts the student's individualized success plan and provides interventions as needed based on this review.

Providing our Students the Tools to Succeed IHSS strives to provide the support students need to achieve all of their goals, beginning with their graduation destination.

Our post-secondary specialists work with students to encourage future ambitions toward higher education and their career choices through our academies model, centered around the student' s growth toward the career they hope to enter after high school.

Incredible CBI Achievements in 20/21 In alignment with the school' s focus on post-secondary success and job readiness, our Career-Based Intervention (CBI) program has awarded approximately 300 credits to nearly as many students in the 2020/2021 academic year for working.

The Invictus High School System' s CBI program boasts over one million dollars in student earnings this academic year- becoming the first charter school in Ohio to accomplish such a feat!

Over $1M in Student Earnings!

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Our Academic Performance & Grad Rates In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the state of Ohio suspended ranking on the state report card, which has historically been used for comparison of school performance from year to year.

The school continued to measure our performance in the report card categories to maintain comparative data for improvement and areas of growth as we continue to strive to align our School Improvement Plan (SIP) with the Ohio Improvement Process.

Below are our estimates of performance in key categories.

Graduation Rates 4-Year 5-Year 6-Year 7-Year 8-Year

Graduation Graduation Graduation Graduation Graduation

Rate Rate Rate Rate Rate

33.1% 35.3% 38.6% 35.3% 37.2%

Our graduation rate increased in all categories versus our 19/20 estimates. If rated by the state, IHSS would meet historic standards in all graduation rates in the 20/21 academic year.

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On the Ohio State Report Card, the Gap Closing component (or Annual Measurable Objectives) shows how well schools are meeting the performance expectations for our most vulnerable populations of students in English language arts, math, and graduation.

Our internal data indicates that Invictus High School met historic standards in 2020/2021.

Extended Learning at IHSS Extending the 20/21 AY

During a press conference held on 9 February 2021, Governor DeWine requested that schools and districts plan for and create opportunities to make up for any delayed or missed educational opportunities due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Invictus High School System was uniquely positioned during the closures of many schools and districts throughout the pandemic to pivot quickly toward the expansion of our instructional model to be inclusive of fully remote implementation. As a result, the Invictus High School System continued to operate throughout 2020/2021.

As a part of our extended learning plan, the school utilized a variety of after-hours and extended hours opportunities to accommodate our students' unique and competing obligations on their time and attention.

The extended learning plan allowed for the following two objectives: Accelerated learning - Enhanced existing educational opportunities with the potential to increase student productivity.

Extended Hours & Programming - Provided extended and weekend hours of availability for faculty and staff paired with the inclusion of additional summer programs to provide non-traditional periods of educational engagement.

Throughout evenings and weekends during the Spring 2021 Semester and summer hours of operation allowing for social-emotional learning excursions and in-class instruction, the IHSS Extended Learning Program culminated in approximately 25 additional credits earned by our students outside of our traditional academic year.

Data compiled from this pilot program will be used to guide additional extended learning opportunities in perpetuity.

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Our Community Invictus High School serves nearly 400 unique students in grades 912 from three locations throughout Northeast Ohio. Our overall attendance rate is 33.8%. Campus demographics below provide insight into the makeup of our student body.

Black, Non-Hispanic: White, Non-Hispanic: Other: Male: Female: Average Student Age:

86.2% 12.6% 1.2% 51.7% 48.3% 19.2 yrs.

DOWNTOWN 3122 EUCLID AVE.

Black, Non-Hispanic: White, Non-Hispanic: Other: Male: Female: Average Student Age:

95.6% 0.9% 3.5% 57.9% 42.1% 19.2 yrs.

EAST 3969 LEE RD.

Black, Non-Hispanic:

White, Non-Hispanic: Other: Male: Female: Average Student Age:

WEST 7099 W. 130TH ST.

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13.4% 78.0% 8.6% 63.4% 36.6% 18.7 yrs.

IHSS Budget

In addition to fixed expenses, IHS allots funding from our operational budget for instructional supplies and professional development for faculty and staff to enhance their competencies and toolkits for encouraging and supporting students and developing additional educational opportunities.

PD events in 20/21 focused on the provision of high-quality education in a remote environment in anticipation of potential further disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The return to hybrid instruction in 20/21 called for significant financial resources, including grant funding, to prepare the school facilities for student and staff return to buildings, including the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE), automated thermometers, clear plastic barriers between workstations, and disinfectants for the safety and wellness of our community.

FINANCIAL POSITION (unaudited) TOTAL ASSETS: $ 2,955,465.14

TOTAL LIABILITIES: $ 108,609.97

NET ASSETS: $ 2,846,858.17

TOTAL REVENUE: $ 4,642,243.22

TOTAL EXPENSES: $ 4,067,145.23

NET REVENUE/(LOSS): $ 575,097.99

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