Stephen F. Austin State University

The first group of students to attend the NISD/SFA Charter School will graduate Friday, having completed their educations at Nacogdoches High School.

It is a proud occasion for the students, who will now begin exciting new chapters in their lives. And it is a proud occasion for the charter school, which is poised to begin its own exciting new chapter.

Stephen F. Austin State University received a record-breaking $20.1 million in tuition revenue bonds for the construction of an East Texas Early Childhood Research and Development Center. With the construction of this new facility, which is expected to open in 2009, the charter school will be able to expand the kindergarten through fifth grade program from one class in each grade level to two classes.

Characteristics of the charter school

The NISD/SFA Charter School is the only school district/university collaboration in the state.

Principal Lysa Hagan said the facility is focused on research, implementing new ideas, providing feedback to the SFA elementary education department and training university students.

"The curriculum at other Nacogdoches ISD campuses is district-driven," she said. "Our curriculum is driven by the SFA Department of Elementary Education."

The newest teaching tactics and curriculum are tried at the charter school. If students succeed with the new methods and materials, the information is shared with other educators on other campuses.

This relationship of sharing between campuses is better than it's ever been, Hagan said, adding that NISD Superintendent Dr. Rodney Hutto, who joined NISD last summer, has been extremely supportive of the relationship.

"The collaboration has grown under his leadership," she said. Hutto said the charter offers new, exciting ways of looking at things. Teachers from other campuses have observed the way math is taught at the charter, and they have implemented some of the same techniques at their schools, he said.

"It appears that the number of commended students has risen this year," Hutto said, referring to math scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. "I can't prove it directly, but I believe it had something to do with the new techniques."

The charter allows NISD to view things differently, Hutto said.

"We get a different perspective, and while we may not have a direct transfer of the methodology, we do see ways that we can make adjustments in our traditional classrooms," he said. "We're beginning to embrace what they're doing."

How NISD benefits

All interested teachers from NISD are invited to training sessions at the charter, Hagan said.

Tina Tipton, second-grade teacher at Brooks-Quinn-Jones Elementary School, was one of the first to implement techniques she observed at the charter school.

"She was so excited about the results, it spilled over into conversations at home," Hagan said. "Her husband, who is principal at Fredonia Elementary, wanted to see what we were doing for himself."

Principal Tony Tipton visited a second-grade classroom at the charter school, observed a student and teacher working on math problems together, and asked for "a chance to try it out," Hagan said.

"He was so excited about the process they used, he went back to his campus and told his teachers about it," she said.

Hagan said she also has worked closely with BQJ principal Rachel Johnson, Carpenter principal Judy Justus and Raguet principal Kristi Shofner.

"We've planned a staff development day with Raguet Elementary in the fall," Hagan said. "We're bringing make-and-take games that are focused on math."

One of the charter school's strengths is that the approaches and ideas are offered only to those teachers at NISD who want them, Hagan said. It isn't forced on anyone.

How the charter started

Hagan has been involved with the program since the 1996-1997 school year, when NISD was "bursting at the seams," and a classroom was moved from Raguet Elementary to the SFA campus.

Jimmy Partin and Sandy Sherman, who were administrators at the time, worked with SFA Elementary Education Department Chairwoman Dr. Janice Pattillo to find a solution to the overcrowding.

"When they decided to move a second grade classroom from Raguet to SFA, I was fortunate enough to be selected as the teacher," Hagan said.

That year, students were taught with a constructivist approach to learning. They returned to Raguet Elementary the next school year.

"The second group of students that came through the new second grade at SFA also returned to Raguet for their third grade year, but their parents were so impressed with the constructivist approach and the experience at SFA, they filed a petition to start a charter school," Hagan said. "It took about a year to complete the paperwork. By the time that group of second graders started fourth grade, the charter school had been established."

The Charter School officially began operation in the 1998-1999 school year, serving children in kindergarten through fourth grade. Since that time, a fifth grade has been added.

The constructivist approach

Initially, the SFA Early Childhood Lab served as a feeder for the charter, since those children had already been exposed to the constructivist learning approach in pre-school.

In time, Hagan said it became apparent that the constructivist environment is not ideal for all students.

"The constructivist approach requires significant self-direction, and students must be motivated by the activities that are offered," she said. "They have to focus and complete the activities."

With the constructivist approach, learning centers are used to provide students with active, hands-on learning in all subjects. Instruction is technology and project-based, rather than lecture-based.

At the early childhood lab, where the constructivist approach has been used for 30 years, Hagan said students "just play, and learning jumps on them."

But at the elementary school level, there is greater accountability.

"Some students need to bond with a single authority figure," she said. "We have such a significant number of university students working in these rooms, it can be a problem if the children don't respond to them."

Some students respond better to a more traditional, structured approach to learning, she said.

Charter school students are selected by a committee that strives for the most diverse community possible, Hagan said.

"As we expand to two classes in each grade, we believe we'll be able to diversify to an even great extent," she said.

Success rates and outlook for the future

The new Education Research Center will open in 2009, and Hagan said the additional space and proximity to Raguet Elementary are two of the most obvious benefits the building will offer.

Although the success rate of charter students in middle school and high school has not been studied in depth, Hagan said an SFA graduate student conducted limited research into the issue.

"It appears that their TAKS scores remained high, and the transition to a different, traditional learning environment did not stifle them," Hagan said. "In fact, we've been told the math concepts students developed so deeply at the charter school helped them with algebra and other math, later on."

Former charter students Matt Altimari, Megan Ervin and Catie Johnston, who are among the 2007 Nacogdoches High School graduating seniors, received scholarships. Johnston was No. 12 in the class, and Altimari was No. 14. Johnston advanced to finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship competition, and Altimari was one of 12 seniors selected for "Who's Who" at NHS, for leadership, scholarship, service, character and cooperation.

Jenny Johnston, one of the parents who filed the initial petition to start the charter, said she attributes her daughter's success to the foundation she received at the charter school.

"We didn't learn 'in a box,'" Catie Johnston said. "The learning centers were fun, and it wasn't a chore to go to school."

Catie Johnston said the NISD/SFA collaboration seems to be "a perfect marriage."

"I hope it lasts for ever," she said.

Ervin said creativity is cultivated at the charter school, and the environment makes it "easier to learn."