Charter school criticized over lesson script

True North Rochester Prep Charter School, the largest charter school in Monroe County, was taken to task recently by a teacher candidate who said he was asked to read verbatim from a scripted lesson.

The lesson had to do with a book called Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, about a rodent who learns the importance of being himself.

A four-page lesson plan included a list of key points that students should take away from the story and extensive scripted comments to drive them home.

"I think Alexander probably realized that being himself was actually pretty wonderful," the teacher's script went. "I think the big idea and theme of this book is about friendship and accepting who you are."

Lesson plans, of course, are common in classrooms across the country, helping teachers emphasize key points and keep students on track. But the Rochester Prep script is different in spelling out every word the teacher candidate is supposed to say in the classroom and the time to say it, all the way down to a "hmm."

The script was disclosed by James Allessi, a teacher applicant who interviewed this month at Rochester Prep and was asked to use it during his sample lesson. He currently teaches at a school in South Carolina and is also director of Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp.

His Facebook post about the experience was widely circulated and summarizes some of the concerns regarding "no excuses" charter schools, which are often run with a military-like regimen.

"It was explained to me by the administration that (Rochester Prep) has perfectly good lessons, so why have the teachers waste time planning? That time is better spent 'practicing,' " Allessi wrote in his post. "So, let me guess. There's a good chance that you're picturing robots all doing and saying the same thing in a classroom. And if you are, that's exactly what it looked like."

Rochester Prep is run by Uncommon Schools, an organization that also operates charter schools in Boston, New York City, Troy, and Newark and Camden, New Jersey.

Anna Hall, the chief operating officer for Uncommon Rochester, said the lesson Allessi cited was intended only for sample lessons. She said it was likely a misunderstanding if Allessi was told to read it verbatim.

"I'd want to understand who he spoke with who told him to deliver the lesson word-for-word," she said. "Certainly it's not worth our time and money to fly an applicant up to Rochester to see how well he can read."

At the same time, Hall acknowledged that Uncommon teachers use "highly structured" templates that largely take the responsibility for lesson planning out of their hands. Those templates can look a lot like the one Allessi was given.

Teachers are asked to spend less time working on the content of their lessons and more time preparing to deliver them effectively, Hall said. In some cases, that means working with a script.

"The expectation is that teachers take those lessons and adapt them to the individual students in their classes," she said. "Scripted questioning allows you to not have to think on your feet but be really strategic in advance."

Rochester Prep and other schools of its ilk rely on strict discipline. They are popular among families who believe their children need structure to get through school; like the Rochester School District, Rochester Prep's student body is overwhelmingly poor, but students there outperformed their district counterparts by a wide margin on state tests in grades 3-8 in 2014, especially at the younger levels.

The rigid style also alienates some students. Though Rochester Prep, until this year, was only K-8, it had 99 student suspensions among 769 students in 2013-14, according to state data, a rate much higher than most district elementary schools.

At the same time, its teachers on average have less experience and receive lower pay than their unionized colleagues in the district. In 2013-14, 81 of its 100 teachers had been at the school for three years or less.

That lack of experience partly explains the perceived need for a script that teachers are required to follow verbatim.

The script provided to Allessi is on Uncommon letterhead and directs the teacher to ensure students can identify the mental state and motivation of the main character. It is rife with abbreviations that are explained in a key at the bottom: SWBAT for "students will be able to," OD for "oral drill," INM for "introduction to new material."

Allessi said he visited four rooms during his interview and observed the exact same teaching style — scripted lessons and insistence on strict rules about participation, posture and movement.

"The time that teachers normally spend improvising to create real-world connections, checking for individual understanding, or supporting students was spent YELLING chants to improve behavior. Every few seconds teachers were yelling at students to cross their hands, sit up straight, or 'track the speaker' (eyes on the speaker)," he wrote on Facebook. "I mean it. Every few seconds."

Hall said she is "unapologetic" about Rochester Prep's style of teaching. One benefit, she said, is that prospective teachers like Allessi can learn quickly whether it's a place they would like to work.

"Clearly this gentleman doesn't feel he's a great fit for our school, and what a great way to realize that, with no financial cost to him," she said.

JMURPHY7@DemocratandChronicle.com