Massachusetts Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education
350 Main Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-5023
Telephone: (781) 338-3700
TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370
January 2, 2009
Ralph Carrero, Director
Lawrence Family Development Charter School
34 West Street
Lawrence, MA 01841
Re: Mid-cycle Report
Dear Director Carrero:
Enclosed is the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Mid-cycle Report
based on the Mid-cycle Review conducted in your district in December of 2008. The
Mid-cycle Review consisted of staff interviews, review of student records, examination
of documentation, and/or classroom observation. The Mid-cycle Report contains
findings based on our monitoring of the effectiveness of corrective action approved or
ordered by the Department to address noncompliance identified in your district’s last
Coordinated Program Review Report, dated December 6, 2006. Also included in the
Mid-cycle Report are findings based on our monitoring of special education compliance
criteria that have been created or substantially changed in response to IDEA 2004.
We are pleased to tell you that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
has found the corrective action implemented by your district to have been effective in
remedying previously identified noncompliance in SE 20, SE 25, & SE 27. The
Department has also found your district to have implemented special education
compliance criteria that were created or substantially changed in response to IDEA 2004,
as well as SE 33 on the access of students with disabilities to the district’s general
curriculum (the curriculum expected to be taught to all students). The findings of the
Department are included in the enclosed report. You and your entire staff are to be
congratulated for your success in implementing new special education requirements as
well as maintaining compliance in areas where the Department found noncompliance
during the Coordinated Program Review (CPR).
The Department will notify you of your district's next regularly scheduled CPR several
months before it is to occur. At this time we anticipate that this CPR will occur sometime
during the 2011-2012 school year unless the Department determines that there is some
reason to schedule this visit earlier.
.
Your staff's cooperation throughout this Mid-cycle Review is appreciated. If you have
1
questions about this letter or the enclosed report, please do not hesitate to contact D. Beth
López at 781-338-3720.
Sincerely,
D. Beth López, Mid-cycle Review Chairperson
Program Quality Assurance Services
Darlene A. Lynch, Director
Program Quality Assurance Services
cc:
Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary
Education
Dean Paolillo, Supervisor, Program Quality Assurance Services
John Housianitis (?), School Committee Chairperson
Susan Burgett, Local Program Review Coordinator
Connie Tarsook, Principal
Encs: Mid-cycle Report
Rev. 7-30-08
2
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
MID-CYCLE REPORT
Lawrence Family Development Charter School
Date of the Mid-cycle Review Onsite: December 16, 2008
Date of this Report: January 2, 2009
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REPORT IS IN TWO SECTIONS.
Special Education Criteria Cited in CPR Report and Monitored in this Mid-cycle Review
Current CPR criteria available by scrolling down to the monitoring instruments at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/default.html
Criterion
Corrective
Action
Implemented
and Effective

Corrective
Action Not
Implemented
or Not
Effective
Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination
about Corrective Action
Record review
and interview
Record review and interviews
indicate that every effort is now
made to ensure that nonparticipation justification
statements are both detailed and
specific to the needs of the
student.
If Not Implemented or Not
Effective:
(a) Required Corrective
Action and
Timelines for Implementation

SE 20
Least
restrictive
program
selected
Yes
Lawrence Family Development Charter School Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
January 2, 2009
Page 1 of 3
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements
Criterion
Corrective
Action
Implemented
and Effective
Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination
about Corrective Action
Yes
Record review
and interview
Interviews and a review of
student records reveals that there
are procedures in place and
consistently followed ensuring
that all evaluations are consented
to and subsequently filed in
student records.
Yes
Record review
and interview
Review of student records
indicates that Team meeting
notices to parents are
comprehensive and contain all
required elements.

Corrective
Action Not
Implemented
or Not
Effective
If Not Implemented or Not
Effective:
(a) Required Corrective
Action and
Timelines for Implementation

SE 25
Parental
consent
SE 27
Content of
Team
meeting
notice to
parents
Lawrence Family Development Charter School Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
January 2, 2009
Page 2 of 3
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements
Special Education Criteria Created or Revised in Response to IDEA-2004
Current CPR criteria available by scrolling down to the monitoring instruments at http://www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/default.html
Criterion
SE 33
Criterion
Implemented

Method(s) of
Investigation
Basis of Determination about
Criterion
Yes
Record
review and
interview
Record review and interviews
indicate that the district continues
to implement the required
elements of this criterion.
Yes
Interviews
Interviews indicate that the
district does not have any deaf or
hard of hearing students who
make use of interpreters at this
time.
Involvement
in the
general
curriculum
SE 52A
Registration
of
educational
interpreters
Criterion
Partially
Implemented
or Not
Implemented

If Partially Implemented or Not
Implemented:
(a) Required Corrective Action
and Timelines for Implementation
Rev. 7-25-08
Lawrence Family Development Charter School Coordinated Program Review Mid-cycle Report
January 2, 2009
Page 3 of 3
(b) Progress
Report Due
Date(s) and
Required
Elements