Charter school performance rules
Charter schools will be expected to have scores on the College and Career Ready Performance Index that match district and state averages.
For new startups opening in 2014 or later, their index scores must be equal to or better than state and district averages by the second year of operation. Their scores must be better than the state and district averages in years three through five of their charter contract.
For new conversion charters opening in 2014 or later, their index scores must be equal to or better than state and district averages in their first year of operation. Their scores must be better than state and district averages in years two through five of their charter contract.
Existing charter schools, those that opened in 2013 or earlier, must have index scores at or above district and state averages in 2014-2015. They must have better index scores than state and district averages in 2015-16 and in all subsequent years of their charter contract.
Almost half of the startup charter schools in metro Atlanta could be in danger of having their charter revoked because they have not matched the state’s average score on Georgia’s new grading system, a review of education data by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows.
Starting next year, the state Department of Education will begin using scores from its new College and Career Ready Performance Index to determine if charter schools should be allowed to remain open. That index uses a variety of factors like graduation rates and standardized test scores to give schools and districts a score of 0 to 110.
Charter schools — public schools given organizational and instructional flexibility in exchange for a promise to pursue specific academic goals — will be expected to match district and state index scores.
A review of index scores by The AJC found that could be a tall order for many startup charter schools, which were started from scratch to address a specific need and are viewed as the purest and most successful type of charter school.
The AJC found that 31 of the 64 startup charter schools operating in metro Atlanta during the 2011-2012 school year had index scores below the state average. Included in that group were eight of 14 startups in Atlanta Public Schools, 11 of 16 in DeKalb and five of 13 in Fulton.
Twenty-six startups had scores lower than the district average, including six of 14 in APS, two of two in Cherokee, three of four in Cobb, five of 16 in DeKalb and five of 13 in Fulton.
Twenty-two startups had index scores lower than both the state and district average, including six of 14 in APS, three of four in Cobb, five of 16 in DeKalb and five of 13 in Fulton.
Index scores from the 2012-2013 school year are expected to be released in January.
Georgia created the index to replace the performance measurement system of the No Child Left Behind federal education law, from which the state has received a waiver.
Charter renewals will now be tied to clearing a pair of hurdles connected to the index. First, charter schools must beat state and district averages on the index. Secondly, charters must out-perform a group of schools with a similar demographic and academic profile.
Failure to clear either hurdle won’t automatically result in a charter being revoked or not renewed. But Lou Erste, assistant superintendent for policy and charter schools, said the state Department of Education will not look kindly upon charter schools that are not out-performing the state or the district where the charter school is located.
“We don’t need charter schools just to have schools,” Erste said last month after explaining the new policy to the state Board of Education. “You’ve got to be better than what was there, or it’s a waste of time and money.”
Charter schools are seen by many, including powerful Republicans in the General Assembly, as a refuge for students stuck in struggling traditional public schools. Others argue that charter schools often don’t perform as well as traditional public schools.
Charter contracts are approved by a local school district or by the state, typically for five years. At the end of that time, those who manage the charter school must get a renewal to remain open.
The state’s decision to tie renewals to a school’s index score is likely to raise eyebrows among charter advocates, some of whom argue that charters are too often treated as unwelcome intrusions instead of innovative alternatives.
Many of those who opposed the re-establishment of a state commission to consider charter applications had feared that the commission would quickly approve a large number of new charter schools. The commission was re-established with the passage of a state constitutional amendment on charter schools, but it has not approved a flood of new charters.
Only one of 16 charter applicants has been approved.
There are several different types of charter schools: “conversion charter schools” that were once traditional public schools; “system charter schools” operating in entire districts that have been granted the type of flexibility given to individual charter schools, and “startup charters,” those that were started from scratch to address a specific academic need.
The renewal rules are slightly different for the various types of charter schools, but all will eventually be expected to have index scores that beat state and district averages.
Tony Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Charter Schools Association, has said charter school operators have no problem with the expectation to out-perform traditional public schools. He did say, however, that charter schools should be given a few years to operate before comparisons are made.
Erste said the goal is to have high-quality charter schools that can hit the ground running. “Charter schools don’t have permission to waste any years of a child’s academic life,” he said.
At Heritage Prep Charter in Atlanta, whose 2011-2012 index score of 57.9 was below the district and state average, principal Natilee Brown-Van said her charter’s renewal prospects will be helped by the progress her students have made. Progress is taken into account when a charter school’s performance is measured against other schools with a similar demographic and academic profile.
“No worries if the state truly measures us against the same demographics,” Brown-Van said, noting her school’s high percentage of black and poor students.
Cherokee Charter Academy is a well-regarded charter school, but the 2011-2012 index score of its middle school (77.4) was below the district and state average, and its elementary school score of 84 was below the district average.
Cherokee Charter Academy’s principal, Scott O’Prey, said he’s not worried about having the school’s charter renewed.
“Our greatest concern is making absolutely certain our students are performing at the very highest level possible,” he said. “As a standard practice, we proactively monitor all students’ progress and identify areas that need improvement. Once we determine areas of greatest need, we implement intervention programs that will have the greatest impact on each student’s learning.”
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