Presentation Transcript

1. Accountability and Renewal Framework for New York City Schools 2011-2012 Charter Schools OfficeRecy Dunn, Executive Director
2. Welcome & Introduction New York State Charter Law and 2010 Amendments Board Governance Charter Revisions Process Accountability Accountability Framework Charter Renewal Process Annual Site Visit Performance Measurement School Progress Report School Survey Questions and Answers Session Overview
3. Welcome & Introduction
4. Objectives of the Charter Law and 2010 Amendments Improve student achievement Increase learning opportunities for all students, with an emphasis on at-risk students Change from rule-based to performance-based accountability Encourage use of innovative teaching methods and educational designs Charter School Law Provide families with high-quality choices Create new professional opportunities for teachers, administrators, and school staff Full NYS Charter Schools Act is available on the NYCDOE website at:http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/SpecialPrograms/CharterSchools/LawsandRegulations/default.htm
5. Legal Implications for Charter Boards of Trustees Restricts for-profit organizations from managingnew schools Requires charter schools to developparent associations Requires schools to meet or exceed enrollment and retention targets for special education (SPED), English language learners (ELL) and free or reduced lunch (FRL) students Contains provisions requiring charter schools to abide by the General Municipal Law covering conflicts of interest, bans on gift giving, and other topics to the same extent as school districts Contains a requirement that Boards of Trustees of schools under the amended law must hold 12 monthly Board Meetings at the charter school site Requires Boards of Trustees to post publicly a yearly calendar of their meetings Restricts schools from paying Board members for services Raises questions around staff members as Board members State Comptroller can audit the school at any time Requires additional reporting requirements to the State Dep. Of Ed Annual Report: Yearly Disclosure of Financial Interest forms must be completed Annual report must be made public on charter school’s website 2010 amendments do not change the core autonomies of schools or boards.
6. Education Law § 2852(7)(a) states: "a revision of a charter shall be made only upon the approval of the charter entity and the Board of Regents in accordance with the provisions of subdivisions five-a and five-b of this section.” Revising your Charter Material Changes Non- material Changes Educational philosophy, mission, or vision Significant governance or leadership structure Curriculum model Relocation to another school district Maximum enrollment Grades served Hiring or termination of a management company School name By-laws Schedule (daily or yearly) Admissions policy or enrollment process Code(s) of conduct, disciplinary codes, personnel policies, complaint policies, student/family/teacher handbooks Clarifications of the mission statement or sections of the charter that do not affect the school's mission, organizational structure, or educational program Minor corrections/clarifications to a school’s organizational structure or organizational chart
7. In most cases, charter revisions can be made at any time. Exceptions include changes in school enrollment and grade configurations. These must be made by December prior to the school year of implementation. The president/chairperson of a charter school governing board, or an individual authorized by the governing board, must submit the request to the Charter Schools Office (CSO). If approved, the CSO will forward the proposed revisions to the Commissioner of Education/Board of Regents via the State Education Department (SED). Upon review of the proposed revision(s) the CSO may: Require the school to submit additional documentation to substantiate changes Reply to the organization requesting the revision in writing within 45 days CSO submits the revisions to SED for review. SED accepts non-material revisions. Board of Regents votes to approve material revisions to charter. Upon final approval the school should update the charter to reflect approved revisions. Process for Making Changes to Your Charter
8. Yearly Accountability Cycle
9. Accountability Framework: 4 Guiding Questions Academic Success Viability Compliance Renewal Is this school an academic success? Is this school a fiscally sound, viable organization? Is this school in compliance with its charter and all applicable laws and regulations? What are this school’s plans for its next charter term? School Mission & Academic Goals Governance Structure & Organizational Design Approved Charter & Agreement School or Model Growth Responsive Educational Program School Climate & Parent Engagement Applicable Federal and State Law Organizational Sustainability Learning Environment Financial and Operational Health Applicable Regulations School or Model Refinements High Academic Attainment & Progress
10. Accountability Framework: Academic Success School Mission & Academic Goals Is this school implementing the academic program and design described in its charter? Is this school mission evident and supported by school staff, students and community? Are the school’s academic goals public and the focus of all decision-making? 1a 1b 1c 1d Responsive Educational Program Does this school implement a quality curriculum based on NYS standards? Does the school use data to inform instruction and other school practices? Does the school have an effective plan for meeting the needs of all learners? Learning Environment Is the school’s academic culture strong and intentionally supportive of high expectations for learning and behavior? Does the school calendar and schedule support accomplishment of school mission and academic goals? Does the school have a program of student services that effectively addresses academic, behavioral and social development needs of students? High Academic Attainment & Progress Is this school meeting its absolute performance goals? Is this school meeting its student progress goals? Is this school reducing the performance gap, meeting AYP, and surpassing the performance of similar schools?
11. Measuring Academic Success Performance on school-specific goals and internal assessments are also reviewed for each school
12. Accountability Framework: Viability Governance Structure & Organizational Design Is the school’s governance structure clear, consistent with charter, and known to school community? Does the school have a capable Board of Trustees providing effective oversight and strategic guidance to school leadership? Is the school’s organizational design implemented as described in charter with clear reporting structures for all educational, financial and operational responsibilities with appropriate oversight by the Board? 2b 2a 2c Has the school earned high satisfaction scores with high participation rates from students, parents and teachers on the NYC DOE School Survey? Is the school effective in recruiting, hiring, training, evaluating and retaining staff? Does the school have mechanisms for meaningfully involving parents in the learning of their children and the success of their school? Can the school demonstrate strong community support? School Climate & Parent Engagement Financial and Operational Health Does the school consistently meet its enrollment and retention targets? Does the school have a Board approved annual budget that meets its short and long-term financial obligations? Does the school maintain systems for effective internal controls? Does the school successfully provide students with a safe, clean, orderly facility with all appropriate services in its charter or mandated by applicable law and regulation?
13. Oversight and Financial Stability Oversight Stability Enrollment Stability Financial Compliance Financial Viability Realistic budgeting and ongoing budgeting monitoring by the finance committee Appropriate internal controls and procedures Timely and accurate financial reporting Adequate financial resources to ensure stable operations
14. Accountability Framework: Compliance 3b 3a 3c Approved Charter & Agreement Has the school successfully implemented its school design, academic program, instructional model, calendar and schedule as described in its charter? Is the school’s governance and accountability structure successfully operating as described in its charter? Are the school’s academic and behavioral policies consistent with charter? Applicable Federal and State Law Is the school compliant with applicable Title I and IDEA regulations and reporting requirements? Has the school met state requirements for serving comparable at-risk students as its district? Is the school’s admission policy and lottery process fair and open to all students? Applicable Regulations Is the school compliant with applicable safety and security regulations? Does the school regularly satisfy its financial reporting and audit requirements? Is the Board of Trustees compliant with open meeting laws, municipal law related to conflict of interest, and other applicable regulations?
15. Applicable Federal and State Law Board Oversight Charter schools must establish active Parent Associations or Parent-Teacher Associations Charter schools looking to renew must ensure that enrollment targets and retention rates for student subgroups are comparable to percentages in their Community School Districts: Students with disabilities English Language Learners Students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch
16. Accountability Framework: Renewal 4b 4a 4c School or Model Growth Does the school have a substantive plan for expansion or contraction, replication or to maintain current grade configurations and enrollment? Is the school’s plan for the next charter term realistic and supported by internal and external evidence? Organizational Sustainability Does the school have sufficient capacity—human, financial, or operational—to successfully execute its plans for the next charter term? Has the school’s Board of Trustees developed its membership and capacities to accommodate the evolving needs of the school and its strategic vision for the future? School or Model Refinements Has the school reviewed its performance to identify possible changes to its academic program, organizational structures, operational processes, or contractual partnerships? Has the school developed a plan for any changes in facilities anticipated during the next charter term?
17. Renewal Process: The 5-Year Road
18. The renewal timeline will vary for each school depending on the month the charter was issued or renewed. Renewal Process
19. Renewal Process: Evidence The CSO investigates the following components in determining a renewal recommendation: Has the school been in compliance with its charter and all applicable laws and regulations? Meeting non-academic goals Student enrollment and retention targets Public Hearings Complaint and Grievance Record Letters of Notice What is the school’s plan for its next charter term? Educational plan Expansion? Replication? Lessons learned Has the school been an academic success? NYS ELA, Math, Science, Regents results Attendance, graduation rates, and other performance data AYP Status Annual Site Visit Reports Annual State Ed. Reports Has the school been a fiscally sound, viable organization? Audited and unaudited financial statements Board and staff turnover Enrollment stability Any operational corrective actions by the CSO or other DOE entity
20. Annual Site Visit: Background Site visits serve as the equivalent of the Quality Review that takes place in district schools. The CSO conducts these visits annually in Years one through four at all CSO-authorized schools. The visits and related reports provide a snapshot of the school to be used as for school planning and evaluation during the renewal process.
21. Board minutes, meeting calendar, and updated board roster Organizational chart Staff roster and teacher certification table Budget and expenses 501 (c)(3) status (Year 1 and 2 schools only) Schedule of classes Parent, teacher and/or student handbooks Annual Visit Data Collection Form Self-evaluation Form Annual Site Visit: Components The following outlines the annual site visit document submission process. Documents to be submitted prior to site visit Day-of-Visit Components* *Note:Pre-Visit materials may submitted according to the Accountability Calendar. The CSO may request additional materials after the site visit or may request additional visits for further monitoring . CSO and leadership meeting Class observations Teacher interviews Administrator interviews CSO internal debrief CSO and leadership debrief
22. NYC DOE School Progress Report Three main objectives: Develop peer group of comparable schools regardless of geography Highlight the progress of student achievement and school management Provide a meaningful way for families to choose schools *1st Year schools do not get progress report Peer Index: Geographic-neutral approach to indexing schools (i.e. middle/high school – look at incoming scores, socioeconomic demographics), continually being improved, Performance Percentile: A higher percentile score indicates stronger performance relative to peer schools Quality Review: Does not apply to charter schools, some schools will have a site visit that will provide similar types of information State Report Card: NCLB measure, ELA and Math all grades; Science – ES/MS; graduation rates - HS
23. Objective 1: Develop peer group of comparable schools regardless of geography
24. Objective 1: Develop peer group of comparable schools regardless of geography The Peer Horizon scores count three times as much as the City Horizon scores to emphasize the relative performance of schools with similar student populations. Peer Horizon Scorescounts for 75% City Horizon Scorescounts for 25% Each school’s performance is compared to the performance of schools in its peer group The “Peer Horizon” is the range of outcomes achieved by the peer group (i.e., the top and the bottom score in the peer group for each measure) Each school’s performance is also compared to the performance of all schools Citywide The “City Horizon” is the range of outcomes achieved by all schools Citywide (i.e., the top and the bottom score in the City for each measure)
25. Progress Report highlights achievement and progress Grade and Overall Score Out of 100 points School Environment 15 points Additional Credit Up to 15 points Student Progress 60 points Student Performance 25 points Elementary, Middle, and K-8 Schools Exemplary progress on test scores with high need students Student progress on ELA and Math test scores (median growth percentile) Student test scores in ELA and Math (median proficiency and % Level 3/4) Learning Environment Survey results Attendance Learning Environment Survey results Attendance Graduation rates (4-year and 6-year) Credit accumulation Regents completion and pass rates Exemplary progress in graduation rates and Regents scores with high need students High Schools
26. Objective 2: Highlight the progress of student achievement and school management A letter grade is assigned to each performance dimension based on the school’s performance relative to its peers Range of scores for school’s in your peer group
27. Progress Report supports analysis and decision-making Absolute measure of student proficiency at one point in time Measures the change in student proficiency from one year to the next Progress accounts for most of the school’s overall score Performance against peers weighs more heavily than performance against city scores Use the results to inform decision and school planning
28. Objective 3: Provide a meaningful way for families to choose schools A ? B C B
29. NYC DOE School Survey The NYC School Survey helps school leaders understand what school community members say about the school’s learning environment . Reflects whether school upholds charter agreement. In 2011, 960,191 surveys were submitted. Each school’s survey provides data for each school and city-wide aggregate data. Charter schools typically experience higher participation rates and have higher scores than traditional schools School leaders and Board of Trustee members should analyze the data to determine approach for continuous improvement Survey results factor into Progress Report Absolute evaluation of school performance across four dimensions Performance Legend
30. NYC DOE School Survey provides participation statistics Survey participation statistics and results are also provided to each school.
31. Detailed Survey Reponses Detailed survey responses are provided along with each school’s survey results. Detailed questions underlying each performance dimension Percent of respondents in each category of agreement
32. Questions and Answers Contact us for more information