FILE: HC
CHARTER SCHOOL MONITORING, EXTENSION, AND RENEWAL
It is the responsibility of the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board to hold charter schools accountable for achieving the performance standards set forth in policy, the SJBPSS Annual Review Indicators, and each charter school’s operating agreement.
ANNUAL ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING OF CHARTER PERFORMANCE
The School Board collects data and information concerning the performance of its charter schools through monitoring processes and that data and information is used to produce an Annual Review for each charter school authorized by the School Board. The Annual Review is a public document that reports the performance of charter schools and is based on the expectations for high-quality charter schools outlined in the Louisiana Department of Education’s Charter School Performance Compact. Annual Reviews are released each winter using data to assess the performance of each school in the prior school year.
The Annual Review assesses a school in three areas that correspond to the performance expectations for high-quality charter schools. Each school receives a single score for academic, organizational, and financial performance as based on the metrics in the Annual Review. There are measurements that align to each subcomponent of each expectation. These scores are derived by looking at both quantitative measures of performance as well as compliance-based actions.
|
Expectation |
Area of Annual Review |
Types of Measurement |
Possible Score |
|
All students, regardless of background, need, or ability, are afforded an educational environment that provides them with opportunities for academic growth and achievement. |
Academic |
School Performance Score (SPS) and Letter Grade |
Letter grade A, B, C, D, F, or T |
|
Schools enroll and serve all students through prioritizing equity in their enrollment and discipline policies and procedures. All special student populations receive the services and supports they need to ensure academic success in accordance with applicable law and policy. Schools and governing boards responsibly follow all laws, policies, and contractual obligations. |
Organizational |
Consideration of data related to enrollment of students who are economically disadvantaged and students with disabilities as well as enrollment stability, discipline rates, and special education indicators Compliance with enrollment, special education, governance, and safety-related laws and policies |
Meets All Expectations, Meets Most Expectations, or Does Not Meet Expectations |
|
Schools demonstrate strong financial practices resulting in fiscally viable and responsibly maintained institutions. |
Financial |
Performance on annual audits; Financial Risk Assessment; Appropriate use of funds in accordance with law and policy |
Meets All Expectations, Meets Most Expectations, or Does Not Meet Expectations |
Performance on the metrics in the Annual Review determines the Superintendent’s recommendations to the School Board related to high-stakes decisions, which are described below in the section on Accountability Decisions and Interventions. The impact of a school’s performance on extension and renewal recommendations is described below in the section on Extension and Renewal Standards.
MONITORING OF CHARTER SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
Each year, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools shall assess each Type 1 and 3 charter school on each component of the Annual Review and reports this information publicly. The school system shall collect the information needed to compile the Annual Review through a set of monitoring and oversight activities. The information collected through these activities is aligned with the performance expectations to which charter schools are held.
Each year, all charter schools are subject to the following oversight and reporting activities.
School Visits
During the year, school system staff members shall visit each charter school at least once and use data to inform the activities that are conducted during the visit(s). Visits may be announced or unannounced. The activities conducted during the visits depend on a school’s performance and may include the following:
Classroom observations
Staff interviews
Audit of student files and records
Review of policies and procedures
Health and safety review
Facilities review
Discussions with school and Board leadership
Systematic Review of Data and Documents
As information is reported throughout the school year, the school system shall conduct systematic data reviews in order to assess school performance in a variety of areas. Additionally, the school system shall routinely review school policies, procedures, and other materials for compliance with law and policy.
Monitoring of Financial Performance
All charter schools are required to submit an Annual Operating Budget, Quarterly Financial Reports, and the Annual Financial Report. These requirements are managed by the school system’s finance team and charter schools shall receive ongoing communications throughout the year on requirements and deadlines.
As needed, the school system may also assess schools based on information and data collected through:
Additional school visits
In-depth reviews of student records including, but not limited to the areas of discipline, attendance, enrollment, testing, special populations, and special education
Targeted review of school policies
More in-depth facility reviews
Discussions with families and community members
ACCOUNTABILITY DECISIONS AND INTERVENTIONS
St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools shall use information collected from the processes outlined above and the metrics included in the Annual Review for three purposes:
To undertake actions and interventions in instances where schools fail to meet expectations in one or more areas;
To make high stakes decisions and recommendations related to charter school extension and renewal; and
To make decisions and recommendations about charter school expansion and replication.
Ongoing Actions and Interventions
Based on the information collected through its monitoring and oversight processes, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools may become aware of concerns related to a school’s performance as measured by the Charter School Evaluation Framework. St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools may use this information to address these situations through other interventions including but not limited to:
Targeted communications with school leaders and board chairs and connection with support organizations
Additional inquiry and oversight
Restriction of growth and/or the ability to expand
Entry into the Accountability Intervention Ladder
Accountability Intervention Ladder
All charter schools are initially considered to be in Good Standing and in compliance with the contract they have with the School Board. However, based on routine and ad hoc monitoring and oversight by St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools over the course of the school year, information received by the School Board may reveal that a charter school is failing to meet expectations in a certain area that requires immediate remediation. In these instances, the charter school shall enter the intervention ladder through the issuance of a Notice of Concern or Notice of Breach.
Notices of Concern are given to schools in instances of less significant non-compliance of law or policy as determined by school system staff.
Notices of Breach are given to schools in instances of significant, systemic, or repeated non-compliance of law or policy as determined by staff.
Notices contain specific action steps and due dates required to remedy the issue. Upon remedying the issue, the school returns to Good Standing.
If a Notice of Concern is not remedied in the time allotted, the school progresses to a Notice of Breach with additional steps required to address the issue.
If a Notice of Breach is not remedied in the time allotted, additional accountability actions may be taken by St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools up to and including a recommendation of revocation to the School Board.
In serious situations, failure to remedy a Notice of Breach or repeated Notices of Breach in a single school year can lead to a school entering the charter contract revocation review. Receipt of a Notice of Concern or Breach is considered in the assessment of a school’s performance, is included in the Annual Review, and can impact decisions related to extension and renewal or expansion.
Revocation Review
In instances where a charter school has ongoing and significant concerns or is threatening the safety, health, and welfare of students, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools may recommend to the School Board that the charter be revoked, which may lead to immediate closure of the school. In these situations, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools will engage in a revocation review before making that recommendation.
The revocation review will involve additional data and document collection and may include visits to the school or an in-depth audit to assess financial and organizational health. Findings from the revocation review shall determine whether a school enters into revocation proceedings or is granted a revised Notice of Breach.
The school system recognizes the magnitude of revocation proceedings and only rarely uses this authority in cases of persistent shortcomings or grave incidents that threaten the health, safety, or welfare of students. If a school enters revocation proceedings, the school system will follow the revocation procedures outlined in Bulletin 126 and the charter contract.
Extensions and Renewals
Charter schools are granted an initial contract length of four years. During a school’s fourth year of operation, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools shall assess each school’s performance and makes a recommendation to the School Board as to whether the school should be allowed to operate for a fifth year. This is known as the extension process.
During a charter school’s fifth year of operation, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools shall again assess the school’s performance and make a recommendation to the School Board as to whether the school should receive a renewal contract to continue operation. This is known as the renewal process. The renewal process occurs in the last year of every charter contract term.
Decisions and recommendations for extensions and renewals shall be made in accordance with this framework and Bulletin 126 and based on longitudinal information over a school’s charter term as collected and reported in the Annual Review. Specifically, a charter school’s School Performance Score (SPS) and its various components comprise the section of the Annual Review that lays out expectations for academic performance. A school’s accountability results, considered against the academic standards for extension and renewal in policy, will inform whether St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools recommends a school for extension or renewal, as well as the minimum number of years for the new contract term.
Once a school has been recommended for renewal, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools shall also determine a recommended renewal term length. The length of the renewal term is guided by a school’s performance on the organizational and financial components of the Annual Review over the entire term of the current contract. Schools that continue to meet organizational and financial expectations are eligible for additional years over and above the base number of years earned by their academic performance. In instances where the school has serious, systemic, or repeated non-compliance with organizational or financial standards, the Superintendent may recommend a term length up to two years shorter than the base number of years.
For a charter school with a renewal term of six or more years, the St. John the Baptist Public School Board will conduct an in-depth review and evaluation of the charter school, equivalent to a renewal review, at least once every five years to measure the charter school’s performance as measured by the charter school performance compact. The superintendent or his or her designee shall present such review and evaluation to the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board at a regular meeting and provide an opportunity for the School Board to take appropriate action or impose meaningful consequences, if necessary, as provided for in the adopted performance framework.
Charter School Expansion and Replication
Charter schools may seek to serve more students in one of two ways:
Expansion of the enrollment of a school currently in existence, or
The opening of a new charter school.
In order to ensure that only the highest-quality schools are expanding, the ability to serve additional students is contingent upon a school’s performance as measured by this framework and the Annual Review.
ANNUAL REVIEW INDICATORS
The Superintendent shall adopt and maintain Annual Review Indicators to be used in the Annual Review. Such indicators shall provide for multiple measure of each charter school’s financial, organizational, and academic performance.
ANNUAL REVIEW STANDARDS
In the Annual Review, each school will receive academic, financial, and organizational performance ratings based on the Annual Review Indicators.
Schools earn points for indicators where their performance meets expectations based upon a review of available data. These indicators are aligned to each expectation and are outlined below within the categories of academic, organizational, and financial performance. Schools that fail to meet performance indicators can lose points for organizational or financial performance.
|
Category |
Overall Rating |
|
Academic |
Meets All Expectations: “A” letter grade AND ≥ 93% indicator proficiency* Meets Most Expectations: “C” or higher letter grade AND 51-92% IP Does Not Meet Expectations: “D” or lower letter grade OR ≤ 50% IP |
|
Organizational |
Meets All Expectations: ≥ 93% IP Meets Most Expectations: 51-92% IP Does Not Meet Expectations: ≤ 50% IP |
|
Financial |
Meets All Expectations: ≥ 93% IP Meets Most Expectations: 51-92% IP Does Not Meet Expectations: ≤ 50% IP |
* - “Indicator proficiency” (“IP”) means the percentage of points earned in relation to the total points available in each evaluation category
EXTENSION AND RENEWAL STANDARDS
Extension Standards
|
Extension/Renewal Type |
Minimum Academic Requirements |
|
Extension or 1st Renewal |
“D” or higher letter grade in the most recent year of the contract term |
|
2nd or Subsequent Renewal |
“C” or higher letter grade in the most recent year of the contract term OR “D” letter grade in the most recent year of the contract term and “C” letter grades for more than half of the letter grades earned during the charter term and the final letter grade earned for the charter’s prior term |
Renewal Standards
|
Current Letter Grade |
Minimum Term Length |
Potential Additional Years (Based on Organizational and Financial Performance Over Current Term) |
|
|
A |
6 Years |
“Does Not Meet Expectations” in any year |
No additional years |
|
“Meets All” and/or “Meets Most Expectations” all years |
≤ 2 Years |
||
|
“Meets All Expectations” all years |
≤ 4 Years |
||
|
B |
5 Years |
“Does Not Meet Expectations” in any year |
No additional years |
|
“Meets All” and/or “Meets Most” Expectations all years |
≤ 1 Year |
||
|
“Meets All Expectations” all years |
≤ 2 Years |
||
|
C |
4 Years |
No additional years |
|
|
D, F or no letter grade |
3 Years |
No additional years |
|
Notwithstanding, the School Board may recommend a renewal term that is up to two years shorter than the minimum term length, but no shorter than 3 years for a charter school: 1) where fewer than 50% of the school’s enrolled grades are testable under state accountability; or 2) that has significant, intentional, or repeated non-compliance with financial or organizational requirements.
New policy: April 4, 2019
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:10.7.1, 17:3972, 17:3973, 17:3974, 17:3975, 17:3976, 17:3977, 17:3978, 17:3979, 17:3991, 17:3991.1, 17:3992, 17:3993, 17:3994, 17:3995
Charter Schools, Bulletin 126, §306, §307, §1101, §1103, §1105, §1301, §1303, §1501 and §1701, Louisiana Department of Education
Board minutes, 4-4-19
St. John the Baptist Parish School Board