Charter School Regulatory Changes Office of Charter and Renaissance Schools Charter School Regulatory Changes Patricia Morgan, Assistant Commissioner/Chief Legal and External Affairs Officer Colleen Eskow, Deputy Chief of Government Affairs Katherine Czehut, Acting Director, Office of Charter and Renaissance Schools October 5, 2016 Advisory, Consultative, and Deliberative Material

Rationale for Regulatory Changes The Charter School Program Act of 1995 (CSPA) was signed into law in 1996 to establish charter schools to promote comprehensive educational reform by offering charter school operators greater autonomy and opportunities for innovation in exchange for greater accountability for student outcomes. For the last seven years, charter school students have outperformed their district counterparts on statewide assessments. Despite high performance, regulatory roadblocks inhibit charter innovation. The Department has worked with charter leaders throughout New Jersey and national charter experts to develop regulatory recommendations to provide greater autonomy for charter schools. Advisory, Consultative, and Deliberative Material

Charter School Landscape: 1997 to present While the total number of charter schools has stayed relatively stable since 2012, the number of seats in charter schools continues to grow. Since 2011, the Department has closed 16 low performing charter schools.

2015-16 Charter School Demographics Charter schools on average, compared to statewide averages, serve a higher proportion of economically disadvantaged, black and Hispanic students. 4

2014-15 Charter School PARCC Performance Charter schools, on average, outperformed their district counterparts in ELA and math in both the elementary and middle grades (i.e., grades 3-5 and 6-8). 5

2014-15 Charter Performance in State Operated Districts Who Percent of Students Who Met or Exceeded Expectations in ELA Percent of Students Who Met or Exceeded Expectations in Math In all four state-operated districts, the percent of students who met or exceeded grade-level expectations was higher in charter schools than in district schools.

Charter Performance Over Time For the last seven years, the percent of students who scored proficient or advanced was higher in charter schools than in district schools.

Topic Proposal Citation Proposed Regulatory Changes The Department proposes to add, amend, repeal, and recodify rules in five chapters in Title 6A of the New Jersey Administrative Code to achieve the following: Topic Proposal Citation Expedited Renewal Establish an expedited renewal process for high-performing charter schools. N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.3(c) Single-Purpose Charter Schools Permit single-purpose charter schools. N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.12 Weighted Lottery Codify weighted lottery for charter school enrollment. N.J.A.C. 6A:11-4.5(f) Advisory, Consultative, and Deliberative Material

Topic Proposal Citation Proposed Regulatory Changes Topic Proposal Citation Certification Establish a pilot program for charter school teacher, administrator, and school business administrator certifications. N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-11.12(e) N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-12.4(o) N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-12.7(l) Facilities Ease the way for charter schools to secure capital funding and facilities. N.J.A.C. 6A:11-4.17(a) N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-22.4(b)1 N.J.A.C. 6A:26-7.5(e) Budgetary Controls and Fiscal Monitoring Streamline procedures around budgetary controls and fiscal monitoring for charter schools. N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-16.8(a) N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-16.10(b-d) N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-22.4(d) N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-22.6(a)3 N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-22.15(a) Advisory, Consultative, and Deliberative Material

Streamlined Practices Proposed Regulatory Changes Best Practices Board minutes Charter dissolution DOE accountability N.J.A.C. 6A:11-4.12(c) N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.3(b)12 N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.4(c)2iv N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.4(c)2v N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.2(d) Clarification Extracurricular activities Multiple campuses Planning years Pre-K student lottery N.J.A.C. 6A:11-4.16 N.J.A.C. 6A:11-4.17(b) N.J.A.C. 6A:11-2.1(m) N.J.A.C. 6A:11-4.7(b) Streamlined Practices Professional development plan N.J.A.C. 6A:9C-1.1 & N.J.A.C. 6A:9C-5.5 Advisory, Consultative, and Deliberative Material