Charter School Accountability Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education The Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign 75 Pleasant Street Malden, MA Phone: (781)

Content Overview  What is a Charter Term?  Important Accountability Documents and Deadlines  Charter School Performance Criteria  Site Visits (Findings, ratings, and site visit reports)  Charter Renewal

What is a charter term? Charter Term A license issued by the Board under the provisions of M.G.L. c. 71, § 89, and 603 CMR 1.00, allowing the grantee to operate a charter school for a period of five years. *See Notes for more details about year one site visits.

To Do List Annual Annual Report and Recruitment & Retention Plan Due annually by August 1 st ; please use the annually updated guidelines to complete your annual report. DESE offers annual webinars to help you successfully complete the AR and R&R Plan Audit Due annually by November 1 st Audit guide available here: Amendments (If Applicable) BESE approval– August 1 st Commissioner approval– Ongoing Amendment Guidelines: Update Directory Administration and Board Member Management System (BMMS) Ongoing End of Year Financial Report Due the day before thanksgiving (This year, November 25 th )

To Do List Charter Term Accountability Plan During Year 1 Outlines goals that the school will use and how it will measure success; progress reported in annual reports Site Visits Varies Check-in, targeted, full, first year; criteria ratings; site visit protocol Renewal Application Due by 8/1 before Year 5 Renewal application, renewal inspection site visit; summary of review Amendments to the Charter Ongoing Changes to the original charter require approval from BESE or the Commissioner *See Notes for more details about each of the items above.

Amendments – Seek Prospective Approval BESE Approval – Submit by August 1 to be implemented the following school year Districts specified in the school’s charter Maximum Enrollment Grades Served Contractual Relationships Commissioner Approval – Submit anytime School Name Mission Leadership/Gov. Structure Educational Program Board Membership MOUs Schedule Accountability Plan Enrollment Policy Expulsion Policy Location/Facilities Change Bylaws

Charter School Performance Criteria (Criteria) Faithfulness to the Terms of the Charter Academic Program Success Organizational Viability Purpose Articulate the expectations for all aspects of charter school accountability. The Criteria guide site visits, the amendment process, creation of accountability documents, and the renewal process The Criteria are organized in three buckets:

Review the Charter School Performance Criteria The Charter School Performance Criteria can be found here :

Criterion 5: Student Performance  Criterion 5: The school consistently meets state student performance standards for academic growth, proficiency, and college and career readiness.  Factors in the state leveling system that will be taken into consideration are:  PPI  School Percentile  Accountability Level  The goal is to achieve and remain in Level 1.  See additional information about the state system of accountability here:

What to expect in a site visit report: Criteria Ratings and Findings The Department uses a rating scale to summarize a charter school’s performance against the Criteria. Ratings will capture school performance at the time of the site visit. Findings are statements that describe the school’s performance in terms of the Criteria. Findings synthesize the site visit team’s analyses of evidence collected from multiple sources prior to and during the visit. At the conclusion of the site visit, the team will report out a few findings regarding the relevant subset of the Criteria.

Site Visits In conducting site visits, the Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign (OCSSR) is carrying out the requirements of 603 CMR 1.08(2), which outlines the ongoing review of charter school Site visits are one of the means by which ESE and OCSSR document each charter school’s performance and progress, relative to the Criteria. Schools will receive ratings and findings for a subset of the Criteria during full, targeted, and check-in site visits. Year one schools will receive findings and ratings during their spring visit. Site Visit Protocol :

Site Visits Type of Visit Approximate Length Typically Eligible Schools Criteria Typically Addressed Year One day  Schools in the first year of operation 1, 2, , 9 Full1 – 2 days  Schools in the first three charter terms  Multi-campus schools  Networks of charter schools Please note: Visits to schools in their first charter term, large schools, and schools with more than one campus will generally receive longer site visits. Please see Appendix E for additional details.Appendix E 1, 2, 3 (if applicable), 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Check-In0.5 – 1 day  Schools in or beyond their third charter term 1, 2, 5, 6.2, 6.4, 9, and 10 Targeted0.5 – 1 day  Schools on conditions or probation  Schools requiring a visit for a sub-set of Criteria Based on conditions, probation, or areas of concern Renewal Inspection 1 – 3 days  Schools in their fifth year of each charter term Please note: These visits are conducted by contracted external teams or Department staff in accordance with a separate Renewal Inspection Protocol.Renewal Inspection Protocol 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9

Site Visits – Additional Info  Your school will be contacted during July/Aug (the summer prior) to schedule the site visit  Review the site visit protocol as you plan and prepare for the visit for information regarding focus groups, classroom observations, and the resulting site visit report site visit protocol  Site visit reports will be issued to the school 6-8 weeks after the site visit. The report will contain ratings and findings for each of the relevant criteria  Full and targeted site visit teams will include 1-2 external (non-ESE) visitors – let us know if you are interested in being a site visitor!

Renewal – Application and Inspection Process Renewal application is due August 1 st before the fifth and final year of its charterRenewal application Additional required documentation is listed in renewal inspection protocol Application process Renewal Inspection Protocol outlines process On site component (1, 2, or 3 Days) External consultant or DESE staff conduct visit Renewal Inspection Report is result Renewal Inspection

Renewal – Decision Making Process Summarizes school performance over charter term Ratings and Findings for all 10 Criteria Summary of Review (SOR) SOR presented to the Commissioner Based on Board votes in 2009 and 2013, the Commissioner has been delegated the authority to grant charter renewals that do not involve probation or non-renewal. Decision making process

Important Links  Annual Report Information  Guide to Charter School Accountability  Renewal Information  Charter School Laws and Regulations  Charter School Contact and Liaisons

Thank You! Still have questions/comments? Contact your DESE liaison! Alison Bagg, Accountability Ellie Rounds, Access &Equity Puja Garg, Accountability Melissa Gordon, Access & Equity Claire Smithney, Accountability

More Questions? Join us at DESE for the New Administrators Orientation! October 16, :30 am 75 Pleasant Street Malden, MA Bring your questions and register here: