1. Academic Services Division

2. The Academic Services Division is responsible for the oversight, support, and evaluation of academic compliance and performance, equitable access, and safety for the charter schools authorized by the South Carolina Public Charter School District. Primarily, the division focuses on three areas of a school’s charter: educational program, goals and objectives, and student performance. The division evaluates these three areas using a variety of data sources that include annual reports, summative and interim assessments, compliance reviews, and information gathered from site visits. Through monitoring and technical assistance, the division also holds schools accountable for compliance with Federal and State laws and regulations including the South Carolina Charter Schools Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and other Federal Title Programs.  Robert Compton, Ph.D. Assistant Superintendent  Courtney Mills Director of Academic Programs  Beckie Davis Director of Special Education Services  Vamshi Rudrapati Director of Federal Programs  Jean Epps, Ph.D. Coordinator of Assessment Academic Services Division

3.  Chapters 4, 5, and 6 of your charter  In other words... Your Educational Program Think of us as....

4. Academic Performance

5.  District Strategic Goal: The District has implemented an accountability system that includes academic achievement and specific information on curriculum, teaching, and leadership practices.  Objective 1) Identify indicators of student success  Objective 2) Identify indicators of adult actions designed to impact objective 1  Objective 3) Identify relational indicators of Objectives 1 & 2  Objective 4) Increase opportunities to share data District Strategic Plan

6.  Implement oversight and monitoring activities that evaluates a charter school’s faithfulness to fulfilling the academic expectations of the charter.  Confirm that the Charter School meets the performance expectations set forth in the District’s Academic Performance Framework and, in instances when expectations are not being met, provide an opportunity for the Charter School to demonstrate that it is making sufficient progress towards the District’s expectations. We’re Charged with the Following

7.  Explore and evaluate ways schools can demonstrate growth as it relates to the Academic Growth Indicator (#2) of the Performance Framework  Only 9 schools within our portfolio meet all of the “academic expectations (15 didn’t ranging from meeting some to none)  With that being said....We want the schools to be able to receive credit for growth.  To demonstrate the success of individual student improvement Academic Services Division Initiative #1

8.  To implement an academic intervention schedule that includes:  Clearly established criteria for “meets”  Clearly established criteria for “academically deficient”  3-tiered intervention schedule  Clearly established goals to allow schools to demonstrate sufficient progress towards the District’s academic performance expectations Academic Services Division Initiative #2

9. 1) Growth  I will be sending out an email Thursday morning asking schools to submit student growth data in order for us to analyze and compare to “growth norms” in order to propose a growth expectation for indicator 2.  All submitted data (collected to help set benchmarks) are confidential and will not be used in any sort of evaluative fashion. 2) Academic Intervention Schedule  Follow-up with specific schools early next week about the intervention schedule process. Academic Services Division Initiatives: Next Steps

10. Courtney Mills, Director of Academic Programs Academic Programs

11.  State & Federal Reporting  Changing Standards  Expanded ADEPT  Internal Assessments Academic Programs - Updates

12. Special Education Beckie Davis, Director of Special Education Services

13.  Increased focus on compliance using the Comprehensive Program Review (CPR)  CPR aligns with and feeds into the Performance Framework  More timely feedback for identification of issues and correction  CPR ratings on 25 items:  2-Plan is 100% in place and meets legal requirements  1-Partial plan in place to meet legal requirements  0-No evidence of any degree of implementation or compliance SPED Compliance

14.  CPR end of the year results determine whether school has a School Corrective Action Plan (s-cap) or a District Corrective Action Plan (d-cap)  More contact/support through alternative means (telephone, virtual, Go-to-Meeting, Team Viewer, Skype,...); less through on-site

15.  Follow the records request/verification process in your school’s SPED Policies & Procedures  All newly enrolled students will require 2 meetings:  1 within 5 days of enrollment to provide comparable services and  1 within 30 days of enrollment to accept IEP or make changes based on data collected Reminders

16.  Schools must offer a continuum of services  Be prepared to serve whoever walks through your door  All changes to IEPs must be made based on data and made by a team Reminders

17.  Nicole Adams - lead  Mary Scott  Emily Paul District SPED Coordinators

18. Federal Programs: Title I, Title II, Title III, CATE/Perkins Vamshi Rudrapati “Mr. V.”, Director of Federal Programs

19. Federal Programs  Title I – Federal funding for low income families  Homeless  Title II - Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals  Title III - Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient  IDEA Finance – Students with Disabilities  CATE/Perkins- Career and Technology Education

20. Title I  The South Carolina Public Charter school District official Title I allocations are based upon the schools 135 th day count obtained by PowerSchool for the existing schools.  Districts 5 th day count is used for new schools.  Adjustments to allocations will be made after the final allocations received from the state.  Significant increase in student enrollment will be considered based on the 5 th day count.  Funds are reimbursed Reminder:  Please collect lunch forms and district of residence for all students.  Supplement not Supplant

21. Homeless Who is homeless? (McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2001 – Title X, Part C of the No Child Left Behind Act – Sec 725) The term “homeless children and youth”— means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence…; and includes —  Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;  Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings…  Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and  Migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).

22. Reminder!  Please code all homeless and migrant children as “Free” in PowerSchool.  Contact me anytime you run into a homeless situation.

23. Title II  District works with Leaders to develop the Title II plan.  Schools broken into two categories: Title I schools and Non- Title I schools  Title 1 schools will have access to the “district Title II activities”  Non-Title I schools will receive an “activity request form” to request Title II activities.  Once approved by the SCDE (January), schools may begin seeking reimbursement.

24. Title III  The district gets a very small pot of funds (sprinkles on a cake)  Funds are not allocated to schools  District uses the funds for two REQUIRED activities  To increase the English proficiency of limited English proficient children  Professional Development  State will conduct their triennial Title III audit this year. Reminder: Collect 15-16 home language survey for all students

25. IDEA  Funding is weighted by school type and weighted by student.  Based on “last official “ child count and 5 th day count for new schools (informal).  Funds are reimbursed  Congress committed to paying 40 percent of the average cost to educate a child with disabilities, but we only receive 16%.

26. IDEA  Timelines:  September – SCDE Informs District of the allocation  September (shortly after SCDE informs District) - Schools receives allocation and blank budget form. Schools submit budget request to District (10 days)  October – District submits IDEA application to the SCDE for approval  January – SCDE approves IDEA application  January (within a few days of SCDE notification) – budgets are loaded  March – school gets 1 time amendment opportunity to IDEA funds (funds 203)

27. CATE/Perkins Three pots of funds:  Perkins Funds (to completers and non-completers)  State Equipment (to completers)  Work-Based Learning (to completers and non-completers)

28. Goals for this year  More guidance and resources for effective program operations  Timelines for each program  Smoother application process  Quicker approval process  Efficient amendment process  Accountability

29. Questions? Questions

30. Assessments Jean Epps, Ph.D., Coordinator of Assessment