Establish performance expectations and terms in a contract
Why Does This Matter?
- A differentiated approach to school accountability acknowledges that restarting a failing school is more complicated and challenging than opening a new school; well-designed restart accountability systems will hold the incoming operator accountable for the academic growth of students, regardless of starting point.
- Establishing appropriate accountability metrics will ensure that school operators have sufficient time to demonstrate progress and that authorizers have a mechanism to intervene when the restart has failed to produce good results for students. In a restart, these metrics aren’t always wholly academic at the outset.
- Establishing a differentiated accountability system gives parents clearer information about whether the new school is making expected progress versus the same information about students being far behind that they’ve already seen.
Profiles of Restart Authorization Practices
DC Public Charter School Board Performance Framework
In Washington, D.C., the charter authorizer is independent of the school district and uses a performance framework that already prioritizes student growth over absolute proficiency. In addition, the accountability system does not assign a tier or rating to a school in its first year of operation. In this context, this authorizer does not see the need to customize expectations for school restart operators. Learn more about the framework here.
Colorado Student Growth Model
The state of Colorado has established a strong system for comparing student growth among matched peer groups. The matching process involves considering multiple years of test scores for each student and grouping similar students together to provide a percentile rank for each student’s test score growth. This growth percentile aggregates across the entire state and factors into the statewide performance framework for schools and districts. This approach could work on a nationwide level with PARCC or other tests. Learn more here.
Tennessee ASD’s Performance Expectations for a School Restart
The Tennessee ASD has developed a school performance framework designed specifically for restart. Over time, the expected value of the school’s percentile rank increases, reflecting expectations for improved student proficiency. Learn more here.
Suggested Resources
Louisiana Charter Performance Compact
Denver School Performance Compact
ASD School Performance Framework
Renewal of Bronx Preparatory
Ongoing Monitoring Overview
Qualitative Site Review Guide
Sample Charter Agreement
Mastery Renaissance Project Contract
CBA Between Union and District for Cluster of Schools in the Empowerment Zone