The key appeal of the charter school concept is its promise of increased accountability for student achievement in exchange for increased school autonomy. Freed from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools, charter schools set their own achievement and performance goals, for which they are held accountable by their sponsor. Additionally, as schools of choice, charters must satisfy the parents and students who choose them. Charter sponsors, or authorizers, weigh in at three intervals: evaluation of applications, ongoing monitoring or oversight, and renewal of charters at the end of their term (usually 3-5 years, 15 in Arizona). Charter school developers can lay the groundwork for accountability during the application phase by clearly defining the school's measurable goals, the assessments to be used, and expected levels of student performance and progress.
Since the charter school movement began, this idea of accountability for results has taken hold throughout the country. In 1994, Congress reauthorized Title I to emphasize accountability for the academic learning of students served through that program. Additionally, in the last few years all states have passed accountability laws or taken steps to develop accountability systems. These systems include policies mandating proficiency tests to "end social promotion," high school exit exams, and state-required standardized tests tied to consequences for schools, principals, teachers, and/or students. Hence, charter schools need to be cognizant not only of the goals in their charter, but also of Title I Requirements and applicable state accountability provisions.
This page provides an overview of the basic components of an accountability plan and provides an extensive list of Resources with more detailed guidance on specific topics. For details in your state, see also our State and School Information area. For more information about accountability at the national and state level, see WestEd's Policy Program's page on Accountability.
II. Elements of an Accountability Plan
A carefully designed and well-carried out accountability plan ensures that charter schools meet their obligations in terms of student performance and school operations, and also creates a powerful tool for ongoing learning and improvement. Accountability efforts are most effective when the school and its community work together to set out clear goals and then use student performance data to continuously improve teaching and learning. Accountability goals can be difficult for schools to achieve on their own; hence we offer an extensive list of publications, resource guides, and organizations that offer technical assistance. See the Resources section at the end of this page.
Approaches to charter school accountability vary from state to state and from sponsor to sponsor. For instance, the charter-granting entities in Arizona are relatively hands-off, counting on market forces to reinforce the good schools and weed out the bad. On the other hand, in Massachusetts the state is the primary charter-granting agent and exercises strict oversight of charter schools. In states where districts authorize schools, such as California and Colorado, details about accountability are negotiated school by school. Most charters are monitored for financial responsibility, student achievement, student attendance, and compliance with state and federal regulations. Charter school resource centers and operators' associations in many states have developed or are working on accountability guidance, as is the Charter Friends National Network. See our Resources section and State and School Information area for guidance in your particular state.
Existing resources identify several common components for developing an accountability plan. These elements include:
Student performance: Is the academic program a success? Do students demonstrate satisfactory achievement on state or district tests and other measures? Are students making academic gains?
Goals in the charter: Is the school faithful to the terms of its contract, including its mission, goals, and objectives?
Operations: Is the school a viable, well-managed organization? Is it responsibly using public funds? Is it in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations (such as public health and civil rights) not waived for charter schools?
Continuous improvement: Does the school recognize clearly where growth is most essential, and is the total program committed to discovering areas of self-improvement?
Of these four areas, accountability for student achievement is the main thrust of the accountability movement. A section on how to develop and strengthen academic accountability follows. For more information on fiscal practices or rule compliance, please see our Budget, Finance, and Fundraising page and our Legal Issues page, as well as information particular to your state, through the State and School Information area.
In addition to academics, fiscal management, and rule compliance, you may want to identify other measures of school success in your school's accountability plan, such as:
Student attendance, mobility, and graduation rates
Parent satisfaction
Parent and community involvement
School climate and safety
Resources for staff development
Teacher retention
Coordination of educational and social services
III. Academic Accountability
Generally, an academic accountability system requires three parts: (1) setting measurable standards and goals, (2) assessing and monitoring progress towards those goals, and (3) using the data to identify strengths to be improved upon and weaknesses to be corrected. Schools need to clarify who is responsible for what and to whom, distributing responsibility among stakeholders and optimizing the conditions and resources available to support student success. One of the central challenges of designing an accountability system is to meet state expectations for student performance-- as measured by standardized tests-- and to pursue school and student goals that may be unique to each school's mission.
A. Identifying Standards and Goals
Successful charter developers clearly specify the standards and goals their students will be expected to achieve. They identify what students should know (content standards) and what they should be able to do (performance standards) in all learning areas at critical points in their education. Most states have content standards, and some have performance standards, which charter schools need to address. These state requirements should not supplant the charter school's goals, but should be used as a floor upon which to build an educational program that addresses the charter school's mission. Together, the standards and goals become the focus of the school's design, development, oversight, and renewal process. Hence, it is key that they be specific and measurable.
To identify goals and standards, charter schools may follow these steps:
Review the school's mission, purpose, and expectations.
Review the state's standards.
Develop exit outcomes or graduation standards: What should students know and be able to do? What academic and non-academic skills and qualities does the school seek to instill in its students?
List interim skills and benchmark outcomes for students: What progress does the school expect students to make toward the exit outcomes at which various points in their career or in order to advance from one grade level to the next?
List specific academic outcomes that students will demonstrate in each subject area, grade, or skill level: What content should students have learned? What skills should they be able to demonstrate?
B. Linking Standards to Curriculum and Assessment
The next step is to specify how the school will build curriculum and assess student progress in line with its goals and standards. Standards, curriculum, and assessment need to be aligned with each other and with the school's vision to create a quality educational program. In other words, what curriculum can be selected that actually addresses the identified goals and standards? It may not all be neatly packaged in existing textbooks. What assessments will actually measure whether that curriculum has been learned? Ideally, a combination of portfolios; projects; simulations; and norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, or other assessments will provide a rich picture of student learning. Consider instruments that appropriately measure important student objectives, reflect the vision of the school, and do not adversely affect the learner.
Most states require charter school students to participate in statewide assessments. Some authorizers, like the Chicago Public Schools, also require their charter schools to participate in district-wide assessments. Charter school operators thus need to work closely with their authorizers to understand exactly what is required. Understanding what these assessments measure, and how students will learn it, is an important part of the alignment process described above.
C. Gathering, Using, and Reporting Data
Schools need to collect data in a way that is efficient and provides useful information for multiple audiences, including those concerned with results on standardized assessments. Consider including the following steps in your assessment data collection process:
Determine baselines for incoming students: Get all students' past scores from their previous schools, administer a pre-test, or use the first six months' performance as a baseline.
Evaluate student achievement for the year: Administer any of the assessments for which you have baselines, in addition to any state-required standardized assessments (e.g., CAT, SAT, SAT-9, CTBS, proficiency tests, high school exit exam) and others that may be required by the district.
Develop evaluative comparisons to interpret and use the data: Measure progress from the baseline; compare academic progress to prior rates of progress in previous schools; and compare scores to goals in the charter, addressing each goal and describing progress toward it.
Disaggregate scores: Learn how to identify achievement for subgroups of students (e.g., is gender equity a goal, or reducing achievement disparities between English language learners and native English speakers, etc.). Also disaggregate scores for specific aspects of achievement so that data can be analyzed to identify particular strengths and weaknesses in curriculum and instruction, set priorities for professional development, or reallocate resources.
Lastly, schools must decide how they will report student progress to (1) students and parents, (2) the chartering agency, (3) the broader public, and (4) teachers and school board members. Options for reporting data include grades and report cards; portfolios, narratives, and student-involved conferences; annual reports; informational brochures; and annual "stakeholder meetings."
Schools with effective accountability systems use student assessment data in an ongoing improvement process with their stakeholders. This process not only means evaluating students to assign grades and determine promotion, but it also applies to teachers and the whole school. For instance, some schools may tie performance reviews of teachers to student achievement gains. In general, schools with successful accountability programs use their data to focus on areas that the whole school can work to improve.
IV. Resources
The following links contain lists of useful on-line resources.
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