Twelve studies find that overall gains in charter schools are larger than other public schools; four find charter schools’ gains higher in certain significant categories of schools; six find comparable gains; and, four find that charter schools’ overall gains lagged behind traditional schools.
Source: Charter School Achievement: What We Know, July 2005 Update
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School Description
(This section intended to provide a portrait of the school during the period of the report. In addition to serving as a context for the school’s annual performance report, this document should be useful to the school as a resource for its own public information efforts.)
A. Mission Statement
B. School Program
- Grade and age levels served
- Brief summary of curriculum design and instructional approach, including provisions that are made for students with disabilities and students who are limited- or non-English proficient
- Brief description of key mission-related programs
- Teacher/student ratio
- School year and hours of operation
- Brief description of the student application and enrollment process, including the deadline for submitting applications for enrollment in the coming year
C. School Staff
- Name of head of school (Principal, Headmaster, Dean…)
- Name of business manager
- Number of teachers
- Summary of qualifications (e.g., yrs of experience, training, degrees/degree in field, licenses, certification/certification in field) and assignments of school staff
- Staff attrition rate
D. Student Characteristics
- Number of students enrolled, by grade level
- Student attrition rate during the year reported
- Demographics (by race, ethnicity, gender)
- Percentage of limited and non-English proficient students
- Percentage of students with special education IEPs
- Percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced price school lunch program
- Average daily membership
- Average daily attendance
E. Governance
- Board of Trustees members (names and affiliations), officers, and committee assignments
- Advisory committees (member names and affiliations)
- Meeting schedules for upcoming year
F. Finance
- A financial statement of revenues and expenditures for the year just ended
- A balance sheet listing the charter school’s assets, liabilities, and fund balances or equities
- A copy of the school’s approved budget for the current school year
- The average cost per student (total non-capital expenditures divided by the FTE enrollment)
- A list of all donors and grantors that have contributed monetary or in-kind donations having a value equal to or exceeding $500 during the year reported
School Performance
(This section will report on what has been learned about the school’s performance against the goals contained its accountability plan. The section also will describe actions that are being taken to use accountability information to improve school programs, practices, and performance. Finally, the section will describe how the information is being reported to parents and the public.)
A. Evidence of Performance and Progress (from the school’s accountability plan)
(Information on school performance should be organized according to the three central questions that will guide the Board’s decisions about charter renewal or revocation.)
1. Is the educational program getting results?
a. Educational Goals
- A statement of the educational goals, performance indicators, and annual and long-term performance targets contained in the school’s accountability plan.
- A description of the student assessment tools and processes.
b. Student Academic Performance
- A summary of student performance on multiple assessments, including district-wide assessments.
- For students with disabilities, evidence of attainment of the objectives contained in their Individual Educational Plan.
- A summary of grade advancement and graduation rates, if applicable.
- A summary of college admission test scores and college admission rates, if applicable.
c. Student Non-Academic Performance
- A summary of performance on non-academic student performance goals included in the school’s accountability plan.
2. Is the school a viable organization?
a. Organizational Goals
- A statement of the organizational management goals, performance indicators, and annual and long-term performance targets contained in the school’s accountability plan.
- A description of the measurement tools and processes.
b. Organizational Performance
- A summary of the school’s performance against each of its organizational management goals.
c. Parent and Community Satisfaction and Support
3. Is the school in compliance with the rules under which it operates?
a. Compliance with the Charter
- Information describing how the school has observed the provisions of law and met the conditions of the charter.
B. Unique Accomplishments
(This section of the report offers schools the opportunity to describe a few of their big successes, even those that may have been unexpected or unintended. Schools are encouraged to report their unique accomplishments in vignette form.)
C. Lessons Learned and Actions Taken Based on Accountability Information
- Some important lessons learned from the school’s accountability processes
- Problems identified and program changes undertaken as a result of information generated through the accountability plan
- Program modifications under consideration based on information generated through the accountability plan
- Anticipated problems
D. Reporting Accountability Information to Students, Teachers, Parents, and the Public
- A description of dissemination activities, including reports, publications, meetings, or other initiatives completed, underway, or planned
- Materials used by the school to communicate accountability results to its constituents may be included in an appendix to this report.
E. Improving the School’s Accountability Plan
- Problems encountered in implementing and managing the school’s Charter School Accountability Plan.
- Recommended changes in the Accountability Plan based on your experience.
Audit Report
- An audit report prepared by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with Government auditing standards for financial audits issued by the Comptroller General of the United States.
- A response to the audit report.
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