PowerPoint Presentation

ComplianceCharter, Contract, Laws, Policies, Regulations, and StatutesCharter SchoolsNational Alliance for Public Charter Schools:

Public Charter schools are always public schools. They never charge tuition, and they accept any student who wants to attend. Charter laws require that students are admitted by a random lottery drawing in cases too many students want to enroll in a single charter school. Charter schools must also meet the state and federal academic requirements that apply to all public schools. Charter SchoolsCharter schools are not exempt from federal laws that cover equal rights, access and discrimination.

Students attend charter schools by choice of their parents or guardians rather than by assignment by a school district.

Charter/Charter ApplicationThe document submitted to a charter school sponsor for approvalIt describes what the charter school has promised to do and how it will do it.An approved charter application constitutes an agreement between the charter school and its sponsor. Charter School ContractFixed term, renewable contract between a charter school and a sponsor that outlines the roles, powers, responsibilities, and performance expectations for each party to the contractCharter School ContractAs your schools authorizer, the SCPCSD must monitor your schools faithfulness to the terms of its charter and its contract.

Make sure you become very familiar with your charter and your contract!!!

Charter/Contract AmendmentsMaterial revisions of the terms of the charter or contract can only be made with approval of both parties.

For amendments to your charter, complete and submit a charter amendment request form. The SCPCSD will review and determine if the proposed amendment is material and requires approval of the SCPCSD Board.

For amendments to your contract, refer to the process outlined in the contract.

Material Changes Typically Relate to the Following Topics: Educational programMissionSchool name CurriculumApplication and enrollment requirementsGrades to be servedOrganizational Structure

Maximum student enrollmentGoals and related measures Methods of pupil assessmentFacilities (expansion, location)EMO relationshipGovernance

Compliance Monitoring The South Carolina Charter Schools Act requires authorizers to: monitor the performance and legal/fiscal compliance of each charter school

conduct or require oversight activities including conducting appropriate inquiries and investigations only if such activities are consistent with the law and do not unduly inhibit the autonomy granted to charter schools

Compliance Monitoring notify the charter school of perceived problems if the schools performance or legal compliance appears to be unsatisfactory

take appropriate corrective actions or exercise sanctions short of revocation including requiring a school to develop a CAP w/in a specified timeframe

Compliance Monitoring determine whether each schools charter merits renewal, nonrenewal, or revocation

SCPCSD Compliance Ladder SCPCSD created a compliance ladder to notify schools of performance/compliance issues and to help track compliance

The compliance ladder is a 3-tier approach with graduated notices/warnings: Caution, Probation, and Revocation

SCPCSD Compliance Ladder SCPCSD addresses noncompliance throughout the calendar year as concerns/deficiencies are identified

Each tier triggers a specific notice to a school and requires the school to take corrective action

CautionSchools are notified in writing that there is a performance or compliance deficiency

Cautions are typically issued after the school has been afforded an opportunity to resolve the deficiency on its own and fails to do so

Schools are provided a reasonable opportunity to remedy the deficiency through the development of a corrective action plan (CAP)

Leading causes of cautions: special education violations, lack of special education capacity, failure to submit timely and/or accurate data/reports; test security violations; low academic achievement

ProbationApplies to schools that fall into one or more of the following three categories: schools that have been cautioned but have failed to self-correct; schools with subpar academic performance; or schools with systemic issues of noncompliance or a pattern of noncompliance A sanction short of revocation- provides a school an opportunity to remedy the performance and/or compliance issues that led to probation via the development and implementation of a comprehensive remedial action plan

Schools on probation must demonstrate improvement and correct any outstanding issues of noncompliance to lift probationRevocation5940110 (C) A charter must be revoked or not renewed by the sponsor if it determines that the charter school:

(1) committed a material violation of the conditions, standards, or procedures provided for in the charter application;

(2) failed to meet or make reasonable progress, as defined in the charter application, toward pupil achievement standards identified in the charter application; Revocation(3) failed to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management; or

(4) violated any provision of law from which the charter school was not specifically exempted. Performance ReviewBecause the SCPCSD is obligated by law to conduct ongoing performance reviews of each of its charter schools, the SCPCSD will be evaluating each schools performance over the term of its charter in four key areas: academics, compliance, finance, and organization/governance

Performance ReviewAcademics -the success of the schools academic program Compliance- the schools faithfulness to the terms of its charter, contract, and applicable policies, laws, regulations, and statutes Finance-the schools fiscal stewardship, health and sustainability Organization/Governance- the viability of the school as an organization

Sources of Evidence Include:Charter and charter amendmentsContract and contract amendmentsAnnual report of the schoolAnnual independent financial audit and review of financial records/data Federal and State accountability data Record reviewsFederal program reviewsNotifications of non- compliance and corrective action plans Site visitsStakeholder inputDifferentiated OversightTailor oversight to match an increasingly diverse portfolio of schools

Recognize change in expectations from start-up to mature organization

Respect the autonomy of and minimize the burden on high performing schoolsThings to ComePerformance frameworkMonitoring scheduleImproved compliance ladderDraft Monitoring PlanYear of Charter TermSite Visit TypePurposeInspection TeamApproximate Site Visit Length*Site Visit DeliverablePre-Opening PeriodVisit will occur prior to school openingEnsure completion of all SPCSD required pre-opening conditions as outlined in the contractSCPCSD staffHalf-daySummary letter/memo to the school Board outlining key findings and schools status regarding final authorization to open 1Check-in2Check-in3Full Program Evaluation4As needed5Full Program Evaluation6As needed7Full Program Evaluation8As needed9Renewal Evaluation10As needed* *****