Florida’s Charter SchoolsFlorida’s Charter SchoolsProgram Grant AwardProgram Grant Award
Information SessionInformation Session
August 2011August 2011
CSP Grant AwardCSP Grant Award
In July 2011, USDOE announced that Florida was one of two states to
receive a five-yearCharter Schools Program
(CSP) Grant Award.
OverviewOverview
Purpose: Provide financial assistance to expand the number of high quality charter schools andbuild a better national understanding of publiccharter schools.
95% of funding will be distributed in subgrants to charter schools (45 start-up/year and dissemination)
Administrative funds will be used to provide training and professional development and for subgrant recipient monitoring activities.
Objective 1Objective 1
Increase access to high-quality charter schoolsfor educationally disadvantaged students.
Activities: Preference points and increased funding for charter school
developers opening schools in the feeder patterns of PLA public schools or rural low-income districts
Coordination with Race to the Top initiative supporting management organizations opening charter schools in feeder zones of PLA public schools
New applicant trainings and outreach activities targeting rural districts
Objective 1Objective 1
Expected Outcomes:
Objective 2Objective 2
Improve the authorizing practices and capacity ofLocal Education Agency Authorizers.
Activities: Training activities related to authorizing best practices. Workshops for authorizers on using the model charter
school evaluation instrument Partnership with FACSA to create principles and standards
for high-quality authorizing in Florida and an online charter school monitoring tool
Distribute Title I regulation, eligibility, and allocation information to all LEAs each year
Objective 2Objective 2
Expected Outcomes:
Objective 3Objective 3
Increase the number of high-quality charter schools in Florida.
Activities: Award Planning and Implementation subgrants to
high-quality charter schools selected through a rigorous peer review process
Conduct monitoring visits (50%) and desk audits (100%) New applicant training Annual needs assessment, develop training plan,
and conduct training activities (5 trainings, 1000 people) Dissemination grants
Objective 3Objective 3
Expected Outcomes:
Objective 4Objective 4
Increase the academic achievement of charterschool students.
Activities: Dissemination grants Charter Support Unit (CSU) Trainings related to highly-effective
instructional practices
Objective 4Objective 4
Expected Outcomes:
DisseminationDissemination
The Department will fund projects for the purposeof disseminating information related to the following:
Highly-effective instructional practices (2+) Best and promising practices for increasing graduation
rates, with emphasis on at-risk students (1+) Best practices amongst charter schools and LEAs through
the development of an online learning community (1) Accelerated learning options, such as advanced
placement and dual enrollment (1+) Teacher evaluation systems (1+) Instructional improvement systems (1+) Teacher recruitment and retention (1+)
SupportSupport
The Department plans to provide comprehensive and ongoing support for charter schools through the following types of training:
Charter Schools New Applicant Highly-Effective Instructional Practices, including partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection Need-Based, determined by annual needs assessment
Authorizers Authorizing Best Practices,
including timely distribution of federal funds and monitoring academic performance
Model Forms Adoption and Implementations
of Authorizing Principles and Standards
WaiversWaivers
The Department requested and was granted severalwaivers to statutory and regulatory provisions:
Extend CSP Grant project period to 5 years Allow charter schools to receive more than one planning
and implementation grant (for significant expansion) Allow eligible charter schools to receive more than one
dissemination grant Extend dissemination grant project period to 3 years
External EvaluationExternal Evaluation
Thorough assessment and evaluation to determine ifthe Department has the appropriate systems in place tosustain and grow a high-quality charter school sector.
What are the strengths and weaknesses in the Department’s CSP sub-grant application and review process?
How can the Department improve its CSP application and review process to better screen for quality?
What is the impact of the CSP funding on student achievement?
What is the impact of each of the dissemination grants funded by the Department?
Questions?Questions?