FILE:  HB

Cf:  HAB

CHARTER SCHOOL EVALUATION

The Bogalusa City School Board (BCSB) is committed to being a quality charter school authorizer by conducting operating agreement oversight that evaluates performance, monitors compliance, informs intervention and renewal decisions, and ensures autonomy provided under applicable law.  To that end, it is the intent of the School Board to implement an evaluation system that collects the information needed to determine whether a charter school is meeting the goals and standards as set forth by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) accountability system, the performance frameworks, and each charter application and operating agreement.

In order to make fair and transparent decisions regarding contract revocations, extensions and renewals, the School Board has determined that it is in the best interests of the School Board, charter schools, students, parents, and the public to articulate clear performance standards for charter schools and to evaluate each charter school's level of achievement with respect to those standards.

CHARTER SCHOOL EVALUATION SYSTEM

According to the Principles and Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing published by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), a quality authorizer “establish[es] the performance standards under which schools will be evaluated, using objective and verifiable measures of student achievement as the primary measure of school quality; [and] define[s] clear, measurable, and attainable academic, financial, and organizational performance standards and targets that the school must meet as a condition of renewal.”  The School Board shall use the State of Louisiana's assessment and accountability programs as objective and verifiable measures of student achievement and school performance.  Additional measures of charter school quality include financial and organizational performance measures, as well as supplemental academic performance measures, as described below.

Evaluation Standards

The performance of charter schools authorized by the School Board (Types 1, 3, and 4) shall be evaluated in the following categories:

• Academic Performance

• Financial Performance

• Organizational Performance

Within these three categories, the School Board has defined a common set of performance standards.  These standards are established in the BCSB Charter School Performance Framework, as adopted by the School Board (including any modifications subsequently adopted by the School Board.)

Academic Performance

Louisiana Charter School Law requires charter schools to make demonstrable improvements, using standardized test scores, in the academic performance of students over the term of the charter school’s existence.

The School Board shall annually evaluate charter schools using the following student performance indicators and related measures set forth in the BCSB Charter School Performance Framework:

• State and Federal Accountability Systems

• Subgroup Performance

• Math and Reading Goals

• Optional School-Specific Academic Goals

Charter schools shall participate fully in the Louisiana standardized testing and accountability programs, including the administration of all required state assessments.

Financial Performance

Louisiana Charter School Law requires charter schools to meet generally accepted accounting standards for fiscal management.  This requirement has two (2) underlying purposes:

• To ensure the proper use of public funds, and

• To ensure the financial viability of the school in the future.

The School Board shall annually evaluate charter schools using the financial performance indicators and related measures set forth in the BCSB Charter School Financial Performance Framework for near-term financial health and financial sustainability.  For organizations operating under multiple charters, reporting and evaluation of financial performance shall be conducted separately for each charter agreement (contract).

The School Board shall use budget and cash flow statements and financial audit reports submitted pursuant to the contract between a charter school and the School Board to determine if the school has met the financial standards established by the BCSB Charter School Organizational Performance Framework.

Organizational Performance

Louisiana Charter School Law requires a charter school to be in compliance with the material terms of its contract with the School Board and all applicable laws and regulations.

The School Board shall assess a school's performance in relation to the legal requirements that are applicable to charter schools and to the terms of the contract.  The School Board shall use the performance measures and indicators set forth in the BCSB Charter School Performance Framework to evaluate the performance of each school in the following areas:

• Education Program

• Financial Management and Oversight

• Governance and Reporting

• Students, Parents, and Employees

• School Environment

• Additional Obligations

In addition to the criteria established in the Organizational Performance Framework, the School Board shall consider a standard not met if a violation:

• indicates a deliberate act of wrongdoing, reckless conduct, or fraudulent activity, or
  
  

• seriously jeopardizes the rights of students, safety of students, or continued operation of the school.

Critical Indicators and Deficiency Triggers

Within each Performance Framework, the School Board has identified one or more Critical Indicators, and associated Deficiency Triggers.  Schools found to have a deficiency on a Critical Indicator shall be subject to Intervention, as provided for in HC, Charter School Monitoring, Intervention, and Closure, and in accordance with the provisions of the school’s operating agreement.

New policy:  April 26, 2018

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:3972, 17:3973, 17:3974, 17:3975, 17:3976, 17:3977, 17:3978, 17:3979, 17:3991, 17:3991.1, 17:3992, 17:3993, 17:3994, 17:3995

Charter Schools, Bulletin 126, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 4-26-18

Bogalusa City School Board