CPS Announces New Charter School Accountability Policy

Evan F. Moore | As of Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced this week a proposed charter school accountability policy that will hold charter schools to the same academic standards as district-run schools and allow CPS to take swift action against poor performers.

In conjunction with this policy, the district will recommend immediately placing 10 charter schools on an “Academic Warning List,” which could result in the closure of these schools if performance does not significantly improve. Four of these schools are receiving additional scrutiny and could be recommended for revocation or non-renewal.

CPS CEO Forrest Claypool released a statement saying,”Establishing high-quality school options in every neighborhood throughout Chicago is among our highest priorities, but we cannot make that a reality without a rigorous accountability policy that holds every public school in Chicago to the same standard. On day one, this policy will allow us to take immediate action on charters that are not meeting our standards, and in the long term it will ensure schools that don’t serve children well don’t get to operate in Chicago.”

According to CPS officials, to ensure schools are meeting the district’s standards, CPS will leverage each charter’s School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP) score to evaluate performance. SQRP is a proven accountability tool and holding charter schools to higher standards based on SQRP will create parity among all CPS schools.

Under the new policy, which will be voted on by the Board of Education at its October 2015 Board Meeting, any charter that has a Level 3 SQRP rating, a two-year SQRP point value average of 2.5 or lower, or a Level 2 rating in three consecutive years will be placed on the Academic Warning List. Schools placed on the Academic Warning List must improve their performance or risk losing their charter.

Charter schools placed on the Academic Warning List will be required to submit a written remediation plan to rectify the problems that led to the school’s performance. If a school does not meet the terms of its remediation plan in one year, it will be recommended for charter revocation. Under the new policy, a charter will also be recommended for revocation if it is on the Warning List for two consecutive years.

If the new policy is approved by the Board of Education, the following 10 schools will be placed on the Academic Warning List:

Amandla Charter High School ASPIRA – Early College High School Betty Shabazz – Barbara A. Sizemore Academy Elementary School Bronzeville Lighthouse Charter Elementary School CICS – ChicagoQuest High School CICS – Larry Hawkins High School Galapagos Elementary Charter School Instituto – Justice Lozano High School Kwame Nkrumah Academy Elementary School Prologue – Joshua Johnston Charter High School

Three of the schools on the list – Amandla, Shabazz –Sizemore, and CICS –Hawkins –will receive additional scrutiny because they were also on last year’s Warning List. The District is reviewing the Warning List remediation plans submitted last year by these schools, and if it is determined that they have not met the terms of their plans they will be recommended for contract revocation.

“In order to ensure that families in Chicago have access to high-quality options in every part of the city, we must be strategic and thoughtful about opening quality schools,” said CPS Chief Education Officer Janice Jackson. “By limiting charter expansion to only the best operators and proposals, we can be confident that proven programs are being established in parts of the city where quality options are needed.”

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

A.L. Smith - Harold Washington Legacy Committee