How is academic data part of the charter renewal process?

When deciding whether to grant a charter renewal, authorizers are required by law to consider the achievement and progress of a charter's students (EC 47607). Charter schools demonstrate student achievement and progress using quantitative data gathered over the course of the charter's term. This data is submitted to the charter's authorizer in the charter's renewal petition. The kinds of quantitative data charter schools should submit include results from: internal assessments, post-secondary outcomes, and student enrollment, engagement, attendance and/or school climate records.

How has the use of academic data in the charter renewal process changed in recent years?

In 2019, a new law was passed which updated the charter renewal process. Under the new law (known as AB 1505), charter schools are grouped into three ‘performance tracks’ based on academic outcomes. The California Department of Education (CDE) publishes a list of charter performance tracks here.

CCSA has produced a written guide to the renewal process established by AB 1505, as well as a recorded video explanation (updated November 2020), and prepared a 2-page brief.

What kind of data should charter schools prepare for renewal?

Charter school staff should first determine which of the three renewal performance tracks their school falls in, and why. The California Department of Education (CDE) publishes a list of charter performance tracks here. See the next section of this FAQ for an explanation of each perforamnce track. These performance track placements are based on charter schools' outcomes, as shown on the California School Dashboard. A charter’s renewal petition should address all concerning outcomes found in the school's Dashboard results.

To consider what data a charter school should share in its renewal petition, find out why it received its performance track using CCSA’s online Find My Track tool. CCSA also recorded a video guide to using data in the renewal process that you can view here.

How does COVID-19 impact the use of academic data in the charter renewal process?

In response to the COVID pandemic, the California State Board of Education (SBE) suspended state testing for 2020 and made testing optional in 2021. As a result of the lack of testing data, there have been no recent state test results or academic outcomes on the California School Dashboard.

For charter schools renewing in 2021 or 2022, renewal performance track placement is based on outdated academic outcomes from the 2018 and 2019 California School Dashboards. For specific guidance from the California Department of Education (CDE) on Spring 2021 testing, see here.

CCSA members can find out more specific guidance about the 2021 and 2022 renewal process here.

Find out more about preparing academic data for the renewal process later in this guide.

Beyond preparing data, how should a charter school prepare for renewal?

CCSA has prepared a workbook that charter staff can use to stay organized throughout the renewal process. The workbook contains resuorces for creating a renewal timeline, organizing parent supporters, building authorizer relationships, and more. (Video guide for the workbook available here.)

What are the renewal "performance tracks” and what does each mean?

Charter renewal performance tracks are an evaluation of a charter school’s public-facing academic outcomes. Every charter school in California receives a performance track based on the school’s 2018 and 2019 CA School Dashboard results.

There are three (3) performance tracks, and they help authorizers determine whether a charter school should be renewed and for how long to grant the renewal:

• High Track: eligible for 5-7 year renewal. Presumed renewal. Must have above average Status in academic indicators or all Blue/Green Dashboard colors.
• Middle Track: eligible for 5-year renewal. Presumed renewal, unless the authorizer gives specific rationale for denial. Any school which doesn't fall in the High or Low Tracks.
• Low Track: eligible for 2-year renewal. Presumed denial, unless the school shares evidence that describes the school's effectiveness and specific plans for improvement. All Orange/Red on Dashboard colors or below average Status in academic indicators (overall and for 50% or more of all historically underserved subgroups).

For a more complete look at the performance tracks, CCSA created a 2-page brief.

What performance track is my/this charter school in?

The California Department of Education publishes the performance track of charter schools on this page.

How does the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of state testing affect a charter school's performance track placement?

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, renewal performance track placement was adjusted to be based on each charter schools' 2018 and 2019 Dashboards (for more on this change, read here). Charter schools' renewal performance track placements can be found on this CDE page.

Why is my/this charter school in the High/Middle/Low Track?

Performance track placement is based on the school's two most recent Dashboard results. Look up a charter school in CCSA’s online Find My Track tool to see the Dashboard results which casused the school's track placement.

What should my/this charter school do if it is missing from the California Department of Education's performance track list?

Schools that are not listed in the California Department of Education list of charter school performance tracks are most likely in the Middle Track. Staff of charters that are members of CCSA and in this situation should follow CCSA recommendations for a Middle Track renewal.

What does it mean to be in the High Track?

A High Track charter is eligible for a streamlined 5-7 year renewal, and is guaranteed renewal (barring operational, governance, or financial concerns). The renewal is streamlined because the petition only needs to be updated to comply with any new laws passed since the charter's last renewal.

It is up to the authorizer’s discretion to determine whether a High Track charter should receive a 5, 6, or 7-year renewal. For guidance on an authorizer’s historical preferences with regard to granting longer renewals, CCSA member schools should contact their CCSA Local Advocacy representative.

What does it mean to be in the Middle Track?

A Middle Track charter school has a mixed record of academic performance based on its CA School Dashboard. By law, authorizers are expected to renew Middle Track charters. Authorizers may only deny a renewing Middle Track charter if it provides evidence that the charter failed to help students meet or make sufficient academic progress and that closure is in the best interest of the charter's pupils.

CCSA member schools have access to a guide for Middle Track renewal. If Middle Track charter staff are concerned that their authorizer will pursue denial, they may share verified data with the authorizer. Verified data are non-public student outcomes which charter schools can use to demonstrate that students are making progress. See the verified data section for further explanation of what data Middle Track schools should focus on when preparing for renewal.

What does it mean to be in the Low Track?

Based on public academic performance data, Low Track charter schools are considered a “presumptive non-renewal”. Low Track schools may only be renewed if: (1) the school shares a board-approved plan for improvement and (2) the school uses verified data to provide compelling evidence that the school is on an upward trajectory and that students are making progress.

Low Track charter renewal petitions should acknowledge weaknesses in the school’s public data, demonstrate with data the areas where students are showing progress, and share strategies for improving the school’s public-facing student outcomes. If a Low Track charter school is approved by its authorizer, the school may only receive a 2-year renewal. See the verified data section for further explanation of what data low track schools should focus on when preparing for renewal.

What are verified data?

Verified data are the only non-public data that Middle and Low Track charter schools may submit in their renewal petition as evidence of academic outcomes and progress. The approved list was voted on by the State Board of Education in November 2020.

What assessments and post-secondary measures can be used as verified data?

• Assessments:
  • mCLASS by Amplify
  • SAT Suite by College Board
  • iReady by Curriculum Associates
  • ELPAC by Educational Testing Service
  • Math Inventory by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Reading Inventory by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • FastBridge by Illuminate
  • Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment (DORA) by Let’s Go Learn
  • Adaptive, Diagnostic Assessment of Mathematics (ADAM)/Diagnostic Online Math Assessment (DOMA) by Let’s Go Learn
  • RAPID by Lexia Learning
  • Measures of Academic Progress by NWEA
  • Star Assessments by Renaissance
  • easyCBM by Riverside Insights
  • California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics)
• Post-secondary measures:
  • Cal-PASS Plus High School to Community College Transition Report
  • California State University Enrollment Dashboard Student Origin
  • California Department of Education DataQuest College-Going Rate
  • National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker
  • University of California Admissions by School Source
  • University of California Undergraduate Graduation Rates

Are there any reasons why verified data would not be accepted by an authorizer?

In order for a verified data source to qualify as valid, a charter school needs to demonstrate that the vast majority (95% or more) of students were included. Verified data only needs to include "eligible students" in its 95% participation rate. Eligible students are those who should have taken a particular assessment or achieved a particular outcome (e.g. an assessment that’s only taken by 3rd – 5th graders would make 1st and 2nd graders ineligible. The 1st and 2nd graders don’t need to be included in the 95% requirement). For more information on state requirements, see this memorandum from the State Board of Education (table on page 14).

How are verified data used in the renewal process?

Verified data are used by Middle and Low Track charter schools to demonstrate students’ academic progress and outcomes. Submitting verified data with a renewal petition is optional for Middle Track charter schools and required for Low Track schools to be renewed.

If a petition includes verified data, CCSA recommends sharing grade-level student progress in core subjects (espcially English and Reading) from Fall to Spring, and for all significant student subgroups (any demographic with 30+ students). For further explanation of the uses of verified data, see the Gathering & Reporting Data section. The California Department of Education has also prepared a verified data FAQ here.

Are authorizers alowed to prioritize certain verified tests over others?

No. All verified data sources submitted by the charter must be considered by the authorizer.

What should a charter school do if it is not currently administering an assessment on the verified data list?

CCSA recommends that all charter schools adopt a verified assessment. For charter schools with an upcoming renewal and no verified assessment results, the school should evaluate its student-level ELPAC and CAASPP results to demonstrate grade and subgroup-level progress.

Where are public data about charter schools located?

CCSA recommends you visit the following sites to understand your school's public data profile:

  CCSA's Data Deep Dive Tool features the public data that CCSA considers most critical for a charter school's renewal preparation.

  The California School Dashboard is updated by the California Department of Education and shares information about schools and districts.

  The CAASPP website is updated with the latest results from California's standardized tests (SBAC, CAST, ELPAC, and Alternative Assessments).

  DataQuest is a CDE-run website that can search for public education data about schools, districts, counties, and the entire state.

How are CAASPP results translated into Distance from Standard?

For both the English and Math state tests, every grade level has a different minimum score which students have to reach in order to be considered Meeting Standards. CCSA has created an excel worksheet that can take a school's CAASPP scale score results and convert them into Distance from Standard (DFS). We've also created a two-part video guide explaining the Excel tool. (Part 1 and 2)

How should charter schools demonstrate student progress using CAASPP?

CCSA recommends evaluating student progress on CAASPP at the cohort level, by following classes of students as they progress to higher grades. To help charter schools evaluate cohort progress, CCSA created this online cohort tool, which shows how each grade's average Distance from Standard changes as students progress from one grade to the next. We've created a two-part video that walks through how to use the tool. (Video guide:part 1 and 2)

How should charter schools with high student mobility demonstrate progress?

When schools have high mobility, CCSA recommends looking at data in two ways: (1) semester-wide growth of all tested students, (2) annual academic progress of continuously enrolled students. CCSA created this worksheet that walks through the process of identifying continuously enrolled students. (Video guide: Part 1 & 2)

How are verified data used to demonstrate student progress?

Verified data are used to demonstrate the progress of students in core subjects from one testing event to the next. CCSA has created a guide to using verified data to tell a story of student progress. Video guide here.

How can verified data be used to demonstrate secondary student success?

Verified secondary student outcome data are used to demonstrate post-secondary next steps of recent graduates/high school completers. CCSA has created a worksheet to help schools demonstrate their students' post-secondary success. Video guide here.