THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER RECOMMENDS:
That the Board Adopt New Options School Accountability Policy effective for the 2022-2023 school year as options schools are currently not addressed under current policies. This policy addresses that gap. The policy was posted for public comment from October 17, 2022 to November 17, 2022.
PURPOSE: This policy is intended to establish a system of transparent academic accountability performance standards for district-authorized charter and district-managed options schools, while the District redesigns a long-term accountability system in line with the values and priorities enumerated by Board resolution on April 27, 2022 (Board Report 22-0427-RS1). This policy will fill a gap in accountability for district-authorized charter and district-managed options schools as the District works to redesign its accountability system for the 2024-2025 school year.
Each district-authorized charter options school will be assigned an accountability designation beginning with the 2022-2023 school year based on school performance data gathered during the prior school year. Each options school will be denoted as “Inability to Rate” for the 2022-2023 school year. This policy will be used to assign school accountability statuses to district-managed options schools for school year 2023-2024. The accountability designation/status for each options school from the prior school year will remain in effect until such time as the school is notified of its new designation/status that is issued in accordance with this policy.
POLICY TEXT:
I. SCOPE OF POLICY:
This policy sets out broad charter and district-managed options school academic performance standards to ensure that (1) there is transparency regarding the expectations and standards for charter and district-managed options school academic performance; and (2) the portfolio of charter and district-managed options schools available to Chicago families and students contains academically high-quality schools.
II. ACCOUNTABILITY
A. Charter Options Schools
ACADEMIC ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS:
Charter options schools will receive an accountability designation based on a summative score as described in Section III.
- All schools with a summative score of 3.0 or above will be deemed to have met or be making reasonable progress toward student academic achievement standards in accordance with Section 27A-9(c)(2) of the Illinois School Code.
- All schools with a summative score of 2.9 or below are subject to contract revocation or non-renewal for failure to meet or make reasonable progress toward student academic achievement in accordance with Section 27A-9(c)(2) of the Illinois School Code and will be placed on the Intensive Academic Support List.
STANDARDS FOR RENEWAL AND NON-RENEWAL:
School renewal recommendations will be based on the academic, financial, and operational performance during the entirety of a school’s contract term, or the last three years, whichever is longer.
If a charter options school seeks to renew its contract, the CEO will make recommendations concerning the school’s ability to meet or make reasonable progress toward student academic achievement standards to the Board. A charter options school campus will be considered to be meeting or making reasonable progress toward achievement of the content standards or pupil performance standards if the school receives a summative score of 3.0 or above.”
Charter options school operators who operate two or more charter options schools or campuses will have each school or campus evaluated individually for renewal or non-renewal.
STANDARDS AND PROCESS FOR REVOCATION:
When a charter options school or campus is placed on the Intensive Academic Support List, the CEO or designee will send notice that the school or campus is in revocation status and subject to possible closure pursuant to Section 27A(9)(c) of the Illinois School Code. Upon receipt of such notice, the charter options school or campus must submit a written school improvement plan to the CEO or designee to rectify the problems that resulted in the charter school or campus being placed on the Intensive Academic Support List. The written school improvement plan must include a timeline for implementation, and the CEO or designee must monitor the implementation and adherence to the school improvement plan requirements. The CEO will recommend the revocation of a charter options school or campus to the Board if the CEO determines that the school or campus failed to implement the school improvement plan and adhere to the timeline.
No school’s charter will be revoked solely based on its academic accountability designation. The District will also use an equity lens as set forth in the CPS Equity Framework when reviewing a school’s overall performance.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Nothing in this policy prohibits the CEO from making individual recommendations regarding charter options school expansion or replication, non-renewal, or revocation based on the totality of factors the CEO deems relevant, particularly including equity considerations. Nothing in this policy prohibits the Board from revoking or not renewing a charter for failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management, for failure to comply with applicable law, or for committing a material violation of any of the conditions, standards, or procedures set forth in their charter school agreement.
B. District-Managed Options Schools
Ratings Standards
District-managed options schools (includes Peace and Education HS, Simpson HS) will be denoted as “Inability to Rate” for the 2022-2023 school year. Per Board resolution 22-0223-RS3, each school that received Good Standing status, Remediation status (which indicates the need for provisional support) or Probation status (which indicates the need for Intensive Support) per Section 5/34-8.3 of the Illinois School Code during the 2019-2020 school year shall maintain that same status for the 2022-2023 school year. However, for any school that is scheduled to complete its five-year probation period during the 2022-2023 school year and whose ratings from the 2019-2020 school year would identify the school with an accountability status of Good Standing or Remediation, that school will be deemed removed from probation.
For the 2023-2024 school year, the District will assign school accountability statuses in accordance with Illinois state law using the points system described in Section III below. The three categories that will be used for district-managed options schools are Good Standing, Remediation, and Probation. Using the weighted total scores, schools will be assigned to these categories as follows:
| Summative Score | Accountability Status |
|---|---|
| ≥3.0 | Good Standing |
| 2.0-2.9 | Remediation/Provisional Support |
| <2.0 | Probation/Intensive Support |
SCHOOLS PLACED ON REMEDIATION
Any school that receives a remediation status as described above shall participate in a remedial program in which a remediation plan is developed by the CEO and/or the CEO’s designees. A Remediation Plan may include one or more of the following components:
- Drafting a new school improvement plan (currently known as the Continuous Improvement Work Plan, or CIWP);
- Additional training for the local school council (if applicable);
- Directing the implementation of the school improvement plan; and
- Mediating disputes or other obstacles to reform or improvement at the school.
A remediation plan is intended to provide the support and oversight necessary to prevent schools with declining or flat performance from entering probation status, and to help schools who have received a probation status achieve good standing. In creating a remediation plan, the CEO or designee shall give assistance to the school to ensure that all aspects of the plan, including the school budget, address the educational deficiencies at these schools.
Any updates to such school improvement plan to address new data on the deficiencies at remediation schools with a school improvement status shall be approved by the Board in accordance with the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE’s) timeline for Board approval of school improvement plans. The CEO or designee shall monitor each remediation school’s implementation of the final plan and the progress the school makes toward implementation of the plan and the correction of its educational deficiencies.
SCHOOLS PLACED ON PROBATION
School Improvement Plan and Budget:
Each school placed on probation shall have a school improvement plan and a school budget for correcting deficiencies identified by the Board. The CEO or designee shall develop a CIWP that shall contain specific steps that the local school council and the school staff must take to correct identified deficiencies. The school’s CIWP may serve as the school’s probation plan. The school budget shall include specific expenditures that support the implementation of this plan and that are directly calculated to correct educational and operational deficiencies identified at the school.
In creating or updating the required plan, the CEO or designee shall give assistance to probation schools to ensure that all aspects of the plan, including the school budget, reflect and are tailored to the individual needs of the school and that the plan addresses the educational deficiencies at these schools. The Board shall approve school improvement plans for schools placed on probation. Any updates to such school improvement plan or school budget to address new data on the deficiencies at probation schools and schools with a state or federal school improvement status shall be approved by the Board in accordance with ISBE’s timeline for Board approval of school improvement plans.
Except when otherwise specified by the CEO, the Chief of Schools for the school’s network and the Chief of Schools’ designees shall serve as the probation team that will identify the educational and operational deficiencies at probation schools in their network to be addressed in the school improvement plan and budget presented to the Board for approval.
Monitoring:
The CEO or designee shall monitor each probation school’s implementation of the final plan and the progress the school makes toward implementation of the plan and the correction of its educational deficiencies.
Additional Corrective Measures:
Schools placed on probation that, after at least one year, fail to make adequate progress in correcting deficiencies are subject to the following actions by the approval of the Board, after an opportunity for a hearing:
- Ordering new local school council elections;
- Removing and replacing the principal;
- Replacement of faculty members, subject to the provisions of Section 24A-5 of the Illinois School Code;
- Reconstitution of the attendance center and replacement and reassignment by the CEO of all employees of the attendance center;
- Intervention under Section 34-8.4 of the Illinois School Code;
- Operating an attendance center as a contract turnaround school; or
- Any other action authorized under Section 34-8.3 of the Illinois School Code
The Law Department shall develop and disseminate hearing procedures for hearings required before taking any of the corrective actions specified above.
III. TERMS:
Weighting and Weighted Points
| Points | For each indicator in the model, schools can earn between 1 and 5 points for reaching progressive benchmarks of performance. |
| Weighting | Each indicator has a specific weight in the model. Weights may be different based on the number and type of indicators that are available to a particular school, but the sum of the weights for the school will always be 100%. |
| Weighted Score | The points received for each indicator are multiplied by their weight and then added together. The resulting weighted score will be between 1 and 5. Indicators with larger weights will play a bigger role in determining the school’s overall weighted score. |
| Intensive Academic Support List |
List maintained by the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) or designee that identifies charter schools or campuses failing to meet or make reasonable progress towards student academic achievement. A charter options school or campus will be placed on the Intensive Academic Support List, if the charter school or campus:
|
Average Student Growth Percentile on STAR Assessment
| Definition | Average fall-to-spring, fall-to-winter, or winter-to-spring growth percentile of students on the STAR reading and math assessments. |
| How it is calculated | For each school, an average student growth percentile will be calculated from available individual growth percentiles from fall-to-spring, fall-to-winter, or winter-to-spring windows. |
| Included Students | Yearly, students are counted once per subject. For example, if a student has fall-to-spring growth, the student’s fall-to-winter and winter-to-spring percentiles are not used. |
Percent of Students Making Growth Targets on STAR Reading and Math
| Definition | Percentage of students with a growth percentile of 40 or higher on the STAR reading and math assessments. |
| How it is calculated |
Numerator: Number of students with a growth percentile of 40 or higher on the STAR assessment. Denominator: Number of students with valid pretest and posttest scores on the STAR assessment. |
| Included Students | Yearly, students are counted once per subject. For example, if a student has fall-to-spring growth, the student’s fall-to-winter and Winter-to-Spring percentiles are not used. |
| Notes | This indicator is calculated separately for reading and math. |
1-Year Graduation Rate
| Definition | Percent of graduation-eligible students who graduate by the end of the school year. |
| How it is calculated |
Numerator: Number of students who graduate at any point during the school year. Denominator: Number of students who, at the beginning of the school year or at the time of enrollment, have sufficient credits such that they could graduate by the end of the school year if they took a full course load. |
| Student Population |
Included: graduation-eligible students; students who graduated, including summer graduates. Excluded: Verified transfers are excluded from the calculation. |
| Notes | The definition of “full course load” will be individualized per the program model. Transcripts must be updated in SIM by a date to be communicated by the Office of Accountability for students to be considered as graduates. |
Credit Attainment Rate
| Definition | Percent of students who earn the total credits possible while they are enrolled at the school. |
| How it is calculated |
Numerator: The sum of both the number of traditional and self-paced students with a 100% pass-rate who are also included in the denominator. Denominator: The sum of the number of traditional students who receive one or more credits while they are enrolled at the school and the number of self-paced students who are enrolled at the school for at least 45 days. |
| Included Students | Students who have not been enrolled long enough to earn credits are excluded. |
| Notes |
The total credits possible are individualized per the program model. Final grades must be entered within 30 days after the last CPS student attendance day to be included in the calculation. Grade changes submitted past this deadline will not be included in the credit attainment rate. Missing grades or grades entered as slashes will be defaulted to course failures (Fs). Credits earned during the summer are not included in the calculation of this metric. |
Stabilization Rate
| Definition | Percent of stable students who are enrolled at the end of the school year, completed the program, or successfully transitioned to another CPS school. |
| How it is calculated |
Numerator: Number of stable students who enrolled at any time during the year and are enrolled at the end of the year, complete the program, exit the system due to age requirements, or successfully transition to another CPS school. Denominator: Number of stable students enrolled at any time during the year, excluding students with a non-dropout leave code or a verified out-of-district transfer. |
| Included Students | Stable refers to students who have accumulated at least 45 membership days. Unverified out-of-district transfers whose transfer took place in the last 150 calendar days of the school year are not counted as dropouts in this rate. |
Growth in Attendance Rate
| Definition | Percent of stable students who show an improvement of at least three percentage points in their individual daily attendance rates at an option school compared to their daily attendance rate in the previous school year. |
| How it is calculated |
Numerator: Number of stable students whose current year attendance rate at their school of enrollment is at least three percentage points greater than their average year-end attendance rate during the previous school year, or who have maintained a 90% attendance rate in the current year. Denominator: Number of stable students with documented current year attendance. |
| Included Students | Stable refers to students who have accumulated at least 45 membership days. |
| Notes |
Students without documented attendance from the previous school year who have at least 45 days of membership are assumed to have a 0% prior-year attendance rate. Students with at least 45 days of membership are included in the calculation of the rate even if they subsequently transfer out. The rate calculated for the students will only include membership days accumulated at the option school, though a student may be counted in the rate for more than one option school if they have 45 membership days or more at each. The 45 days required for inclusion do not have to be consecutive. Attendance rates will be adjusted for students with medically fragile conditions and early graduation for 8th and 12th grade graduation consistent with Average Daily Attendance Rate. These adjustments will only be made if they improve the school’s Growth in Attendance Rate. Attendance days in the prior year that are accumulated at correctional facility schools (i.e., Jefferson or York) are not included in the prior year attendance rate for this comparison. For Simpson HS, this comparison is only made if the student was at Simpson in both the prior year and current year. |
IV. OPTION SCHOOL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
The indicators and standards and related points that determine an options school’s summative rating are as follows:
| Options School Performance Indicator | 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Average Growth Percentile on STAR Reading Assessment | 60th percentile or higher | Between 50th and 59th percentile | Between 40th and 49th percentile | Between 30th and 39th percentile | Below 30th percentile |
| 2. Average Growth Percentile on STAR Math Assessment | 60th percentile or higher | Between 50th and 59th percentile | Between 40th and 49th percentile | Between 30th and 39th percentile | Below 30th percentile |
| 3. Percentage of Students Making Growth Targets on STAR Reading Assessment | Greater than or equal to 65% | Between 55% and 64.9% | Between 45% and 54.9% | Between 35% and 44.9% | Less than 35% |
| 4. Percentage of Students Making Growth Targets on STAR Math Assessment | Greater than or equal to 65% | Between 55% and 64.9% | Between 45% and 54.9% | Between 35% and 44.9% | Less than 35% |
| 5. One-Year Graduation Rate | Greater than or equal to 90% | Between 80% and 89.9% | Between 70% and 79.9% | Between 60% and 69.9% | Less than 60% |
| 6. Credit Attainment Rate | Greater than or equal to 70% | Between 60% and 69.9% | Between 50% and 59.9% | Between 40% and 49.9% | Less than 40% |
| 7. Stabilization Rate | Greater than or equal to 90% | Between 80% and 89.9% | Between 70% and 79.9% | Between 60% and 69.9% | Less than 60% |
| 8. Average Daily Attendance Rate | Greater than or equal to 90% | Between 80% and 89.9% | Between 70% and 79.9% | Between 60% and 69.9% | Less than 60% |
| 9. Growth in Attendance Rate | Greater than or equal to 90% | Between 80% and 89.9% | Between 70% and 79.9% | Between 60% and 69.9% | Less than 60% |
| 10. Percentage of Graduates Earning a 3+ on an AP Exam, a 4+ on an IB Exam, the State Seal of Biliteracy, an Approved Early College Credit and/or an Approved Career Credential | Greater than or equal to 25% | Between 20% and 24.9% | Between 10% and19.9% | Between 5% and 9.9% | Less than 5% |
| 11. College Enrollment Rate | Greater than or equal to 50% | Between 30% and 49.9% | Between 20% and 29.9% | Between 10% and 19.9% | Less than 10% |
| 12. Percentage of Students Completing a Concrete Post Secondary Plan Via Learn.Plan.Succeed | 95% or higher | Between 90% and 94% | Between 80% and 89% | Between 70% and 79% | Less than 70% |
| 13. My Voice, My School 5 Essentials Survey | Well Organized | Organized | Moderately Organized | Partially Organized | Not Yet Organized |
For each of the above indicators that is based on STAR, a school must meet minimum participation requirements to receive the full points. A minimum participation requirement is established to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to participate in the instruction and assessment process. The points received for each indicator will be adjusted as follows based on participation rates, with a school receiving no less than one point for each indicator:
| STAR Participation Rate | Point Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Greater than or equal to 90% | No adjustment |
| Greater than or equal to 85% but less than 90% | -1 point |
| Greater than or equal to 80% but less than 85% | -2 points |
| Greater than or equal to 75% but less than 80% | -3 points |
| Less than 75% | -4 points |
Standard Options School Weights
| Options School Indicator |
Weight for SY21-22 Performance Applies to SY23 Accountability |
Weight for SY22-23 and beyond Performance Applies to SY24 and beyond Accountability |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Average Growth Percentile on STAR Reading Assessment | 0% | 10% |
| 2. Average Growth Percentile on STAR Math Assessment | 0% | 10% |
| 3. Percent Making Growth Targets on STAR Reading Assessment | 0% | 10% |
| 4. Percent Making Growth Targets on STAR Math Assessment | 0% | 10% |
| 5. One-Year Graduation Rate | 20% | 10% |
| 6. Credit Attainment Rate | 10% | 5% |
| 7. Stabilization Rate | 10% | 5% |
| 8. Average Daily Attendance Rate | 20% | 10% |
| 9. Growth in Attendance Rate | 0% | 5% |
| 10. Early College and Career Credentials | 10% | 5% |
| 11. College Enrollment Rate | 10% | 5% |
| 12. Percentage of Graduates Completing a Concrete Postsecondary Plan via Learn.Plan.Succeed | 10% | 5% |
| 13. My Voice, My School 5 Essentials Survey | 10% | 10% |
The school will receive between 1 and 5 points for each indicator, which will then be multiplied by the weight of the indicator to calculate the weighted points for each indicator. For example:
| Indicator | School's Result | Points | Weight | Weighted Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth in Attendance Rate | 90th Percentile | 5 points | 12.5% | 0.625 |
| Amends/Rescinds | |
| Cross References | |
| Legal References | 105 ILCS 5/27A-9(c); 105 ILCS 5/27A-5(b); 105 ILCS 5/34-8.3; 105 ILCS 5/34-8.4. |
| Public Comment | Pursuant to Board Rule 2-6 this Policy was posted for Public Comment from 10/17/22 - 11/17/22. |