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THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER RECOMMENDS:
That the Board amend the current Options School Accountability Policy beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. The policy was previously approved by the Board in January 2023 and was effective for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years. Charter, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) options school accountability as outlined in this policy will be effective until a new framework has been developed. The Updated and Consolidated Policy for Determining Accountability Statuses in Compliance with State Law will now govern district-managed options schools.
PURPOSE: This policy is intended to ensure the continuation of transparent academic accountability performance standards for district-authorized charter, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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) and Board policy on April 26, 2023 (Board Report 23-0426-PO4).
Each district-authorized charter, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) options school will be assigned an accountability designation based on school performance data gathered during the prior school year. The accountability designation 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) options school academic performance standards to ensure that (1) there is transparency regarding the expectations and standards for charter, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) options school academic performance; and (2) the portfolio of charter, contract and ALOP options schools available to Chicago families and students contains academically high-quality schools.
II. Accountability For Charter, Contract And Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) Options Schools
ACADEMIC ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS:
Charter, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) options school operators who operate two or more 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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 or contract 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) 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 or contract.
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 assigned 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 greater role in determining the school’s overall weighted score. |
| Intensive Academic Support List |
A list maintained by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or designee that identifies charter, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) schools or campuses failing to meet or make reasonable progress towards student academic achievement. A charter, contract and Alternative Learning Opportunity Program (ALOP) options school or campus will be placed on the Intensive Academic Support List if the 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 | Each school year, 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. |
| Included Students | Each school year, 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. |
| 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 the student information system 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. |
| Included Students | Students who have not been enrolled long enough to earn credits are excluded. All other students are included. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Average Daily (Adjusted) Attendance Rate
| Definition | Percentage of the total number of days in which students during the school year were marked present at a school, divided by the total number of days that those students were expected to be in attendance. |
|---|---|
| How it is calculated |
Numerator: The sum of days in which students were marked present. |
| Included Students | For Option Schools, only one attendance rate will be calculated that will include all students. Students are attributed to each school in which they were enrolled, but only for the days in which they were enrolled in that school. |
| Notes |
This metric uses an adjusted attendance rate. This adjustment includes removing students from the calculation if they qualify for the medically fragile adjustment, or are in 8th or 12th grade subsequent to the first date on which CPS permits graduation. The latter adjustment only applies to the attendance days after the first permitted graduation date; these students are not removed from the entire calculation. These adjustments will only be made if they improve the school’s attendance rate. The adjusted attendance rates do not result in any changes to student records, nor to the official, unadjusted attendance rate which is reported to the State of Illinois and on most CPS reports. |
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 options 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. |
| Included Students | Stable refers to students who have accumulated at least 45 membership days. |
| Notes |
Students without documented attendance from the previous school year, but have at least 45 days of membership in the current school year 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 options school, though a student may be counted in the rate for more than one options 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. |
Percentage of Graduates Earning Early College & Career Credentials
| Definition | Percent of graduates in the school year who have earned at least one credit from an approved early college course, a 3+ on an AP exam, a 4+ on an IB exam, an approved career credential, or the State Seal of Biliteracy. |
|---|---|
| How it is calculated | Numerator: Number of students graduating from the school to which they are annualized during their graduation year with one of the credentials listed above Denominator: Number of students who graduated in the school year and whose enrollment was annualized to the school during the school year. |
| Included Students |
Includes all graduates in the most recent year, regardless of their freshman cohort. In the case where a graduate is reactivated and re-graduated, that student is NOT counted in their second graduating class; they are only accounted for in their first graduating class. Students earning multiple credentials are only counted once in the measure. |
| Notes |
Early college courses and career certifications will need to be pre-approved to count in the indicator. Schools will have the opportunity to view pre-approved courses and certification or apply for approval for additional offerings. All the early college and career credentials a student earns during their high school career count, regardless of which school they attended when they earned it. 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. Missing grades or grades entered as slashes will be defaulted to course failures (Fs). JROTC qualifies as a career credential. In order to count positively in a school's metric, a JROTC cadet must complete both semesters of JROTC III and JROTC IV with an average JROTC GPA of 2.0 in these four courses. Any F's that are not retaken will disqualify the student from earning the JROTC career credential. |
College Enrollment Rate
| Definition | Percent of students graduating from CPS in the previous year who enrolled in a 2-year or 4-year college in the fall or spring after graduation from high school. |
|---|---|
| How it is calculated | Numerator: Number of students in the denominator who enrolled in college in the fall or spring after graduating from high school. To be considered enrolled in college in the fall or spring, the student must be active at the college any time between September 15 and April 30, inclusive. Denominator:Number of students who graduated in the prior school year. Students are attributed to the school to which they were annualized in their graduating year. |
| Included Students | Students are included in the calculation based on the year they graduated, regardless of their freshman cohort. In the case where a graduate is reactivated and re-graduated, that student is NOT counted in their second graduating class; they are only accounted for in their first graduating class. Students who have a DLM/IAA indicator are not included. |
| Notes | College enrollment is determined based on data received from the National Student Clearinghouse, as well as enrollments confirmed through the Office of College and Career Success (OCCS) appeals process. |
Percentage of Students Completing a Concrete Post Secondary Plan Via Learn.Plan.Succeed
| Definition | Percentage of students who have submitted evidence of a concrete postsecondary plan during their senior year. |
|---|---|
| How it is calculated | Numerator: Number of annualized seniors who provided evidence of a concrete postsecondary plan by the date of current year summer school graduation. Denominator: The number of students who met the following conditions:
|
| Included Students | All seniors annualized to district-managed schools, including early graduates, with the following exceptions:
|
| Notes | The following are examples of concrete plans:
|
My Voice, My School 5 Essentials Survey
| Definition | Overall rating of the school on the 5 Essentials survey administered in the spring to students and teachers. |
|---|---|
| How it is calculated | Ratings are calculated by the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago (CCSR). The overall rating of the school is determined using data from all 5 Essentials, or from whatever combination of essentials for which the school has sufficient data. For more information on the 5 Essentials survey, visit http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/surveys. |
| Included Students | Students in grades 6-12 and all teachers are given the opportunity to complete the survey. |
| Notes | A school must have a 50% response rate to receive a rating. If the school has a 50% response rate among teachers but not students, the school will only have sufficient data for three of the five Essentials. If the school has a 50% response rate among students but not teachers, the school will only have sufficient data for two of the five Essentials and will only be eligible for a rating of “Partially Organized,” “Moderately Organized,” or “Organized.” |
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. The minimum participation requirement of 90% is established by this Policy 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 SY23-24 and beyond Performance Applies to SY25 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 | Amends 23-0125-PO2 |
| 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. |