March 19, 2008
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Don't miss out on valuable information and resources!
There are only two weeks left for those of you who attended an OAPCS regional meeting in January or February to join the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools and take advantage of the special 50% discount on first-year membership dues.
In less than a year of full operation, OAPCS has achieved significant progress in working with policymakers, opinion leaders and the news media. In addition, the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools is providing unique programs and resources designed to boost the performance and efficiency of charter schools. Examples include our recent Data Analysis Workshop, last fall's Charter School Board Governance 101 seminar, and the upcoming Charter School Law 101 webinar.
Members of OAPCS enjoy significantly reduced rates to participate in organization sponsored workshops, seminars and conferences, such as our statewide conference that will be held on October 14-15 in Columbus. Members also have an opportunity to save money on their property and liability insurance through CharterSafe, a company which specializes in insuring charter schools.
April 1 may be April Fool's Day, but we're not fooling about the important changes we're making in our communications as of that date. As of April 1, non-members will no longer receive this biweekly newsletter. Also, certain sections of our Web site will no longer be accessible to non-members.
If you're not a member of OAPCS, we hope you'll join OAPCS before you miss out on valuable news, information and resources that will soon be available for members only. To join, simply complete the membership registration form and send it with your payment to us by fax or by mail.
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Reading Teacher Workshop
Jamie Meade, presenter at Franklin County Educational Service Center, is offering a workshop entitled, High Literacy in the Standards-Based Classroom on April 2. This workshop will provide classroom teachers and instructional leaders an understanding of the vertical progressions within Ohio's reading standards. This information can be used to assist teachers with a differentiated approach to the content standards; thus, providing ALL students an opportunity to progress within a standards-based classroom. Participants will receive a Reading Indicator Ladder.
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"Charting the Course to Quality" Join us on the journey to excellence!
Unity with a purpose comes to the charter-school community with the Ohio Alliance for Public Char ter Schools' first state charter-school conference, Oct. 14-15, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Columbus North.
We are equally excited and pleased to announce the place and time for this promising event and look forward to the synergy and production that will come from a gathering of the state's charter school administrative and instructional leaders.
Ohio's charter-school landscape is filled with important issues including data and performance management, the understanding and effective use of value-added assessments, differentiated rubrics for measuring quality in special-needs charter schools, lifting the caps to statewide quality growth, eliminating discriminatory practices against e-schools, equitable funding, and strategic advocacy as the political landscape threatens to change and the next budget cycle kicks in... just to name a few.
Here's a wonderful opportunity to link arms and get proactive on behalf of our charter school movement in Ohio; and, to demonstrate that we are in an energized mood to work together to take charge of our own charter-school destiny.
So, save the date! We look forward to seeing you all there. Remember too that in many cases the cost of an OAPCS membership is simply the difference between conference registration costs for members vs. non-members. We will welcome all!
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Ohio Law - are you exempt or non-exempt?
It's challenging to remain fully up-to-speed on legislation and laws while focused on managing a school and educating children. But understanding recent changes to Ohio law-both requirements and potential opportunities-is essential for community charter school leaders. On April 15, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. - noon, a team of presenters will come together via a Webinar to help explain Ohio's charter school law.
Charter Law 101 will provide an overview of H.B. 79 (passed by the 126th General Assembly in 2006) and H.B. 119 (the state's biennial budget bill passed by the 127th General Assembly last year). The session will also offer insight on what may appear on Ohio's political and legislative horizons.
Presenters: Catherine West, OAPCS director of government and public relations, will be joined by John Taracko, a consultant with the Ohio Department of Education's Office of Community Schools, and Chad Readler, a partner in the law firm of Jones Day.
West routinely monitors activities of the General Assembly, the State Board of Education and other entities that impact Ohio's system of education. Taracko brings to the session knowledge gained through his daily interaction with Ohio school leaders, while Readler brings a high-level view of the legal landscape and experience in charter school litigation.
Watch the Web site this week to register for this great Webinar. Space is limited!
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 State Board discusses performance standards for dropout recovery
Currently, the Ohio Department of Education uses the Local Report Card to evaluate the performance of dropout recovery schools. The unique mission of these schools - as well as the special challenges faced by the dropout recovery school students - create a clear need to identify supplemental performance criteria that measure student progress over time.
H.B. 79, passed by the 126th General Assembly in 2006, directs the State Board of Education to make recommendations to the General Assembly for performance standards for community charter schools that operate dropout prevention and recovery programs that quality for waivers under section 3314.36 of the Ohio Revised Code. The legislation called for recommended standards that include criteria for closing such community charter schools for consistently poor academic performance.
An informal group of dropout recovery community charter school leaders and sponsors met twice in recent weeks to thoroughly discuss the issue in an effort to reach consensus on a recommendation to the State Board of Education. The group developed broad recommendations, which were sent to all State Board members, to use a value-added approach to assessing performance in three key areas: program completion, student academic growth and sustained student enrollment.
On March 11, the State Board of Education approved the following recommendation to be made to the General Assembly: The State Board of Education recommends that new provisions of state law and revisions to current law be enacted to require ODE to develop performance thresholds for dropout recovery schools and to provide the State Board with the authority to set performance thresholds as closing criteria for these schools.
Under the State Board's proposed timeline, beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year, schools would be required to report such data as determined by the Department of Education in order to develop baseline data for the new system of performance standards. By the end of academic year 2010-2011, the State Board would determine performance thresholds for each standard. The performance thresholds would become effective as school closure criteria for those schools failing to show any progress at the end of the 2010-2011 school year, and for all other dropout recovery community charter schools subject to these criteria at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.
It appears that the State Board's response falls short of the General Assembly's directive. And, of course, it's difficult to predict how the General Assembly will respond.
OAPCS will continue to engage stakeholders in discussion of the issue and to offer recommendations for consideration by those who are ultimately responsible for setting the bar for performance of these unique schools.
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