Charter schools that understand their student performance data now can take intentional action for a smoother renewal process.
A surprising number of charter schools operate at the margins of the streamlined 5-7 year renewal category (the “high” track) and the denial/two-year renewal category (the “low” track).
The CSDC Renewal Strategy Worksheet makes the “swing” data points visible, to help charter school teams plan well ahead for an optimal renewal path.
Soon the California Department of Education (CDE) will publish 2023 renewal categories based on the 2022 and 2023 California School Dashboards—we have calculated them for you.
Not your renewal year? See, at a glance, how to steer the ship. Or just look at your school’s data through a new lens! Specifically, the CSDC Renewal Strategy Worksheet can help you:
- View your school’s 2023 Renewal Category. See if the 2022 and 2023 Dashboards qualify the school for streamlined (“high”), default (“middle), or denial/two-year renewal (“low”)—Important for schools renewing through this fall.
- View how your 2023 Dashboard will count toward the 2024 Renewal Category. Check if your 2023 data may allow streamlined renewal or if it puts the school at risk denial/two-year renewal, in combination with 2024 data—Important for schools renewing in 2025.
- Analyze five years of historical trend data to impact future renewal categories. Identify risks and strategic opportunities specific to your school’s historical trends.
- Check any participation rate penalties. The English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and now the English Learner Progress Indicator (ELPI) integrate severe penalties for not meeting the 95 percent participation thresholds. If any penalties applied in 2022 or 2023, check the number of students and see what your scores would have been without the penalty.
- Understand your school’s demographics and chronic absenteeism rates relative to the state overall. Renewal categories stem from comparisons to state averages without consideration for population. The worksheet makes it easy to view related data in context.
- View your school’s 2019 Growth Model Data. Released in June 2021, this data evaluates how good a school’s growth is, based on matched student baseline scores. This apples-to-apples metric provides more robust understanding of student performance, together with other data.
About the CSDC Renewal Strategy Worksheet
By now, most school leaders have some understanding of the criteria that drive renewal categories, but many do not have time to crunch the data, much less to see historical trends.
To support intentional planning and to help your school better understand its data, CSDC pulled together data from over 20 state reports, with analytics to highlight critical renewal points.
The worksheet includes explanatory text to help readers, but CSDC welcomes member schools to let us break it down and discuss the implications together.
Free to CSDC Member Schools!
CSDC's Renewal Strategy Worksheet is available to CSDC Member Schools at no additional cost!
CSDC encourages your school leadership team to contact us and, if desired, schedule a 30-minute meeting to go over your school’s customized report.
During the meeting, CSDC’s Accountability and Development Specialist, Susanne Coie, will walk you and your colleagues through the customized report, helping to interpret your school’s unique data and to offer tips and strategies for increasing the likelihood of a smooth renewal.
