RD155 - Annual Report on Public Charter Schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia


Executive Summary:
The evaluation of the public charter schools of Virginia examines the three public charter schools in operation in the state during the 2006-2007 school year. All three schools are designed to provide alternative and experiential learning opportunities for students who are at-risk. However, differences among these schools include: the histories of the schools, characteristics of the communities served, characteristics of the students enrolled, size of the student bodies, grade levels served, resources available, and educational approaches and priorities.

Key Observations and Findings

National

• Laws. Forty states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws in place.

• Schools. In 2006-2007, of the more than 94,000 public schools nationally, 3,940 were charter schools. This represents an increase of 11 percent from 2005-2006.

• Grades. Fifty-two (52) percent of the charters are at the elementary level, 21 percent are at the middle and high school level, and 27 percent are a combination.

• Students. A total of 1.16 million students are enrolled in charter schools. This represents an increase of 7.4 percent from 2005-2006.

: : The charter schools serve a student body that is on average 53 percent minority and 54 percent low-income.
: : In 2006, more than four in ten charter schools served a student body comprised of 60 percent or more “at risk” and minority students.
: : The average enrollment per school is 295 students. (*1)

Virginia

• Schools. Three charters operated in Virginia in 2006-2007. The total enrollment for the three charter schools was 237 students as of June 2007. Two proposed charter schools were denied by their respective school boards in Richmond City and Loudoun County during the 2006-2007 school year. The charter for Murray High School in the Albemarle County Public Schools expired at the end of June and will not be renewed. The school will continue to operate as a nontraditional magnet and specialty high school but not as a public charter school. For 2007-2008, two charter schools will operate in Virginia, in York County and Hampton City.

• Staff. The three schools reported a total of approximately 36.5 staff members including principals, teachers, paraprofessionals, and guidance counselors. The average student-to-teacher ratio was 9 students per teacher.

• Progress in Achieving Goals. Progress as reported in terms of improved academic achievement, average daily attendance, and decreased dropout rates varies from year to year and among the schools. Two schools, Murray High School and York River Academy achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) performance targets under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 for the 2006-2007 school year based on data from spring 2006. For 2004-2005, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007, Murray High School and York River Academy were also fully accredited. Although Hampton Harbour Academy did not make the AYP or Accreditation performance targets for the 2006-2007 school year, the Virginia Board of Education granted Hampton Harbour Academy a status of “Accreditation Withheld/Improving School Nearing Accreditation” for 2006-2007 because of its significant academic progress. The final accreditation and AYP results for 2007-2008, based on 2006-2007 assessments, will be available after the Standards of Learning (SOL) data have been released.

• Average Daily Attendance and Dropout Rates. The overall average daily attendance rate in the charter schools has improved slightly during the last several years and is presently at 91.3 percent. The state rate is 95.2 percent. While dropout rates in the public charter schools have historically been higher than comparable rates for the divisions in which they are chartered, dropout rates over the last several years for these schools have improved. Official dropout rates for 2006-2007 will be available from the Virginia Department of Education after October 1, 2007.

• Comparison of Student Performance. The performance of pupils in charter schools as compared to students in other schools is reported in Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment results. Assessment results indicate that in some cases, student performance in the charter schools exceeds that of the more traditional school; in other cases it does not. This is to be expected in schools that address the needs of at-risk students whose poor academic achievement may have contributed to their attendance at the charter school. Some schools also self-reported that survey responses by students and parents suggest that these students are generally performing better than if they had remained in a traditional school.

• Impact on the Community. All of the schools report programs to achieve parental and community involvement. The perceptions of the schools, community awards, other forms of recognition, and parental surveys suggest success in these efforts. Survey results suggest that the small size, individualized instruction, and innovative approaches to education found in these schools have had a positive impact on the communities they serve.

The Code of Virginia and Charter Schools

The 2006-2007 Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 2311, Public Charter School Fund, during the 2006-2007 session. This act amended the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 22.1-212.5:1, relating to the establishment of a public charter school fund.

The purpose of this fund is to establish a mechanism whereby gifts, grants, bequests, or donations from public or private sources can be paid into the state treasury and credited to the fund for establishing or supporting public charter schools in the Commonwealth that stimulate the development of alternative public education programs. Criteria for making distributions from the fund are being established by the Virginia Board of Education.

Growth of Charter Schools in Virginia

In July 2005, the United States Education Department (USED) awarded three federal charter school grants for proposed public charter schools in Albemarle, Richmond, and Norfolk. The charter school applications in Norfolk and Albemarle are under review by the respective local school boards. The Richmond City charter school application was denied by the Richmond City School Board in April 2007. The Richmond Public School Charter School Application Review Team recommended denial to the local board citing “the proposal lacks specificity regarding how it is qualitatively different than instruction efforts currently being provided to Richmond Public School students.” The Loudoun County School Board also denied a charter school application for a science academy in August 2006. The Loudoun County charter school applicant did not receive a federal charter school grant. Among the reasons cited for denial included lack of evidence that the charter school would offer an enhanced course of study; curriculum was not well-aligned with the Standards of Learning; program was not superior to the programs offered by the Loudoun County Public Schools in any of the content areas; and financial projections were understated.

In Superintendent’s Memorandum, Number 16, Administrative, dated April 27, 2007, “Charter School Report for 2006-2007,”superintendents were asked to respond to the following charter school question: “Please list barriers you perceive in establishing charter schools in Virginia.” Forty six (46) percent of the respondents listed no barriers, 16 percent cited lack of funding resources, and 15 percent responded there was no interest in forming charter schools. Other barriers cited included: satisfaction with the public school system, lack of local facilities, and lack of political will for establishing charter schools. Six (6) percent submitted no response or responded they had not studied the issue sufficiently to identify barriers.
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(*1) “Charter Schools Fast Facts.” 10 May 2007. Center for Education Reform. Washington, D.C. 17 May 2007.
http://www.edreform.com/csoy/
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