Charter School Accountability
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
The Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148
Phone: (781) 338-3227
Content Overview
 What is a Charter Term?
 Important Accountability Documents and Deadlines
 Charter School Performance Criteria
 Site Visits (Findings, ratings, and site visit reports)
 Charter Renewal
What is a charter term?
Charter Term
A license issued by
the Board under the
provisions of M.G.L.
c. 71, § 89, and 603
CMR 1.00, allowing
the grantee to
operate a charter
school for a period of
five years.
*See Notes for more details
about year one site visits.
To Do List
Annual
Annual Report and Recruitment & Retention Plan
•Due annually by August 1st ; please use the annually updated guidelines to complete
your annual report.
•DESE offers annual webinars to help you successfully complete the AR and R&R Plan
Audit
•Due annually by November 1st
•Audit guide available here: http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/finance/auditing/
End of Year Financial Report
•Due the day before thanksgiving (This year, November 25th)
Amendments (If Applicable)
•BESE approval– August 1st
•Commissioner approval– Ongoing
•Amendment Guidelines: http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/governance/?section=all
Update Directory Administration and Board Member Management System
(BMMS)
•Ongoing
To Do List
Charter Term
Accountability Plan
During Year 1
Outlines goals that the school will
use and how it will measure
success; progress reported in
annual reports
Renewal Application
Due by 8/1 before Year 5
Renewal application, renewal
inspection site visit; summary of
review
Amendments to the
Charter
Ongoing
Changes to the original charter
require approval from BESE or
the Commissioner
Site Visits
Varies
Check-in, targeted, full, first year;
criteria ratings; site visit protocol
*See Notes for more details about each of the items above.
Amendments – Seek Prospective
Approval
BESE Approval – Submit
by August 1 to be
implemented the
following school year
Districts specified in the
school’s charter
Maximum Enrollment
Grades Served
Contractual Relationships
Commissioner Approval –
Submit anytime
School Name
Mission
Leadership/Gov. Structure
Educational Program
Board Membership
MOUs
Schedule
Accountability Plan
Enrollment Policy
Expulsion Policy
Location/Facilities Change
Bylaws
Charter School Performance Criteria
(Criteria)
Purpose
Articulate the expectations for all aspects of charter school accountability.
The Criteria guide site visits, the amendment process, creation of
accountability documents, and the renewal process
The Criteria are organized in three buckets:
Faithfulness to the Terms of the
Charter
Academic Program Success
Organizational Viability
Review the Charter School
Performance Criteria
The Charter School Performance
Criteria can be found here:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/guides/PerformanceCriteria.pdf
Criterion 5: Student Performance
 Criterion 5: The school consistently meets state student
performance standards for academic growth, proficiency, and
college and career readiness.
 Factors in the state leveling system that will be taken into
consideration are:
 PPI
 School Percentile
 Accountability Level
 The goal is to achieve and remain in Level 1.
 See additional information about the state system of
accountability here:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/apa/accountability/default.html
What to expect in a site visit report:
Criteria Ratings and Findings
The Department uses a rating scale to summarize a charter school’s
performance against the Criteria. Ratings will capture school performance
at the time of the site visit. Findings are statements that describe the
school’s performance in terms of the Criteria. Findings synthesize the site
visit team’s analyses of evidence collected from multiple sources prior to
and during the visit.
At the conclusion of the site visit, the team will report out a few findings
regarding the relevant subset of the Criteria.
Site Visits
In conducting site visits, the Office of Charter Schools and School
Redesign (OCSSR) is carrying out the requirements of 603 CMR
1.08(2), which outlines the ongoing review of charter school
Site visits are one of the means by which ESE and OCSSR document
each charter school’s performance and progress, relative to the
Criteria.
Schools will receive ratings and findings for a subset of the Criteria
during full, targeted, and check-in site visits. Year one schools will
receive findings and ratings during their spring visit.
Site Visit Protocol: http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/acct.html?section=visit
Site Visits
Type of Visit
Approximate
Length
Year One
0.5 - 1 day

Full
1 – 2 days

Schools in the first three charter terms

Multi-campus schools

Networks of charter schools
Please note: Visits to schools in their first charter
term, large schools, and schools with more than
one campus will generally receive longer site visits.
Please see Appendix E for additional details.
Check-In
0.5 – 1 day

Schools in or beyond their third charter term
0.5 – 1 day


Schools on conditions or probation
Schools requiring a visit for a sub-set of
Criteria
Targeted
Typically Eligible Schools
Schools in the first year of operation
Criteria Typically
Addressed
1, 2, 6.2. 6.4, 9
1, 2, 3 (if applicable),
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
1, 2, 5, 6.2, 6.4, 9, and 10
Based on conditions,
probation, or areas of
concern

Renewal
Inspection
1 – 3 days
Schools in their fifth year of each charter
term
Please note: These visits are conducted by
contracted external teams or Department staff in
accordance with a separate Renewal Inspection
Protocol.
1, 6, 7, 8, and 9
Site Visits – Additional Info
 Your school will be contacted during July/Aug (the summer
prior) to schedule the site visit
 Review the site visit protocol as you plan and prepare for the
visit for information regarding focus groups, classroom
observations, and the resulting site visit report
 Site visit reports will be issued to the school 6-8 weeks after
the site visit. The report will contain ratings and findings for
each of the relevant criteria
 Full and targeted site visit teams will include 1-2 external
(non-ESE) visitors – let us know if you are interested in being a
site visitor!
Renewal – Application and Inspection
Process
Application process
• Renewal application is due August 1st before
the fifth and final year of its charter
• Additional required documentation is listed in
renewal inspection protocol
Renewal Inspection
• Renewal Inspection Protocol outlines process
• On site component (1, 2, or 3 Days)
• External consultant or DESE staff conduct visit
• Renewal Inspection Report is result
Renewal – Decision Making Process
Summary of Review (SOR)
• Summarizes school performance over
charter term
• Ratings and Findings for all 10 Criteria
Decision making process
• SOR presented to the Commissioner
• Based on Board votes in 2009 and 2013, the
Commissioner has been delegated the
authority to grant charter renewals that do
not involve probation or non-renewal.
Important Links
 Annual Report Information
http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/acct.html?section=annual
 Guide to Charter School Accountability
http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/guides/AcctGuide.pdf
 Renewal Information
http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/acct.html?section=renew
 Charter School Laws and Regulations
http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/laws.html
 Charter School Contact and Liaisons
http://www.doe.mass.edu/charter/ContactLiaison.html
Thank You!
Still have questions/comments?
Contact your DESE liaison!
Alison Bagg, Accountability
abagg@doe.mass.edu
781.338.3218
Ellie Rounds, Access &Equity
Erounds@doe.mass.edu
781.338.3212
Puja Garg, Accountability
pgarg@doe.mass.edu
781.338.3230
Melissa Gordon, Access & Equity
mgordon@doe.mass.edu
781.338.3209
Claire Smithney, Accountability
csmithney@doe.mass.edu
781.338.3213
More Questions?
Join us at DESE for the
New Administrators Orientation!
October 16, 2015
8:30 am
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA
Bring your questions and register here:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/conference/?ConferenceID=8200