Chartering in Georgia 2011-2012 : the Charter Schools Division Annual Report for 2011-2012

Chartering in Georgia

2011-2012

An overview of the academic performance of Georgia's charter schools

The Charter Schools Division Annual Report for 2011-2012

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
Dear Members of the Georgia General Assembly,
Georgia law requires all charter schools and charter systems to submit an annual report to the Department of Education by October 1 of each year, and the state board must then to report to the General Assembly no later than December 31 of each year on the status of the charter school program. See O.C.G.A. 20-2-2067.1(c) and 20-2-2070
To facilitate the meeting of these requirements, the Georgia Department of Education's Charter Schools Division each year conducts an online Annual Report Survey of charter schools and charter systems. The 2012 survey was open from August 1 to October 1. Each charter school's and charter system's annual report requirement is satisfied by completing this survey. In addition to meeting the legal requirements, the survey also provides several opportunities for charter schools and charter systems to highlight their accomplishments, including a section for schools and systems to provide details, examples and success stories which may not otherwise be captured through the annual report requirement. The Department then compiles the survey data, including financial data submitted by each charter school, adds in academic assessment data, including local district and statewide academic comparisons, and prepares and conveys to the General Assembly the attached report for the State Board of Education.
During the 2011-2012 school year, Georgia had 217 charter schools serving 56 school districts. Of these charter schools, 12 were identified as Reward Schools through the new accountability distinction. In addition, several of Georgia's charter schools were recognized nationally for academic excellence and innovative practices. This report will highlight many of these accomplishments.
During 2011-2012, the State Board of Education and the Georgia Department of Education adopted new Charter Schools Rules and Guidelines that focus on accountability and transparency. We also launched a comprehensive training program for new and existing charter schools and charter systems. The Georgia Department of Education also developed additional resources for local school districts to strengthen their authorizer practices.
Please note that this annual report includes definitions in Appendix A, information on each of Georgia's start-up and conversion charter schools in Appendix B, and information on Georgia's charter systems in Appendix C.
Thank you for your ongoing dedication and hard work in helping to strengthen Georgia's public education system.
Sincerely,
Louis Erste Charter Schools Division Director
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 2

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Table of Contents

Highlights from the 20112012 School Year

4

Characteristics: Charter Students and Charter Schools

6

Georgia Charters vs. Charters Nationally

9

Charter Schools by the Numbers

10

Figure 12: Brand New Charter Schools for 2011-2012

10

Figure 16: Charter Schools Closures or Non-Renewals for 2011-2012

11

Charter School Locations in Georgia

12

Figure 21: Graphical Map of Charter Schools

13

Charter School Enrollment Trends

14

Lottery and Waitlist

14

National Research-Based Educational Models

17

Program and Operating Services and Flexibility Utilization

18

Figure 28: 2011-2012 Charter School Flexibility Utilization

18

The Role of Management Organizations

19

Charter Schools and Accountability

20

Figure 30: Charter Schools Priority, Focus, and Rewards

20

Charter Schools and Academic Performance

21

Elementary and Middle School CRCT Test Performance

21

High School End of Course Test Performance

24

Appendix A - Definitions

28

Appendix B - 2011-2012 Charter School Individual Academic Performance Data 31

Appendix C - 2011-2012 Charter System Academic Performance Data

297

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 3

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Highlights from the 2011-2012 School Year

The 2011-2012 school year was a successful one for many of Georgia's charter schools, with several recognized locally and nationally for academic success and innovative practices. Examples include:
1. Chamblee Charter High School's German language program caught the attention of officials in the German government and was selected as a PASCH Partnership School one of only a handful of PASCH programs worldwide, a designation that comes directly from Berlin, Germany.
2. 25 Walton High School students were named National Merit Semi-Finalists.
3. World Language Academy second grade students won the national ACTFL video competition focusing on the importance of learning additional languages.
4. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology had five Robotics teams (including one all-girls team) compete in Anaheim, CA at the VEX Worlds Competition
5. Out of 100 students competing worldwide, two students were selected from Elite Scholars Academy for the "Disney Dream" program.
6. Georgia charter high schools performed well on the SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) tests: a. 18 of Georgia's charter high schools exceeded the state average on the SAT, with the Gwinnett School of Mathematics Science and Technology and Walton Charter High School ranking #1 and #3 respectively (an AP score of 3-5 qualifies the student to receive college credit or advanced college placement). b. Nine charter high schools exceeded the state average of students scoring a 3 or higher on AP exams.
Figure 1: 2011-2012 SAT Performance of Charter High Schools

Charter High Schools
Gwinnett Charter School of Mathematics, Science and Technology Walton Charter High School
Riverwood International Charter School Chamblee Charter High School
Decatur High School (charter system) Charter Conservatory for Liberal Arts & Technology
Armuchee High School (charter system) Coosa High School
Technology Enriched Accelerated Charter High School (TEACH) Pepperell High School (charter system) Cartersville High School (charter system) Morgan County Charter High School Model High School (charter system)
Putnam County High School (charter system) White County High School (charter system)
Marietta High School (charter system) North Springs Charter High School
Baconton Community Charter School State Average

SAT Performance

Average Composite SAT Score

State Rank

1941

1

1743

3

1631

15

1613

18

1570

33

1564 1536 1532 1513 1506 1490 1477 1476

36 Top 15% Top 15% Top 15% Top 20% Top 20% Top 20% Top 20%

1474 1465 1459 1459 1458
1437

Top 20% Top 25% Top 25% Top 25% Top 25%

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 4

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Figure 2: 2011-2012 AP Performance of Charter High Schools

Charter High Schools

AP Performance

# of AP Test % Scoring 3 or

Takers

Higher

Gwinnett School of Mathematics Science and Technology Walton Charter High School
Technology Enriched Accelerated Charter High School (TEACH) Winder-Barrow High School (charter system) Chamblee Charter High School North Springs Charter High School Apalachee High School (charter system) Riverwood International Charter School Armuchee High School (charter system) State Average

402 1,270
42 100 486 431 174 593 44

81.21% 81.20% 75.36% 75.19% 69.26% 62.34% 59.50% 55.08% 54.05% 53.90%

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 5

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
Characteristics: Charter Students and Charter Schools
During the 2011-2012 school year, 130,492 Georgia public school students were enrolled in either a conversion or start-up charter school or a charter system school. In the past three years, charter school enrollment increased by over 100% from 61,175 students. Much of the student enrollment growth is concentrated within the charter systems; however, student enrollment in conversion and start-up charter schools continues its annual trend upward increasing more than 16% from the previous year.
Figure 3: Charter School Student Enrollment Growth

Source: GaDOE Student FTE Collection Period 1

The distribution of students by grade within charter schools mirrored that of non-charter schools within the State. For the 2011-2012 school year, 49% of charter school students were enrolled in elementary school grades, 24% in middle school grades, and 27% in high school.

Figure 4: 2012 Charter School Student Enrollment by Grade Level

Georgia Charter Schools

Grades Served

Enrollment

Number of Students

% of Total Charter School
Enrollment

Elementary Grades: K-5

65,942

Middle Grades: 6-8

30,948

High School Grades: 9-12

33,602

Total Enrollment

130,492

Source: GaDOE Student FTE Collection Period 1

49.28% 24.32% 26.40% 7.7%

Non-Charter Schools Enrollment

Number of Students
760,688 353,549 439,701 1,553,938

% of Total Charter School Enrollment
48.95% 22.75% 28.30% 92.3%

The racial and ethnic composition of Georgia charter schools also mirrored that of the non-charter schools. However, charter schools as a whole (conversion, start-ups, and charter system schools) served a higher percent of Hispanic and White students and a lower percentage of Black students than noncharter schools.

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 6

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
Figure 5: 2011-2012 Student Demographics Charter and Non-Charter
Source: GaDOE Student FTE Collection Period 1
The advent of additional charter system schools has shifted the racial and ethnic composition of the Georgia charter schools charter system schools serve a higher proportion of White students than noncharters. Start-up charter schools serve a higher proportion of Black students but serve the lowest proportion of Hispanic students than any other charter option and non-charter schools.
Figure 6: 2011-2012 Student Demographics By Charter Type
Source: GaDOE Student FTE Collection Period 1
Services to economically disadvantaged students within Georgia charter schools also mirrored that of the state, although Georgia charter schools served a slightly lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students than non-charters 55.1% of charter school students were eligible for free and reduced price meals compared to 57.8% of non-charter school students.
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 7

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
Figure 7: 2011-2012 Student Demographics Economically Disadvantaged
Source: GaDOE Student FTE Collection Period 1
In terms of student support services, Georgia charter schools serve similar percentages of students as non-charters for both special needs and second language populations. Students with disabilities were another program service area where Georgia charter schools are similar compared to non-charter schools 11% to 12% respectively. Among charter schools, 13% of charter system school students, 11% of conversion school students, and 9% of start-up charter schools students received special education services. While serving a slightly lower population of students with disabilities, Georgia charter schools served a higher percentage of students needing language support. In particular, 6% of Georgia charter school students received second language (ELL or English language learner) services compared to 5% for noncharter school students. Conversion charter schools possessed the largest percentage of ELL students at 8%, followed by system charters 7.5% and start-up charter 2%.
Figure 8: 2011-2012 Student Demographics Support Services
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 8

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Georgia Charters vs. Charters Nationally Nationally, charter school students represent 4.2% of all public school students in the 2011-12 school year.1 Georgia charter school students represent 7.7% of the public school population in Georgia.2 Additionally, Georgia charter schools serve the same percentage (29%) of Black students as charter schools nationally. However, Georgia charter schools serve a significantly higher percentage of White students (50% to 36% nationally) and only half as many Hispanic students (14% to 27% nationally) as do charter schools in the United States.
Figure 9: 2011-2012 Student Demographics Charters vs. Non-Charters
Georgia charter schools serve a higher percent of economically disadvantaged students than do charter schools nationally, but serve a signifcantly lower percentage of students needing language support. Note that Georgia's population of English Language Learners is lower than the national average, which impacts the number of students served. Georgia serves a similar percentage of students needing special education support as national charter schools.
Figure 10: 2011-2012 Program Service Areas Charters vs. Non-Charters
1 The Public Charter Schools Dashboard, A Comprehensive Data Resource from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Accessed online via http://dashboard.publiccharters.org/dashboard/schools/year/2012.
2 Enrollment is based on the October 5, 2010 (FTE 2012-1) count and can be accessed online from the Georgia Department of Education's
website http://app3.doe.k12.ga.us/ows-bin/owa/fte_pack_ethnicsex.entry_form.
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 9

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
Charter Schools by the Numbers
The growth of Georgia charter schoools continued in the 2011-2012 school year. The total number of charter schools increased 34% from 162 to 217 schools including system charter schools. Charters in 2011-12 comprised 9.5% of all schools in Georgia, higher than the naitonal average of 5.8%. Georgia's percentage of charter schools is more than twice that of the neighboring states of North Carolina (4.0%), South Carolina (4.0%) and Tennessee (2.3%). Florida represented the only geographic neighbor with a higher percentage of charter schools at 12.3%. Georgia's remaining neighbor, Alabama, is one of ten states that did not have a charter law in 2011-12.
Figure 11: Five-Year Charter School Growth

During the 2011-2012 school year, 11 new start-up charter schools and one new conversion charter school opened their doors.

Figure 12: Brand New Charter Schools for 2011-2012

Charter School

County / District Served

Athens Community Career Academy

Clarke County

Baldwin County Career Academy

Baldwin County

Destiny Achievers Academy of Excellence

DeKalb County

Gwinnett County Online Campus

Gwinnett County (virtual)

Hapeville Charter Career Academy

Fulton County

Heart of Georgia College and Career Bleckley, Laurens, and Wheeler Counties,

Academy

Dublin City

Ivy Preparatory Academy at Kirkwood for Boys

DeKalb County

Ivy Preparatory Academy at Kirkwood for Girls

DeKalb County

KIPP Atlanta Collegiate

Atlanta Public Schools

Lamar County College and Career Academy

Lamar County

Newton College and Career Academy

Newton County

Spout Springs School of Enrichment

Hall County

Type Start-up/Career Academy Start-up/Career Academy
Start-up
Start-up Start-up
Start-up/Career Academy Start-up/State chartered special
school (SCSS) Start-up/SCSS
Start-up
Start-up/Career Academy
Start-up/Career Academy Conversion

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 10

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Figure 13: New Charters Switching Authorizers from Charter Commission to State Board of Education

Charter School

County / District Served

Type

Cherokee Charter Academy

Cherokee County

Start-up/SCSS

Georgia Connections Academy

Statewide (virtual)

Start-up/SCSS

Heritage Preparatory Academy

Atlanta Public Schools

Start-up/SCSS

Provost Academy of Georgia

Statewide (virtual)

Start-up/SCSS

Figure 14: Existing Charters Switching Authorizers from Charter Commission to State Board of Education

Charter School

County / District Served

Type

Atlanta Heights Charter School Charter Conservatory for Liberal Arts & Technology (CCAT) Coweta Charter Academy

Atlanta Public Schools Bulloch County Coweta County

Start-up/SCSS Start-up/SCSS Start-up/SCSS

Fulton Leadership Academy Pataula Charter Academy

Fulton County
Baker, Clay, Calhoun, Early, and Randolph Counties

Start-up/SCSS Start-up/SCSS

Figure 15: Existing Charters Switching Authorizers from Charter Commission to Local District

Charter School

County / District Served

Type

Ivy Preparatory Academy

Gwinnett County

Start-up

The Museum School of Avondale Estates

DeKalb County

Start-up

Figure 16: Charter Schools Closures or Non-Renewals for 2011-2012

Charter School

County / District Served

Type

Effingham Gateway to College

Effingham County

Start-up

Marietta Charter School

Marietta City

Start-up

Peachtree Hope Charter School

DeKalb County

Start-up

Closure Status
Termination mid-year by agreement due to enrollment
Non-renewed
Denied by local district and not approvable by the State

Figure 17: Charter Schools Converted Back to Traditional Public School for 2011-2012

Charter School

County / District Served

Type

Dougherty Comprehensive High School

Dougherty County

Conversion

Dougherty International Education Middle School

Dougherty County

Conversion

Closure Status
Withdrew rather than have renewal petition
denied Withdrew rather than have renewal petition
denied

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 11

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Figure 18: New 2011-2012 Charter Systems Charter System
Barrow County Schools Calhoun City Schools Dawson County Schools Dublin City Schools Gordon County Schools Morgan County Schools

Figure 19: New Schools Added to Existing Charter Systems

New Schools

County / District

Glennwood Elementary School

Decatur City

4/5 Academy at Fifth Avenue

Decatur City

Type Charter System School Charter System School

New Status Primary (K-3) 4/5 Academy

Charter School Locations in Georgia
The proliferation of charter schools across the State of Georgia continued within the 2011-2012 school year. Consistent with prior years, approximately 60% of charter schools are clustered around the Metro Atlanta area. However, 14 school districts, excluding charter system districts, have more than 8% of their schools under a charter contract.

Figure 20: Percent of Schools under Charter Contract

System Name

Total Non System Charters

Total School Count

Webster County

1

2

Thomas County

2

6

Lamar County

1

4

Hall County

8

33

Berrien County

1

5

Greene County

1

5

Mitchell County

1

5

Toombs County

1

5

Baldwin County

1

6

Fulton County

14

103

Atlanta Public Schools

13

107

Clarke County

2

21

DeKalb County

12

133

Newton County

2

23

Note: Excludes the 14 charter systems in operation during 2011-2012.

Percent Charter School
50.0% 33.3% 25.0% 24.2% 20.0% 20.0% 20.0% 20.0% 16.7% 13.6% 12.1% 9.5% 9.0% 8.7%

While charter schools are clustered within the Atlanta metro area, the distribution of charter schools across the state is seen below, including southwest Georgia (Thomas County, Mitchell County, and

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 12

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Berrien County), southeast Georgia (Glynn County), northwest Georgia (Whitfield County, Gordon County, Calhoun City, and Floyd County), and northeast Georgia (White County). Figure 21: Graphical Map of Charter Schools
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 13

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
Charter School Enrollment Trends
The range of student enrollment within Georgia charter schools varied widely, from Moore Street School (in the Dublin City charter system) with 36 students to Odyssey School/ Georgia Cyber Academy with 10,289 students. The average charter school enrolled 640 students. Start-up charter schools averaged 507 students (or 360 when removing the Odyssey Charter School), conversion charter schools averaged 820 students (Walton High School in Cobb County was the largest with 2,636 students), and charter system schools averaged 672 students.
Figure 22: Number of Charter Schools by Student Enrollment

Lottery and Waitlist
During the 2011-2012 school year, 50 charter schools held a lottery, which represents a 6.4% increase from the previous school year. Seventeen conversion and 33 start-up charter schools held lotteries ranging from five students participating at Futral Road Elementary (a conversion) to 2,700 students at Cherokee Charter Academy (a start-up state chartered special school). In addition to Cherokee Charter Academy, six other charter schools (Elite Scholars Academy, Fulton Sunshine Charter Elementary, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Hapeville Charter Academy, Kennesaw Charter School, and KIPP South Fulton Academy School) held lotteries with more than 500 participants.

Ten charter schools opened their doors with a waitlist greater than 300 students. The three largest waiting lists were at Cherokee Charter Academy (1,500), Kennesaw Charter (762), and DeKalb Academy of Technology and the Environment Charter School (422). The average waitlist at Georgia charter schools was 172 students, with start-ups averaging 232 students and conversions 82 students.

Figure 23: 2011-2012 Lottery/Waitlist Summary

Lottery Participants Seats Available

Mean Median Mean Median

All Charters 302

178

128

67

Start-up

420

202

189

128

Conversion 121

53

36

22

Wait List Students

Mean Median

172

61

232

101

82

26

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 14

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Figure 24: Conversion Charter Schools Requiring a Lottery for at Least One Grade

Charter School Name

District

Lottery Participants

Seats Available

Chamblee Charter High School

DeKalb County

283

40

Chesnut Elementary School

DeKalb County

298

0

Clubview Elementary School

Muscogee County

37

37

Futral Road Elementary School

Spalding County

5

0

Martin Elementary School

Hall County

60

40

McEver Elementary School

Hall County

35

60

Peachtree Middle School

DeKalb County

359

0

Reese Road Leadership Academy

Muscogee County

65

35

Ridgeview Charter School

Fulton County

53

20

Riverwood International Charter School

Fulton County

332

150

Sandy Springs Middle School

Fulton County

15

10

Sardis Elementary School

Hall County

22

25

Sedalia Park Elementary School

Cobb County

28

11

Smoke Rise Elementary School

DeKalb County

262

6

Spout Springs Elementary School

Hall County

22

22

Wauka Mountain Elementary School

Hall County

39

13

World Language Academy

Hall County

145

140

Wait List Students
238 276 61
5 15 0 359 35 32 182 0 0 17 128 0 26 15

Figure 25: Start-up Charter Schools Requiring a Lottery for at Least One Grade

Charter School Name

District

Lottery Participants

Amana Academy School Atlanta Heights Charter School Neighborhood Charter School Baconton Community Charter School
Brighten Academy Charles R. Drew Charter School
Cherokee Charter Academy Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School

Fulton County Atlanta Public Schools Atlanta Public Schools
Mitchell County Douglas County Atlanta Public Schools Cherokee County Chatham County

90 157 189 143 448 480 2,700 105

DeKalb Academy of Technology and the Environment Charter School Elite Scholars Academy School Forsyth Academy
Fulton Science Academy High School Fulton Sunshine Charter Elementary

DeKalb County

489

Clayton County

775

Forsyth County

81

Fulton County

204

Fulton County

607

Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and

Technology

Gwinnett County

611

Hapeville Charter Career Academy

Fulton County

540

Hapeville Charter Middle School

Fulton County

350

International Academy of Smyrna

Cobb County

81

Seats Available
200 131 49 92 55 130 1,150 84
67 400 58 100 279
300 205 250 26

Wait List Students
46 159 147 47 393 350 1,500 21
422 375 23 104 328
311 85 15 158

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 15

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Charter School Name
International Community School Ivy Preparatory Academy at Kirkwood for Girls Ivy Preparatory Young Men's Leadership Academy
at Kirkwood Kennesaw Charter School
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate KIPP South Fulton Academy School
KIPP STRIVE Academy KIPP VISION
KIPP West Atlanta Young Scholars Academy Lake Oconee Academy
Leadership Preparatory Academy Odyssey School
Oglethorpe Charter School Pataula Charter Academy Scholars Academy Charter School
The Kindezi School
Museum School Avondale Estates Main Street Charter Academy Middle Unidos Dual Language Charter School
Wesley International Academy

District
DeKalb County DeKalb County
DeKalb County
Cobb County Atlanta Public Schools
Fulton County Atlanta Public Schools Atlanta Public Schools Atlanta Public Schools
Greene County DeKalb County Coweta County Chatham County Randolph County Clayton County Atlanta Public Schools DeKalb County Fulton County Clayton County Atlanta Public Schools

Lottery Participants
129 200
200 1,211 178 515 160
58 226 208 166 99 268 10 260 94 115 375 116 215

Seats Available
47 169
169 449 142 114 95 30 125 71 74 117 140
2 117 24 68 39 132 88

Wait List Students
92 31
31 762 36 401 61 28 98 127 92 10 130
8 153 70 47 336
0 86

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 16

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

National Research-Based Educational Models

Charter schools were surveyed on the types of instructional models that each school uses. A total of 20 charter schools reported using one of four models: (1) Expeditionary Learning, (2) International Baccalaureate, (3) Montessori, or (4) Core Knowledge. Of the 20 schools, all but five were start-ups. Five conversion charter schools reported using the International Baccalaureate program.

Figure 26: 2011-2012 Charter Utilization of National Research-Based Education Models

Charter School

Charter Type

National Model

Destiny Achievers Academy Of Excellence

Start-up

Core Knowledge

Lake Oconee Academy

Start-up

Core Knowledge

Lanier Charter Career Academy

Start-up

Core Knowledge

Oglethorpe Charter School

Start-up

Core Knowledge

Amana Academy

Start-up

Expeditionary Learning

Bishop Hall Charter School

Start-up

Expeditionary Learning

DeKalb Academy of Technology and Environment Charter School

Start-up

Expeditionary Learning

Heritage Preparatory Academy

Start-up

Expeditionary Learning

Pataula Charter Academy

Start-up

Expeditionary Learning

Scholars Academy

Start-up

Expeditionary Learning

The Museum School of Avondale Estates Clubview Elementary
International Academy of Smyrna

Start-up Conversion
Start-up

Expeditionary Learning International Baccalaureate International Baccalaureate

International Community School

Start-up

International Baccalaureate

Morgan County Charter High School

Conversion

International Baccalaureate

Ridgeview Charter School Riverwood International Charter School
Sawyer Road Elementary Wesley International Academy Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School

Conversion Conversion Conversion
Start-up Start-up

International Baccalaureate International Baccalaureate International Baccalaureate International Baccalaureate
Montessori

In addition to these 20 schools, 53 other start-up or conversion charter schools (66% of all non-system
charter schools) reported using another instructional or teaching model, including:
x Academies of Inquiry and Talent Development x Constructivist Teaching x Developmental Approaches in Science, Health and Technology (DASH) x Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies Next Generation Learning (Ford PAS) x Gateway to College x Learning Focused x Museum School Model x Multiple Intelligences x Science and Technology Program for Children (STC) x Thematic Learning

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 17

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
Program and Operating Services and Flexibility Utilization
More than 80% of charter schools reported using one or more innovative scheduling feature to increase student achievement. Extending the school day was the most popular approach, followed by block scheduling. Only 10% of conversion and start-up charter schools reported using a shortened school day.
Figure27: 2011-2012 Charter School Scheduling Features
While charter status provides schools with broad-based flexibility, it appears that charter schools are judicious in their use of flexibility. Class size was the most utilized flexibility, with 41% of charter schools utilizing such provision. Only 25% of start-up and conversion charter schools reported using teacher certification flexibility. Fewer charter schools reported using administrator certification flexibility, employee compensation flexibility, or fiscal independence.
Figure 28: 2011-2012 Charter School Flexibility Utilization
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 18

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
The Role of Management Organizations
Georgia charter schools reported partnering with 11 Educational Management Organizations (EMOs) or Charter Management Organization (CMO) during the 2011-2012 school year. EMOs are for-profit organizations and CMOs are a non-profit organizations that contract with a school or group of individuals to provide administrative and management services to operate a public school. The only CMO operating in Georgia, the nationally-acclaimed Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), operated five schools in 2011-2012. Edison Learning operated three schools, Charter Schools USA operated two schools, and two schools reported that Academica provided EMO services. The remaining seven EMOs each operated a single school.
Figure 29: 2011-2012 Charter EMO/CMO Partnerships
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 19

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Charter Schools and Accountability
In previous years, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) served as federal accountability for all schools within the State of Georgia. In February 2012, Georgia was approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education for a flexibility waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) commonly known as No Child Left Behind as well as the Waiver of Requirements to Determine AYP. Due to this flexibility, GaDOE did not calculate AYP determinations for schools for the 2011-2012 school year.

In place of the AYP determinations, and to satisfy federal accountability for the 2011-2012 school year, GaDOE calculated three lists of schools: 1) Priority Schools; 2) Focus Schools; and 3) Reward Schools. Priority Schools are the lowest 5% of the Title I schools (78 schools), SIG (School Improvement Grant) schools, or high schools with a graduation rate of less than 60% for two consecutive years. Focus Schools are the 10% of Title I schools (156 schools) who have the largest within-school gap between subgroup performance on statewide assessments and graduation rate. Reward Schools (234 schools) can be classified in two years as Highest-Performing (among the 5% of Title I schools in the State that have the highest absolute performance over three years for the "all students" group on the statewide assessments that also made AYP for the "all students" group and all of its subgroups in 2011) or HighProgress (among the 10% of Title I schools in the State that are making the most progress in improving the performance of the "all students" group over three years on the statewide assessments.

For the 2011-2012 school year, one charter school was designated a Priority School Challenge Charter Academy. Additionally, six Georgia charter schools were designated as Focus Schools for having the gap within school gap. No start-up charter schools received the Focus Schools designation. Twelve Georgia charter schools were identified as Reward Schools, with four of them within the 95th percentile on statewide assessments.

Figure 30: Charter Schools Priority, Focus, and Reward

Accountability Distinctions: Priority, Focus, and Reward Schools

System name Newton County

Priority Schools School Name Challenge Charter Academy

Reason Achievement

Charter Type Start-up

System name Fulton County Fulton County Richmond County Gainesville City Marietta City Marietta City

Focus Schools School Name Ridgeview Charter School Sandy Springs Middle School Murphey Middle Charter School Gainesville Middle School Marietta High School Marietta Middle School

Reason Achievement Achievement Achievement Achievement
Grad Rate Achievement

Charter Type Conversion Conversion Conversion
System System System

System name Fulton County White County Marietta City

Reward Schools School Name KIPP South Fulton Academy School Mount Yonah Elementary School West Side Elementary School
(continued)

Reason High Performing High Performing High Performing

Charter Type Start-up System System

Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 20

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report

Reward Schools (continued)

System name Ivy Prep

School Name Ivy Prep School

Warren County

Warren County Middle School

Warren County

Warren County High School

White County

White Co. Intermediate

Atlanta Public Schools

Charles R. Drew Charter School

Cartersville City

Cartersville Elementary School

Decatur City

Decatur High School

Marietta City

Sawyer Road Elementary

CCAT

CCAT High School

Note: Distinctions are based on the 2010-2011 school year.

Reason High Performing
High Progress High Progress High Progress High Progress High Progress High Progress High Progress High Progress

Charter Type Start-up System System System Start-up System System
Conversion Start-up

Charter Schools and Academic Performance
The following section summarizes the academic performance of Georgia charter schools on key statewide assessments for elementary, middle, and high schools.
Elementary and Middle School CRCT Test Performance Georgia charter schools have outperformed non-charter schools on the CRCT reading assessment for each of the past five years. Additionally, the rate of increase over the past four years has been nearly identical, with charter schools increasing their passing percent by 3.5% and non-charter schools by 3.2%.
Figure 31: 5-Year CRCT Reading Charters vs. Non-Charters

Over the past four years all charter school types have experienced at least a 2.5% increase in the percent of students passing the CRCT Reading assessment. However, charter system schools have experienced the largest growth in the percent of students passing the CRCT reading assessment, increasing their passing percent by 4.3%. Only start-up charter schools (2.5%) have experienced a slower growth in their passing percent than non-charter schools (3.2%).
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 21

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Figure 32: 5-Year CRCT Reading, by Charter Type
The 2012 CRCT Reading assessment illustrates similarities amongst charter schools and with non-charter schools. Start-up charter schools demonstrated the highest percentage of students exceeding the reading standard, but also have the third-highest percentage of students not meeting the standard. Neither conversions nor system charter schools outperformed non-charter schools on the percent of students exceeding the standard.
Figure 33: 2012 CRCT Reading Performance, by performance levels
Unlike Reading, charter schools have failed to outperform non-charter schools on the CRCT Math test during the past five years. However, charter schools have demonstrated double-digit growth (11.6%) in the percent of student passing the assessment compared to the 9.3% growth of non-charters. Finally, in 2008 the performance gap between charters and non-charters was 2.6% and in 2012 that gap has decreased to 0.2%
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 22

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Figure 34: 5-Year CRCT Math Charters vs. Non-Charters
Amongst charter schools, start-up charters have experienced significant growth in the percent of students passing the CRCT Math assessment (up 11.1%) compared to conversion and system charter schools who each increased their passing percent by 7%. Charter system schools have outperformed both conversions and start-ups in each of the past five years.
Figure 35: 5-Year CRCT Math, by Charter Type
For the 2012 CRCT Math assessments, none of the charter school types outperformed non-charter schools on the percent of students exceeding the standards although more charter system school than non-charter students (86.6% to 84.7%) met or exceeded the CRCT Math standard.
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 23

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Figure 36: 2012 CRCT Math Performance, by performance levels
High School End of Course Test Performance Over the past five years, Georgia charter schools have outperformed non-charter schools on the ELA End-of-Course tests (EOCTs). Charter schools have increased their passing percentage from 86.5% in 2008 to 89.5% in 2012. Traditional schools have increased their passing percent from 76.7% to 86.3% during the same time period.
Figure 35: 5-Year EOCT ELA Charters vs. Non-Charters
Conversion charter schools have outperformed both start-up and conversion charters on the ELA EOCT in each of the past five years. However, both start-ups and conversations have made significant increases in their passing percent on the ELA EOCT over the past five years 9.3% and 8.2% respectively.
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 24

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Figure 36: 5-Year EOCT ELA, by Charter Type
Examining 2012 performance on the ELA EOCT, conversion charter schools had a signficantly higher persentage of students exceeding the ELA standard. Start-up charter schools exhibited the highest rate of charter school students not meeting the standard during the 2012 testing period.
Figure 37: 2012 EOCT ELA Performance, by performance levels
Georgia charter schools have also outperformed non-charter schools on the EOCT Math assessment for each of the past five years. However, the performance gap between charters and non-charters has decreased from 9.3% in 2008 to 3.1% in 2012.
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 25

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Figure 38: 5-Year EOCT Math Charters vs. Non-Charters
Performance on the EOCT Math assessment by charter school type illustrates a similar patter as ELA performance. Both charter system and conversion schools outperform start-up charter high schools, with conversion high schools outperforming charter system high schools during the past two years. Performance on the EOCT Math assesment has increased for both conversion (3.3%) and charter system (14.3%) schools, while decreasing for start-ups (-8.4%) over the past five years.
Figure 39: 5-Year EOCT Math, by Charter Type
For the 2011-2012 school year, conversion charter high schools again demonstrated the highest percentage of students exceeding the EOCT Math standard (25%), while start-up charter high schools had 49% of their students not meeting the math standard.
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 26

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Figure 40: 2012 EOCT Math Performance, by performance levels
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2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
Appendix A - Definitions
Charter Types referred to in this report
1. Conversion: a charter school that existed as a local public school prior to becoming a charter school. To apply as a conversion, a majority of the faculty and instructional staff members and a majority of parents or guardians of students enrolled in the petitioning school must vote by secret ballot to apply for a charter.
2. Start-up: a charter school created by a petition brought forth by private individuals, private organizations, or a state or local public entity.
a. State-Chartered Special School: a charter school created as a special school operating under the terms of a charter between the charter petitioner and the State Board of Education (SBOE). Petitioners may apply to become a state chartered special school if their petition is first denied by a local board of education and they apply for state chartered special school status to the SBOE. Conversion charter school petitioners may not apply to be state chartered special schools.
b. Charter Commission School: a charter school created as an independent school that operated under terms of a charter between the charter petitioner and the Georgia Charter Schools Commission. Petitioners applied to become a Charter Commission School if their petition was denied by a local board of education or if they drew students from five or more counties. The Commission ceased operations following the 2011-2012 school year following a decision by the Georgia Supreme Court.
c. Locally Approved Start-up: a charter school operating under the terms of a charter between the charter petitioner and the local district.
3. Charter System: a local school district that operates under a charter between the district as the charter petitioner and the SBOE.
Conversions, start-ups, and charter system schools are under the management and control of their local board and their charters are three-party contracts between the State Board of Education, the local board and the charter school's governing board. State chartered special schools manage themselves and are treated as LEAs (local education agencies). Commission Schools also managed themselves and were treated as LEAs; however, since the Commission disbanded no more Commission schools currently exist. Commission schools were either approved by their local districts, became State Chartered Special Schools or closed.
Testing History
In 2000, the State instituted the first year of the state assessment, the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT), for grades four, six, and eight. Spring 2002 and 2004 marked the first operational administrations in all grades, which included English/Language Arts, Mathematics, and Reading in grades 1 through 8. Science and Social Studies are covered in grades 3 through 8.
Academic Data
Data on academic performance was extracted from the GaDOE data warehouse. In past reports, academic performance data from the Governor's Office of Student Achievement annual Report Card was used. However, at the time of initial production of this report, the Report Card had not yet been
Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent December 31, 2012 Page 28

2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report
finalized. Once that data is completed and published an update will be produce and attached to this report to ensure accuracy and transparency.
Once that data become available on Georgia's public schools, readers will be able compare the charter school's achievement level to the local district and the State as well as to compare the charter school's rate of improvement to the local district and state. Further disaggregated data can be found for each charter school on the Governor's Office of Student Achievement website (www.gaosa.org).
Progress Towards Goals and Financial Audit For locally-approved charter schools, information on academic goals and the financial audit was provided by each charter school. This report also contains information about the financial condition of each charter school, including whether each school had a surplus at the end of the reporting period and how much each school spent on facilities costs. Charter schools' progress towards the academic goals stated in their charters is important because, in conjunction with state and national accountability systems, charter schools are held accountable for meeting these goals.
Acronyms Throughout the report, a number of acronyms appear. Among these are: AYP or Adequate Yearly Progress; CRCT or Criterion Reference Competency Test; GHSGT or Georgia High School Graduation Test; GaDOE or Georgia Department of Education; LEA or Local Educational Agency; SBOE or State Board of Education.
Acknowledgements A special thank you from the Charter Schools Division to the following individuals and teams for contributing time and data to this report:
State Board of Education Charter Schools Committee: Mr. Brian Burdette, Chair Mr. Kenneth Mason, Vice Chair Mr. Daniel Israel Dr. Grant Lewis
Georgia Department of Education: Dr. Garry McGiboney, Associate Superintendent Policy, External Affairs and Charter Schools Mr. Dennis Kramer, Senior Research and Policy Analyst Policy Division Mr. Danny Ayoubi, Education Statistics Analyst Policy Division
Charter Schools Division Contact Information Georgia Department of Education 2053 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Dr. SE Atlanta, Georgia 30334-5040 (404) 657-0515 (404) 657-6978 (Fax)
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2011-2012 Georgia Charter Schools Annual Report Charter Schools Division Staff
Ms. Jacqueline Clarke Dodd, Administrative Assistant Mr. Louis Erste, Director Ms. Morgan Felts, Program Manager Ms. Tracey Glen, Program Associate Mr. Terence Washington, Fiscal Analyst
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