Notice Requirements for Charter School Performance Data.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
State Board of Education

Rule No.: RULE TITLE
6A-6.0788: Notice Requirements for Charter School Performance Data.

NOTICE OF CHANGE

Notice is hereby given that the following changes have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol. 36 No. 6, February 12, 2010 issue of the Florida Administrative Weekly.

6A-6.0788 Notice Requirements for Charter School Performance Data.

(1) The following provisions have been established to administer the notice requirements of Section 1002.33(21)(b), Florida Statutes, and apply only to charter schools that serve at least ten (10) students who are tested on the statewide assessment test pursuant to Section 1008.22, Florida Statutes, and do not receive a school grade pursuant to Section 1008.34(3)(c), Florida Statutes, or a school improvement rating pursuant to Section 1008.341(3), Florida Statutes.

(1) Distribution of student assessment data.

(a) Department of Education duties. The Department of Education shall annually report student assessment data pursuant to Section 1002.34(3)(c), Florida Statutes, for charter schools that do not receive a school grade or school improvement rating and serve at least ten (10) students who are tested on the statewide assessment test through the individual School Accountability Reports accessible on the Department’s web site at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org. The data for a school grading component shall be suppressed in cases where the number of students tested is less than ten (10). The Department shall notify applicable charter schools that the student assessment data is available within ten (10) days of its posting.

(2) The Department shall notify charter schools when student assessment data pursuant to Sections 1008.34(3)(c) and 1008.341(3), Florida Statutes, is made available.

(3) The Department shall notify charter schools when comparison data pursuant to Section 1002.33(21)(b)3.a., Florida Statutes, is available.

(4)(b) Charter schools duties. The charter school shall report the student assessment data referenced in subsection (2) of this rule to the required recipients no later than thirty (30) days after receipt of notification that the data is available in the charter school’s School Accountability Report. The data shall be provided in writing on school letterhead to each parent of a student at the charter school, the parent of a child on a waiting list for the charter school, the district in which the charter school is located, and the charter school’s governing board, and shall include, as applicable: the percentage of students meeting high standards in reading, math, writing, and science; the percentage of students making learning gains in reading and math; the percentage of the lowest performing twenty-five (25) percent of students making learning gains in reading and math; and the percentage of students tested. The charter school is required to report the student assessment data to the required recipients no later than thirty (30) days after receipt of notification by the Department that the student assessment data is available.

(2) Comparison of charter school student assessment data.

(a) Department of Education duties. Annually, following the release of school grades, the Department of Education shall provide district-level performance data for traditional public school students and state-level performance data for charter school students. The Department shall also provide state-level performance data for students in alternative public (non-charter) schools in the state. This data shall be provided in the grade groupings 3-5, 6-8, and 9-11, and posted on the Department’s school grades web site at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org, in a downloadable, Excel file format. The data for any component where the number of students is less than ten (10) shall be suppressed. The Department shall notify applicable charter schools that the performance data is available within ten (10) days of its posting.

(b) Charter school duties.

1. A traditional charter school shall provide data comparing the charter school’s performance to state-level and district-level performance. Such data shall be posted in a prominent place at the charter school’s physical location, and shall include data from the charter school’s School Accountability Report, compared to state-level performance data for all charter school students and the district-level student performance data for traditional public schools in the district where the charter school is located. If the charter school maintains a web site, the comparison data shall also be posted in a prominent place on the web site. The information must remain posted throughout the school year following the availability of the data.

2. An alternative charter school shall provide data comparing the charter school’s performance to state-level student performance. Such data shall be posted in a prominent place at the charter school’s physical location, and shall include data from the charter school’s School Accountability Report, compared to state-level student performance data for all alternative charter schools in the state. If the alternative charter school maintains a web site, the comparison data shall also be posted in a prominent place on the web site. The information must remain posted throughout the school year following the availability of the data.

(5) Charter schools shall provide the data comparing their charter school student assessment data with the aggregated student assessment data of the traditional public schools within their district and the aggregated student assessment data of the charter schools statewide to the public at large by posting comparison data in a prominent place on its school site. Alternative charter schools shall provide the data comparing their charter school student assessment data with the aggregated student assessment data of all alternative schools in the state to the public at large by posting the comparison data in a prominent place on its school site. If the charter school maintains an Internet web site, the comparison data shall also be posted in a prominent place on the web site. In accordance with Section 1002.33(21)(b)3., Florida Statutes, all comparison data posted in accordance with this rule shall be provided by the following grade groupings: 3 through 5, 6 through 8, and 9 through 11. The charter school shall post the comparison data no later than thirty (30) days after the receipt of the notification by the Department that the comparison data is available. The comparison data must remain posted throughout the school year following the availability of the data.

Rulemaking Authority 1002.33(21), (26) FS. Law Implemented 1002.33(21) FS. History–New________.