Florida’s Charter SchoolsFlorida’s Charter SchoolsProgram Grant AwardProgram Grant Award

Information SessionInformation Session

August 2011August 2011

CSP Grant AwardCSP Grant Award

In July 2011, USDOE announced that Florida was one of two states to

receive a five-yearCharter Schools Program

(CSP) Grant Award.

OverviewOverview

Purpose: Provide financial assistance to expand the number of high quality charter schools andbuild a better national understanding of publiccharter schools.

95% of funding will be distributed in subgrants to charter schools (45 start-up/year and dissemination)

Administrative funds will be used to provide training and professional development and for subgrant recipient monitoring activities.

Objective 1Objective 1

Increase access to high-quality charter schoolsfor educationally disadvantaged students.

Activities: Preference points and increased funding for charter school

developers opening schools in the feeder patterns of PLA public schools or rural low-income districts

Coordination with Race to the Top initiative supporting management organizations opening charter schools in feeder zones of PLA public schools

New applicant trainings and outreach activities targeting rural districts

Objective 1Objective 1

Expected Outcomes:

Objective 2Objective 2

Improve the authorizing practices and capacity ofLocal Education Agency Authorizers.

Activities: Training activities related to authorizing best practices. Workshops for authorizers on using the model charter

school evaluation instrument Partnership with FACSA to create principles and standards

for high-quality authorizing in Florida and an online charter school monitoring tool

Distribute Title I regulation, eligibility, and allocation information to all LEAs each year

Objective 2Objective 2

Expected Outcomes:

Objective 3Objective 3

Increase the number of high-quality charter schools in Florida.

Activities: Award Planning and Implementation subgrants to

high-quality charter schools selected through a rigorous peer review process

Conduct monitoring visits (50%) and desk audits (100%) New applicant training Annual needs assessment, develop training plan,

and conduct training activities (5 trainings, 1000 people) Dissemination grants

Objective 3Objective 3

Expected Outcomes:

Objective 4Objective 4

Increase the academic achievement of charterschool students.

Activities: Dissemination grants Charter Support Unit (CSU) Trainings related to highly-effective

instructional practices

Objective 4Objective 4

Expected Outcomes:

DisseminationDissemination

The Department will fund projects for the purposeof disseminating information related to the following:

Highly-effective instructional practices (2+) Best and promising practices for increasing graduation

rates, with emphasis on at-risk students (1+) Best practices amongst charter schools and LEAs through

the development of an online learning community (1) Accelerated learning options, such as advanced

placement and dual enrollment (1+) Teacher evaluation systems (1+) Instructional improvement systems (1+) Teacher recruitment and retention (1+)

SupportSupport

The Department plans to provide comprehensive and ongoing support for charter schools through the following types of training:

Charter Schools New Applicant Highly-Effective Instructional Practices, including partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection Need-Based, determined by annual needs assessment

Authorizers Authorizing Best Practices,

including timely distribution of federal funds and monitoring academic performance

Model Forms Adoption and Implementations

of Authorizing Principles and Standards

WaiversWaivers

The Department requested and was granted severalwaivers to statutory and regulatory provisions:

Extend CSP Grant project period to 5 years Allow charter schools to receive more than one planning

and implementation grant (for significant expansion) Allow eligible charter schools to receive more than one

dissemination grant Extend dissemination grant project period to 3 years

External EvaluationExternal Evaluation

Thorough assessment and evaluation to determine ifthe Department has the appropriate systems in place tosustain and grow a high-quality charter school sector.

What are the strengths and weaknesses in the Department’s CSP sub-grant application and review process?

How can the Department improve its CSP application and review process to better screen for quality?

What is the impact of the CSP funding on student achievement?

What is the impact of each of the dissemination grants funded by the Department?

Questions?Questions?