Replication Application

for schools interested in replicating with a start date of

August, 2014

What We Believe

-and-

What We Offer

We believe that our singu-

lar focus on charter

schools translates into

tailored customer service,

a keen understanding of

the unique needs of char-

ter schools, a consistently

transparent and collabora-

tive approach to all is-

sues, and the ability to

better advocate for char-

ter schools’ needs. With

CSI, your school will al-

ways be the “rule” and

never the “exception.”

Our systems and staff are

focused on providing each

school the support it

needs to thrive. Lower

performing schools re-

ceive the additional assis-

tance they require while

higher performing schools

enjoy increased autono-

my, including a less bur-

densome process around

applications for charter

renewal or development.

All schools receive CSI’s

For more detailed information about the ser-

vices offered at CSI, please refer to the CSI

Services document located on our website at

www.csi.state.co.us/pages/

Charter_School_Institute/Prospective_Schools

Introduction to the Charter School Institute

The mission of the

Charter School Insti-

tute shall be to foster

high-quality public

school choices offered

through Institute char-

ter schools that deliver

rigorous academic

content and high aca-

demic performance in

a safe environment

and on par with the

highest performing

schools, including par-

ticularly schools for at-

risk students.

The Charter Schools

Act was adopted in

Colorado in 1993. The

General Assembly

considered several

alternative authorizer

proposals before

adopting the Charter

School Institute (CSI)

Act in 2004. CSI au-

thorized two charter

schools in 2005 and

now has a total of 27

schools in its portfolio

throughout Colorado

with more than 11,500

students in attend-

ance.

customized data analysis

services, which provide

schools with the in-depth

information they need to

better allocate attention

and resources and confi-

dently engage in mean-

ingful data-driven deci-

sion making.

statewide.

As a charter school au-

thorizer, CSI’s main re-

sponsibility is to manage

performance contracts

with autonomous schools

in service of high student

outcomes. Compliance

with state and federal reg-

ulations is also a critical CSI also offers

a Board of Di-

rectors, ap-

pointed by the

Governor and

Commissioner

of Education,

that reflects

the diversity and strength

needed to ensure long-

term stability for our port-

folio of schools. Lastly,

CSI is designed to pass

through a maximum level

of funding directly to the

schools and is therefore

competitive both finan-

cially and with regard to

the services offered to

our schools when com-

pared to many districts

component of

CSI services.

In addition to

providing

oversight in

authorization

matters, CSI

offers services that sup-

port the effective opera-

tion of schools. CSI’s ex-

perienced team offers the

following services to its

charter schools:

Customized Analysis

Governance Training

SIS/Data Management

Exceptional Student Pro-

gram Oversight

SFA Nutrition Oversight

With CSI, charter

schools are the rule

not the exception

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Who May Apply

An application may be

submitted by an exist-

ing charter school. For

schools interested in

replicating in districts

which have retained

exclusive chartering

authority, approval of

the replication school

by the current district

in the form of a board

resolution must be

provided by the appli-

cant. A list of districts

with their chartering

authority status can be

accessed via this link:

http://

www.cde.state.co.us/

cdechart/download/

ECA_2012.pdf

Private schools and

current non-charter

public schools may not

apply to CSI through

this process.

The fundamental difference

between an application to

open a new charter school

and an application to repli-

cate an existing school

(“Replication Application”) is

that the Replication Applica-

tion is not about the idea of

creating a new charter

school; rather, it is an

evaluation of the existing

school’s success and ca-

pacity of the existing school

leadership to replicate.

With this in mind, many of

the application components

are meant to draw out infor-

mation about the effective-

ness of the existing school,

as well as the leaders’ ca-

pacity to broaden their

school’s scope. This will

be combined with compo-

nents that are specific to

the replication.

2

Replication or New School?

Replication Readiness

In alignment with national best practice, readiness for replication is defined as

an applicant who provides:

A clear and compelling mission;

A strong educational program with demonstrated effectiveness;

Evidence of community need and support;

A solid business and financial plan;

Effective governance and management structures and systems;

Founding team members demonstrating diverse and necessary capabilities;

Clear evidence of the applicant’s capacity to execute its plan successfully.

Additional information on Charter School Replication may be found on the NACSA website at

http://www.qualitycharters.org/.

BEFORE YOU APPLY:

Provide a Letter of Intent and Executive

Summary to CSI. This form can be found

on the CSI website under the Prospective

Schools tab.

Ensure you have obtained a resolution from

your current district authorizing the replica-

tion school (or if the replicating school will

be in a different district, the resolution from

that district). Provide a copy of this to the

Institute with your application. CSI may as-

sist with this process.

REPLICATION TIMELINE:

• OCTOBER 23—APPLICATION DUE

• NOVEMBER 12—PRESENTATION TO CSI BOARD

• DECEMBER 3—CSI BOARD WORK SESSION

• DECEMBER 10—CSI BOARD VOTE

Introduction to the Application WRITING YOUR APPLICATION

The application is divided into six primary

components, plus addenda, if applicable.

To determine whether you need to provide

these addenda, please refer to your Letter

of Intent, the descriptions of the addenda

located on the CSI website, or contact CSI

staff.

Your application must be typed and sup-

plied in both paper format (two copies in 3-

ring binders) and in electronic format to

CSI. Number all pages within each of the

six sections (A-F), and ensure adherence

to the page limits indicated in the content

pages of this application.

Clearly distinguish and separate each sec-

tion in both the paper and electronic ver-

sions of your application. For the paper

version, this should be accomplished

through the use of tabs. In the electronic

version, please provide a separate file for

each distinct section, as well as a file that

contains the full application.

CSI staff is happy to supply applicants with

additional information, clarification, and di-

rection toward resources up until the appli-

cation is submitted to CSI. Please contact

CSI at 303.866.3299 or

csi_info@csi.state.co.us

Replication Applications must be submitted no later

than October 23, 2013. Schools must also submit a

signed Board Resolution expressing intent to apply

to CSI for replication. Submit all materials to

csi_info@csi.state.co.us. 3

THE ITEMS LISTED IN THE SUBSEQUENT PAGES WILL

COMPRISE YOUR PHYSICAL REPLICATION APPLICATION

Replication applications should focus on providing evidence of the

effectiveness of all currently operating schools. The application

should be as concise as possible. All requested documentation

should be provided as attachments to the narrative. This includes

any specific, documented evidence, tables, statistics, and other in-

formation which may require elaboration beyond the scope of the

narrative. Important note: CSI may request additional information

during the review period. The Institute may, but is not required to,

accept any additional information the applicant provides that the

Institute does not request.

EMP Addendum

If you currently are contracting

with an education management

provider (EMP), or intend to

contract with an EMP for future

services, you will need to com-

plete the EMP addendum and

include it with your transfer ap-

plication.

Transportation Addendum

If you are currently providing

transportation to students, or

intend to provide these ser-

vices in the future, you will

need to complete the Transpor-

tation addendum with your

transfer application.

Food Services Addendum

If you currently provide a meal

program to students, or intend

to provide these food services

in the future, you will need to

complete the Food Services

addendum with your transfer

application.

Online Program Addendum

If your program has an online

learning component, you will

need to complete the Online

Program addendum with your

transfer application.

All addenda can be found on

the CSI website at

www.csi.state.co.us/pages/

Charter_School_Institute/

Prospective_Schools

ADDENDA REPLICATION EVALUATION

The primary method for evaluation of a school

wishing to replicate with the Institute is through

the CSI Annual Review of Schools (CARS) sys-

tem. This system was developed in order to build

upon the evaluation lens utilized by the State to

provide a more comprehensive and robust evalua-

tion that includes strong indicators of charter viabil-

ity and sustainability.

At the foundation of this evaluation are the CSI

Performance Frameworks (available at

www.csi.state.co.us/accountability). These docu-

ments were developed in conjunction with The Na-

tional Association of Charter School Authorizers

(NACSA) to evaluate school performance in the

areas of Academics, Finance, and Organization.

The information needed to engage in this process

is detailed in the remaining pages of this applica-

tion.

4

The CSI Annual Rev iew of Schools

Content of the Replication Application

A. Academic Program (15 pages)

Any student outcomes or academic data from all

schools must be supplied in the format of access to

raw files, or reports printed directly from the testing

interface. In order to help accomplish this, please pro-

vide the following as attachments:

1. A username and password to access flat files from

the Colorado Education Data Analysis and Report-

ing system (CEDAR).*

2. A username and password to access interim as-

sessment files directly from the testing vendor.

3. Your 3 most recent Unified Improvement Plans*

4. All reports/data dashboards provided to the local

board in the last year related to academic perfor-

mance.

Your narrative should include: 1. A description of major academic trends and key

findings.

2. A list of assessments used, including frequency,

purpose and grades administered. These selec-

tions must meet state and federal requirements.

3. A list of supplemental programming (summer

school, extracurricular activities, psychosocial pro-

gramming, remediation and intervention).

B. Serving Students with Special Needs

(15 pages)

1. Include the school policy for a Response to Inter-

vention (RtI) or child study process that meets all

legal requirements.

2. Detail plans to meet the unique needs of students

with Individualized Education Plans (for special

education), 504 Plans, Advanced Learning Plans

(for gifted/talented), School Nurse/Health Plans,

and students identified for English Language Ac-

quisition. Include information on plans for

Maximum narrative page numbers are indicated in the parentheses adjacent to each content area. If you are an

existing CSI school, then there is no need to provide the items already on file, indicated with an asterisk below.

staffing, identification, documentation, assess-

ment, progress monitoring, adaptation, and align-

ment with the budget.

3. Provide research-based evidence that supports

the chosen strategies for interventions and sup-

port materials selected.

4. Include a description of the process used to modi-

fy the curriculum to accommodate varied learning

styles of exceptional students.

C. Finance (10 pages)

Please provide a copy of the most recent version of

the following documents as attachments:

1. Independent financial audit*

2. Quarterly profit and loss statement including budg-

et to actual,*

3. Quarterly balance sheet,*

4. 3-Year projected budget for all schools (current

and replication), and

5. All reports/data dashboards provided to the the

local board in the last year related to financial per-

formance.

Your narrative should include:

1. A plan that addresses the financial needs of starting

a new school and does not disadvantage students at

the original school(s).

D. Governance & Operations (15 pages)

Please provide a copy of the most recent version of

the following documents as attachments:

1. Strategic plan,

3. Organizational chart and staff roster,

4. A copy of the current charter contract,*

5

5. A copy of any contracts or instruments that de-

scribe preexisting obligations or relationships,*

6. Evaluations from the current authorizer,*

7. CSSI site visit reports,*

8. Board minutes and agendas for the past year,*

9. Board profile matrix,

10. Board policy book,

11. All reports/data dashboards provided to the local

board related to organizational performance,

12. Membership roster and minutes for the past year

for the School Accountability Committee, and*

13. School leader evaluation and succession plan.

Your narrative should include:

1. Progress towards strategic goals.

2. A description of the existing school’s manage-

ment structure and how that will change with the

addition of the new school

3. A description of why the organizational chart ful-

fills the needs of the school and plans for future

growth.

4. A description of what types of services and/or

staffing the schools will share.

5. If applicable, a description of which positions are

employees of the ESP or if an employee lease

agreement is in place.

6. A plan for allocating sufficient human resources

towards a successful replication without disad-

vantaging existing schools.

E. Evidence of Need, Support (15 pages)

1. Information about the proposed charter school’s

student body, including the intended students’

educational needs and demographics.

6

2. A description of the type of broad outreach

the founders conducted to make the student

population and their families aware of the pro-

posed charter school. This should include fu-

ture outreach plans if the charter school is

approved.

3. A plan for reaching and accommodating a

diverse student population.

4. Detail around the number of students ex-

pressing an interest in the proposed school.

This information should be disaggregated in a

manner showing demographic information

about prospective students.

5. Information on community members and lead-

ers who publicly support the proposed school

and their role in the development of the

school, if the proposed school is not being

developed solely by parents.

6. If there are any partnerships or networking

relationships, provide an explanation of the

planned resources or agreements that have

been discussed.

E. Facilities (5 pages)

1. A facility needs assessment including number

of classrooms, bathrooms, and offices need-

ed; minimum size of each room; library, out-

door, and common space needed; overall

size; cost per square foot; zoning and occu-

pancy requirements; and how each facility

aligns with the facility needs assessment is

included in the narrative.

2. Proposed locations for school are given

based on school design and intended popula-

tion with an explanation of prospective school

sites and assistance to find them.

3. Legal review by an experienced attorney of all

contract negotiations, and terms before final

approval by the governing authority.

1580 Logan St, Suite 210

Denver, Colorado 80203

303.866.3299 ph

C OL O RA D O

C HA R TE R S C H OOL

INS TI T UTE

Th e m i ss io n o f th e Ch a r te r

S ch o o l I ns t i t u te sh a l l b e to

f o s te r h i g h -q u a l i t y p u b l i c

s ch o o l ch o ic es o f fe re d t h roug h

I n s t i tu t e s ch o o l s th a t de l i v e r

r i g o ro us ac a dem ic co n ten t a nd

h i g h a ca d em ic pe r f o rma nc e in

a s a fe e nv i ron me n t an d on pa r

w i t h t he h ig h es t pe r f o rm i n g

s ch o o l s , i nc l ud i ng p a r t i cu l a r l y

s ch o o l s fo r a t - r i sk s tu de n ts