PortraitoftheMovement2017
CCSA’sfifthPortraitoftheMovementreportrevealsCalifornia’scharterpublicschoolsaresuccessfullystrivingtowardsfull
implementationofCommonCore,andcontinuetooutperformtraditionalpublicschools(TPS)atdisproportionatelyhigh
numbers.
PerformanceTrends:CaliforniaCharterSchoolsHaveaStableHistoryofOutperformance
California’scharterschoolsaresuccessfullytransitioningtoCommonCoreandcontinuetooutperformtraditionalpublicschools
(TPS)atdisproportionatelyhighnumbers.CharterschooltrendsinperformancearestablesincethetransitionfromtheAcademic
PerformanceIndex(API)*ascharterscontinuetopositivelyservethemosthistoricallydisadvantagedandvulnerablestudent
groups.The2017PortraitoftheMovementdocumentsthatchartersareachievingacademicsuccessacrossvariousstudent
demographicgroupsandgeographiesandwithindifferentcharterschooltypes.
Figure1tellsthestoryofperformancefrom2007-2016.
In2007-08,charterschoolshadaUshapedistributionofperformancewhen
comparingschoolsservingsimilar
students(CCSA’sSimilarStudents
Measurebasedonthestate’sAcademic
PerformanceIndex“API”).
BytheconclusionofAPItestingin201213,charterperformancehadimproved,
shiftingtoaJ-shapedistribution
showingmanymorecharterschools
concentratedamongthemost
outperforminginthestateasshownin
therightsideofFigure1.(Note:From
2007-08through2012-13dataarebasedonAPI.In2014-15and2015-16,dataarebasedonSmarterBalancedassessments(SBAC)).
Thesekeydifferencesinstandardsandassessmentsdisallowforthetwodistributionstobedirectlycomparable,asillustratedin
Figure1.
ThetransitiontoSBACin2014-15resultedinastepbackforcharterschools,withproportionallyfewerschoolsinthetop25%and
anincreaseinunderperformingcharters.Theseresultsmayreflectavarietyoffactorsinadditiontoacademicperformance,suchas
newtestingmethodology.
ThesecondadministrationofSBACin2015-16showedcharterschoolsrightingtheshiptosomedegree,nearlyreturningtothe
performanceseeninthelastyearofAPItesting.
KeyFindings
1. UsingCCSA’sSimilarStudents
Measure(SSM)*wefindthatcharter
schoolsareoverrepresentedatthe
highest(mostoutperforming)and
lowest(mostunderperforming)ends
ofthedistribution,makingupthe
“ShapeoftheU”thatwehave
historicallyseenforcharterschoolsin
California.(SeeFigures1and2)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Charterschoolsarenotonlydoing
significantlybettertohelpallstudents
meetstandards,butonaverage
chartersarerankinghigherstatewide
accordingtoCCSA’sAveragePoint
Difference(APD)*decileranks.
UsingCCSA’sAPDwefindthat,for
mostsubgroups,onaveragecharter
schoolsperformedthesameorbetter
onCommonCorestateteststhandid
traditionalpublicschools.(SeeFigure
8)
LatinoandAfrican-AmericancharterschoolstudentsaretwiceaslikelyastheirTPSpeerstobeattendingaschoolinthetop
10%statewideandoverthreetimesaslikelytobeattendingatop5%schoolstatewide.Nearlyhalf(43%)ofLosAngeles
UnifiedSchoolDistrict(LAUSD)charterschoolsperforminthetopquartilestatewide–morethandoublethepercentof
LAUSDtraditionalpublicschools.InOaklandUnifiedSchoolDistrict(OUSD),31%ofcharterschoolsperformamongthetop
quartilestatewide–nearlyeighttimestheTPSpercentage.
ByschooltypeweseetheperformanceofCharterManagementOrganizations(CMOs)ishighlyconcentratedinthetop
quartile.Also,consistentwithAPItrends,classroom-basedcharterschoolsonaveragearemorelikelytobehigherperforming
thannon-classroombasedcharters.
CCSAmaintainedclearacademicstandardsandaccountabilityforcharterswithitsacademicaccountabilityframeworkduring
thestatestandardsandassessmentgapoverthelastthreeyears.Theseconsistentaccountabilityeffortshavehelped
positivelyimpactthedistributionofCaliforniacharterschoolperformanceinthepastandwebelievewecancontinuethe
chargetoimproveperformanceinthisearlyCommonCoreera.
AClearPlantoAddressAcademicUnderperformance
Therearestillareasforgrowthasevidencedbythecontinuedhighnumberofunderperformingcharterschools,andevenaminor
uptickfrom2012-13.ThePortraitoftheMovementidentifiesareasoffocusforthefuture.CCSAwill:
§ Continueitsacademicaccountabilityadvocacybyusingaclear,straightforwardacademicaccountabilityframework.
§ Applyconstructivepressureonthechartersectortoacceleratetowardsachievinggreaterlevelsofacademicperformance.
§ PersistwithitsPublicCallforNon-Renewaltoadvocatefortheclosureofchronicallyunderperformingcharterschoolsasit
hassince2011,andcallonauthorizerstodowhatisrightforstudentsanddenytherenewalofchronically
underperformingcharterschools.
HistoryofCCSA’sPortraitoftheMovement
InJanuary2011,CCSAreleaseditsfirst“PortraitoftheMovement”publicationshowingtheperformanceofallCaliforniacharter
schoolsandidentifyingperformancetrendswithinthesector.Ratherthancomparingaveragesasmanystudieshaddonebefore,
thisresearchrevealedthatcharterschoolshadhigherconcentrationsofschoolsatbothendsoftheperformancespectrum(aUshape).Since2011,CCSAhasreleasedatotaloffive(2011,2012,2013,2014,2017)reportsassessingtheperformanceofthe
charterschoolmovement.Formoreinformation,visitwww.ccsa.org/pom.
Resources
• PortraitoftheMovement
• AcademicAccountabilityFramework
• SnapshotReports
• PublicCallforNon-Renewal
• AveragePointDifferenceMeasure(APD)
• SimilarStudentsMeasure(SSM)
• Visitwww.ccsa.orgtolearnmore.
*SeedefinitionsinAppendixDofreport.