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Academic PerformanceIn the State of Missouri the Annual Performance Report (APR) is the accountability report cardfor school districts based on a district’s performance utilizing metrics from the Missouri SchoolImprovement Program (MSIP). MSIP5 outlines the expectations for student achievement. TheMSIP accountability system was established in 1990 and has evolved over time. Standards aredivided into three categories, Resource Standards, Process Standards, and Performance Standards.Resource and Process Standards are designed to promote continuous improvement and innovationwithin each district. The Process Standards are often qualitative in nature. The PerformanceStandards are designed to recognize the achievement and continuous growth of students. Inaddition to metrics agreed upon between the Sponsor and charter school’s governing board placedin their legally binding performance contract, charter schools are held to the MSIP5 PerformanceStandards.Each year the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education prepares an APRfor each charter school reporting the school’s performance. Performance Standards focus onstudent achievement on the State’s assessment, student achievement on the State’s End of Courseexams, student growth, subgroup achievement, college and career readiness, graduation rate,and attendance. A charter school receives points in each applicable area based on their gradelevel configuration. Charter schools do not receive a classification of accredited, provisionallyaccredited, unaccredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Educationrather the APR is for informational purposes only.In 2014 Missouri’s charter schools demonstrated, collectively, tremendous growth in the area ofacademic performance. The combined APR average for Missouri’s charter schools increased from68.6% in 2013 to 73.34% in 2014.The following data points speak to the school’s 2014 academic performance:In Kansas City, 14 out of 18 LEAs (representing 17 of the 24 individual schools) scored over 70% on their APR 4 charter schools improved in their percentage of proficient and advanced in EnglishLanguage Arts 7 charter schools improved in their percentage of proficient and advanced in Math 15 charter schools exceeded the local school district average in English Language Arts 15 charter schools exceeded the local school district average in Math 3 charter schools exceeded the Missouri state average in English Language Arts 4 charter schools exceeded the Missouri state average in Math8MCPSA

The charter public school average for English Language Arts is 34.21% exceeding the localschool district average The charter public school average for Math is 35.58% exceeding the local school district averageIn St. Louis, In St. Louis 10 of 14 LEAs (representing 15 of the 25 individual schools) scored over 70% ontheir APR 5 charter schools improved in their percentage of proficient and advanced in EnglishLanguage Arts 2 charter schools improved in their percentage of proficient and advanced in Math 14 charter schools exceeded the local school district average in English Language Arts 11 charter schools exceeded the local school district average in Math 3 charter public schools exceeded the Missouri state average in English Language Arts 3 charter public schools exceeded the Missouri state average in Math The charter public school average for English Language Arts is 33.60% exceeding the localschool district average The charter public school average for Math is 30.77% exceeding the local school district averageStatewide, The combined average for charter schools in Math slightly decreased from 38.71% in 2013 to34.64% in 2014 The combined average for charter schools in English Language Arts increased from 34.54% in2013 to 35.20% in 2014MCPSA9

Charter School Authorizationand SponsorshipAuthority to Authorize and SponsorIn 1998 it was the determination of Missouri’s General Assembly that the Missouri State Board ofEducation would serve as the State’s Authorizer of charter schools. As the Authorizer, the MissouriState Board of Education holds the legal authority to approve and provide oversight to Sponsors who,in turn, hold the authority to open, monitor, and evaluate charter schools. Initially, through thislegislation, allowable Sponsors were the Kansas City Metropolitan School District Board and St. LouisPublic Schools Board; a public four-year college or university with an approved teacher educationprogram meeting regional or national standards of accreditation; or a community college located inKansas City or St. Louis. Over time legislation, including legislation MCPSA championed in 2012,passed into law allowing additional Sponsors.In 2014 the following institutional types are, or may apply to the Missouri State Board ofEducation, as Sponsors:1. The school board of an accredited school district;2. The special administrative board of a metropolitan school district during any time inwhich powers granted to the district’s board of education are vested in a specialadministrative board;3. A public four-year college or university with an approved teacher education program that meetsregional or national standards of accreditation;4. A community college, the service area of which encompasses some portion of the district;5. Any private four-year college or university with an enrollment of at least one thousandstudents, with its primary campus in Missouri, and with an approved teacher preparation program;6. Any two-year private vocational or technical school designated as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofitorganization under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which is a member of theNorth Central Association and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, with its primarycampus in Missouri; or,7. The Missouri Charter Public School Commission.10MCPSA

Per the Missouri Statutes, a charter school Sponsor receives 1.5% of the amount of state and localfunding allocated to each charter school in their portfolio not to exceed 125,000. In order to retainfunding a Sponsor must:1. Expend no less than ninety percent of its charter school Sponsorship funds in support of itscharter school Sponsorship program, or as a direct investment in the Sponsored schools;2. Maintain a comprehensive application process that follows fair procedures and rigorouscriteria and grants charters only to those developers who demonstrate strong capacity forestablishing and operating a quality charter school;3. Negotiate contracts with charter schools that clearly articulate the rights and responsibilitiesof each party regarding school autonomy, expected outcomes, measures for evaluating successor failure, performance consequences, and other material terms;4. Conduct contract oversight that evaluates performance, monitors compliance, informsintervention and renewal decisions, and ensures autonomy provided under applicable law; and5. Design and implements a transparent and rigorous process that uses comprehensive data tomake merit-based renewal decisions.In addition, Sponsors receiving funds are required to submit annual reports to the Missouri GeneralAssembly’s Joint Committee on Education.Authorizer ResponsibilityAs the State’s Authorizer, it is the responsibility of the Missouri State Board of Education (via theMissouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) to provide oversight of Sponsors.This is clarified in Statute stating, The department shall provide guidance to Sponsors in developing such policies and procedures; A Sponsor shall provide timely submission to the state board of education of all datanecessary to demonstrate that the Sponsor is in material compliance with all requirementsof sections 160.400 to 160.425 and section 167.349; The state board of education shall ensure each Sponsor is in compliance with allrequirements under sections 160.400 to 160.425 and 167.349 for each charterschool Sponsored by any Sponsor; The state board shall notify each Sponsor of the standards for Sponsorship of charterschools, delineating both what is mandated by statute and what best practices dictate; The state board shall evaluate Sponsors to determine compliance with these standards everythree years. The evaluation shall include a Sponsor’s policies and procedures in the areas ofcharter application approval; required charter agreement terms and content; Sponsorperformance evaluation and compliance monitoring; and charterMCPSA11

renewal, intervention, and revocation decisions. Nothing shall preclude the department fromundertaking an evaluation at any time for cause; If the department determines that a Sponsor is in material noncompliance with itsSponsorship duties, the Sponsor shall be notified and given reasonable time for remediation.If remediation does not address the compliance issues identified by the department, thecommissioner of education shall conduct a public hearing and thereafter provide notice tothe charter Sponsor of corrective action that will be recommended to the state board ofeducation. Corrective action by the department may include withholding the Sponsor’sfunding and suspending the Sponsor’s authority to Sponsor a school that it currentlySponsors or to Sponsor any additional school until the Sponsor is reauthorized by the stateboard of education under section 160.403; The charter Sponsor may, within thirty days of receipt of the notice of the commissioner’srecommendation, provide a written statement and other documentation to show cause as towhy that action should not be taken. Final determination of corrective action shall bedetermined by the state board of education based upon a review of the documentationsubmitted to the department and the charter Sponsor; If the state board removes the authority to Sponsor a currently operating charter schoolunder any provision of law, the Missouri charter public school commission shall become theSponsor of the school.Charter School Sponsors 2014Currently the following institutions Sponsor charter schools with the number of schools based onattendance centers (buildings): Lindenwood University (3 schools)Saint Louis Public Schools (1 school)Saint Louis University (2 schools)Southeast Missouri State University (1 school)The University of Central Missouri (11 schools)The University of Missouri, Columbia (10 schools, 1 to open in 2015)The University of Missouri, Kansas City (8 schools)The University of Missouri, St. Louis (9 schools, 1 to open in 2015)Washington University in St. Louis (2 schools, 1 to open in 2015)From 2006 to 2011 Missouri Baptist University served as a Sponsor of charter schools. In 2011, aspart of an agreement with the Missouri State Board of Education to close the five Imagine Schoolsin their portfolio for poor academic performance, Missouri Baptist University agreed to releasetheir authority to serve as a charter school Sponsor. The one remaining school in their portfolio,Carondelet Leadership Academy, was transferred to the University of Missouri, Columbia portfolio.12MCPSA

In 2013 the Missouri School of Science and Technology elected to terminate their authority to Sponsorcharter schools transferring the four Confluence Academy schools in their portfolio to the University ofMissouri, Columbia.Sponsor Responsibility, Accountability, and StandardsAs changes in Statute were made to allow more institutions the ability to serve as Sponsors there was a‘call’ to increase Sponsor accountability ensuring the oversight of charter schools was rigorous. In 2012MCPSA responded to the ‘call’ championing legislation improving the accountability requirements ofcharter schools and Sponsors including:1.2.3.4.5.6.Requiring performance contracts between Sponsors and schools in their charter school portfolio;Changing the appeal of a Sponsor decision process from a judicial review to the Missouri StateBoard of Education;Increasing public reporting requirements on student achievement, financial health andoperational procedures;Requiring parent grievance process, closure procedures and plans for special education in thecharter application;Requiring the pre- approval of any new Sponsors by the Missouri State Board of Education;Instituting a required evaluation of Sponsors every three years by the Missouri State Board ofEducation based on standards of Sponsorship.In 1998 the initial charter school statues indicated that the Missouri State Board of Education was toidentify Standards of Sponsorship. From 1998 to 2012 these Standards were not developed. In 2012,the Missouri State Board of Education established in Rule the following Standards of Sponsorship:Standard 1 – Sponsor Commitment and CapacityThe Sponsor recognizes that chartering is a means to foster excellent schools that meet identified needs,creates organizational structures to facilitate meeting these needs, and commits human and financialresources necessary to conduct its Sponsoring duties effectively and efficiently. The Sponsor shallimplement steps to closely monitor the following: Provides capacity to serve as a Sponsor by employing, contracting for services, or seekingexpertise in other ways to ensure capacity to carry out all Sponsoring activities essential tocharter school oversight (including, but not limited to education leadership, curriculum,instruction, assessment, special education, federal programs, performance accountability, law,finance, and nonprofit governance);MCPSA13

Maintains capacity for intervention purposes when charter Sponsors have two (2) or morepersistently low achieving charter schools, as verified by their Annual Performance Report(APR), before expanding their charter portfolio.Standard 2 – Application Process and Decision MakingA quality Sponsor implements a thorough application process that includes clear application andguidance; follows fair, transparent procedures and rigorous criteria; and grants only those charterapplications that demonstrate a strong capacity to establish and operate a quality charter school.The Sponsor shall implement the following: Produces a thorough charter application process as outlined in section 160.400.11(2), RSMo,including the items as stated in section 160.405.1(1) – (17), RSMo; Maintains consistent criteria for accepting, approving, and denying charter applications anddoes so in accordance with a clearly established timeline; Requires the charter applicant to provide evidence of accountability regarding stable fiscaland organizational performance included in the charter application process, including:oBudget assumptions with balanced budgets; andoPositive cash flow reserve funds; Includes additional contractual provisions that verify rigorous, independent contractoversight by the charter governing board and the school’s financial independence from theexternal provider (for any school contracting with a third-party provider for educationdesign and operation or management);Standard 3 – Board SupportThe Sponsor shall implement steps to offer ongoing support, including but not limited to:training, organization, ethical conduct, knowledge, commitment, compliance, leadershipoversight, contract management, accountability, transparency, and the interpretation of theMissouri public charter school statutes/rules for charter school board(s). The Sponsor shall: Ensure charter board members have adequate training to fulfill their position; Place charter schools on probation, and/or revoke or non-renew a school’s charter for poorgovernance if the charter school board does not follow statutory requirements, correctviolations of statutory requirements, or continue to repeat the same violations, including,but not limited to the following:oThe charter board retains status as a Missouri non-profit corporation as outlined insection 160.400.7, RSMo;oCharter board members submit ethics commission paperwork annually as outlinedin sections 105.483 and 105.492, RSMo;14MCPSA

oCharter boards have policies in place to prevent conflict of interests with the charterschool as outlined in section 160.400.15, RSMo; andoAll charter board members have criminal background and FCSR checks as outlinedin section 160.400.14, RSMo;Demonstrate oversight of charter boards in a variety of ways, including but not limited toreviewing board minutes, attending board meetings, and verifying reporting processes; andMonitor whether charter school board and committee business is conducted as outlined inthe Missouri Sunshine Laws, sections 610.010-610.030, RSMo.Standard 4 – Academic PerformanceThe Sponsor shall take steps to closely monitor state performance standards defined by thedepartment are included in the Sponsor/charter contract. The Sponsor: Ensures that performance contracts are aligned to the pupil academic standards adopted bythe State Board of Education as outlined in section 160.405.4(6)(a), RSMo; Establishes clear procedures and consequences for failure to meet requirements andoutcomes set in the Sponsor/charter contract; and, Does not approve additional sites or expansion of grade levels for a charter school identifiedas persistently low achieving, as verified by its APR.Standard 5 – Fiscal ManagementThe Sponsor shall implement steps to closely monitor the charter school performancemanagement and financial actions that support a solvent fiscal status, including: A charter school identified as financially stressed develops a budget and education plan asoutlined in section 160.417.3, RSMo. The department may withhold any payment offinancial aid due to the charter school until such time as the charter school and Sponsorhave fully complied as outlined in section 160.417.5, RSMo; Ensures that adequate financial controls are in place to assure that revenue received foroperation of the charter school are expended for expenses related to the operation of thecharter school:oA requirement that a monthly check register is reviewed and approved by the localboard prior to issuing payment for amounts in excess of 1,000; andoThe bank account where state funds are deposited must be established and under thecontrol of the charter board. If a management company is contracted, personnelassociated with the company shall not have direct access; Closely monitors that charter schools show fiscal management of federal grant programs inaccordance with terms outlined in Fiscal Guidance for Federal Grant Programs;MCPSA15

Closely monitors that charter schools have a procurement process in place as required bythe Code of Federal Regulations 34 CFR 80.36; Closely monitors that the Annual Secretary of the Board Report (ASBR) and the annualaudit are submitted to the department in the time frame outlined by Missouri statutes andthese documents are not compiled by the same auditing service. The department maywithhold any payment of financial aid due to the charter school until such time as thecharter school and Sponsor have fully complied as outlined in section 160.415.5, RSMo; Closely monitors that the annual audit summary is published as outlined in section165.121.5, RSMo; and Closely monitors that charter schools utilize the c

closures, the number of charter schools did decline to 22 in 2006 increased to 49 by 2012. In 2014 there are 52 charter schools with 26 in Kansas City and 26 in St. Louis serving close to 20,000 students. No charter schools yet exist outside of Kansas City or St. Louis. Missouri's Charter Schools By The Numbers - 2014 Missouri Data. 37 LEA's