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Nation's First Certified Charter Schools Program Advances Quality Standards With Accountability

Posted on: Wednesday, 9 May 2007, 06:00 CDT

The California Charter Schools Association (the Association) today announced the launch of the Certified Charter Schools Program, representing the first time in the nation that a state's charter school movement has implemented standards for high quality with accountability. Hundreds of California charter schools are currently participating in this unprecedented program. By successfully completing a rigorous independent review, participating schools provide families and the education community with verification that they are upholding standards which define a high-quality school.

"This is an exciting period for charter schools in California," said Caprice Young, president and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association. "Certification focuses on student outcomes and public accountability. Our charter schools are proud to show they are accountable to high-quality standards."

After more than three years and input from over 300 charter leaders, the Association presents a new program that embraces the charter school movement's diversity of educational vision, instructional framework, students and organization types. The Certified Charter Schools Program validates and distinguishes charter schools that have met high-quality academic, governance and fiscal standards established by the charter school movement.

Participants of the Certified Charter Schools Program pledge their adherence to the Quality Standards and commit to undergo a third-party review process thus becoming a "Candidate for Certification." Upon successful completion of the independent, third-party review process, a school becomes a "Certified Charter School." Nearly 70 percent of California's charter schools are participating in this groundbreaking program.

Quality Standards

Created by charter school leaders, the Association's Quality Standards establish benchmarks that define a high-quality school. The standards span the areas of student achievement, responsible governance and fiscal integrity. This authentic measurement of school quality goes beyond test scores to identify schools that are making significant progress towards meeting their mission and goals, improving student academic achievement and focusing on the continuous improvement of their program.

Accountability

To verify alignment with the standards, participating charter schools complete a comprehensive school review process. The review process is conducted by an independent agency and includes a thorough self-assessment combined with a rigorous, multi-day school site review by a visiting team of experienced educators. The independent review organizations are approved by the Association and their review programs are aligned with the Quality Standards. Currently, these agencies include the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), Cambridge Education's Charter Program Quality Review and the California State Board of Education's Charter School Renewal Process.

"I am excited to support the tremendous work done by the Charter Schools Association and fully support their new Certified Charter Schools Program," said Marta Reyes, director of the Charter Schools Division for the California State Department of Education. "This program -- the first of its kind in the nation by a charter membership organization -- has developed quality standards spanning academics, governance and fiscal responsibility. California is leading the way to promote and support the development of high-quality charter schools."

Through the Certified Charter Schools Program, the California Charter Schools Association is reinforcing its focus on quality with accountability. This effort marks an evolution of the Association to an organization that supports charter schools committed to standards, accountability and a focus on continuous improvement. Well over 400 California charter schools are participating in the Certified Charter Schools Program. Today, as the program is launched, we introduce the first 39 schools recognized as Certified Charter Schools.

The first 39 California Charter Schools Association's Certified Charter Schools include:

 Academy for Academic Excellence, Apple Valley Animo Inglewood Charter High School, Los Angeles Bitney Springs High School, Grass Valley Classical Academy, Oceanside Coastal Academy, Oceanside Connecting Waters Charter School, Waterford Delta Charter High School, Tracy Downtown College Preparatory, San Jose Edison Charter Academy, San Francisco Elise P. Buckingham Charter Magnet High School, Vacaville FAME Public Charter School, Newark Gateway High School, San Francisco Granada Hills Charter High School, Granada Hills Greater San Diego Academy, San Diego Guajome Park Academy, Vista Hallmark Charter School, Sanger Hickman Charter School, Hickman Hickman Elementary School, Hickman Hickman Middle School, Hickman High Tech High, San Diego KIPP Academy Fresno, Fresno KIPP Academy of Opportunity, Los Angeles KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy, San Diego KIPP Bayview Academy, San Francisco KIPP Heartwood Academy, San Jose KIPP Los Angeles College Preparatory, Los Angeles KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy, San Francisco KIPP Summit Academy, San Lorenzo Mare Island Technology (MIT) Academy High School, Vallejo Marysville Charter Academy for the Arts, Marysville Pacific View Charter School in Oceanside, Oceanside The Preuss School at UC San Diego, San Diego Redwood Academy of Ukiah, Ukiah Ridgecrest Charter School, Ridgecrest School of Arts and Enterprise, Pomona Shasta Secondary Home School, Redding University High School at CSU Fresno, Fresno Valley Oaks Charter School, Bakersfield Watts Learning Center, Los Angeles 

To see all the charter schools that are participating in the Association's Certified Charter Schools Program, visit: www.myschool.org.

About the California Charter Schools Association

The California Charter Schools Association is the membership and professional organization serving over 600 charter public schools that serve close to 220,000 charter school students in the state of California. The Association's mission is to improve student achievement by supporting and expanding California's quality charter public school movement. www.myschool.org

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 CONTACT: Mike MeCey Kenyon Black (916) 203-7517  Julie Cruit Angilly California Charter Schools Association (415) 845-1171  

SOURCE: California Charter Schools Association

Source: MARKET WIRE

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