Charter schools must make AYP
4/22/03 -- Charter schools must meet the accountability requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, including the requirement on making adequate yearly progress (AYP), states the U.S. Education Department in a draft guidance document issued March 24.
If a school district authorizes the charter for a charter school, the department states, the district must ensure that the school complies with NCLB accountability requirements, unless state law assigned oversight to the state education agency.
Districts that authorize a charter school that receives Title I funds must ensure that the school complies with most requirements for qualification of teachers and paraprofessionals. However, teachers in charter schools need not be certified to be considered "highly qualified" if state law exempts charter school teachers from certification requirements.
School districts subject to NCLB's school choice provisions, must include charter schools located in its geographic boundaries. But this does not relieve districts of their obligation to provide choice among public schools, and the receiving charter school need not give priority to transferring students.
If a district has a charter school in its jurisdiction that is in need of improvement, the district must notify parents of their options, must pay for supplemental services, and must provide transportation to schools of choice, even if state law does not provide for transportation funding for charters.
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| Reproduced with permission from the Apr. 22, 2003, issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2003, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. |