The State Education Department's list of new failing and high performing schools in New York state painted a clear picture of the reality of school performance in Albany. All operating Albany charter schools met or exceeded the state's accountability criteria for academic progress and performance in the 2011-12 school year, and were thus deemed in "good standing."
The bigger news is that Albany's charter schools aren't settling for the "good standing" mark. They are taking accountability to the next level. If schools don't meet their own academic standards, regardless of the state's rating, they will remain, as a central tenet of their mission, committed to "continuous improvement."
A good example would be the decision not to seek renewal on Achievement Academy Charter School's charter even though the school received a "good standing" mark from SED and outperformed the Albany school district in 5th, 7th, and 8th grade math and 8th grade ELA.
Charter school accountability is something that isn't taken lightly here. Albany's charter schools aren't here to "just get by." They're here to meet, and surpass, specific achievement goals laid forth in their charter. If they can't meet their goals, they are required to implement changes that produce positive academic results.
According to the Institute of Education Sciences' Turning Around Low-Performing Schools project, only 4 percent of failing traditional public schools were able to significantly improve their proficiency rates on state tests in both reading and math after three years of turnaround reform efforts.
Schools — charter or district — should not remain open if efforts to change do not produce positive academic results. The alternative for kids should be access to a school with a proven track record of academic success, be it charter or district. In Albany, the choice is increasingly clear.
State test scores released back in July showed that charter schools on average were beating their local school districts and were outperforming statewide averages in every high-need demographic and subgroup.
In 2011-12, Albany's charter schools placed first in ELA in 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th grade, and first in math in 3rd, 4th, 5th 6th, 7th and 8th grade. The U.S. Department of Education recently named the Albany Community Charter School a National Blue Ribbon School, a national designation for impressive academic results.
With that being said, it's no surprise that charter enrollment in Albany's charter schools is actually on the rise, despite recent reports that state otherwise. There are enough kids on the waiting lists in Albany's charter schools to fill another entire school.
Some of Albany's charter schools will likely be moving to a K-8 model in an effort to further the successful practices they've learned along the way. The ability to adapt a model in an effort to improve positive academic results is what charter schools are all about. It looks like accountability is paying off.
Oh, by the way, the failure of all 15 schools in the City School District of Albany is obvious. None received a "good standing" designation.
Chris Bender is executive director of the Brighter Choice Foundation.