Chicago Charter Schools Return Erratic State Test Results

After being touted as the solution to low-performing Chicago public schools, state achievement test data released Wednesday showed erratic student performance at Chicago's charter schools, even between schools within the same franchise.

Chicago was ranked second highest nationally on the Brown Center on Education Policy's Education Choice and Competition Index (ECCI), which scores large school districts based on 13 categories of policy and practice, including availability of alternative education options and implementation of effective competition systems.

But state achievement test data, released for the first time in more than a decade, suggests that alternative options--particularly publicly-funded charter schools, which have more autonomy to develop curricula and have established a growing presence in Chicago education--don't consistently outperform public schools when it comes to standardized tests.

Only one of nine charter franchises averaged a higher percentage of students who passed the ISAT/PSAE than the districtwide public school average, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The overall passing rate at two multi-site school operators lagged behind the CPS average at every site. (See the full data set at the Sun-Times.)

Chicago International Charter Schools (CICS), which with 11 elementary campuses and four high schools runs the largest charter operation in the city, produced widely varied results. Their ISAT performances averaged from 18 percent below the CPS average to 19 percent above in their elementary schools, and from 10 percent below to 10 percent above on the PSAE across their high schools.

The scores could foreshadow additional changes within the charter school system, which is already facing major adjustments. Last week, CPS issued a release announcing that 36 charters had applied for a grant to extend their school days by 90 minutes starting in January.

New Schools Chief Executive Phyllis Lockett told the Chicago Tribune that the city has been consistently pruning low-performing charter schools. Christine Poindexter-Harris, chief data analyst at CICS, suggested that this data could drive more sweeping closures or alterations.

"That's a very serious thing on our end; it's definitely not something that's taken lightly," Poindexter-Harris told the Tribune. "But it's really done with the thought that if you can't provide the best education for our students then we need to find someone who can."

Comments

[hmmmmmer]

11:29 PM on 12/04/2011

Until we all realize that not all kids are college bound and that test scores are not completely determined by the teacher in a classroom then things will never change.

[wacado]

10:21 PM on 12/03/2011

I have taught in 2 charter schools. The students who attended those schools were at risk students. A majority of them were kicked out of regular public high schools or they just couldn't deal with the traditional hours and teaching methods. Some came because they were a bit odd and felt out of place in a traditional high school. Most all of these students came in with below average reading scores, non-passing scores on the AIMS test (AZ). These students are what one would find in a traditional school, but in a higher concentration. Charter schools "accelerate" learning so students can make up credits they lost at traditional schools. How is a student who cannot complete course work within an 18 week period expected to exceed in a charter school that has 5 semesters per year, instead of the traditional 2? Why are charter schools deemed better? They aren't really.

[becut]

10:01 AM on 02/05/2012

Charters are a "smoke screen" so corporations can have access to the largest item in every state budget- EDUCATION. The students in low performing schools are from low performing neighborhoods. NCLB created Beverly Hills standards for South Central LA. The stress and pressure of having problem areas to try to meet the standards for non-problem areas is crazy. New norms need to be created for each area. Police officers in South Central LA are not expected to have the same crime rate as Police officers in Beverly Hills. A hospital in South Central LA is not expected to have the same amount of cases of gun shot wounds as in Beverly Hills. Why are the children of one area expected to meet the standards of a more advantaged area? This is what - one size fits all NCLB legislation has created one standard for all. Schools are located in communities, and represent that community. Why are schools expected to fix problems (poverty) that the state and local government (even the White House) has not been able to fix. The children from these neighborhoods are suppose to magically be different because they walked down the block and entered a classroom.

[Marx Twain]

12:07 PM on 12/03/2011

Having only one school outperform public schools isn't "erratic", it's very consistent with all the evidence that's already out there on charters. The ones that are allowed to cherry-pick do better than the average school, and the rest do the same at best, but usually slightly to severly worse.

No matter how much the pro-charter folks try to spin it, reality keeps checking them.

[Earl Gray]

01:18 PM on 12/02/2011

[Per Student Allocation] - [Established Curriculae] + ([Unproven Methods] X Teachers - Qualifications) - Profit < [Equal Education].

It's basic math.

[WillyC]

08:34 AM on 12/02/2011

"Only one of nine charter franchises averaged a higher percentage of students who passed the ISAT/PSAE than the districtwide public school average"

I'll bet the public schools do better than one of nine above average.

[Romano54]

02:55 PM on 12/01/2011

Since total expenditure per student at a charter is approximately twice of what is spent at CPS, should we not expect a 100% improvement in performance? Jus sayin.

[wncjzpa]

12:43 PM on 12/01/2011

"That's a very serious thing on our end; it's definitely not something that's taken lightly," Poindexter-Harris told the Tribune. "But it's really done with the thought that if you can't provide the best education for our students then we need to find someone who can."

Not sure if it is really the providers at this point. When does student responsibility begin to play a role in the education system?

[Just a passerby]

04:22 PM on 12/02/2011

When all the students at a school do poorly, why do you conclude it's their responsibility?

[becut]

10:11 AM on 02/05/2012

Because the 20% bad apples prevent the teachers from teaching. Teachers are doing 80% discipline and 20% teaching. School Boards will not allow a school to get rid of the students that disrupt in every class (the same ones). And School Board social promotion rules guarantees they will be promoted to the next grade without meeting any standards. School Boards do not require parents to have telephone numbers to be contacted, parents do not have to attend parent conferences, because School Boards are politicians (they have to get elected) they do not require parents (voters) to do anything. Classroom teachers are not parents. Teachers need parent support, they cannot do the job (educate) alone.

[CarmanK]

11:02 AM on 12/01/2011

Privatization of PUBLIC EDUCATION IS a bad idea and does not work for most students. The taxpayer dollars should be directed to improve public education. Jefferson said it "public education is necessary to sustain our democracy". The TPARTY is trying to subvert our democracy by attacking its public institutions which guarantee equal access to education, job training and creativity. The Charter schools are FOR PROFIT, they are not the missionaries of the parochial school systems, they are not the quality of the RICH KIDS' SCHOOLS, they are a drain on the public treasury and once again clearly demonstrated that GOVT cannot be run like a business, because business measures its profits in dollars, whereas govt success is in the well being of its people and the condition of common good assets.

[Tommy Joad]

10:51 AM on 12/01/2011

Not one study has ever indicated that charter schools perform better than their traditional counterparts. Not one.

In Indiana, Mitch Daniels has continually tried to undermine traditional schools by cozying up to the charter interests (who are after nothing but $$). Recently, one of his State Board of Education members, who also happens to be principal at a charter school, resigned for plagiarizing her dissertation at Purdue.


http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/6731072-418/bowmans-adell-quits-state-board-in-plagiarism-flap.html

[dowl]

07:40 AM on 12/01/2011

Charter schools have been, IMO, targeted to 'test the waters' for supporting the premise that GOTP'ers are correct in eliminating federal oversight (Dept of Education) and then vouchers for all. Successful charters become private because of their even limited success. By creating voucher systems, 'public education' will, IMO, radically re-segregate school systems (socioeconomically) at local levels. Current private and parochial schools and the new private charter schools will all be supported by vouchers. No more union oversight for educators.

The poor, urban and rural, of course, will be disproportionately under-served and poorly administered. This time private corporations improve their bottom lines at the expense of public education. Before money was made by text book publishers, suppliers, etc., now with student learning as a product-line, corporations increase profit-making and Johnny, Jamal, Kristin, and Krystalle still can't read.

Consider school lunches that have been 'privatized' in many public schools. Think Ronald Reagan with his declaration that ketchup is a vegetable and 'trickle-down' economics resulted in corporate person-hood.

[William J Unverferth Sr]

08:48 AM on 12/01/2011

The union is about keeping teachers in their jobs, not about educating children. A teacher's union will fight to keep a shoddy teacher in their job, not yank and replace them. Union oversight? he he nice try.

[Just a passerby]

04:23 PM on 12/02/2011

you do have lots and lots of evidence to back up this assertion right?

Right?

[jal6641]

05:28 PM on 12/02/2011

And charters have done a better job????? In Los Angeles they have under performed for the last two years compared to the public(union backed) schools. I don't think you know what you are talking about.

[John MC]

10:41 AM on 12/01/2011

One thing that will happen if they go voucher's is the Middle Class Parents who already send their kids to private school already - will say "hey I put my kid in this school so they wouldn't be with those poor kids" They will then use the voucher to send their kid to an even more expensive private school. Which then the Upper Class Parents will do the same and go even more expensive and in 10 years were right back where we started with economically segregated school system.

I have no quick answer to the education problem but I can easily see the voucher system will still end up with the same results down the line. Yet a few people will get very rich from the new system as par usual.

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

10:32 PM on 11/30/2011

Charter schools are privately managed public schools. CICS is therefore publicly funded...
Privately managed, wonder who exactly is making a bundle off of this.

[LisaViger]

09:21 PM on 11/30/2011

The words "education" and "franchise" should never, under any circumstance, have reason to appear in the same sentence.

[corwin]

10:33 PM on 11/30/2011

At least one can count on the public school systems to deliver consistent results. Right?

[47th]

08:22 PM on 11/30/2011

Brizard said he would close under performing schools, including Charters. Let's see if Rahm Job allows Brizard to keep his word. How does Emanuel blame the CTU for this?

[murfiani39]

07:16 PM on 11/30/2011

public school not for profit this is about our children

[Romano54]

11:43 AM on 12/01/2011

How naive you are! It is a huge business and if you shake the right hand, a lucritive one as well.
Check the budgets for taxpayer funding for well connected companies (read charters)

[MarsAmbassador]

05:39 PM on 11/30/2011

A school should not be part of a franchise. Neither should a prison.