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Local charter schools saw significant gains on the latest round of state report cards, with about 40 percent improving their ratings.
A Dayton Daily News analysis of the 32 charter schools in Montgomery, Greene and Warren counties found that 13 of them improved — with six jumping two or more levels — and four schools dropping a notch. One, the ISUS Institute of Construction Technology, catapulted three spots from “Academic Watch” to “Excellent,” the equivalent of moving from a D to an A.
Twelve charters’ report card grades stayed the same. Three others received ratings for 2010-11 but not the previous school year so comparison data was not available.
In the Dayton area, 24 charter schools, or 75 percent, are now rated “Continuous Improvement” or better, the equivalent of at least a C, which is significantly higher than the overall state average.
The Ohio Department of Education said the percentage of charters rated in “Continuous Improvement” or above has steadily increased, from 42 percent in 2006-07 to 57 percent in 2010-11.
Terry Ryan, vice president for Ohio Programs and Policy for the Fordham Institute, a pro-charter nonprofit in Dayton, said one reason charters are performing better is because of “really atrocious schools closing in the last few years” and “the fact that decent schools are expanding their efforts by increasing enrollment and/or adding new schools.”
More than a dozen charters have closed in the Dayton area in the past decade.
The Dayton Early College Academy (DECA), a 7-12 school sponsored by Dayton Public Schools and located on the University of Dayton campus, received “Excellent with Distinction.” It is one of only five charters statewide to achieve that A-plus rating.
The news comes at an important time for DECA, which plans to open a separate K-6 charter school next August named DECA Prep. Officials have a preliminary agreement with the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation to sponsor the school.
“There is a great interest across the country since there are more than 200 now of these early colleges, to develop a K-12 early college model because everybody has come to the same conclusion: You cannot wait until the ninth grade surely and not even the seventh grade and expect to get kids truly ready for college if that has not been the orientation earlier,” said Principal Judy Hennessey. DECA’s mission is to help students become the first in their families to attend and succeed in college.
Dayton and Cleveland have a higher percentage of charters rated “Excellent” or “Excellent with Distinction” when compared to traditional public schools, according to an Ohio Department of Education analysis of the latest report card data.
While Dayton Public has one “Excellent” school, Valerie PreK-8 School, four charters schools in Dayton are now in the top two categories. All three of the ISUS academies — specializing in construction, manufacturing and health care — received “Excellent” ratings, despite financial problems that threatened to force the closure of the award-winning charter system.
“I think that’s close to unheard of for a dropout recovery school,” said U.S. District Judge Walter H. Rice, an ISUS trustee.
The 19-year-old ISUS, which stands for Improved Solutions for Urban Systems, is designed to allow dropouts to get their diplomas while learning real-world job skills, including home building. But it has been hard hit by the housing crisis and cuts in federal and state aid and philanthropic donations.
ISUS was in danger of closing, but trustees approved a $2.6 million budget for the 2011-12 school year.
“We’re continuing to work through our financial problems and work with our lenders,” Rice said. “I can’t tell you it’s full speed ahead and there are no clouds on the horizon, but I’m confident we’ll make it.”
Ann Higdon, founder and president of ISUS, noted students were in school from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the past two summers, alternating between classroom work focusing on math and English and hands-on work in their fields.
“To have 300 extra teaching hours a year is critical,” she said.
The state has ordered three Ohio charters to close by June 30, 2012, because of their consistent poor performance. They are the Lighthouse Community & Professional Development in Akron and the Elite Academy of the Arts and Marcus Garvey Academy in Cleveland.
Locally, New Choices Community School, which received a “Continuous Improvement” rating, recently closed because of financial issues.
Another charter, the Dayton Leadership Academies - Dayton Liberty campus, was in jeopardy of being shut down by the state if it received a third consecutive “Academic Emergency” rating on this latest report card.
Principal Theodore “T.J.” Wallace boldly predicted in a Daily News article last year: “That is not going to happen.”
The school has moved from “Academic Emergency” to “Continuous Improvement” — an F to a C — but remains “at-risk” for closure by the state if it slips back to “Academic Emergency” next year.
“Even jumping the way we did, the risk of closure is built on two of the last three years. It doesn’t automatically buy us three years off the list,” said Wallace, who was principal of Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School in 1989 when it was named a National School of Excellence.
When he took over the Dayton Liberty campus a year ago, the biggest issue teachers faced was classroom disruptions. The school cracked down on that problem and focused on increasing parental involvement. School tardiness declined 57 percent and suspensions dropped 15 percent, while students saw a 17 percent improvement in math scores.
In the process, Wallace learned something from the 325 students in kindergarten through eighth-grade and the financial challenges their families face.
“Through understanding that daily struggle, I came to respect parents who are doing whatever it takes for their kids to give them a choice in life. It’s inspiring,” he said.
Fairborn Digital Academy in Greene County, a dropout recovery school with about 110 students, fell to “Continuous Improvement” from “Effective” this year although its graduation rate improved from 27 to 42 graduates last year.
“When you have a limited number of students in your school, one student can make or break your score. That’s what happened to us this year,” Principal Erik Tritsch said. “We are going to be focusing more on math, where we have the deficiency.”
Dayton, Cleveland and Columbus have a lower percentage of charters rated in “Academic Emergency” and “Academic Watch” than other areas of the state when compared to traditional public schools.
Locally, there are four charters in “Academic Watch” and four in “Academic Emergency,” compared to 12 Dayton Public schools in “Academic Watch” and five in “Academic Emergency.”
Staff Writer Tom Beyerlein contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2094 or mkissell@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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