An Analysis of How Massachusetts' 'Student Growth' Model Limits Access to Charter Public Schools. White Paper No. 197

Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research. 185 Devonshire Street, Boston, MA 02110. Tel: 617-723-2277; Web site: http://www.pioneerinstitute.org

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Growth Models; Access to Education; Charter Schools; Public Schools; State Departments of Education; Elementary Secondary Education; State Legislation; Educational Legislation; Educational Finance; Enrollment; School Districts; Evaluation Methods; Eligibility; State Aid; Tuition; Expenditures; Low Achievement; Accountability

In 2010, the Massachusetts Legislature lifted the cap on the number of charter schools that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) can authorize in low-performing school districts. The "smart cap" requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to rank district performance (based on student outcomes) annually. Districts that fall into the lowest 10 percent of those rankings are eligible for an increase in the amount of tuition that they can pay to charter schools. Whereas the law limits district tuition payments to charter schools at 9 percent of net school spending, the smart cap raises that limit to 18 percent of net school spending in the Commonwealth's lowest performing districts. Until 2015, the Commonwealth ranked district performance solely according to the number of students scoring proficient in core subject areas on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests. In 2015, BESE amended the smart cap regulations and began using an additional measure, the student growth percentile (SGP), as 25 percent of the formula for determining district rankings. This paper presents data on the relationship between enrollment and SGP and its impact on determining the lowest performing districts in Massachusetts. Based on these data, the authors recommend that the Commonwealth stop using SGP as a factor in determining eligibility for an increase in the charter school cap and revert to a formula that uses absolute proficiency as the sole measure. The Commonwealth should also separate determinations about increases in the net school spending cap from its overall accountability system. Other recommendations include mitigating the negative impacts of the current formula for existing and prospective charter operators and increasing transparency around the purpose and use of SGP more broadly. [This report was written with Bruce Bean & Rebekah Paxton.]

ERIC

2019

ED598446