Ariz. Admin. Code § R7-5-401 - Minimum Academic Performance Expectations

A. The Board shall assess a charter holder's achievement of the minimum academic performance expectations using student achievement measures, specified in the Academic Performance Framework, that are indicators of academic performance.

1. The Academic Framework includes two indicators. Schools are evaluated by one of the following indicators:

a. State Accountability is the default indicator used to evaluate the academic performance of all charter schools sponsored by the board and its measure is the letter grade of each school operated by the charter holder as assigned through Arizona's Letter Grade Accountability System as assigned in A.R.S. § 15-241(I), or

b. A charter holder that operates a school that serves a special population that does not have an achievement profile established by the State Board of Education for state accountability pursuant to A.R.S. § 15-241(I) may petition the Board to adopt unique, school-specific academic performance standards. Only charter schools that have been approved by the Board to use the substitute indicator of school-specific academic goals may be evaluated under this indicator.

1.2. The Board may assess a charter holder's achievement of the minimum academic performance expectations at any time.

2.3. The Board shall assess a charter holder's achievement of the minimum academic performance expectations:

a. Annually when state assessment data are released for the previous year;

b. During the five-year-interval review required under A.R.S. § 15-183(I);

c. When considering the following submitted by the charter holder:

i. An application for a new charter,

ii. An application to transfer a charter school from an existing charter contract to a separate charter contract,

iii. A request to change the legal status of the charter holder, or

iv. A request to change the entity that holds the charter;

d. When considering an expansion request submitted by the charter holder to:

i. Add a new school to an existing charter,

ii. Add one or more grade levels to a charter,

iii. Increase the number of students the charter holder may serve,

iv. Add an Arizona Online Instruction program, or

v. Replicate an existing charter;

e. Upon receipt of information that a charter school operated by the charter holder failed to meet the minimum academic performance expectations for three consecutive years;

f. Upon receipt of information that a charter school operated by the charter holder has been assigned a letter grade of "F" by the Department; and

g. When making a decision related to the charter holder's achievement of the minimum academic performance expectations or compliance with its charter, other contractual agreements with the Board, federal and state law, and this Chapter.

h. When considering a charter contract renewal request submitted by the charter holder;

B. The Board shall annually assign a charter holder an overall academic performance rating that reflects the degree to which the charter holder achieved the minimum academic performance expectations.

1. A school under a charter holder will be given a rating of "Exceeds Standard" and exceed the academic performance expectations if it:

a. Receives a letter grade of "A" from the state accountability system as assigned in A.R.S. § 15-241(I), or

b. Exceeds its school-specific academic goals.

2. A school under a charter holder will be given a rating of "Above Standard" and be above the academic performance expectations if it received a letter grade of "B" from the state accountability system as assigned in A.R.S. § 15-241(I).

3. A school under a charter holder will be given a rating of "Meets Standard" and meet the academic performance expectations if it:

a. Received a letter grade of "C" from the state accountability system as assigned in A.R.S. § 15-241(I), or

b. Met its school-specific academic goals.

4. A school under a charter holder will be given a rating of "Does Not Meet Standard" and does not meet the academic performance expectations if it:

a. Received a letter grade of "D" from the state accountability system as assigned in A.R.S. § 15-241(I), or

b. Does not meet its school-specific academic goals.

5. A school under a charter holder will be given a rating of "Falls Far Below Standard" and falls far below the academic performance expectations if it:

a. Received a letter grade of "F" from the state accountability system as assigned in A.R.S. § 15-241(I), or

b. Falls far below its school-specific academic goals.

C. The Board shall determine a charter holder meets the minimum academic performance expectations if all charter schools operated by the charter holder receive an annual overall academic performance rating of "meets standard," "above standard," or "exceeds standard" in the most recent year for which data are available. A charter holder that meets the minimum academic performance expectations may be:

1. Waived from some of the academic performance supervision requirements described in Article 5; and

2. Entitled to reduced submission requirements:

a. Regarding requests made to the Board; and

b. During the five-year-interval review required under A.R.S. § 15-183(I).

D. The Board shall determine a charter holder does not meet the minimum academic performance expectations if one or more of the charter schools operated by the charter holder did not receive an overall academic performance rating of "meets standard," "above standard," or "exceeds standard" in the most recent year for which data are available. A charter holder that does not meet the minimum academic performance expectations:

1. Shall be required to demonstrate sufficient progress towards achieving the minimum academic performance expectations;

2. May be subject to heightened submission requirements:

a. Regarding requests made to the Board, and

b. During the five-year-interval review required under A.R.S. § 15-183(I);

3. May be subject to charter oversight as specified in Article 6.

E. If a charter holder meets the eligibility requirements set forth in subsection F below, the charter holder may submit to the Board an expansion request to:

1. Add a new charter school to an existing charter;

2. Add one or more grade levels to a charter;

3. Increase the number of students the charter holder may serve;

4. Add an Arizona Online Instruction program;

5. Replicate an existing charter;

6. Transfer an existing charter school to its own charter; or

7. Transfer an existing charter school or charter contract from the current charter holder to an existing charter holder with a different financial performance dashboard.

F. A charter holder is academically eligible to submit an expansion request if the charter holder is in compliance with eligibility requirements adopted by the Board and published in the Academic Performance Frameworks on the Board's website.

Notes

Ariz. Admin. Code § R7-5-401

New Section made by final rulemaking at 10 A.A.R. 1141, effective March 2, 2004 (Supp. 04-1). Amended by final rulemaking at 23 A.A.R. 693, effective 5/6/2017. Amended by final exempt rulemaking at 31 A.A.R. 793, effective 1/7/2025.