Each charter school has its own mission and subscribes to certain teaching philosophies. In researching schools, parents and families are encouraged to consider what environment is the best match for their child’s interests and needs. To assist parents and families, the U.S. Department of Education ("USDOE") Office of Innovation and Improvement has developed a publication titled, Choosing a School for Your Child.
As of July 2014, there are 513 operating charter schools sponsored by the Board. As of July 2014, an additional 29 charter schools plan to open in the 2014-2015 school year. For a list of charter school closures in the last five fiscal years, please click here.
Through its academic framework, the Board communicates its expectations for ensuring that all charter holders in its portfolio are providing a learning environment where measurable improvement in pupil achievement can be demonstrated. The academic framework uses multiple measures to annually evaluate whether the students at each of the charter holder’s schools are making adequate growth and achieving proficiency.
In 2010, the Governor signed into law a bill passed by the Legislature to create an A-F grading system for all public charter and district schools. Arizona’s A-F Letter Grade System was adopted by the State Board of Education in June 2011.
If you believe the safety of a student or students is at risk, contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.
Exceptional Student Services (“ESS”) monitors charter and district schools adherence to federal and state special education requirements. The ESS website includes resources for schools regarding all aspects of a school’s special education program from data requirements to program support.
State law requires the Board to adopt a performance framework and to ground its actions in evidence of the charter holder’s performance in accordance with the performance framework. The term “charter holder” refers to the entity that has entered into a charter contract with the Board to operate one or more charter schools. The Board’s Performance Framework includes an academic performance component (“academic framework”), a financial performance component (“financial framework”) and an operational performance component ("operational framework").
The Arizona Charter Schools Association (“Association”) has developed a tool to assist parents, educators, business leaders and others in navigating Arizona’s education marketplace by allowing users to easily compare information for multiple schools at once. Through the Association’s “Education Evaluator”, users may compare student achievement data, enrollment information and student funding data for all public charter and district schools in Arizona.
Title 15, Chapter 1, Article 8 of the Arizona Revised Statutes is sometimes referred to as the “charter law”. The charter law covers many of the responsibilities concerning charter schools in Arizona. Other responsibilities of charter school operators may be found outside of Article 8. Arizona Revised Statutes, including the rest of Title 15 – Education.
If your complaint or concern relates to possible discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age, learn more about submitting a complaint by visiting the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.