Bill Text: NJ A4027 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires Commissioner of Education to contract with qualified independent entity to conduct evaluation of State's charter schools.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-19 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A4027 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A4027-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN
District 15 (Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Commissioner of Education to contract with qualified independent entity to conduct evaluation of State's charter schools.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act providing for an independent evaluation of charter schools.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Education shall enter into a contract with a qualified independent entity to conduct an evaluation of charter schools in the State. The evaluation, which shall assess charter school performance for two full school years, shall include, but need not be limited to:
(1) an analysis detailing the characteristics of students who apply for admission to a charter school in comparison to non-applicant students enrolled in the public schools that the charter school applicants attend or would have attended in the school year for which charter school admission was sought, including:
(a) demographic characteristics, including the students' gender, race, ethnicity, status as a special education student or a student demonstrating limited English proficiency;
(b) prior academic characteristics, including performance on State assessments and school attendance rates; and
(c) the history of any disciplinary actions taken by the students' schools;
(2) a comparison of student outcomes between charter school applicants who were admitted to a charter school through a random selection process and applicants who were denied admission through a random selection process, including:
(a) performance on the State assessments after admission or denial of admission to a charter school;
(b) school attendance rates;
(c) disciplinary actions taken by the students' schools; and
(d) for each charter school, where technically feasible, a determination of whether the student outcomes are better than, equal to, or worse than the student outcomes of students who were denied admission to the charter school through a random selection process;
(3) a study of attrition rates among students enrolled in a charter school, including:
(a) demographic characteristics and the academic performance of students who most frequently leave a charter school;
(b) the length of time students are enrolled in a charter school prior to leaving;
(c) the reason students left the charter school; and
(d) the students' educational placement after leaving the charter school.
(4) an analysis that assesses the relationship between charter school student outcomes and charter school characteristics, including:
(a) the range of grades offered by the charter school;
(b) the length of the school day and school year;
(c) charter school personnel practices;
(d) the ratio of students to teachers and student support personnel; and
(e) spending per pupil in the charter school, including spending supported by revenues received from private sources.
b. In addition to the comparison of student outcomes pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this section, the independent entity selected to conduct the evaluation may develop an evaluation procedure for assessing the student outcomes of students enrolled in a charter school that does not determine enrollment through a random selection process.
c. The independent entity selected to conduct the evaluation may elect to exclude a charter school that has been in operation for less than two full school years.
2. In the case of a charter school that determines admission through a random selection process pursuant to section 8 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-8), the independent entity shall observe and document the random selection process and verify that the subsequent student enrollment is consistent with the results of the random selection process.
3. Each school district and charter school shall cooperate with the independent entity that is selected to conduct the evaluation. Cooperation shall include, but need not be limited to:
a. allowing access to the random selection process;
b. providing student data, including performance on the State assessments, attendance, and disciplinary records, in the format requested; and
c. making relevant personnel available for interviews.
4. The independent entity selected to conduct the evaluation shall submit one report after the conclusion of each school year included in the evaluation. The commissioner shall provide a copy of each report to the Governor, and the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), upon receipt from the independent entity.
5. Notwithstanding the provisions of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-1 et seq.) or any other law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the commissioner shall not grant a charter during the time period beginning in the first school year in which the evaluation is to be conducted and ending after the independent entity submits its last report to the commissioner. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the renewal of a charter pursuant to the provisions of section 17 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C.18A:36A-17).
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to enter into a contract with a qualified independent entity to conduct an evaluation of charter schools in the State. The evaluation, which would include two full school years, would explore the demographic and academic variations in students who choose to apply for admission to a charter school, differences in student outcomes between charter school applicants admitted through a random selection process and those denied admission through that process, and the variation in charter school operations that correlate with different student outcomes.
The independent entity selected to conduct the evaluation will submit one report to the commissioner after the conclusion of each school year included in the analysis. The commissioner will submit the reports to the Governor and the Legislature.
The bill also establishes a moratorium on the granting of new charters through the duration of the evaluation. The moratorium, however, would not apply to the renewal of existing charters.
