1. How do the test scores of California charter schools compare to those of traditional public schools?
2. How is this report different from what a recent report from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University found about charter school performance in California?
3. How does this analysis compare to last year's EdSource charter school report?
4. What is a charter school?
5. How many charter schools currently operate in California?
6. What does it mean to "control for student background" and why is this important?
7. Did EdSource adjust for self-selection bias?
8. What are charter management organizations (CMOs) and charter networks?
9. What sources were used to measure student performance in this report?
10. How does California ensure the quality of its charter schools?
11. How can parents learn more about the performance of a specific school?
12. What is EdSource and who funded this research?

 

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1.  How do the test scores of California charter schools compare to those of traditional public schools?

The study reviewed both charter and traditional public school performance on achievement tests at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. After adjusting for differences in student demographics it found that:

• Charter high schools score modestly higher than noncharters on the Academic Performance Index and in English, but do not score as well in math.
• Charter middle schools outscore noncharters on all measures, but the differences are relatively small.
• Charter elementary schools score lower than noncharter elementary schools on all measures, with differences in the small to moderate range.
• A separate analysis found that charter schools that are affiliated with  charter management organizations (CMOs) or charter networks generally score higher than non charters, across all grade levels.

2.  How is this report different from what a recent report from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University found about charter school performance in California?

Unlike the CREDO study, which looks at how well charter students are doing compared to noncharter students nationally, the EdSource report compares the performance of different types of charter schools in California, including those run by charter management organizations (CMOs). Our study analyzes how elementary, middle, and high school charters vary in performance. Although the study approaches differ, our conclusions are similar: the performance of California's charter schools and their students varies when compared to noncharter schools.

3.  How does this analysis compare to last year's EdSource charter school report?

EdSource researchers' findings differed slightly from previous years, due in part to differences in the study model. Even with these changes, however, this third annual analysis of how the state's charter schools are performing-after controlling for student background characteristics-reveals certain performance trends. Charter high schools have consistently outscored noncharter high schools on the API, but charters' math performance has lagged or not been substantially different. Charter middle schools have consistently outscored noncharters on all measures. And charter elementary schools as a whole have not done as well as noncharters on the API, due largely to lower scores on math tests.

4.  What is a charter school?

A charter school is a public school that operates under a specific performance agreement (charter) approved by a school district, county office of education, or the State Board of Education. Charter schools are subject to fewer restrictions than traditional public schools, but they are accountable for meeting student achievement goals specified in the charter and under state and federal accountability policies.

5.  How many charter schools currently operate in California?

Since the Charter Schools Act was passed in 1992, the number of charter schools has grown steadily. There were 688 charter schools operating in California during the 2007-08 academic year with a combined enrollment of 252,645 students, or 4.0 percent of all K-12 students in California.

6.  What does it mean to "control for student background" and why is this important?

Studies have shown that academic performance at individual schools is heavily influenced by the demographic characteristics of the student body. For example, students whose parents graduated from college tend to perform better on achievement tests than students whose parents did not complete high school. The EdSource study "controlled" for many of these factors, including parental education levels and socioeconomic status. As a result of these controls, EdSource was able to compare schools on an "apples to apples" basis, ensuring that results identified were not due to underlying demographic differences between students attending different types of schools.

7.  Did EdSource adjust for self-selection bias?

Some researchers believe that charter school students are more motivated than traditional public school students because they need to affirmatively select a charter. They suggest that this "self-selection" bias may explain why some studies show charter school students perform better than traditional public school students. In contrast, some point out that some families choose a charter school because the student is struggling in a public school.  Whatever the case may be, unlike characteristics such as parental socioeconomic status, self-selection bias is impossible to control for on a statewide basis with the data available. Therefore, the EdSource study did not adjust for it.

8.  What are charter management organizations (CMOs) and charter networks?

A clear consensus about what characteristics define an organization as a "charter network" or "charter management organization" CMO does not yet exist. Charter management organizations are typically non-profit organizations that provide administration, facilities, and instructional support for a group of charter schools that share an instructional approach or school model. Networks tend to be charter schools that share an instructional model and philosophy but are not directly managed by a central authority. Some of the best-known CMOs and networks operating in California are Green Dot Public Schools, the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), and Aspire Public Schools.

9.  What sources were used to measure student performance in this report?

The primary data sources for this report were California's Academic Performance Index (API), the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), the California Standards Tests (CST), and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), which measures the percentage of students achieving proficiency on the state's academic standards.

10.  How does California ensure the quality of its charter schools?

The California Charter Schools Association has a certification program to help schools measure their alignment with the association's Quality Standards for Charter School Operators. Certification occurs after a school performs a self-study and a third party visits the site and attests that the school's program aligns with the quality standards. Over 100 schools have completed the process. More recently, the association has proposed a new form of school evaluation where the school's authorizer would review school performance on standardized tests. It has also called for the closure of the lowest performing of California's charter schools.

11.  How can parents learn more about the performance of a specific school?

The Ed-Data Partnership web site—www.ed-data.k12.ca.us—provides extensive information about every public school in California, including student performance and staffing information. Information on both charter and noncharter schools is available. 

12.  What is EdSource and who funded this research?

EdSource is an independent, impartial, not-for-profit organization whose sole mission is to clarify complex education issues and to promote thoughtful decisions about public school improvement. EdSource does not advocate or lobby and has developed a solid reputation as a credible and impartial source of K-12 education information.

EdSource received a multi-year grant from Reed Hastings, Founder and CEO of Netflix, Inc. and a former President of the California Board of Education, to independently analyze and report annually on charter school performance, including: California's Charter Schools: 2009 Update on Issues and Performance.