The document discusses the need for charter school authorizers to evaluate special education programs at charter schools. It proposes a three-phase rubric to assess special education capacity during the application, operations/oversight, and renewal/reauthorization phases. The rubric would examine administration, curriculum, budgets, enrollment of students with disabilities and compliance with special education laws to help authorizers ensure these students have equal access to charter schools.

1. Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 1
SETTING POLICY & ESTABLISHING
PRACTICE FOR STRONG SERVICE TO
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
LAUREN MORANDO RHIM & PAUL O’NEILL
October 24, 2012 NACSA Leadership Meeting

2. Special Education in Charter Schools
2
Most public schools
struggle to provide high
quality special education
services but charter schools
face unique challenges.
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

3. Policy Challenges
3
Retrofitting • Independent single school
existing district
system • Part of an existing district
Limited access • Intermediate agencies
to standard • Cooperatives
service
infrastructures • Associations
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

4. Operational Challenges
4
Amassing special Managing limited
education special education
capacity dollars
Navigating Balancing
shared service autonomy and
delivery accountability
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

5. Special Education in Charter Schools
5
Nevertheless, the
sector presents
opportunities to
innovate…
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

6. Special Education Opportunities
6
Create-mission driven
schools that include
students with disabilities
by design rather than as
an add-on
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

7. Special Education Opportunities
7
Develop innovative service
provision models in a time-
compressed manner absent
having to overcome existing
policies and practices.
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

8. Special Education Opportunities
8
Cultivate special education
infrastructures and conduct
research to track
effectiveness and financial
sustainability.
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

9. Special Education Opportunities
9
Provide online and
hybrid/blended learning
environments that support
highly individualized
learning
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

10. Special Education Opportunities
10
To realize potential opportunities for
students with disabilities, charter schools
must provide students access and quality
special education and related services.
Charter school authorizers are central to
ensuring that school comply with federal
requirements and provide high quality
options for students with disabilities.
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

11. Special Education Technical Assistance
11
To date, most technical assistance
Problem
related to special education has
focused on charter school operators but
charter school authorizers are uniquely
positioned to make certain that:
• new and replication applicants have the capacity
to educate children with disabilities and
• existing operators are providing high quality
special education and related services to all
students with disabilities and are complying with
all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

12. Charter Authorizer Rubric Project
12
Develop three phase rubric for
Response
authorizers that will improve
their capacity to support
development and maintenance
of high quality special
education programs thereby
ensuring that students with
disabilities have equal access
to charter schools
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

13. Authorizer Rubric
13
Three Phases:
Application/Replication
Operations/Oversight
Renewal/Reauthorization
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

14. APPLICATION PHASE
14
Objective:
Provide authorizers with means to assess
applicant’s capacity to deliver high quality
special education program
Infuse an additional layer of transparency
into the authorization process
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

15. OPERATIONS/OVERSIGHT PHASE
15
Objective:
Provide a structure to ensure that
operating charter schools are
meeting obligations to enroll and
support students with disabilities.
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

16. RENEWAL/REAUTHORIZATION PHASE
16
Objective:
Provide a structure for authorizers to examine
individual charter school practices over the life
of charter (e.g., Child Find, enrollment
procedures, initial evaluations, development of
IEPs, provision of related services and transition
services) for the purpose of informing renewal
decisions
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

17. RUBRIC CATEGORIES
17
 Administration/Governance  Budget
 Curriculum and instruction  Discipline
 Assessment  Facility
 Enrollment  Transportation
 Service provision  Management company
experience and practices
 Specialized personnel (e.g., (where applicable)
certified special education
teachers, administrators,  Track record (for schools
related services personnel) seeking to replicate)
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

18. 18 Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

19. Key Authorizer Issues
19
1. How do we know that
applicants fully understand the
challenge of serving special
needs students and complying
with applicable rules?
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

20. Key Authorizer Issues
20
2. Are operating
charter schools engaging
in service delivery in
appropriate ways?
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

21. Key Authorizer Issues
21
3. Are charter schools serving
and retaining a comparable
number of students with
disabilities as are other local
public schools?
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

22. Key Authorizer Issues
22
4. Are operating charter
schools handling the
disciplining of special
education students
properly?
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

23. Key Authorizer Issues
23
5. How should an
imperfect record on special
education compliance be
factored into an authorizer’s
renewal decision?
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12

24. Questions Suggestions?
24
Paul O’Neill
• ptponeill@gmail.com
Lauren Morando Rhim
• Lauren_Rhim@lmrconsulting.us
National Charter School Resource Center
• http://www.charterschoolcenter.org/priority-
area/special-education-0
Authorizer Special Education Rubric Project 10/24/12