US: PDE 'acted prematurely' in changing charter AYP calculation
US: PDE 'acted prematurely' in changing charter AYP calculation
by Dale Mezzacappa on Oct 16 2012 Posted in Latest news
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis "acted prematurely" in changing how to calculate adequate yearly progress for charter schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The rule change made it easier for some charters to make AYP.
But a federal spokesperson also said in an email that the change may ultimately be approved.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education "does not have the authority to apply this methodology ... until [the federal Department of Education] has had an opportunity to review and approve its expanded application," according to the email from a department spokesperson. "The Department understands the pressures of time in getting these analyses done, reviewed and published, however, PDE acted prematurely."
But federal officials have yet to rule definitively on whether they will approve, ex post facto, Tomalis' action, which was sought by charter proponents and has likelyresulted in more charters making AYP this year than would have otherwise.
Tomalis said he made the change because charter schools in Pennsylvania are legally the equivalent of school districts, and so should have their AYP calculated under those rules, instead of under rules for individual schools, which are more
