Charter schools' state report cards: Failing
Of the 40 letter grades awarded to local charter schools on the new state report cards, more than half were F’s.
Area charter schools received mostly failing grades in student achievement, graduation rates and academic progress on the 2012-13 state report cards released Thursday.
School officials said students at charter institutions often have extenuating circumstances that affect their learning and that the new report cards don’t account for those challenges.
A charter school is a publicly funded school that operates independently of a school district.
John Charlton, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education, said the new report cards identified weaknesses among all schools, not just charter schools.“The main interest we have,” he said, “is making sure every student is getting the education they deserve.”
Canton City Digital Academy tied with other charter schools for meeting the
highest percentage of state indicators, earning the school a D. Choices Alternative tied for the lowest number with a 0 percent. The four- and five-year graduation rates were F’s for both schools.
“They’re disappointing,” said Lisa Reicosky, spokeswoman for Canton City Schools. She also said some of the students are dealing with pregnancies or raising families, so the schools operate at a slower pace than traditional high schools.
Shannon Allen, a spokeswoman for White Hat Management, which oversees Garfield Academy and the Life Skills Center of Canton, said in an email that because the life skills center is a drop-out recovery school, students don’t begin attending until they’re 16, and they have the option of enrolling up to age 22. The school also received F’s for graduation rates.
Debra Skul, chief academic officer for the management company that runs the Summit Academy schools in Canton, described the new state report cards as “interesting” and said they don’t showcase the efforts made by the institutions.
Most of the students who attend the academy schools have special needs, she said, and the state tests they
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