The evaluations are finished, the facts checked twice, theenrollment is up and the ISTEP results look nice said MartyDezelan, Ball State's director of charter schools.
Ball State completed a year-long study of its six charterschools that opened in the fall of 2002.
The evaluations will be used for "mapping academic, financialand organizational growth as well as act as an accountability toolfor teachers, administrators and parents," Dezelan said.
As a charter school sponsor, the university is not responsiblefor daily operations or funding.
However, BSU has to ensure each school follows its charter andthe charter laws.
The university has the ability to cancel a school's charter ifthe school fails to meet the standards created in its contract.Each school has a five-year charter contract.
Dezelan said the university plans to evaluate the schoolsannually with an in-depth evaluation at the end of the school'sfourth contracted year. The in-depth evaluation will help determinewhether BSU will renew the school's contract.
The evaluations focus on the schools' strengths and weaknesseswith academic achievement, enrollment, teacher retention and goalmanagement.
The evaluations examined the students' results for the 2002ISTEP test. The university released the 2003 testing results on itsWeb site, www.bsu.edu/teachers/charter.
Irvington Community and Timothy L. Johnson third graders showedimprovement.
Irvington Community improved from 47.5 percent to 58 percentpassing both the English and math portions.
Timothy L. Johnson increased from 11.9 percent to 24 percentpassing both portions.
The results decreased for Community Montessori and Veritas thirdgraders.
Community Montessori decreased from 81.8 percent to 55 percent,while Veritas decreased from 62.5 percent to 31 percent.
Dezelan said he cautions readers when comparing the two percentsbecause the students are different and the number of studentstested is different as well.
"You're comparing two different student bodies," Dezelan said,"but you can still get an idea of the charter schools'progress."
For example, New Community tested three third graders in 2002.One passed. In 2003, the school tested five students with 40percent passing both portions of the ISTEP.
At Campagna Academy, seven students took the GraduationQualifying Exam in 2002. One passed both portions and graduated. In2003, 23 students took the test and 1 percent passed bothportions.
Dezelan said the schools' greatest strength is their ability togenerate community and family support.
"I personally believe it's the most important ingredient in thedeveloping schools because what's being taught seems to be takenhome," Dezelan said. "Each school is so unique."
The charter schools attract at-risk students who tend to bebehind their counterparts, Dezelan said.
"Charter schools are serving a population that has a greateramount of need," Dezelan said. "Their parents or guardians caredeeply enough to seek out alternative education."
Based on the program's first year evaluation, Dezelan said he ishopeful about future charter schools.
"I think the future for charter schools is bright," Dezelansaid. "We're seeing more interest from across the state. Ball Statewill approve as many qualified applicants as possible."
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