Renewal Term Guidelines and Dissolution
The expectation from the University is for all its authorized charter schools to achieve a high level of performance as measured by the standards in the Academic, Financial and Organizational frameworks. Within those frameworks a school earns one point for each standard met each year of the contract term with the exception of the last year. If there are multiple data points within a standard the one point is divided equally among those data points. To calculate the overall percentage for each individual framework and determine the baseline renewal term length, the number of points earned is divided by the number of possible points across all years of the contract term except the final year.
A school receiving an overall percentage of at least 75% in each framework will automatically be recommended by the Office of Charter Schools for a five-year renewal term. It is also understood that for varying reasons, a school may not reach the 75% threshold in each framework. In those cases, the school will receive a baseline recommendation for renewal term determined by the overall lowest percentage received in any of the performance frameworks. In those instances, it will be the responsibility of the school throughout the renewal process to present to the Evaluation Committee evidence and data, which provides reasons for areas of challenge along with specific strategies, which are being implemented to mitigate those challenges in the future.
The Evaluation Committee will consider this information along with feedback received during the renewal site visit to make a recommendation for the renewal term. This recommendation will be forwarded to the Director of the Office of Charter Schools, who then shares it with the Dean of the School of Education, Provost, Chancellor, and ultimately the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents for approval.
The table below details the baseline contract renewal term lengths determined by the Performance Framework:
| Performance Percentages | Baseline Renewal Term Length |
|---|---|
| School meets 75% or more of performance targets in Academic, Financial and Organizational frameworks | Five-year renewal |
| School meets between 60% and 74% of performance targets in Academic, Financial and Organizational frameworks | Four-year renewal |
| School meets between 50% and 59% of performance targets in Academic, Financial and Organizational frameworks | Three-year renewal (probation status unless new school) |
| School meets less than 50% of performance targets in Academic, Financial and Organizational frameworks | Non-renewal |
| School meets a different percentage of performance targets in each framework that do not fall within one baseline renewal term | Baseline recommendation for renewal term based on the overall lowest percentage in the Academic, Financial or Organizational frameworks |
Charter School Dissolution
In the event that a charter school must be closed either as the result of action taken by the Office of Charter Schools or by the charter school board, it is imperative that dissolution is accomplished in an orderly manner. Students and their parents must be provided assistance to find another school, student records must be properly transferred, personnel records maintained, and financial and contractual obligations met. Dissolution requires the cooperation of the Office and the charter school board. The Charter School Dissolution Plan (PDF) provides specific guidelines for actions that must be taken to dissolve a charter school.
