CSO UPDATES & UPCOMING DEADLINES
Ensure to review pertinent upcoming deadlines and updates below. Deadline dates will be in red for reference. Feel free to contact [email protected] for additional questions.
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Preview Window
The CSO has completed Annual Charter Evaluation (ACE) 2021 Preliminary Findings and released the July 2021 Preliminary Findings reports to every school. Reports can be found as an attachment to the “ACE Preview: July 2021 Preliminary Findings” submission requirement in Epicenter.
Schools should review the preliminary report and respond if you believe a rating is erroneous. Please complete the spreadsheet provided in Epicenter and submit with evidence to support your position; feedback must be submitted via Epicenter by the end of the day on Friday, August 6, 2021 if applicable. The requirement will be forgiven for schools that do not have feedback to provide.
What to Do if you Received a Does Not Meet Rating and Need to Make Updates: The following 12 standards will be reevaluated by the CSO, beginning in August: Child Find Notice, ESL Policy, Enrollment Policy, Enrollment Materials, Student Application, Code Due Process, Manifestation Determination, Truancy Policy, Expulsion Process, Board Accessibility, Water Quality, Health Services Policy. Standards evaluated via Epicenter submissions have an Epicenter submission scheduled with a due date of Friday, August 27, 2021. As a reminder, the August 27th deadline will be final submissions and those ratings will be applied to the 2021 ACE; it is not a submission feedback. Please note, the CSO will also begin website reviews on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 so ensure that website updates are made by then.
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Data Packets
School Progress Report on Education and Equity (SPREE) Data Packets (Phase I) will be shared via Epicenter in early August. Similar to last year, there are two deadlines for submission: Friday, August 13, 2021 (priority) and Friday, August 27, 2021 (final). Detailed guidance will be shared with the data packets.
The following new metrics will be included:
- Student demographic confirmation (race/ethnicity)
- Student demographic confirmation (special education status)
- Economically disadvantaged indicator (yes/no)
- Spring 2021 reading assessment (assessment name and student score)
- Spring 2021 math assessment (assessment name and student score)
- Visual arts participation (yes/no; for K-8 students only)
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Emergency Connectivity Fund Reimbursements for Charter PHLConnectED Contributions
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a new program to help with unmet needs. The Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Program covers 100% of the reasonable costs of laptops, tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connectivity purchases for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons. Eligible schools and libraries must apply by Friday, August 13, 2021 at 11:59 PM.
During the current application filing window, eligible schools are able to submit requests for funding to purchase eligible equipment and services between July 1, 2021 through Thursday, June 30, 2022. Many charter schools who have opted into PHLConnectED have made their 2-year contributions before July 1st. Even so, your school's contributions for SY 2021-22 are eligible for ECF reimbursement if they were not sourced by federal dollars, e.g. CARES.
Regardless of your school's interest in seeking reimbursement, please complete this survey to record the source of your school's PHLConnectED contributions. This allows the City of Philadelphia to take stock and help you determine if your PHLConnectED year-2 contributions are eligible for federal reimbursement.
Interested schools can find more information and apply for support here. The FCC will hold a webinar on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 2:00 PM to highlight FAQs and answer questions submitted by potential applicants. Newly updated resources include an application process overview and a program flyer. Schools may also review additional FAQs about ECF here, or contact the Universal Service Administrative Company at 800-234-9781.
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The Enrollment Category in the Charter Performance Framework
The CSO has engaged in a review of enrollment policies, applications and materials (packets) for all charter schools in Philadelphia in an effort to ensure that schools had clear alignment to all applicable laws and guidance. The update in our review process and its impact on school policies and materials has been shared with schools via the Request for Updated Policy/Materials uploaded to Epicenter on June 4th.
We want to reiterate that a school that met enrollment annual standards in the 2020 Annual Charter Evaluation (ACE) or any previous ACE will not automatically meet those same standards in the 2021 ACE, unless the school makes the necessary updates to documents.
We have provided each school that submitted documents during the 2021 ACE priority window specific feedback regarding their enrollment policies and materials, including updates needed to meet standards.
We are also providing another office hours opportunity for any school that would like to discuss their documents or their received feedback in more depth and ensure they are complying with all applicable laws. Schools may register for that opportunity by clicking the calendly link here. The registration dates are from Tuesday, August 3, 2021 through Friday, August 27, 2021.
Additionally, we are re-sharing the developed resources to support the sector in meeting compliance requirements. Resources include a recorded webinar, sample policies, a materials cover sheet, and an updated parent registration statement with mandated Act 110 language, a new legal requirement.
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New Charter Application Informational Webinars
The 2021-22 New Charter Application (NCA) Guidelines will be released in early September 2021. The CSO will host three identical informational webinars regarding the NCA process for those interested in opening a new charter school. Please use the registration links below to access the Zoom meeting details. If you have any questions regarding the information sessions, please email [email protected] or call 215-400-6139.
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Renewal Webinars
The CSO has been hosting a series of informational webinars to discuss the process for conducting renewal document reviews. Content experts will lead discussion of what the CSO looks for in a document submission prior to the due date of each submission type. These webinars are geared towards the 2021-22 renewal cohort, but are open to all. We encourage all charter schools to attend the Expulsions Records webinar, as this standard evaluation is shifting from a renewal to annual review.
If you plan to attend, please register using the following links:
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Part III: Expulsion Records Link - Friday, August 13, 2021 (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM)
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Part IV: Special Education and School-Wide MTSS Link - Tuesday, September 14, 2021 (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM)
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PA Secure and PIMS
As a reminder, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) implemented a change to the School District of Philadelphia’s (SDP) access in the PA Secure ID system that prevents the District from processing and updating PA Secure IDs for charter students in Philadelphia. Moving forward, all charter schools will be responsible for managing their own PA Secure IDs. Please review the memo linked here which includes next steps and key resources. Additional guidance can be found on PDE’s website here.
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SEPTA Student Fare Cards
Please refer to the memo provided by the Department of Transportation Services for updates and resources related to SEPTA Student Fare Cards. There are multiple links embedded including a Transportation FAQs for schools, a Fare Card Application video, and August Q&A sessions.
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Calendar of Collections
There are over 20 upcoming items required for August submission via the Calendar of Collections therefore please ensure to review requirement details and deadlines.
Please also note that we have made two changes in the Calendar of Collections. Schools will receive a School Information Sheet (SIS) the first weeks of August, which is the ‘School Profile’ submission. The CSO will provide additional details regarding submission dates.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has implemented unexpected changes to the Annual Report submission requirements and process. While PDE does not plan to implement a blanket extension, individual schools may send extension requests to Keptsia Hawkin at [email protected]. For schools who seek an extension, the CSO is creating an optional Epicenter requirement entitled "Evidence of Annual Report Extension (Optional)" where you can upload a copy of the email exchange. Doing so will ensure that we appropriately evaluate your school in the Timely Annual Report Standard for next year's Annual Charter Evaluation (ACE).
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