OAPCS President and CEO RaShaun Holliman is holding a series of regional meetings in October across Ohio to meet with the charter school community.
September 15, 2016
The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools (OAPCS) President and CEO RaShaun Holliman made the following statement today regarding the just released 2016 Ohio State Report Cards:
“The report cards released today reflect the continued transition toward higher standards and expectations for both traditional district and charter schools,” Holliman said. “With the third straight shift in state assessment vendors and redefined proficiency scores, the results are not surprising,” he said.
“Charter schools, like our district counterparts, remain focused on preparing students for college and careers,” he added. “The data will help inform school leaders and teachers moving forward to develop action plans to meet these new academic targets,” he said. “As the Ohio Department of Education has noted, these scores are not comparable to previous years, but provide new baselines for schools to analyze and respond to.”
In the Report Card Component of progress, charter schools in Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus exceeded their traditional district counterparts in receiving a rating of A to C, according to an analysis by OAPCS.
“This measurement of academic growth is encouraging, and we look forward to seeing greater gains as this transition to the new testing system evolves,” Holliman noted
“It takes time to implement effective change, especially with charter school populations that are affected by poverty and those based in the Urban 8 districts,” Holliman said. “This report card can broaden the conversation on how important it is to address funding disparities and the instructional resources required for sustained academic improvement for our most disadvantaged students,” he added.
In the Urban 8, where the majority of Ohio public charter schools are located, there are approximately 200 brick and mortar public charter schools serving students in grades K-12 that are not drop-out recovery or statewide virtual schools.
About the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools (OAPCS)
The Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools is a membership organization that aspires to provide children with greater educational opportunities by improving the quality and fostering the growth of Ohio’s public charter schools. Approximately 125,000 students attend public charter schools in Ohio.
