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Transfer School Application
for schools interested in transferring authorization to CSI
August, 2014
What We Believe
-and-
What We Offer
We believe that our singu-
lar focus on charter
schools translates into
tailored customer service,
a keen understanding of
the unique needs of char-
ter schools, a consistently
transparent and collabora-
tive approach to all is-
sues, and the ability to
better advocate for char-
ter schools’ needs. With
CSI, your school will al-
ways be the “rule” and
never the “exception.”
Our systems and staff are
focused on providing each
school the support it
needs to thrive. Lower
performing schools re-
ceive the additional assis-
tance they require while
higher performing schools
enjoy increased autono-
my, including a less bur-
densome process around
applications for charter
renewal or development.
All schools receive CSI’s
For more detailed information about the ser-
vices offered at CSI, please refer to the CSI
Services document located on our website at
www.csi.state.co.us/pages/
Charter_School_Institute/Prospective_Schools
Introduction to the Charter School Institute
The mission of the
Charter School Insti-
tute shall be to foster
high-quality public
school choices offered
through Institute char-
ter schools that deliver
rigorous academic
content and high aca-
demic performance in
a safe environment
and on par with the
highest performing
schools, including par-
ticularly schools for at-
risk students.
The Charter Schools
Act was adopted in
Colorado in 1993. The
General Assembly
considered several
alternative authorizer
proposals before
adopting the Charter
School Institute (CSI)
Act in 2004. CSI au-
thorized two charter
schools in 2005 and
now has a total of 27
schools in its portfolio
throughout Colorado
with more than 11,500
students in attend-
ance.
customized data analysis
services, which provide
schools with the in-depth
information they need to
better allocate attention
and resources and confi-
dently engage in mean-
ingful data-driven deci-
sion making.
statewide.
As a charter school au-
thorizer, CSI’s main re-
sponsibility is to manage
performance contracts
with autonomous schools
in service of high student
outcomes. Compliance
with state and federal reg-
ulations is also a critical CSI also offers
a Board of Di-
rectors, ap-
pointed by the
Governor and
Commissioner
of Education,
that reflects
the diversity and strength
needed to ensure long-
term stability for our port-
folio of schools. Lastly,
CSI is designed to pass
through a maximum level
of funding directly to the
schools and is therefore
competitive both finan-
cially and with regard to
the services offered to
our schools when com-
pared to many districts
component of
CSI services.
In addition to
providing
oversight in
authorization
matters, CSI
offers services that sup-
port the effective opera-
tion of schools. CSI’s ex-
perienced team offers the
following services to its
charter schools:
Customized Analysis
Governance Training
SIS/Data Management
Exceptional Student Pro-
gram Oversight
SFA Nutrition Oversight
With CSI, charter
schools are the rule
not the exception
1
Who May Apply
An application may be
submitted by an exist-
ing charter school. For
schools geographically
located in districts
which have retained
exclusive chartering
authority, approval of
the transfer by the cur-
rent district in the form
of a board resolution
must be provided by
the applicant. A list of
districts with their
chartering authority
status can be ac-
cessed via this link:
http://
www.cde.state.co.us/
cdechart/download/
ECA_2012.pdf
Private schools and
current non-charter
public schools may not
apply to CSI through
this process.
The primary method for
evaluation of a school wish-
ing to transfer authorization
to the Institute is through
the CSI Annual Review of
Schools (CARS) system.
This system was developed
in order to build upon the
evaluation lens utilized by
the State to provide a more
comprehensive and robust
evaluation that includes
strong indicators of charter
viability and sustainability.
At the foundation of this
evaluation are the CSI Per-
formance Frameworks
(available at
www.csi.state.co.us/
accountability). These doc-
uments were developed in
conjunction with The Na-
tional Association of Char-
ter School Authorizers
(NACSA) to evaluate
school performance in the
areas of Academics, Fi-
nance, and Organization.
The information needed to
engage in this process is
detailed in the remaining
pages of this application.
The CSI Annual Review of Schools
2
Transfer Evaluation
BEFORE YOU APPLY:
Provide a Letter of Intent to CSI. This
form can be found on the CSI website
under the Prospective Schools tab.
Ensure you have obtained a resolution
from your current district authorizing the
transfer of your charter to CSI. Provide a
copy of this to the Institute with your appli-
cation. CSI may assist with this process.
TRANSFER TIMELINE:
• NOVEMBER 14—APPLICATION DUE
• JANUARY 14—PRESENTATION TO CSI
BOARD
• FEBRUARY 4—CSI BOARD WORK SESSION
• FEBRUARY 11—CSI BOARD VOTE ON STAFF
RECOMMENDATION
Introduction to the application WRITING YOUR APPLICATION
The application is divided into four primary
components, plus addenda, if applicable.
To determine whether you need to provide
these addenda, please refer to your Letter
of Intent, the descriptions of the addenda
located on the CSI website, or contact CSI
staff.
Your application must be typed and sup-
plied in both paper format (two copies in 3-
ring binders) and in electronic format to
CSI. Number all pages within each of the
four sections (A-D), and ensure adherence
to the page limits indicated in the content
pages of this application.
Clearly distinguish and separate each sec-
tion in both the paper and electronic ver-
sions of your application. For the paper
version, this should be accomplished
through the use of tabs. In the electronic
version, please provide a separate file for
each distinct section, as well as a file that
contains the full application.
CSI staff is happy to supply applicants with
additional information, clarification, and di-
rection toward resources up until the appli-
cation is submitted to CSI. Please contact
CSI at 303.866.3299 or
Transfer Applications must be submitted no later than
November 14, 2013. Schools must also submit a
signed Board Resolution expressing intent to apply
to CSI for transfer. Submit all materials to
THE ITEMS LISTED IN THE SUBSEQUENT
PAGES WILL COMPRISE YOUR PHYSICAL
TRANSFER APPLICATION
Transfer applications should focus on providing
evidence of the effectiveness of the school’s mis-
sion and vision. The application should be as
period. The Institute may, but is not required to,
accept any additional information the applicant pro-
vides that the Institute does not request.
concise as possible. All re-
quested documentation
should be provided as at-
tachments to the narrative.
This includes any specific,
documented evidence, ta-
bles, statistics, and other
information which may re-
quire elaboration beyond
the scope of the narrative.
Important note: CSI may
request additional infor-
mation during the review
EMP Addendum
If you currently are contracting
with an education management
provider (EMP), or intend to
contract with an EMP for future
services, you will need to com-
plete the EMP addendum and
include it with your transfer ap-
plication.
Transportation Addendum
If you are currently providing
transportation to students, or
intend to provide these ser-
vices in the future, you will
need to complete the Transpor-
tation addendum with your
transfer application.
Food Services Addendum
If you currently provide a meal
program to students, or intend
to provide these food services
in the future, you will need to
complete the Food Services
addendum with your transfer
application.
Online Program Addendum
If your program has an online
learning component, you will
need to complete the Online
Program addendum with your
transfer application.
All addenda can be found on
the CSI website at
www.csi.state.co.us/pages/
Charter_School_Institute/
Prospective_Schools
APPLICATION ADDENDA Transfer process
components TRANSFER EVALUATION
As mentioned in a previous section of the
application, the primary driver of the re-
newal evaluation is CARS. Additional
documents considered may include:
CDE School Performance
Framework Reports
CSSI pre-post visits and evaluation
Other applicable external evaluations
Parental and community input
Progress with UIP performance ob-
jectives
Previous contract milestones and
goals
Evidence provided in response to the
transfer application
4
Content of the Transfer Application
A. Academic Program (15 pages)
Any student outcomes or academic data must be
supplied in the format of access to raw files, or re-
ports printed directly from the testing interface. In
order to help accomplish this, please provide the
following:
1. A username and password to access flat files
from the Colorado Education Data Analysis and
Reporting system (CEDAR).
2. A username and password to access interim
assessment files directly from the testing ven-
dor.
3. Your three most recent Unified Improvement
Plans
4. All reports/data dashboards provided to the local
board in the last year related to academic per-
formance.
Your narrative should include:
1. A description of major academic trends and key
findings.
2. A list of assessments used, including frequency
and grades administered. These selections must
meet requirements of the Colorado Reading to
Ensure Academic Development Act (Colorado
READ Act), Individual Learning Plans (ILPs),
and federal requirements, such as the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
3. An explanation of how the curriculum is either
already aligned to state model content stand-
ards or will be aligned within the first year of
school operation under CSI including a timeline
and process for monitoring progress.
4. A list of supplemental programming (summer
school, extracurricular activities, psychosocial
programming, remediation and intervention).
Maximum page numbers are indicated in the parentheses adjacent to each content area.
5. A description of programmatic & curricular
changes anticipated under the new charter.
B. Serving Students with Special Needs
(15 pages)
1. Include the school policy for a Response to In-
tervention (RtI) or child study process that
meets all legal requirements.
2. Detail plans to meet the unique needs of stu-
dents with Individualized Education Plans (for
special education), 504 Plans, Advanced Learn-
ing Plans (for gifted/talented), School Nurse/
Health Plans and students identified for English
Language Acquisition. Include information on
plans for staffing, identification, documentation,
assessment, progress monitoring, adaptation,
and alignment with the budget.
3. Provide research-based evidence that supports
the chosen strategies for interventions and sup-
port materials selected.
4. Include a description of the process used to
modify the curriculum to accommodate varied
learning styles of exceptional students.
C. Finance
Please provide a copy of the most recent ver-
sion of the following documents:
1. Independent financial audit,
2. Quarterly profit and loss statement including
budget to actual,
3. Quarterly balance sheet,
4. 3-Year projected budget, and
5. All reports/data dashboards provided to the lo-
cal board in the last year related to financial per-
formance.
5
D. Governance & Operations (15 pages)
Please provide a copy of the most recent version
of the following documents:
1. Strategic plan,
2. Lease agreement (as applicable),
3. Organizational chart and staff roster,
4. A copy of the current charter contract,
5. A copy of any contracts or instruments that
describe preexisting obligations or relation-
ships,
6. Evaluations from the current authorizer,
7. CSSI site visit reports,
8. Board minutes and agendas for the past year,
9. Board profile matrix,
10. Board policy book,
11. All reports/data dashboards provided to the
local board related to organizational perfor-
mance,
12. Membership roster and minutes for the past
year for the School Accountability Committee,
and
13. School leader evaluation and succession
plan.
Your narrative should include:
14. Progress towards strategic goals
15. Organizational changes anticipated under the
new charter
6
1580 Logan St, Suite 210
Denver, Colorado 80203
303.866.3299 ph
C OL O RA D O
C HA R TE R S C H OOL
INS TI T UTE
Th e m i ss io n o f th e Ch a r te r
S ch o o l I ns t i t u te sh a l l b e to
f o s te r h i g h -q u a l i t y p u b l i c
s ch o o l ch o ic es o f fe re d t h roug h
I n s t i tu t e s ch o o l s th a t de l i v e r
r i g o ro us ac a dem ic co n ten t a nd
h i g h a ca d em ic pe r f o rma nc e in
a s a fe e nv i ron me n t an d on pa r
w i t h t he h ig h es t pe r f o rm i n g
s ch o o l s , i nc l ud i ng p a r t i cu l a r l y
s ch o o l s fo r a t - r i sk s tu de n ts