Current law provides that one year after an independent charter school or a
private school participating in a PCP begins using the SIS or a system that is
interoperable with the SIS, DPI must include the school in its school accountability
report.
This substitute amendment eliminates all of the above provisions and
establishes a school and school district accountability system, initially effective in
the 2017-18 school year, that is applicable to school districts, public schools, charter
schools, and private schools participating in a PCP. The substitute amendment
directs DPI to determine a school's and school district's performance in the following
areas:
1. Pupil achievement in reading and mathematics.
2. Growth in pupil achievement in reading and mathematics, calculated using
a value-added methodology.
3. Gap closure in growth in pupil achievement in reading and mathematics and
in graduation rates.
4. Rates of attendance and of high school graduation.
The substitute amendment specifies the information about a school or school
district that DPI may use to measure performance in each of the above areas. To the
extent feasible, DPI's rating for each school and school district must be calculated
with 25 percent of the weight given to each item listed above.
For a private school participating in a PCP, the substitute amendment directs
DPI to use for each area only the information that pertains to pupils attending the
private school under the PCP.
The substitute amendment requires DPI to issue an annual accountability
report for each school and school district that grades the school's or school district's
overall performance from A to F.
The substitute amendment directs DPI to provide a school or school district an
opportunity to review a preliminary version of a report in order to correct errors.
The substitute amendment allows DPI to downgrade a school's rating if DPI
determines that the percentage of pupils taking the statewide assessments is
inadequate.
The substitute amendment creates an Academic Accountability Council in DPI
to make recommendations to the state superintendent of public instruction (and
provide a copy to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature) on the
format and makeup of the school accountability report and qualifying score for each
grade, on whether a school that has been determined to be failing but demonstrates
high-value added growth, as determined by the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Value-Added Research Center, should be sanctioned, and on sanction waivers for
public schools, described below.
The substitute amendment directs the Legislative Audit Bureau annually to
study DPI's methodology for calculating the performance of schools and school
districts and report its findings each January to the Joint Legislative Audit
Committee.
Low-performing schools and school districts; interventions
Current law requires a school board and DPI to take certain steps if a school or
school district is in need of improvement or among the lowest performing, as follows:
1. If DPI determines that a school district has been in need of improvement for
four consecutive school years, the school board must:
a. Employ a standard, consistent, research-based curriculum that is aligned
with the state's model academic standards;
b. Use pupil academic performance data to differentiate instruction to meet
individual needs;
c. Implement a system of academic and behavioral supports and early
intervention for pupils; and
d. Provide additional learning time to address the academic needs of pupils who
are struggling academically.
2. If DPI determines that a particular public school has been in the lowest
performing 5 percent of all public schools in the state in the previous school year and
is located in a school district that has been in need of improvement for four
consecutive school years, the school board must do the following in the school:
a. Use rigorous and equitable performance evaluation systems for teachers and
principals.
b. Adopt a policy establishing criteria for evaluating whether the distribution
of teachers and principals within the affected schools relative to the distribution of
teachers and principals throughout the school district, based on their qualifications
and effectiveness, is equitable. If the school board determines that the distribution
is inequitable, the school board must eliminate those policies and constraints that
prevent low-performing schools from recruiting, placing, and retaining effective
teachers and principals, and provide additional support to teachers and principals.
c. Establish teacher and principal improvement programs.
d. Adopt placement criteria for principals that include performance
evaluations and measures of pupil academic achievement.
3. If DPI determines that a school district has been in need of improvement for
four consecutive school years, DPI may direct the school board to do one or more of
the following in the school district:
a. Implement or modify activities enumerated for low-performing school
districts above.
b. Implement a new or modified instructional design.
c. Implement professional development programs.
d. Implement changes in administrative and personnel structures.
e. Adopt accountability measures to monitor the school district's finances or to
monitor other interventions.
4. If DPI determines that a public school is located in a school district that has
been in need of improvement for four consecutive school years, and that the school
has been in need of improvement for five consecutive school years or was among the
lowest performing 5 percent of all public schools in the state in the previous school
year, DPI may direct the school board to do one or both of the following in the school:
a. Implement a new or modified instructional design.
b. Create a school improvement council to make recommendations to DPI
regarding improving the school.
This substitute amendment eliminates all of the above provisions (except those
applicable to low-performing school districts), effective at the end of the 2019-20
school year, and substitutes the following:
Public schools
If DPI determines that a public school, other than a charter school, has received
a grade of F for three consecutive school years, or has received a grade of F in three
of five consecutive school years and a grade no higher than D in the other two school
years, the school board must permanently close the school or contract with a
high-quality charter management organization (CMO) to operate the school as a
charter school.
If a school board determines to contract with a CMO, but cannot reach an
agreement with any CMO, it may request the state superintendent to waive the
requirement to contract with a CMO or close the school. The state superintendent
may waive that requirement if the school board demonstrates that it engaged in a
good-faith effort to contract with the CMO. If the state superintendent grants the
waiver, the school board must convert the school to a charter school that is organized
as an instrumentality of the school district and must do all of the following in the
school:
1. Replace the school's principal.
2. Implement a rigorous staff evaluation and development system.
3. Reward staff who increase pupil academic achievement or high school
graduation rates and remove staff who have not improved in these areas after being
given an ample opportunity to do so.
4. Institute comprehensive instructional reform.
5. Increase the time provided for pupil instruction.
6. Apply community-oriented school strategies.
7. Provide greater operational flexibility and support for the school.
If the school board contracts with a CMO, the charter school may not be an
instrumentality of the school district and the school board may not employ any
personnel for the school. The school board must pay the charter school operator, for
each full-time equivalent pupil attending the school, at least 90 percent of the
average per pupil cost for the school district.
The requirement to close a public school or contract with a CMO to operate the
school as a charter school does not apply if DPI determines, based on information
provided by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Value-Added Research Center,
that the school demonstrates high-value added growth.
These sanctions (and the sanctions described below for charter schools and
choice schools) take effect in the school year following the school year in which the
accountability report for the third (or fifth) school year is issued by DPI.
Accountability reports are expected to be issued in September.
Charter schools
The substitute amendment provides that if DPI determines that a charter
school has received a grade of F for three consecutive school years, or has received
a grade of F in three of five consecutive school years and a grade no higher than D
in the other two school years, the school board or entity that contracted for the
establishment of the charter school must revoke the contract. If the charter school
reopens as a private school, it may not participate in a PCP.
The substitute amendment provides, however, that a charter school's contract
may not be revoked on the basis of grades received during the school's initial five
school years. The substitute amendment also provides that a charter school's
contract may not be revoked if DPI determines, based on information provided by the
University of Wisconsin-Madison Value-Added Research Center, that the school
demonstrates high-value added growth.
Choice schools
If DPI determines that a private school participating in a PCP has received a
grade of F for three consecutive school years, or has received a grade of F in three of
five consecutive school years and a grade no higher than D in the other two school
years, DPI must issue an order permanently barring the private school from
accepting any new pupils under the PCP. This requirement does not apply, however,
if DPI determines, based on information provided by the University of
Wisconsin-Madison Value-Added Research Center, that the school demonstrates
high-value added growth. A private school barred from accepting new pupils may
not reopen as a charter school.
Charter schools; contracts
Under current law, an entity authorized to establish an independent charter
school may do so itself or by contracting with a third party. This substitute
amendment allows charter schools to be established by contract only.
Currently, a contract with a charter school may be for any term not exceeding
five school years and may be renewed for one or more terms not exceeding five school
years. This bill provides that the initial contract with a charter school must be for
a term of five years if the charter school requests it.
Pupil records
Under current law, all pupil records maintained by a public school are
confidential unless explicitly allowed to be disclosed. This substitute amendment
makes the pupil records law applicable to pupils attending private schools under a
PCP and to charter schools.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB379-ASA1,1
1Section
1. 15.377 (5) of the statutes is created to read:
AB379-ASA1,6,52
15.377
(5) Academic accountability council. (a) There is created in the
3department of public instruction an academic accountability council consisting of the
4state superintendent of public instruction or his or her designee and the following
5members appointed for 3-year terms:
AB379-ASA1,6,66
1. Two persons appointed by the president of the senate.
AB379-ASA1,7,1
12. One person appointed by the minority leader of the senate.
AB379-ASA1,7,22
3. Two persons appointed by the speaker of the assembly.
AB379-ASA1,7,33
4. One person appointed by the minority leader of the assembly.
AB379-ASA1,7,44
5. Two persons appointed by the governor.
AB379-ASA1,7,65
(b) The members appointed under par. (a) 1. to 4. shall have experience in
6elementary and secondary education. They may not be legislators.
AB379-ASA1,7,97
(c) The state superintendent of public instruction or his or her designee shall
8serve as chairperson of the academic accountability council. Beginning in 2015, the
9council shall meet at least twice each year.
AB379-ASA1,2
10Section
2. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
11the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
-
See PDF for table ![PDF](http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/assets/image/file_acrobat.gif)
AB379-ASA1,7,1614
20.255
(1) (e)
Student information system. As a continuing appropriation, the
15amounts in the schedule for the student information system under s.
115.28 (12) 16115.383.
AB379-ASA1,8,3
120.255
(1) (he)
Student information system; fees. All moneys received from fees
2charged as authorized under s.
115.28 (12) (b) 115.383 (3) (c) to be used for the student
3information system established under s.
115.28 (12) (a) 115.383 (1).
AB379-ASA1,5
4Section
5. 20.255 (3) (fm) of the statutes is created to read:
AB379-ASA1,8,85
20.255
(3) (fm)
Value-Added Research Center. The amounts in the schedule to
6pay the costs of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Value-Added Research Center
7under ss. 115.39 (4m) (b), 118.40 (5) (b) 4., 118.425 (4) (d), 118.60 (9m) (a) 3., and
8119.23 (9m) (a) 3.
AB379-ASA1,6
9Section
6. 115.001 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB379-ASA1,8,1310
115.001
(1) Charter school. "Charter school" means a school under contract
11with a school board under s. 118.40 or with
one of the entities an entity under s.
12118.40 (2r) (b)
, or a school established and operated by one of the entities under s.
13118.40 (2r) (b).
AB379-ASA1,7
14Section
7. 115.28 (12) (title) of the statutes is renumbered 115.383 (title).
AB379-ASA1,8
15Section
8. 115.28 (12) (a) of the statutes, as affected by
2013 Wisconsin Act 20,
16is renumbered 115.383 (1), and 115.383 (1) (a) and (c), as renumbered, are amended
17to read:
AB379-ASA1,8,2318
115.383
(1) (a) Develop a proposal for a multiple-vendor student information
19system for the standardized collection of pupil data. The proposal shall allow schools
20and school districts to use their vendor of choice and include reporting requirements
21that can reasonably be met by multiple vendors. The state superintendent may not
22establish a student information system unless the proposal is approved by the joint
23committee on finance under
subd. 2 par. (b).
AB379-ASA1,9,424
(c) If the proposal is approved under
subd. 2. par. (b), the state superintendent
25shall ensure that information about pupils enrolled in charter schools and about
1pupils enrolled in private schools participating in a parental choice program under
2s. 118.60 or 119.23, including their academic performance and demographic
3information, aggregated by school district, school, and teacher, is collected and
4maintained in the student information system.
AB379-ASA1,9,157
115.383
(2) (intro.) If the student information system is established under
par.
8(a) sub. (1), each school district, charter school, and private school using the system
9under
par. (a) sub. (1) shall include in the system the following information for each
10teacher teaching in the school district or school who completed a teacher
preparatory 11education program described in
sub.
s. 115.28 (7) (a)
or (e) 2. and located in this state
12or a teacher education program described in sub. (7) (e) 2. and located in this state 13on or after January 1, 2012
, or, for each teacher teaching in a private school
14participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23, who obtained
15a bachelor's degree from an institution located in this state on or after July 1, 2010:
AB379-ASA1,10
16Section
10. 115.28 (12) (ag) 1. and 2. of the statutes are renumbered 115.383
17(2) (a) and (b) and amended to read:
AB379-ASA1,9,2018
115.383
(2) (a) The name of the teacher
preparatory program or teacher 19education program the teacher attended and completed
or the name of the institution
20from which the teacher obtained a bachelor's degree.
AB379-ASA1,9,2221
(b) The term or semester and year in which the teacher completed the
teacher
22education program
described in subd. 1 or obtained a bachelor's degree.
AB379-ASA1,10,5
1115.383
(3) (a) If the student information system is established under
par. (a), 2sub. (1), the state superintendent shall ensure that within 5 years of the
3establishment of the system
under par. (a), every school district and
every charter
4school
, other than a charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r), is using the
5system
, and that.