APS Charter Renewal Application Online Instructions

Charter Renewal Application Instructions:

These instructions were created to assist you in the creation and submission of your school’s charter renewal application with Albuquerque Public Schools' (APS) Office of Innovation and School Choice.  A seven-member renewal team will be formed to review each renewal application and develop a consensus recommendation for action to the APS Board of Education, who makes the final determination on the renewal. The board may decide to; renew, renew with conditions, or deny.

Sections of the Charter Renewal Application

The APS Charter Renewal application consists of three parts and includes an Appendix.

1. Part 1- School's Executive Summary;
2. Part 2- Record of Performance (Self-Report)
3. Part 3- Plans for the Next Charter Term (Self-Study); and
4. APPENDIX - School provides: Documents to be notarized (Petition of Support from Employees and Petition of Support from Households), Lease documentation, Performance Framework Reports and Amendment Requests. All digital documents, scanned pages, and large images (file size) should be included in Appendix. The  Appendix file should be saved as a separate .pdf to be submitted along with the Renewal Application (MS Word).

Getting Started

• It is important that you thoroughly read the online APS Charter Renewal Application instructions before you begin to prepare your written document.
• Review your current charter, including any approved amendments, prior to completing the Renewal Application.
• Review the Charter Renewal Rubric, which the renewal team will use to evaluate your application.
• Use this Renewal Application MS Word file to enter your responses directly into the text box fields provided within each section (Part 1, 2, 3 and the Appendix) by:
• Citing the analysis of student achievement data conducted by your school’s Core Team
• Citing evidence from your analysis when making claims

Charter School Authorizers

Charter schools that are up for contract renewal have the option to seek renewal from either their local chartering authority (district) or the state chartering authority, Public Education Commission (PEC). All renewal applications must be submitted on October 1st of the year prior to when the contract expires. In accordance with Subsection A of 6.80.4.13 NMAC, the chartering authority must then rule in a public meeting on the renewal of the application no later than January 1st of the fiscal year in which the charter expires.

Four Reasons for Non-renewal or Denial

New Mexico law, in subsection K of Section § 22-8B-12 NMSA 1978, includes the four reasons for non-renewal of a school’s charter. It provides that a charter may be suspended, revoked, or not renewed by the chartering authority if the chartering authority determines the charter school:

• committed a material violation of any of the conditions, standards, or procedures set forth in the charter;
• failed to meet or make substantial progress toward achievement of the department’s minimum educational standards or student performance standards identified in the charter application;
• failed to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management;
• violated any provision of law from which the charter school was not specifically exempted.

Thank you for your quest to provide quality, educational choice for the greater Albuquerque community.

Please contact Dr. Joseph Escobedo, Director of Charter Schools at (505) 880-3790, or escobedo_j@aps.edu with any questions regarding renewal.

Charter Renewal Application 

All submissions should be prepared using the APS Charter Renewal Application (MS Word). Brevity, specificity, and clarity are strongly encouraged. You should ensure the document submitted is easy to follow, reader-friendly and accessible. A seven-member renewal team will review your application and their experience with your school may be limited so use this opportunity to tell your school's story through a review of your performance and your plans for the next five years. 

Deadlines and Manner of Submission

APS Charter Renewal Application must be submitted to the APS Charter Schools Office at 6400 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 100E, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110. The submission must include:

• 8 Bound copies that will be used by the review team.
  • Ensure all pages are numbered in sequential order
  • Ensure you enter your responses directly into the application's text box fields, provided within each section. Text will be blue 12-point Calibri, allowing the reviewer to clearly identify a school's response.
• An electronic version (MS Word) of the application and a .pdf file of the Appendix must accompany the submission of 8 bound copies. The MS Word (application) and .pdf (Appendix) files shall be submitted on a USB Flash drive which is clearly labeled with your school's name.
• The full submission must be delivered no later than 4:30 p.m. (Mountain Time), October 1st, 2024.

Renewal Application Review Period

A seven-member review team will read and analyze your Renewal Application. The Director of APS Charter Schools will schedule a Renewal Site Visit as part of the renewal review process. This site visit is designed to verify the evidence and documentation supporting the renewal application.

Preliminary Renewal Analysis

The Director of APS Charter Schools will meet with each renewal applicant to communicate the renewal team’s recommendation. If, as part, of the renewal recommendation a condition must be met, this will be documented or completed prior to a contract being finalized and brought forward for approval to the APS Board of Education.

Public Comment

Public comment may be collected either through a public meeting or through the online public comment(s) section of the charter renewal website. Any public meetings will follow the APS Board of Education Public Comment Protocol. The recommendation to the APS Board of Education will include comments from the public.

Recommendation

A recommendation will be made and presented to the APS Board of Education prior to January 1.

Final Authorization

The APS School Board will vote on authorization in a full School Board meeting prior to January 1.

Contract and Performance Framework

If approved, the chartering authority shall enter into a contract with the governing body of the applicant charter school within 30 days of approval of the renewal application. (The charter school and APS may agree to an extension of the 30-day deadline.)

About the Renewal Review

The renewal review team will make a consensus recommendation to the APS Board of Education based on the completed renewal application, the charter school renewal site visit, status reports provided by APS departments, and, if applicable, the New Mexico Public Education Department.

The following questions guide the renewal team’s recommendation regarding renewal and are based upon the four reasons that a chartering authority must determine a charter school has violated in order to refuse to renew a charter pursuant to Subsection K of Section 22-8B-12 NMSA 1978.

1. Has the school committed a material violation of any of the conditions, standards, or procedures set forth in the charter?
   The school’s charter defines the terms under which it proposes to operate and defines the measurable goals the school agreed to meet. The renewal team will analyze the evidence presented in the report from the school’s current chartering authority regarding their determination of whether the school has committed a material violation of its charter.
2. Has the school failed to meet or make substantial progress toward the achievement of the PED’s minimum educational standards or student performance standards identified in the charter application?
   The renewal team will examine student achievement data on required state tests and on other measures set forth in the preliminary renewal analysis.
3. Has the school failed to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management?
   The renewal will rely on documentary evidence based on the reports from the APS Finance Department, documents submitted by the school, and the school’s audits with regard to whether the school has met generally accepted standards of fiscal management.
4. Has the school violated any provision of law from which the charter school was not specifically exempted?
   The renewal team will rely on documentary evidence gathered by the Charter School Office or, if applicable, NMPED staff during the term of the school’s charter to determine if the school has compiled a record of substantial compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations.

School Leadership Roundtable

Includes Executive Director/Principal and Governing Council Chair.

School Presentation (45 minutes): School will be emailed the questions/topics below that they will need to cover in addition to some specific questions the renewal team has about their application. The process of how the information is presented will be left up to the school.

• Overview of the school’s mission and vision
• Overview of a typical day for students
• Overview of goals and how they will impact student achievement
• What is your plan for working with English Language Learner students?
• What is your plan for working with students with disabilities?
• How will you approach the sometimes complex issues that accompany students who have an IEP and multiple diagnoses?
• Describe the schools discipline policies and practices.
• What opportunities will there be for parental involvement and input in the school’s governance?
• Describe how your school is long-term financially viable.

Questions from Review Team: (15 minutes)

School Tour

School tour (30 minutes): will need to include classroom visits and interaction with students, teachers, and other staff.

Student Roundtable

Student Roundtable (30 minutes): the school will select a diverse group of students that are willing to share confidentially about their choice to choose the school 

• Why did you choose this school?
• What does the school do to support student success?
• Tell us about your experiences here.

Part 1 Instructions

You will be asked to provide an overview of your school's mission and how a typical day for your student aligns to this mission and your school's vision. You will also highlight key demographics of your school and current enrollment figures. 

Section A: Mission, Vision, and Goals

Question 1: Re-state your school’s mission and vision. What were your MSGs and did you achieve them? Provide evidence. (1 page) 

Task 1: Provide evidence of outcomes related to Mission Specific Goals and briefly describe the measures established in the charter contract related to performance on MSGs. (1 page)

Section B: Educational Program

Question 1: Describe how the student experience aligns to your mission. Give specific examples of how the student experience at your school is unique. (1-2 paragraphs) 

Question 2: Describe the typical student that you serve. Describe how the school’s programs are designed to support this student population. (1-3 paragraphs)

Question 3: How does your school enhance the APS School of Choice Portfolio? (1-3 paragraphs)

Section C: Governing Council

You will provide the following information for your current governing council members:

• Name
• Professional Occupation
• Role on Council
• Number of Years on Council

Section D: Community and Local Connections

Question 1: Describe how you have engaged “community” within the strategic planning process. Include a brief description of community participation and input. (1-2 paragraphs) 

Question 2: Who was involved in the strategic planning process and what were their roles? (1 paragraph)

Section E: Enrollment and Demographics

You will provide the following information as it stands in this charter term:

• Total Enrollment
• Population by Gender
• Population by Race/Ethnicity
• Special Population Figures such as students with disabilities, ELL's, homeless students, and students who qualify for free/reduced lunches

NOTE: If you are a school that is Transferring from the NM PEC, it is important that you include the items in the ADDENDUM for PART 1.

Part 2 Instructions

The Charter School Act requires each school seeking to renew its charter to submit a Self-Report on the progress of the charter school in achieving the goals, objectives, student performance outcomes, state minimum educational standards, and other terms of the current charter, including the accountability requirements set forth in the Assessment and Accountability Act.

Part 3 Instructions

Purpose: Looking Forward – Vision for the Next Five Years

Instructions for Part 3: Please refer to the instructions online for complete details about completing this part of the application (Self-Study) on outlining your vision and plan for the next five years.

*Note that this section will not be used for Renewal determination per NACSA guidelines*

Plans for the Next Charter Term (Strategic Plan)

Section A: Educational Program and Student Academic Performance Targets

Question 1: Describe any anticipated changes to essential terms of the school’s educational program such as school mission and vision, courses of study offered, grade levels served, etc. (1-3 paragraphs)

Question 2: Discuss your school’s academic priorities over the next five years. Include the data analysis the school used to set your strategic priorities. How did you use the data to prioritize? (1-3 pages)

Question 3: How will your school continue to enhance the APS School of Choice Portfolio? (1-3 paragraphs)

Question 4: How will your school continue to provide Special Education services and monitor the progress of students receiving special education? (1-3 paragraphs)

Question 5: How will your school continue to provide English Learner services and monitor the progress of English Learner students? (1-3 paragraphs)

Task 1:  Provide annual school wide performance targets for the next 5 years in:

• English
• Math
• Science

Task 2: Provide annual performance targets for students under the Martinez/Yazzie guidelines for the next 5 years.

Section B: Mission-Specific Goals

The Amended Charter School Act requires schools to identify two mission-specific indicators/goals in the renewal application that set targets for the implementation of the school mission. Mission-specific indicators/goals MUST BE provided within this section of the renewal application. If the renewal application is approved, these indicators/goals will be used as the “first draft” of indicators during the negotiations with the Authorizer.

For the purposes of this renewal application, the indicators/goals will show the capacity of the applicant to identify appropriate indicators/goals aligned with the mission of the school moving forward. During the later contracting process after approval, the indicators/goals which are finally negotiated and put into the Performance Framework allow the school to demonstrate its achievements related to the school mission. The Performance Framework is assessed on an annual basis and may be revised yearly. Please note: renewing schools are encouraged to use their history of performance, including baseline data if available when developing the two mission-specific indicators/goals and metrics.

Mission-specific goals and indicators put into the application should:

1. Demonstrate the school’s ability to implement the school’s mission;
2. Be in the format set forth below, which is a SMART goal format (specific, measurable, attainable, rigorous, and time-bound—see below); and finally,
3. Include metrics and measures using the following criteria: “Meets standards,” “Working to meet standards,” and “Does not meet standards.”

For instance, if a school’s mission focuses on language acquisition, then a school may choose a mission-specific indicator/goal which measures student progress and performance in this special area. These indicators/goals are monitored on an annual basis and then potentially revised yearly. If you define a cohort of students (i.e. 11th-grade students have attended the school for at least two semesters), you must identify how many students are in the cohort.

Task 1: Provide at least two (2) mission-specific goals and indicators in the space below. (1-2 pages per goal). For each goal include indicators that will be measured and monitored, related to this goal:

1. Student academic performance standard(s) being addressed
2. Standardized short-cycle assessment or standards-based instrument used to identify performance levels and proficiency of students

Section C: Organizational Goals

Question 1: Describe any anticipated changes to the governance of the school such as board composition, staffing and leadership changes, committee structure, amendments to bylaws, adding/removing an ESP (Education Support Professional) etc. How will your governing body be involved in monitoring academic performance and strategic planning, for the next five years? (1-3 paragraphs)

Question 2: Describe your long-term plans to comply with the state statute of being in a public building. (1-2 paragraphs)

Question 3: Describe any anticipated changes to your facility such as location, remodeling, additions, etc. (1-3 paragraphs)

Task 1: Provide Facility Information and Documentation by completing the Appendix section Lease Review Charter School Facility Documents.

Section D: Financial Goals

Question 1: Describe any anticipated changes to the operations of your school in relation to finance such as new curriculum and instructional materials, modified staffing structure, decreased/increased enrollment, etc. 

Task 1: Provide a projected budget for the next 5 year term including key revenue sources and expenditures.

Section E: Community Outreach

In an effort to incorporate student voice, family voice and community voice in the Charter Renewal process, we are requesting that you populate a Google Sheet with the contact information. Note: It is not intended that the family members match up with the students on your student list. These will be unique lists.

We will use each list to reach out to student, families, and community members provided, allowing them to give us feedback about your school.  We hope to have a diverse group of individuals whom we can collect feedback.  If you have any questions about this process, please contact the charter school team.

The Student, Family, Community Voice Google Form can be accessed at: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uo-FPnRXuE5Ke80UP9ZfB3s3xFiIjclF6guiG9bVoHY/edit?usp=sharing

Please complete each sheet with the necessary contact information. Schools are encouraged to submit these lists early in the September timeframe. If you are unable to complete this early, you can submit with your Renewal Application.

The Charter School team will be asking these contacts to send us short videos reacting the following prompts:

• What wow’s you about this charter school?
• What do you wonder about this charter school?
• Share any personal stories of your experience with this charter school.

Schools that are transferring from the New Mexico Public Education Commission (NM PEC) are required to provide additional information. Part 4 is an addendum that outlines the additional information required for transfer schools. Please include the following required elements for transfers in the appropriate Part (1-2) sections of the renewal application. Keeping it together in the original Parts will provide a seamless flow of information for the readers.

Part 1—School’s Executive Summary

These instructions include the additional sections that need to be added to Part 1 of the Application.

B. Current Year Enrollment & Demographics

Provide the school's current enrollment and demographic information by completing the table(s) with current numbers.

Enrollment

• Number of Students Enrolled
• Number of Students on the Wait List
• School’s Enrollment Cap
• Grades that School Enrolls
• Number Male Students
• Number Female Students

Race/Ethnicity

• Number of Hispanic Students
• Number of Asian Students
• Number of Black Students
• Number of Native American Students
• Number of White Students
• Number of 2 or more

Special Populations

• Number of Students with Disabilities
• Number of English Language Learners
• Number of Homeless Students
• Number Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch

C. School’s Mission and Vision 

Provide a brief description of the school including; the school’s mission and vision, educational programs, leadership and governance, and community engagement.

Share the following information about your school:

1. Question 1: Provide the school’s mission statement (1-3 paragraphs)
2. Question 2: Provide the school’s vision statement (if applicable) (1-3 paragraphs)
3. Question 3: Describe how the student experience aligns to the mission. Give specific examples of how the student experience is unique to your mission (1-3 paragraphs)
4. Question 4: Describe the typical student you serve. Describe how your school's program is designed to support that population. (1 page)

Part 2 — Record of Performance (Self-Report)

For Schools Transferring from NM PEC, we require additional information about how you plan to provide Special Education Services.

A.  Academic Performance/Educational Plan

B.  Organizational Performance

D.  Financial Performance

APS Charter Renewal Application APPENDIX Overview

The Charter Renewal Application APPENDIX is the document in which the school will include all of its graphic elements and scanned files.

Once you have collected all of the required digital documents, graphics, or scanned pages for the items listed in the Appendix. Assemble all files or merge them together into a single .pdf file and submit this .pdf along with your Renewal Application (.docx).

Elements to include in the Appendix:

• Facility documents (E Occupancy certificate and digital scan of lease and/or purchase agreement
• Petitions of Support from Employees and Households
• Lease documents with amendments
• Performance Framework Reports
• Charter Amendment Requests

Update on Petitions of Support from Employees and Households 

Charter Schools may collect signatures of support from their employees and households utilizing online forms.For example – a completed Google Form/Petition that includes:

• email address
• individual’s first name last name
• checkbox selected to signify support of Charter Renewal).

Sample Google Forms are available on the APS Charter Renewal Application Instructions. The notarized forms can be signed via digital signature.

Glossary of Terms

Amended Charter School Act

In 2011, the New Mexico Legislature amended the Charter School Act (Act) in several ways. The purpose of the amended Act is to increase the accountability of charter schools and authorizers. The primary changes to the Act were the addition of a separate “Performance Contract” (§22-8B-9 NMSA 1978) between the authorizer and the charter school and “Performance Frameworks” (§22-8B-9.1 NMSA 1978).

Assessment

A method, tool, or system used to evaluate and demonstrate student progress toward—or mastery of—a particular learning standard or goal (e.g., a standardized test, short-cycle tests, teacher-developed tests, a portfolio-judging system, etc.).

Current Charter

The current charter is the approved charter (or charter contract) with any amendments and/or changes that have been authorized for the current operational term.

Material Term

The APS CMSD will use the following definition used by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) for Material Terms: The term material means that the authorizer deems the matter relevant to

1. The authorizer’s accountability decisions including but not limited to decisions about whether to renew or non-renew or revoke a charter; or
2. Information that a family would consider relevant to a decision to attend the charter school.

The material terms will be the provisions that the charter school will need to amend in order for the school to modify any of the terms of the contract.

Please note: The material terms are those essential elements with which the charter school agrees to comply. These are not the only terms that could be breached in the contract and do not identify the only terms that could be subject to “material violations.” There could be a material violation of any term in the Performance Contract or as demonstrated by the results of the Performance Framework.

Material Violation

A material violation occurs when one party fails to perform their duties as specified in a contract. A contract may be violated by one or both parties. A material violation may result in the need for corrective action or other action as allowed by law to be taken by the Authorizer. There could be a material violation of any term in the Performance Contract or as demonstrated by the results of the Performance Framework.

Mission-Specific Indicators/Goals

The Amended Charter School Act requires schools to identify at least two mission-specific indicators/goals in the renewal application that set targets for the implementation of the school mission. Mission-specific indicators/goals MUST BE provided within the renewal application. If the application is approved, these indicators/goals will be used as a “first draft” for discussion during the negotiations with the Authorizer.

For the purposes of this renewal application, the indicators/goals will show the capacity of the applicant to identify appropriate indicators/goals aligned with the mission of the school moving forward. During the later contracting process after approval, the indicators/goals that are finally negotiated and put into the Performance Framework allow the school to demonstrate its achievements related to the school mission. The Performance Framework is assessed on an annual basis and the school-specific indicators may be revised yearly. Please note that renewing schools are encouraged to use their history of performance, including baseline data if available, when developing the two mission-specific indicators/goals and metrics.

Mission-specific indicators/goals put into the renewal application should:

1. demonstrate the school’s ability to implement the school’s mission;
2. be in a format set forth below which is a SMART goal format (specific, measurable, attainable, rigorous, and time-bound—see below); and finally,
3. include metrics and measures using the following criteria: “Exceeds standards,” “Meets standards,” “Does not meet standards,” and “Falls far below standards.”

If you define a cohort of students (i.e. 11th-grade students that have attended the school for at least two semesters), you must identify how many students are in the cohort and how many are the larger category if no cohort were identified.

The following is a sample of a strong mission-specific indicator. You do NOT need to copy it. It is intended to give you a sample of what a complete SMART mission-specific indicator looks like.

New Mexico Condition Index (NMCI)

The PSFA ranks every school facility condition in the state-based upon relative need from the greatest to the least. This metric is used to compare and prioritize schools for capital outlay funding.

Performance Contract

(§22-8B-9 NMSA) The charter authorizer shall enter into a contract with the governing body of the applicant charter school within 30 days of approval of the charter application. The charter contract shall be the final authorization for the charter school and shall be part of the charter. If the chartering authority and the applicant charter school fail to agree upon the terms of or enter into a contract within 30 days of the approval of the charter application, either party may appeal to the secretary to finalize the terms of the contract, provided that such appeal must be provided in writing to the secretary within 45 days of the approval of the charter application. Please note: the charter school and APS may agree to an extension of the 30-day deadline.

Performance Frameworks

[§22-8B-9.1 NMSA] The charter contract will also include a performance framework tied to annual metrics and measures for:

1. student academic performance;
2. student academic growth;
3. achievement gaps in proficiency and growth between student subgroups;
4. attendance;
5. recurrent enrollment from year to year;
6. if the charter school is a high school, post-secondary readiness;
7. if the charter school is a high school, graduation rate;
8. financial performance and sustainability; and,
9. governing body performance

Public Schools Facilities Authority (PSFA)

The PSFA serves as the staff to the Public School Capital Outlay Council (PSCOC) to implement the New Mexico Condition Index (NMCI) as well as to approve and monitor lease assistance applications.

Self-Study

The Self-Study is a procedure where an education program describes, evaluates, and subsequently improves the quality of its efforts. Through the self-study process, a program conducts a systematic and thorough examination of all its components in light of its stated mission. Self-study is a process that should be ongoing. Active and continuous involvement in self-study reflects a commitment to the concept of providing students with a quality educational experience.

SMART Goals