Replication Application

for schools interested in replicating and opening for the

2016-2017 school year

What We Believe

-and-

What We Offer

We believe that our

singular focus on charter

schools translates into

tailored customer service,

a keen understanding of

the unique needs of

charter schools, a

consistently transparent

and collaborative

approach to all issues,

and the ability to better

advocate for charter

schools’ needs. With CSI,

your school will always 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

receive the additional

assistance they require

while higher performing

schools enjoy increased

autonomy, including a

less burdensome process

around applications for

charter renewal or

development. All schools

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/prospective_schools

Introduction to the Charter School Institute

The mission of the

Charter School

Institute shall be to

foster high-quality

public school choices

offered through

Institute charter

schools that deliver

rigorous academic

content and high

academic

performance in a safe

environment and on

par with the highest

performing schools,

including particularly

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

authorized two charter

schools in 2005 and

now has a total of 34

schools in its portfolio

throughout Colorado

with more than 14,000

students in

attendance.

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receive CSI’s customized

data analysis services,

which provide schools

with the in-depth

information they

need to better

allocate attention

and resources

and confidently

engage in meaningful

data-driven decision

making. CSI also offers a

Board of Directors,

appointed by the

Governor and

Commissioner of

Education, that reflects

the diversity and strength

needed to ensure long-

term stability for our

portfolio of schools.

Lastly, CSI is designed to

pass through a maximum

level of funding directly to

the schools and is

therefore competitive both

financially and with regard

to the services offered to

our schools when

compared to many

districts statewide.

As a charter school

authorizer, CSI’s main

responsibility is to

manage

performance

contracts

with

autonomous

schools in

service of high student

outcomes. Compliance

with state and federal

regulations is also a

critical component of CSI

services. In addition to

providing oversight in

authorization matters, CSI

offers services that

support the effective

operation of schools.

CSI’s experienced team

offers the following

services to its charter

schools:

Customized Analysis

Governance Training

Exceptional Student

Program Oversight

With CSI, charter

schools are the rule

not the exception

Who May Apply

An application may be

submitted by an

existing charter

school. For schools

interested in

replicating in districts

which have retained

exclusive chartering

authority, approval of

the replication school

by the current 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

accessed via this link:

http://

www.cde.state.co.us/

cdechart/distauthinfo

Private schools and

current non-charter

public schools may not

apply to CSI through

this process.

The fundamental

difference between an

application to open a new

charter school and an

application to replicate an

existing school

(“Replication Application”)

is that the Replication

Application is not about

the idea of creating a new

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Replication or New School?

Replication Readiness

In alignment with national best practice, readiness for replication is defined as an

applicant who provides:

A clear and compelling mission;

A strong educational program with demonstrated effectiveness;

Evidence of community need and support;

A solid business and financial plan;

Effective governance and management structures and systems;

Founding team members demonstrating diverse and necessary capabilities;

Clear evidence of the applicant’s capacity to execute its plan successfully.

Additional information on Charter School Replication may be found on the NACSA website at

http://www.qualitycharters.org/.

charter school; rather, it is

an evaluation of the

existing school’s success

and capacity of the

existing school leadership

to replicate. With this in

mind, many of the

application components

are meant to draw out

information about the

effectiveness of the

existing school, as well as

the leaders’ capacity to

broaden their school’s

scope. This will be

combined with

components that are

specific to the replication.

BEFORE YOU APPLY:

Provide a Letter of Intent and Executive

Summary 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

replication school (or if the replicating

school will be in a different district, the

resolution from that district). Provide a copy

of this to the Institute with your application.

CSI may assist with this process.

REPLICATION TIMELINE:

• MARCH 13, 2015—APPLICATION DUE

• MAY 12, 2015—PRESENTATION TO CSI BOARD

• JUNE 2, 2015—CSI BOARD WORK SESSION

• JUNE 9, 2015—CSI BOARD VOTE

Introduction to the Application WRITING YOUR APPLICATION

The application is divided into six 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

supplied in both paper format (two copies in

3-ring binders) and in electronic format to

CSI. Number all pages within each of the

six sections (A-F), and ensure adherence to

the page limits indicated in the content

pages of this application.

Clearly distinguish and separate each

section in both the paper and electronic

versions of your application. For the paper

version, this should be accomplished

through the use of tabs dividers In the

electronic version, please provide a

separate file for each distinct section (ex: A,

B, etc.), as well as a file that contains the

full application (ex: A-F, addenda,

resolution, etc.).

CSI staff is happy to supply applicants with

additional information, clarification, and

direction toward resources up until the

application is submitted to CSI. Please

contact CSI at 303.866.3299 or

csi_info@csi.state.co.us

Replication Applications must be submitted no later

than March 13, 2015. Schools must also submit a

signed Board Resolution expressing intent to apply

to CSI for replication. Submit all materials to

csi_info@csi.state.co.us. 3

THE ITEMS LISTED IN THE SUBSEQUENT PAGES WILL

COMPRISE YOUR PHYSICAL REPLICATION APPLICATION

Replication applications should focus on providing evidence of the

effectiveness of all currently operating schools. The application

should be as concise as possible. All requested documentation

should be provided as attachments to the narrative. This includes

any specific, documented evidence, tables, statistics, and other in-

formation which may require elaboration beyond the scope of the

narrative. Important note: CSI may request additional information

during the review period. The Institute may, but is not required to,

accept any additional information the applicant provides that the

Institute does not request.

EMP Addendum

If you currently are contracting

with an education management

provider (EMP), collaborative, or

charter school incubator or intend

to contract with one for future ser-

vices, you will need to complete

the EMP addendum and include it

with your application.

Transportation Addendum

If you are currently providing

transportation to students, or in-

tend to provide these services in

the future, you will need to com-

plete the Transportation adden-

dum with your 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 application.

Online Program Addendum

If your program has an online

learning component, you will need

to complete the Online Program

addendum with your application.

Waiver Addendum

If you will be requesting waivers,

you will need to complete

the Waiver addendum with

your application.

AEC Addendum

If you program is seeking to be

designated as an Alternative Edu-

cation Campus, you will need to

complete the AEC addendum with

your application.

All addenda can be found on

the CSI website at

www.csi.state.co.us/

prospective_schools

ADDENDA REPLICATION EVALUATION

The primary method for evaluation of a school

wishing to replicate with 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

Performance Frameworks (available at

www.csi.state.co.us/accountability). These

documents were developed in conjunction with

The National Association of Charter School

Authorizers (NACSA) to evaluate school

performance in the areas of Academics, Finance,

and Organization. The information needed to

engage in this process is detailed in the remaining

pages of this application.

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The CSI Annual Rev iew of Schools

Content of the Replication Application

A. Academic Program (15 pages)

Any student outcomes or academic data from all

schools must be supplied in the format of access to

raw files, or reports printed directly from the testing

interface. In order to help accomplish this, please

provide the following as attachments:

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 vendor.

3. Your 3 most recent Unified Improvement Plans*

4. All reports/data dashboards provided to the local

board in the last year related to academic

performance.

5. Complete the Assessment Matrix template

Your narrative should include: 1. A description of major academic trends and key

findings.

2. A list of supplemental programming (summer

school, extracurricular activities, psychosocial

programming, remediation and intervention).

B. Serving Students with Special Needs

(15 pages) 1. Include the school policy for a Response to

Intervention (RtI) or child study process that

meets all legal requirements.

Detail plans to meet the unique needs of

students with Individualized Education Plans (for

special education), 504 Plans, Advanced

Learning 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.

Maximum narrative page numbers are indicated in the parentheses adjacent to each content area. If you are an

existing CSI school, then there is no need to provide the items already on file, indicated with an asterisk below.

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3. Provide research-based evidence that supports

the chosen strategies for interventions and

support materials selected.

4. Include a description of the process used to

modify the curriculum to accommodate varied

learning styles of exceptional students.

C. Finance (10 pages)

Please provide a copy of the most recent version

of the following documents as attachments:

1. Independent financial audit*

2. Quarterly profit and loss statement including

budget to actual,*

3. Quarterly balance sheet,*

4. 3-Year projected budget for all schools (current

and replication), and

5. All reports/data dashboards provided to the local

board in the last year related to financial

performance.

Your narrative should include:

A plan that addresses the financial needs of

starting a new school and does not disadvantage

students at the original school(s).

D. Governance & Operations (15 pages)

Please provide a copy of the most recent version of

the following documents as attachments:

1. Strategic plan,

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 relationships,*

6. Evaluations from the current authorizer,*

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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 performance,

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:

1. Progress towards strategic goals.

2. A description of the existing school’s

management structure and how that will change

with the addition of the new school

3. A description of why the organizational chart

fulfills the needs of the school and plans for

future growth.

4. A description of what types of services and/or

staffing the schools will share.

5. If applicable, a description of which positions are

employees of the EMP/collaborative/charter

school incubator or if an employee lease

agreement is in place.

6. A plan for allocating sufficient human resources

towards a successful replication without

disadvantaging existing schools.

E. Evidence of Need, Support (15

pages)

1. Information about the proposed charter school’s

student body, including the intended students’

educational needs and demographics.

2. A description of the type of broad outreach the

founders conducted to make the student

population and their families aware of the

proposed charter school. This should include

future outreach plans if the charter school is

approved.

3. A plan for reaching and accommodating a

diverse student population.

4. Detail around the number of students expressing

an interest in the proposed school. This

information should be disaggregated in a manner

showing demographic information about

prospective students.

5. Information on community members and leaders

who publicly support the proposed school and

their role in the development of the school, if the

proposed school is not being developed solely

by parents.

6. If there are any partnerships or networking

relationships, provide an explanation of the

planned resources or agreements that have

been discussed.

E. Facilities (5 pages) 1. A facility needs assessment including number of

classrooms, bathrooms, and offices needed;

minimum size of each room; library, outdoor, and

common space needed; overall size; cost per

square foot; zoning and occupancy

requirements; and how each facility aligns with

the facility needs assessment is included in the

narrative.

2. Proposed locations for school are given based

on school design and intended population with

an explanation of prospective school sites and

assistance to find them.

3. Legal review by an experienced attorney of all

contract negotiations, and terms before final

approval by the governing authority.

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