Presented at NACSA 2020, by Naomi Rubin DeVeaux. With traditional assessments unavailable, authorizers and schools are looking for new ways to measure quality. Join a session to learn about the Advancing Great Authorizing and Modeling Excellence (A-GAME) initiative on creating responsive goals based on student population. Focusing on alternative education campuses, 50 authorizers collaborated over the past year to develop a method for creating new measurements based not on averages but on population.

1. Alternative Education Campuses and Populations
Measuring Quality

2. Charter school authorizers have difficulty measuring the quality
and effectiveness of Alternative Education Campuses (AECs)
Problem:
What is the “A-GAME”?
Solution:
U.S. Department
of Education
dissemination
grant
Resources
Datasets
Regional
Networks

3. Project Leads
Naomi
Rubin DeVeaux
Jody
Ernst, Ph.D.
Vice President for Authorizing and
Accountability
+ National expert in charter school authorizing
+ Developed monitoring strategies
+ Former Deputy Director for DCPCSB
+ Former Deputy Director for FOCUS
+ Classroom teacher and literacy coach at
SEED and Fulbright Scholar in Germany
+ Member of Pahara – Aspen Institute
+ Member of the National Center for Special
Education in Charter Schools
+ Two terms on the board of Education Board
Partners
+ Masters in Curriculum
Vice president of research & policy
analytics and co-founder
+ National expert in research, measurement,
and accountability design for schools
+ Researched at Colorado League of
Charter Schools
+ Consultant of on AEC framework
development
+ VP of Momentum Strategy & Research
+ Ph.D. in Differential Psychology with
minors in statistics and psychometrics

4. | 4
WHY More of the Same is Not Working

5. Students Leave Traditional High Schools
| 5
Number of Starting 9th Grade Students
in Graduation Cohorts from 2013-2015

6. Where They Go
| 6
An alternative education campus, or AEC, commits to
targeting high-risk youth and offers them an opportunity
to matriculate to the next level of education in an
environment that differs from that offered by more
mainstream schools.
The mission, or primary focus, of an AEC is specifically
crafted within the charter application to convey the intent to
provide alternative education.
Alternative Education Campuses

7. Fewer Quality Options, Despite Need
| 7
Alternative Education Campuses

8. Define Students
| 8
Students who upon enrollment:
• Have previously dropped out of school;
• Are one year behind on credits required to graduate;
• Are two or more years behind in more than one core subject area
• Have been expelled;
• Are chronically absent students;
• Have three or more avoidable enrollment occasions in a two-year period;
• Have been or are considered adjudicated youth;
• Experience with homelessness, housing instability, or foster care;
• Have drug or alcohol abuse issues;
• Are pregnant and/or parenting;
• Have experience with one or more of the following conditions that directly;
impact their ability to function in school: Trauma, mental health and,
behavioral health.

9. | 9
Creating and Sharing Tools & Resources

10. Disseminate Useful Data
| 10

11. | 11
Resources

12. Measuring Quality
12
We can “see” the difference.
Can we quantify the difference?
| 12

13. Traditional & Responsive Goals
- 20 40 60 80 100
Traditional
AND
Responsive
Traditional
Metrics ONLY
Students
near grade
level, no
social-
emotional
need
Students 2+
years
behind, high
social-
emotional
need
At schools providing quality education, the
school’s students, who are academically far
behind, will show goal attainment when
authorizers measure what is attainable.
| 13

14. (Re)Engagement Phases
Higher SE
Lower AE Higher AE
Lower SE
Academic Engagement
Social-Emotionalwell-being
Phase 0
14

15. 15
(Re)Engagement Phases
Student
Engagement
Phase
General Description
Phase 2 Little support is needed and student is
able to focus on school work for large
chunks of time and student is close to
or at grade level.
Phase 1 Substantial supports needed and
student’s focus in an educational
setting or on assignments is minimal,
and the student is behind grade level.
Phase 0 High needs but never attends, will not
respond to calls/visits, no caregiver
can be reached.
Student
Engagement
Phase
COVID 19 Engagement Description
Phase 2 Student shows full engagement as measured
by student attending ¾ or more online
sessions, completing ¾ or more assignments,
passing ¾ or more competency-based
assignments, and communicating with
instructors and social-workers/engagement
specialists on an as-needed basis.
Phase 1 Student has sporadic engagement as
measured by attending some (but by no means
all) online sessions, completing some (roughly
half) of the assignments (per class), and often
misses scheduled communications with
instructors and social workers/ engagement
specialists.
Phase 0 Student has not engaged in school. The school
has tracked evidence of multiple attempts to
reach the family, friends, and the student.

16. Goals on a Continuum
16
Non-renewable
Meets
Expectations
Exceeds Expectations
Goal = Aspirational
Target= Lowest possible performance to be renewed

17. 17
The Process

18. 18
Step 1
Example:
At least 80% of all students
will earn six or more credits
in one year.
(Students need 24 credits to graduate.)
Start with a Traditional Metric

19. 19
Step 2
Define Goals for Students by Their Ability
Student Engagement
Phase
Description Goal
Phase 2 Some support, close to
grade level
Attend 6 courses
successfully.
Phase 1 Substantial need,
attending school, behind
academically
Attend 3 courses
successfully and attend
some counseling in
school and/or
work/internship outside
of school
Phase 0 High need, chronically
absent, disengaged
Attend 1 or 2 courses
successfully and attend
counseling

20. 20
65% 80%
Step 3
Separate Aspirational Goal
and Attainable Target,
regardless of Phase
Non-renewable
Meets
Expectations
Exceeds Expectations
Goal =
Aspirational
Target= Lowest possible performance to be renewed

21. Phase Target (24 credits to graduate)
2
At least 65% of students will earn six or more high school credits in
one academic year (inclusive of summer school).
(same as in a traditional HS)
1
At least 65% of students will earn at least three high school credits
in one academic year (inclusive of summer school).
(fewer credits, same time)
0
At least 65% will earn one credit in one semester.
(fewer credits, shorter time)
Step 4
Write metric for each phase using attainable target
65% 80%
Non-renewable
Meets
Expectations
Exceeds Expectations

22. 22
Step 5
Write overarching Response Goal
Responsive Goal:
At least 80% of all students
will earn credits applicable to
career and college.

23. Phase Target (24 credits to graduate)
2
At least 65% of students will earn six or more high school credits in
one academic year (inclusive of summer school).
(same as in a traditional HS)
1
At least 65% of students will earn at least three high school credits
in one academic year (inclusive of summer school).
(fewer credits, same time)
0
At least 65% will earn one credit in one semester.
(fewer credits, shorter time)
Responsive Goal:
80% of all students will earn credits
applicable to career and college.
65% 80%
Non-renewable
Meets
Expectations
Exceeds Expectations

24. - 20 40 60 80 100
Traditional
AND
Responsive
Traditional
Metrics ONLY
Responsive Goals:
24
Students
near
grade
level
Students
2+ years
behind
 100% of students measured
 Provide accountability for work being done
 Capture the difference in quality

25. We can Quantify the Difference!
25

26. THANK YOU!
WWW.CHARTERINSTITUTE.ORG/AGAME