R.A.A.M.P. Charter Academy in Antioch was one of six schools that the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) publicly called for the closure that are below CCSA’s Minimum Criteria for Renewal
The school currently serves 138 students and on the list because scores are not increasing at a rate acceptable and have failed to improve.
According to the Press Release, the statewide organization is calling on the schools authorizers not to renew its charter for R.A.A.M.P. Charter Academy. In order to meet the CCSA Minimum Critera for renewal, charter schools
In order to meet CCSA’s Minimum Criteria for Renewal, charter schools must have operated for a minimum of four years and meet at least one of the following:
- Academic Performance Index (API) score of at least 744 in 2012-13 (representing higher than the bottom 25th percentile of all California public schools)
- 3-year cumulative API growth of at least 50 points (2012-13 growth + 2011-12 growth + 2010-11 growth)
- Within range of or exceeding predicted performance based on similar student populations statewide, for at least two out of the last three years, based on CCSA’s metric, the Similar Students Measure.
In addition, if a school does not meet ONE of the three criteria above, CCSA offers a “second look” process whereby schools may submit additional data showing that their students are making academic gains.
R.A.A.M.P. scored a 623 on its Academic Performance Index (API) score last spring—which is nearly 100 points below the minimum requirement. Over a three-year period, their scores have fluctuated between 649 to 689.
To put this in perspective, last year Antioch Unified School District jumped from 740 API to 746 API from 2012-to-2013. Here is a look at the rest of the schools in the District:
AUSD School API (change from 2012 to 2013)
- 841: Lone Tree Elementary School (+19)
- 817: Antioch Charter Academy (-1)
- 815: Orchard Park School (+6)
- 808: Muir (John) Elementary School (+8)
- 794: Diablo Vista Elementary School (-19)
- 793: Grant Elementary School (-1)
- 793: Antioch Charter Academy II (-7)
- 789: Sutter Elementary School (-10)
- 779: Dallas Ranch Middle School (-13)
- 775: Belshaw Elementary School (-1)
- 766: Carmen Dragon Elementary School (-33)
- 748: Turner Elementary School (+12)
- 745: Fremont Elementary School (+18)
- 743: Jack London Elementary School (+11)
- 737: Park Middle School (no change)
- 735: Deer Valley High School (-3)
- 735: Kimball Elementary School (-25)
- 728: Mission Elementary School (-47)
- 702: Marsh Elementary School (-13)
- 676: Antioch Middle School (-24)
- 671: Antioch High School (-10)
- 640: Prospects High (Alternative) School (+21)
- 623: R.A.A.M.P. Charter Academy (-66)
It should be noted, the California State Goal is an API of 800, whereas, the California State score overall is 791.
According to the Press Release, here are the six schools Called for Non-Renewal
- Los Angeles – New Designs Charter School
- Santa Rosa – Northwest Prep Charter School
- Antioch – R.A.A.M.P. Charter School
- Delano – Nueva Vista Language Acadamy
- Calls for Revocation
- San Francisco – Leadership High School
- West Sacramento – West Sacramento Early College Prep.
Sources:
CCSA Calls for the Closure of 6 Charter Schools as a Result of Academic Underperformance
16 comments
You would think with just 138 students they would have the highest score in Antioch. Thanks for the info, I would be very worried for any School Board Member up for re-election as only 4 schools meet even the state requirement of 800.
Does anyone know why the minimum requirement for California Charter Schools Association is lower than the state goal?
Of course they want to close this school its bringing down the entire city score and the school board can’t have that when its reelection time. Simple solution, start sending kids to Oakley and Brentwood to bring down there scores to make Antioch look better.
Vote out everyone on the AUSD School Board!
What does AUSD school board have to do with RAAMP?
Clearly a bunch of people here who do not understand charter schools or how they are governed. Charters compete against school districts for the same public dollars, but other than that, not much connection.
Think of charter schools as corporations. They have to get state and local approval to exist and compete for those dollars. The promise being they can perform better than existing public schools. But many times(to include this one) that is not the case. In fact, in a Stanford University study it has been noted that charters perform marginally poorer than traditional public schools.
I am not a fan of charters. Too ripe for abuse. You can look at any number of reports released recently on higher education schools and their poor performance as well. As an industry they have too high a percentage of unscrupulous companies who are only in it for the buck. They are not results driven. It’s all about tapping into those education dollars to enrich the few running the corp and the student needs are secondary.
Not saying the RAAMP situation is in that vein. But as an industry they need a lot of cleanup and better oversight so they don’t become just another vulture capitalist industry that really doesn’t care about the product or the customers(in this case students). America has too many of them already.
I am concerned about these scores. I never paid attention to test scores before but as a new parent, I am very scared to send my child to any school in the AUSD. I may think about moving to Brentwood or Oakley when my baby boy starts school. Thank you for the info ECT. You have opened my eyes to how important schools are when renting.
Nice one sided article. What happened to getting the other side of the story or speaking to a parent or someone from the school. Nice hit piece. I expected more on this topic from this website. A school should be judged on much more than just the API. California doesn’t even meet its own requirement as a state.
The way the teachers and staff treated the students by yelling at them, putting them down calling the students stupid and dumb and fat lazy lumps of dough. These comments towards kids are not good. Those staff members should have been fired. The whole school is not good for the way they talk to their kids, constantly putting them down, calling them names. Public schools would not tolerate this
As a grand parent with students in an Academy the results for these kids has been fantastic. I have watched from the sidelines and listened to many people involved in Academy’s. I have never held much hope for RAAMP. They really have had a struggle and I hope they are able to get it together.
why would any school board member be worried about re-election? they just run for a city council position.
Karl,
I’ll guess you still don’t get it do you?
It really isn’t complicated…for most of us anyway. It’s called public service. Try not to over complicate it.
Have a Merry Christmas.
Sorry Stan I agree with Karl. The school board is being used by people who want to jump off intoa city council position. Few people watch what happens at the school board so have no idea who they are electing to city council. Examples are Mrs Rocha, Mr Harper and it appears Mrs Gibson-Gray. None of the above should have made it one step beyond the school board. In fact should not have been elected there either. If you are using “public service” for the wrong reasons then you shouldn’t be there.
The planning commission was used the same way by Mr Moore.
You left off Gary Agopian in your School Board to City Council. I agree, none of them should have made it passed the school board.
Jim. I left Mr Agopian off because he isn’t like them at all. His core is different, he has values that none of them have.
Julio, that was my point exactly. It happens in every city and is very common. The school board is a dysfunctional spring board into higher office, even though school boards are usually the most dysfunctional of all elected boards. Therefore council members start off on the wrong foot and have very little education on local government.
P.S. Agopian is one of the Worst! On that point we will have to agree. To disagree. You must not know him like I do. He is one scary dude, politically speaking.
@Julio
You are playing favorites to fit your argument by including some but not all? Agopians values may fit yours, but they don’t fit mine. Some would argue Agopian should not have been anything more than a school board member.
Jim, There have been times when I have believed that also but in the last couple of months he has been the only chance we have had of saving us from ourselves.
I did not vote for any of them including Mr Agopian.
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