This CACSA Update has information on the final steps of our first year of the grant. It addresses our planning around authorizer needs and special education, development of our website, and upcoming events. 

1. Authorizer Needs

We completed the authorizer Needs Assessment and are now creating an Action Plan that outlines our proposed model materials and technical assistance services. Contact me if you would like to review the Needs Assessment or Draft Action Plan. A meeting was held in July where people discussed the highest priorities and offered suggestions for the creation of model materials. We will be holding a second planning meeting on Aug. 21 to discuss this plan — as well as the parallel plan for special education. Top priorities identified in the Needs Assessment were: 

1. Model contract; 
2. Package that covers the annual review of a charter school’s performance and a template for reporting to schools each year; 
3. Package of materials used during the renewal process, including a rubric; and
4. Guide to handling Year Zero issues before a school opens. 

Priorities for types of assistance were: 

1. 1. On-line archive of material (which is under development as part of the CACSA website, see below for more information);
   2. Online community (which we are implementing through our Groupsite Community, see below for more information);
   3. Opportunities for face-to-face meetings and visits with peers; and

• Authorizer evaluations

2. Special Education 

The CLCS recently delivered the 2nd draft of the analysis of barriers to students with disabilities. Contact me directly if you would like a copy of the analysis of barriers or want to receive a copy of the draft action plan. We will be finalizing the analysis of barriers and beginning work on the special education action plan in the next few weeks and discussing the preliminary action plan at the Aug. 21st meeting as well.  

We plan to share findings and well as preliminary plans at the Sept. 6, CDE Equity Convening (described below). At that meeting we will also hear from the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools (NCSECS), which is conducting an analysis to explore Colorado’s data and compare our situation to other states using national data on special education. The NCSECS will also be represented at the Sept. 6th meeting and will be available to share their analysis and work with us on our plans. 

3. CACSA Website and CACSA Community on Groupsite. 

We are working with a web developer to create websites for all three states in the Tri-State Alliance. The California site is being worked on now and the CACSA site will be developed next. The eventual site will have the functionality you see in modern association or non-profit sites, including information on CACSA, calendar of events, information on how to join and online registration functionality, on-line archive of materials, links to resources, and ways to manage announcements through the site. Before creating the full website, our web developer will create a temporary “mini site”. The mini site will present basic information on CACSA. Look for the release of the mini site in the coming days!

The CACSA Community on Groupsite is now up and running, and all CACSA members are welcomed and encouraged to explore it. It allows us to post and archive threaded conversations and share materials now. If you would like help getting set up and an introduction to the Community, contact Alex directly.

4. Upcoming Events

Aug. 21, Second Action Planning Meeting, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, Douglas County, 312 Cantril St., Castle Rock, room 203. You may also join by zoom video conference (Login: https://zoom.us/j/894144210; audio only, dial 720-707-2699; meeting ID: 894 144 210). At this meeting we will finalize the Action Plan for Authorizer Needs and discuss the Action Plan for Special Education. These plans will describe the model materials we plan to create and the assistance we will provide in Years 2 and 3 of the project. 

September 6, CDE Equity Convening on Special Education, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This meeting is being planned by CSI for CDE and will be an opportunity to present our preliminary plans around Special Education. We will hear about the Needs Assessment as well as analysis of Colorado charter schools’ special education conducted by the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools. We will also talk with various stakeholders about our context and strategies to improve access, services, and outcomes for students with disabilities in charter schools.  

September 26, and 27, Tri-State Alliance National Convening, at the CSI Offices and other Downton location. 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, including a social event in the evening on 26th. 

Quarterly Authorizer Meeting of CACSA and the CDE Schools of Choice Unit, October 4, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The other quarterly meetings are scheduled for December 6, March 12, and May 1. Please put all four on your calendar now.  

If you have any questions or comments, please shoot me or a note or give me a call.

Alex