Legislation Impacting Charters
Information for charter school authorizers, charter schools, and parents regarding the implementation of legislation impacting charter schools.This web page serves as a centralized location for matters related to the implications and implementation of recent legislation impacting California charter schools, charter authorizers, and interest holders.
Section Menu
- Charter School Performance Categories (Updated 13-Oct-2022)
- Charter School Renewal Terms (Updated 26-Jul-2021)
- Continuing Charter Schools
- Enrollment Data (Updated 26-Jan-2023)
- Frequently Asked Questions (Updated 29-Nov-2022)
- Funding Determinations for Nonclassroom-Based Instruction
- State Board of Education Information Memoranda and Agenda Items
- Teacher Credentialing
- Temporary Prohibition on New Nonclassroom-Based Charter Schools (Updated 21-Jul-2021)
- Verified Data
Charter School Performance Categories
A list of charter schools and their respective performance categories, as determined by the criteria outlined in AB 1505 is provided in the Charter School Performance Category Data File (XLSX). Information regarding each field of the aforementioned data file is available at Record Layout for Charter School Performance Category Data File. Additional information regarding the determination of charter school performance categories is available in the Determining Charter School Performance Category Flyer (PDF).
The file is updated annually with the release of the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) when new performance levels/colors are assigned. Due to AB 130, the Dashboard was not reported in 2021 and will not have performance levels/colors in 2022. Therefore, the Charter School Performance Category Data File will not be updated until early 2024 following the release of the 2023 Dashboard. Please continue to refer to the above file for charter school performance categories. Additional information regarding this subject is available at Updates on Data for Charter School Appeals and Renewals.
General information regarding the performance categories for charter school renewals is available in the slide deck from the June 23, 2020, AB 1505: Criteria for Performance Categories Webinar (PDF).
Charter School Renewal Terms
Section 58 of AB 130 added California Education Code (EC) Section 47607.4, which provides the following:
Notwithstanding the renewal process and criteria established in Sections 47605.9, 47607, and 47607.2 or any other law, effective July 1, 2021, all charter schools whose term expires on or between January 1, 2022, and June 30, 2025, inclusive, shall have their term extended by two years.
The below table summarizes charter schools’ extended terms, pursuant to this section:
| Previous Charter Term Expiration Date | New Charter Term Expiration Date |
|---|---|
June 30, 2022 |
June 30, 2024 |
June 30, 2023 |
June 30, 2025 |
June 30, 2024 |
June 30, 2026 |
June 30, 2025 |
June 30, 2027 |
Note, this extension does not apply to charter schools whose term expired on June 30, 2021, and who were renewed or non-renewed.
No action is required of charter authorizers or charter schools for this extension. EC Section 47607.4 does not preclude charter authorizers from invoking revocation procedures, pursuant to EC Section 47607.
Continuing Charter Schools
EC sections 47605 and 47605.1 require the California Department of Education (CDE) to treat any charter school that was serving students and must change authorizers as a result of the requirements in AB 1507 as “continuing for all purposes.” In order to help identify which charter schools are to be treated as continuing, the CDE has revised the Charter School Number Form. A downloadable copy of the Charter School Number Form as well as detailed information and instructions are available at Charter School Numbers.
Enrollment Data
EC Section 47607(d)(1) requires the CDE, upon request by a charter school authorizer, to provide the following aggregate data reflecting pupil enrollment patterns at the charter school:
- A) The cumulative enrollment for each school year of the charter school’s term. For purposes of this chapter, cumulative enrollment is defined as the total number of pupils, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and pupil subgroups, who enrolled in school at any time during the school year.
These data, for academic years 2016–17 to present, are available at Cumulative Enrollment Data.
- B) For each school year of the charter school’s term, the percentage of pupils enrolled at any point between the beginning of the school year and census day who were not enrolled at the conclusion of that year, and the average results on the statewide assessments in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress system, or any successor system, for any such pupils who were enrolled in the charter school the prior school year.
Please review the table below for years of available data.
- C) For each school year of the charter school’s term, the percentage of pupils enrolled the prior school year who were not enrolled as of census day for the school year, except for pupils who completed the grade that is the highest grade served by the charter school, and the average results on the statewide assessments in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress system, or any successor system, for any such pupils.
Please review the table below for years of available data.
The following table provides, by academic and assessment year, the availability of the additional enrollment data, pursuant to EC Section 47607(d)(1)(B) and (C). Please refer to the AB 1505: Data Files Reflecting Student Enrollment Changes Webinar (PDF) slide deck from the October 20, 2020, webinar for more information about these data.
| School Year | Assessment Year | EC Section 47607(d)(1)(B) and (C) Data |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | 2015–16 | Available Upon Request |
| 2017–18 | 2016–17 | Available Upon Request |
| 2018–19 | 2017–18 | Available Upon Request |
| 2019–20 | 2018–19 | Available Upon Request |
| 2020–21 | 2019–20 No Data Available |
Not Available |
These data are available to authorizing school districts by request. Requests should be submitted by email to CDEDataRequests@cde.ca.gov. When sending a request, please indicate the following:
- Authorizing School District Name
- School Year(s)
- EC Section 47607(d)(1)(B) and/or (C)
Note: Upon receiving a request, the CDE will provide the requested data through a secure link. Up to eight files will be provided per authorizing school district. School districts will receive data of all schools within their own district; no other data (i.e., data of other school districts) will be made available for comparison. The number of schools in each file may differ based on charter school/Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS). School districts with charter schools that are located within their geographic boundaries but that are authorized by another entity (i.e., State Board of Education or county office of education) who are required to review those charter schools' renewal petitions, must include in their request the full names and County-District-School (CDS) codes of the charter schools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs):
- Independent Study and Charter School Renewals FAQs
Assembly Bill 130 (Chapter 44, Statutes of 2021) - Nonclassroom-Based Funding Determination FAQs
Senate Bills 98 and 820 (Chapter 24, Statutes of 2020 and Chapter 110, Statutes of 2020) - State Board of Education Appeal Process FAQs
Assembly Bills 1505 and 1507 (Chapter 486, Statutes of 2019) - Transparency and Conflict of Interest FAQs
Senate Bill 126 (Chapter 3, Statutes of 2019) and EC Section 47604.1 - Universal Prekindergarten and Charter Schools FAQs
Assembly Bill 131 (Chapter 116, Statutes of 2021) - Verified Data FAQs
Assembly Bill 1505 (Chapter 486, Statutes of 2019) - Williams Monitoring and Charter Schools FAQs
Assembly Bill 599 (Chapter 667, Statutes of 2021)
Funding Determinations for Nonclassroom-Based Instruction
Information regarding the reporting requirements for existing charter schools to receive funding for nonclassroom-based average daily attendance is available at Determination of Funding Requests for Fiscal Year 2022–23.
Additional information regarding the funding determination process is available at Nonclassroom-Based Determination of Funding.
State Board of Education Information Memoranda and Agenda Items
Information memoranda presented to the California State Board of Education (SBE) regarding AB 1505 and AB 1507 are available below as well as at Information Memoranda:
- Charter School Legislation Updates: AB 1505 and AB 1507 (DOCX; Posted 31-Oct-2019) provides a summary of AB 1505 and AB 1507, as well as the implications of the new legislation on the role of the SBE, the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS), and the CDE.
- Implementation Update: AB 1505 and AB 1507 (DOCX; Posted 29-May-2020) provides information and background on the ongoing work of the CDE in conjunction with SBE staff pertaining to the implementation of AB 1505 and AB 1507.
- Charter School Appeals to the SBE: Abuse of Discretion Review Standard (DOCX; Posted 30-Jun-2022) provides information on the review standard under which the SBE shall hear charter school appeals.
The following agenda item was presented to the SBE to provide an overview of the CDE's current and upcoming implementation efforts of AB 1505 and AB 1507:
- November 2020 SBE Agenda Item 13 (DOCX; Posted 23-Oct-2020) provides an overview of the CDE's implementation of AB 1505 and AB 1507, specifically as it pertains to the new review standard and process of the SBE and ACCS in the hearing of appeals for the establishment and renewal of charter schools.
Teacher Credentialing
Updates from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing
are available at the following:
- Coded Correspondence 20-01: Changes to Assignment Monitoring Based on the Provisions of AB 1219 (PDF)
- Coded Correspondence 20-02: Changes to the Credential Requirements for Charter School Teachers Based on the Provisions of AB 1505
(PDF)
Temporary Prohibition on New Nonclassroom-Based Charter Schools
Information regarding the temporary prohibition on the approval of petitions to operate new nonclassroom-based charter schools between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2025, is available at Temporary Prohibition on New Nonclassroom-Based Charter Schools.
Verified Data
In November 2020, the SBE adopted criteria to define verified data and identify an approved list of valid and reliable assessments (EC Section 47607.2[c][2]). Verified data is defined as follows:
- Data derived from nationally recognized, valid, peer reviewed, and reliable sources that are externally produced
- Verified data shall include measures of postsecondary outcomes
Additional information about these criteria and the verified data review process are available at Verified Data.
