2022-2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Charter School Specialists provides this annual report on behalf of St. Aloysius Orphanage.	St.	Aloysius	Orphanage	has	partnered	with	Charter	School Specialists since 2005 to provide statutorily required monitoring, evaluation and technical assistance to their partner community schools. St. Aloysius Orphanage sponsored 75 charter schools during the 2022-2023 school year.

St. Aloysius 4721 Reading Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45327 www.stalschildren.org	Charter School Specialists 40 Hill Rd S, Pickerington, OH www.charterschoolspec.com

St. Aloysius Orphanage is an independent, non-profit, non-sectarian social service agency assisting children and adolescents in Southwest Ohio with educational, mental, and behavioral health problems through a variety of support programs to manage the impact of trauma and move beyond it.

At St. Aloysius we believe that every child deserves to receive a good education, no matter what challenges they may be facing. As part of our mission, we strive to be a leader in furthering education for all children throughout our community and statewide. Part of the way we fulfill this mission is by being a proud Charter School Sponsor for the state of Ohio.

Since 2005, St. Aloysius has partnered with Charter School Specialists with a shared commitment to the educational needs of Ohio’s public-school students and have become leaders in Ohio’s charter school movement, providing the crucial sponsorship services of monitoring, evaluation, and technical assistance.

Our dedication to provide quality assistance to our schools was recognized on the 2018-2019 Sponsor Evaluation by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). Twenty-five sponsors were evaluated, and St. Aloysius was one of six sponsors to receive the highest rating of “Exemplary.” St. Aloysius received the maximum score in the areas of “Compliance” and “Quality Practices.” Sponsors that are rated "Exemplary" or rated "Effective" for the three most recent years in which they were evaluated are evaluated by the department once every three years.

ODE annually evaluates community school sponsors on three components: 1) The academic performance of the community schools they sponsor.
2) The sponsor’s and each sponsored school’s compliance with all applicable laws and rules. 3) Their adherence to quality sponsoring practices.

Sponsors, also known as authorizers in other states, play a vital role in the broad effort to help ensure that charter schools provide quality educational opportunities in Ohio and across the country.

St. Aloysius and Charter School Specialists embrace this role to provide strong oversight, monitoring, and technical assistance in support of their sponsored schools by providing many services including:

❖Attendance and participation at all governing authority meetings, including nearly all regular, special, and emergency meetings, post-audit conferences, and planning retreats. Participation in these meetings not only support efforts to provide strong oversight and monitoring of school activities but also allows for timely, relevant sharing of data, information and technical assistance as board members and school leaders discuss and act on issues that ultimately impact school compliance and student achievement.

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❖Comprehensive Compliance Assessments. Charter School Specialists conducted thorough compliance reviews ten days prior to the opening of each new school and at least twice annually while the schools are in session. These visits ensure school compliance with state and federal laws and the terms of the community school contract and provide an opportunity to help schools with any necessary technical assistance. Special education, federal programs, and college and career readiness reviews are also conducted to help ensure compliance and that schools are adequately meeting the needs of all students.

❖Quality Technical Assistance. School leaders, board members, academic coaches and others participate in the many training sessions coordinated by Charter School Specialists to address schools’ specific and common needs in core areas of health and safety, special education, and school improvement. Beyond these broad-interest training opportunities, Charter School Specialists provides one-on-one technical assistance to help address each school’s unique individual needs. Each year, the School Improvement Team at Charter School Specialists conducts onsite assistance reviews with each of our sponsored schools. The onsite assistance review is intended to determine how well the school is abiding by the education plan in the charter. The School Improvement Team is specifically looking for evidence of fidelity of implementation and will then present the findings and recommendations to both the governing authority and school operators with an offer to provide any necessary technical assistance.

❖Monthly Fiscal Reviews. Charter School Specialists coordinates monthly fiscal reviews of schools’ financial reports (as prepared by school treasurers). Monthly “school-at-a-glance” reports are provided to governing authority members to help identify fiscal trends and any potential “red flags” requiring board review or action.

QUALITY AUTHORIZING (SPONSORSHIP) FOSTERS QUALITY SCHOOL CHOICE OPTIONS

A nationalquality authorizing practice isto helpestablisheffective educational options forparents through the approval of strong new school applications, and evaluation and monitoring of operating schools. St. Aloysius and Charter School Specialists seek applications for new schools each year and vet each application through a rigorous but fair process. The highest quality applicants are then permitted to begin the process to create a new community school.

A high-quality application, strong board of education, and competent educators are needed to implement a quality school. However, without a deliberated and focused effort a quality education option will not materialize. Unlike the traditional education system, community schools must prove their worth at the conclusion of each term. A quality best practice is to conduct a High Stakes Review at the end of each school’s charter term. This High Stakes Review is an assessment of whether the school has become an academic success or is on the path to becoming an academic success. Any school that fails this thorough assessment is closed to make room for other quality choice options.
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Ongoing Performance Assessment and Support

The foundation of an effective community school is its charter, the sponsorship contract which outlines clear, rigorous performance expectations and specific measurable goals. Because St. Aloysius and Charter School Specialists understand that it takes time for a school to realize its full potential, the first year of operation serves as a baseline for ongoing assessment that tracks a school through its maturation.

Significant resources are dedicated to ongoing monitoring of schools’ performance, while all schools sponsored by St. Aloysius are strongly encouraged to engage in regular self-improvement practices, including the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP), Ed Steps, the One Needs Assessment, and the One Plan in accordance with the Department of Education and Workforce requirements. Each school develops or reviews and revises its One Plan goals which must then be implemented with fidelity to adequately address students’ academic needs. The process includes	SMART	(Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, Time-bound) goals aligned with appropriate strategies and action steps for achievement. Schools must also institute and implement a curriculum that meets Ohio’s rigorous system of assessments. Additionally, the school must provide staff with high-quality professional development that is aligned with the school’s improvement goals.

St. Aloysius and Charter School Specialists are committed to Ohio’s students and the schools that support them. That commitment extends to autonomy, the first principle of the charter school movement that is the foundation of the relationship between schools and sponsors. However, autonomy does not translate into a lack of accountability. To the contrary, the consequences for schools that fail to make adequate academic progress increase each year and are the very foundation of autonomy—the freedom and responsibility toeffectively provide the services Ohio’s students and families are entitled to receive. To assist schools in meeting and exceeding academic progress, Charter School Specialists’ School Improvement Team engages in many activities during the year to support this process:

❖Facilitating webinars for school leaders and board members to better understand local report card metrics.

❖Providing Professional Development opportunities including segments on school leader professional growth, data analysis,Ohio’s learning standards, and the scienceof reading.

❖Supporting our contracted partner schools as they assess, continue to develop, and implement their One Plans, as well as establishing guidance on academic coach eligibility criteria and tools to track their activities.

❖Completion of the Onsite Assistance Review (OAR)

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Quality Technical Assistance

Among Charter School Specialists’ greatest value to schools sponsored by St. Aloysius is its high-quality technical assistance. From issues of broad interest and application to opportunities for improvement unique to individual schools, Charter School Specialists dedicates significant resources in support of schools sponsored by St. Aloysius. Members of the Charter School Specialists School Improvement Team have extensive expertise and training in a number of key areas of school operations that can be leveraged to improve student achievement:

❖The School Improvement Team includes a resident educator mentor and Formative Instructional Practice (FIP) facilitator.

❖Charter School Specialists’ staff includes credentialed Ohio Teacher Evaluation System and Ohio Principal Evaluation System evaluators as part of the ongoing efforts to expand capacity and better support schools’ needs.

❖Charter School Specialists’ staff participates in professional development opportunities that support efforts to help schools understandand use Local Report Card data anddevelop comprehensive school improvement plans.

Teaching Ohio’s students is a satisfying, valuable life service, and St. Aloysius is proud to partner with Charter School Specialists to provide high level support to all the schools within our portfolio.

SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Last school year, St. Aloysius sponsored seventy-five (75) schools of which twenty-six (26) were drop-out recovery schools. While many of the schools still struggled to recover from the impact of the	COVID-19	pandemic,	we	are	pleased	with	the	progress	our	schools	made. Noteworthy highlights from the 2022-2023 year include:

❖A total of 1,725 high school seniors graduated and earned an outstanding 901 credentials. ❖Fourteen (14) schools qualified for the Quality Community School Support Grant that
provides additional funding to high-poverty community schools that meet criteria established by the General Assembly.
❖Fourteen (14) schools exceeded state standards on the local report card and thirty-one (31) met state standards.
❖Ninety-five percent (95) of the ninety-one (91) graduates at Liberty High School earned a 12-point industry recognized credential.
❖Innovation Academy West and Patriot Preparatory Academy were recipients of the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission Grant. Patriot Preparatory received $3,265,978 and Innovation Academy West received $1,000,000.
❖Ninety-four percent (94) of the eighteen (18) graduates at Cornerstone High School were accepted to college and earned a total of $3,195,452 in scholarships.

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❖Oakmont Education, an operator who manages eight (8) of our sponsored drop-out recovery schools, was a semifinalist for the $1 Million Yass Prize for Sustainable, transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless Education (STOP) to transform education. Semifinalists each received $200,000 for their incredible education innovation.

ASSESSMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Each year, the Ohio Department of Education requires sponsors to assess the performance of each school they oversee. Schoolscan receive arating of eitherExceeds,Meets, orDid Not Meet in the areas of Academic Performance, Fiscal Performance and Organization and Operation. Schools receive a Meets or Did Not Meet in the area of Legal Compliance. St. Aloysius assesses schools based on the following criteria:

Academic Performance – The academic performance of the school is evaluated based on the following components on the local report card: Overall Grade, Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Early Literacy, and College, Career, Workforce, and Military Readiness. Schools that receive an “Exceeds” rating received either ‘Exceeds Standards’ as an overall rating for DOPR schools or at least ‘4 Stars’ for K-12 schools as calculated using the reported components. Schools with ratings below ‘4 Stars’ and above the at-risk for closure criteria received a “Meets.” House Bill 110, signed into law by Governor DeWine on June 30, 2021, amended the school closure law to reset the closure criteria to begin with the 2022-2023 local report card. Schools that could be placed on the at risk for closure list received a rating of “Did Not Meet.”

Fiscal Performance – Schools that receive an “Exceeds” rating will be fully compliant with all aspects of meeting their fiscal accountability as outlined in their community school contract. Schools will be fully compliant with financial reporting (such as five-year forecasts and annual budgets), monthly financial reviews, internal financial controls and have a strong financial position. Schools will have clean audits by the Ohio Auditor of State and no corrective actions plans related to the fiscal performance of the school. Schools that receive a “Meets” rating will be substantially compliant in meeting their fiscal accountability as outlined in their community school contract. Schools will be substantially compliant with �inancial reporting (such as �ive-year forecasts and annual budgets), monthly �inancial reviews, and internal �inancial controls. Schools will have clean or substantially clean audits by the Ohio Auditor of State and will have successfully resolved any minor compliance or management letter issues through the sponsor’s corrective action process. Any school that does not meet this standard and/or was placed on fiscal probation or suspension will be assessed as “Did Not Meet.”

Organization and Operation- Schools that receive a rating of “Exceeds” will be fully compliant with the school’s code of regulations, the community school contract and successfully comply with and execute the educational program defined in the community school contract. Governing

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authorities must have the statutorily required number of members, have met the board training requirements, submitted annual conflict of interest and disclosure statements, and received no corrective action plans related to the organization or operation of the school. Schools that receive a “Meets” rating will be substantially compliant with all aspects of their community school contract, the school’s established code of regulations and the education plan defined in the community school contract. Governing authorities must have the statutorily required number of members, have met the board training requirements, submitted annual conflict of interest and disclosure statements, and have successfully resolved any corrective action plan issues. Any school that has not met these obligations and/or was placed on probation or suspended due to organization and operation compliance will be assessed as “Did Not Meet.”

Legal Compliance - Schools that receive a “Meets” rating are substantially compliant with all legal requirements of the Ohio Revised Code, the Ohio Administrative Code, and the community school contract. Schools that fail to be in substantial compliance with statutes and the community school contract and subsequently were placed on Probation or Suspension during the 2022-2023 school year receive a “Did Not Meet” and the areas of deficiency are noted on the summary spreadsheet.

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St. Aloysius Orphanage 2022-2023 Compliance

Schools | Academic Performance | Fiscal Performance | Organization and Operation | Legal Compliance | Comments
AchievePoint Career Academy - Cincinnati | Exceeds | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Akros Middle School | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Bella Academy of Excellence | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Black River Career Prep High School | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Broadway Academy | Exceeds | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Buckeye Community School | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Buckeye Community School - London | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years.
Buckeye Community School - Marion | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years.
Capital City Career Prep High School | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Capital Collegiate Preparatory Academy | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Central Point Preparatory Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Cincinnati Achievement Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Cincinnati Classical Academy | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years.
Cliff Park High School | Exceeds | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Cornerstone Academy Community School | Exceeds | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Cypress High School | Exceeds | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
East Academy | Did Not Meet* | Meets | Meets | Meets | The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.
East Branch Preparatory Academy dba Wright Preparatory Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
East Preparatory Academy | Did Not Meet* | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets | The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.
Euclid Preparatory School | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | Meets |
Explorers Academy of Science and Technology | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years.
Fairborn Digital Academy | Exceeds | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Franklinton Prep High School | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Gateway Online Academy of Ohio | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years.
Gem City Career Prep High School | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | Meets |
Glass City Academy | Exceeds | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Greater Ohio Virtual School | Exceeds | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Green Inspiration Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Groveport Community School | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | Meets |
Harvard Avenue Performance Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Hope Academy Northcoast Campus | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Huber Heights Preparatory Academy dba Parma Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Innovation Academy West | Meets | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Invictus High School | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Kenmore Preparatory Academy dba Toledo Preparatory Academy | Meets | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Kids Care Elementary | Did Not Meet* | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.
Klepinger Community School | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Lake Erie International High School | Meets | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Liberty High School | Meets | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Lorain Preparatory Academy | Did Not Meet* | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets | The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.

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Schools | Academic Performance | Fiscal Performance | Organization and Operation | Legal Compliance | Comments
Lorain Preparatory High School | Did Not Meet* | Meets | Meets | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years. The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.
Madison Avenue School of Arts | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Marshall High School | Exceeds | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Middlebury Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Monroe Preparatory Academy | Meets | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Mount Auburn Preparatory Academy | Did Not Meet* | Meets | Meets | Meets | The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.
Niles Preparatory Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years.
North Columbus Preparatory Academy | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
North Woods Career Prep High School | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Northwest Ohio Classical Academy | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Orchard Park Academy | Exceeds | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Patriot Preparatory Academy | Exceeds | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Queen City Career Prep High School | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Randall Park High School | Exceeds | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Richard Allen Academy | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Richard Allen Preparatory | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
River Gate High School | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | Meets |
Solon Academy | Did Not Meet* | Meets | Meets | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years. The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.
South Columbus Preparatory Academy at Southfield | Meets | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
South Columbus Preparatory Academy at German Village | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Southern Cleveland Drop Back In dba Innovative Career Academy | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
STEAM Academy of Warren | Exceeds | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Stepstone Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Strongsville Academy | Did Not Meet* | Meets | Meets | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years. The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.
Sullivant Avenue Community School | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
The Edge Academy (Edge Learning) | Meets | Exceeds | Meets | Meets |
Towpath Trail High School | Exceeds | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Washington Park Community School | Meets | Did Not Meet | Did not Meet | Did Not Meet | The school was placed on probation for fiscal, operations, & legal compliance.
West Park Academy | Meets | Meets | Meets | Meets |
Westlake Academy | Did Not Meet* | Meets | Meets | Meets | The school is in its early years of maturing and has been open less than 3 years. The school met at-risk for closure criteria (ORC 3314.35) for academic performance and is in intervention status.
Westwood Preparatory Academy | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
YB Columbus Community School | Meets | Exceeds | Exceeds | Meets |
Youngstown Academy of Excellence | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Zenith Academy East | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
Zenith Academy West | Meets | Meets | Exceeds | Meets |
* Any school that was open prior to the 2021-2022 school year and is rated "Did Not Meet" in Academic Performance met the criteria for at-risk for closure (ORC 3314.35) this year and are in Year 1 of the required 3 consecutive years. Since the first 2 years a school is open are not counted toward automatic closure, no school is subject to automatic closure until they have been open at least 5 years.

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