State Board reviews charter sector report, approves amendments and initial applications; debates board membership standards

The New Hampshire State Board of Education on Tuesday received a revamped annual report from the Charter School Office, approved multiple charter-related items and debated whether the board should require specific skills on charter school boards.

Charter office report and performance matrix

Al Barragan and Casey Silva of the Charter School Office presented a written and verbal report summarizing fiscal data, school openings, federal compliance findings and a new performance-matrix pilot the office will begin using to consolidate monitoring information. The matrix groups indicators across student performance, operations and finance, with targets set by state averages and other benchmarks; the office said it will publish school-level summary scores next year and allow schools to submit contextual information before reports are finalized.

"We developed a matrix with key performance indicators and target measures for each of those indicators," the presenter said. The office also noted national recognitions for several charter schools and urged continued attention to governance and up-to-date policies and procedures.

Robert Frost Charter…