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Statewide sponsor gives EPIC a 70.64 performance score, flags academics and attendance
Summary
At a board meeting, the Statewide Charter School Board presented EPIC Blended Learning Charter with its 2023–24 annual performance framework report, giving the school a composite score of 70.64 and citing academic shortfalls and low student attendance despite gains in year‑over‑year test performance.
Skyler Lehi, director of school performance for the Statewide Charter School Board, told the EPIC Blended Learning Charter board that the school’s 2023–24 annual performance framework score was 70.64 and that the score triggers a reauthorization application if it falls in the 60–74 range.
The sponsor’s report breaks the composite score into academics, finance and organizational categories. Lehi said EPIC’s academic score was 44.69% (7.15 of 16 possible points), noting the school did not meet statewide proficiency levels in English language arts and math but did show year‑over‑year gains: “all grades did surpass the previous year's proficiency levels by at least 5% in math,” and third through eighth grades increased by at least 5% in English language arts, he said. The board was told the graduation and college/career readiness metrics and proficiency comparisons are the largest drivers of the academic score.
The sponsor gave EPIC an 84% score on the financial performance framework, with full points for financial accountability and governing‑board involvement; point deductions came from material weaknesses identified in the audit of internal controls. The organizational score was 94%, with a single deduction for student attendance. Lehi said EPIC’s 2023–24 student attendance rate was 70.87%, below the state rate of 78.1%.
Lehi reviewed how the performance framework affects renewal timelines: a score of 75 or greater typically prompts the school to submit a letter requesting renewal; scores of 60–74 require a reauthorization application; scores below 60 risk nonrenewal. He said the sponsor delivers annual reports as required by statute and intends to issue future reports earlier in the charter cycle to align with renewal deadlines. Board members confirmed the school’s current charter term runs through 06/30/2030, which would place reauthorization activity in 2029 under the timeline discussed.
Board members asked how the framework uses prior years’ data. Lehi said the framework looks at the most recent year but embeds year‑over‑year metrics to reflect improvement trends; he recommended focusing on academic proficiency and graduation metrics to raise the score. Dr. JC Smith, the sponsor’s academic compliance officer cited in the presentation, provided the numeric breakdown for the academic subscore.
Why it matters: the framework score informs the sponsor’s guidance on reauthorization and highlights specific performance areas—academic proficiency rates and attendance—that school leadership will need to address ahead of renewal.
The board did not take action during the presentation; the report was presented for information and discussion.
Lehi concluded by offering the sponsor’s assistance with aligning school documentation and strategic planning to the school’s mission and the framework’s governance expectations.
