Pub. 5 2015-2016 Issue 1

11 A special thank you to Utah teachers . Medical | Dental | Life | Long-Term Disability | FLEX$ | HSA Utah charter schools are eligible for PEHP benefits. For more information, go to www.pehp.org or contact Derek Applegate at 801-366-7791. CharterSchoolAd.indd 1 9/16/2014 2:55:31 PM State Superintendent Brad Smith is leading the “School Turnaround” process. He takes as a bedrock principle that all children can learn. To the extent that children are not learning, it is the obligation of the adults in the education system around those children to make the changes necessary for those children to learn. In that regard, he and the SBE are implementing a rule to identify which schools are most in need of help. Initially their rule would have included all charter schools, no matter how long they have been in existence. Following a conversa- tion with UAPCS, Supt. Smith agreed that new schools (i.e., schools operating less than 3 years) need at least a little track record before they must enter the turnaround process, and he’s revised the list of “Turnaround” schools accordingly. Simultaneously, the SBE has been evaluating proposals from several consultants to help schools through the “Turnaround” process. The results of those evaluations are not yet available, but we look forward to seeing what consultants “turnaround” schools can choose. As these strands of the “Turnaround” process coalesce, we hope all qualified schools will develop strong plans, so the children attending those schools are ready to succeed after high school. The SBE is also looking at what must change to move Utah K-12 education from a system rooted in how long a student is in a classroom to one rooted in how well students know what they should. This metamorphosis will require fundamental restructuring of our funding, assessments and virtually every other mechanism in public education. However, it’s all too clear that our children need these changes if they are to succeed in the 21st century global economy. The Legislature is working with the SBE to develop a pilot program following the 2016 General Session. The Legislature expects to approve a grant program for LEAs to experiment with competency-based education, so we can learn what we don’t know that we don’t know about competency-based systems. Fortunately, some charter schools are already moving in this direction, and should be well-positioned to participate in the upcoming grant program. UAPCS Works for Everyone in Charterland Despite all these changes, Utah charter schools are suc- ceeding. The number of charter schools continues to grow. The number of children in charter schools continues to grow. As you encounter additional challenges, please contact UAPCS, and we’ll be happy to help. UAPCS exists to make the efforts of everyone in charterland more effective and more effortless.