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2020-2021 Sponsor Evaluation Process Frequently Asked Questions

General Evaluation Questions

What is the expectation for community school sponsors that have received Effective or Exemplary ratings for the three most recent consecutive review cycles?
With recent statutory updates to Ohio Revised Code 3314.016(B)(7)(b) and the passage of House Bill 197 and House Bill 164, which precluded the Department from issuing ratings for the 2019-2020 evaluation, sponsors that have received Effective or Exemplary ratings for 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 will not be evaluated again until the 2022-2023 school year. If they receive another Exemplary or Effective rating at that time, they will be evaluated again in 2025-2026. If they receive an Ineffective rating, they will return to the annual evaluation cycle until they earn three consecutive Effective or Exemplary ratings.

Although these sponsors will not have to participate in the sponsor evaluation process in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, they will have to maintain documentation required by law available for audit purposes and to fulfill their legal responsibilities for their sponsored schools. Sponsors, by law, must provide technical assistance, oversight and monitoring to their schools and must ensure their schools are meeting all statutorily required fiscal, academic and operational requirements. Sponsors must ensure schools adhere to their contracts regardless of their sponsor evaluation process participation status.

What happens if I upload documentation to Epicenter that has personally identifiable information (PII)?
When uploading documents to Epicenter for the sponsor evaluation review, sponsors should not submit documentation that contains personally identifiable information. Personally identifiable information, such as dates of birth and social security numbers, is not pertinent to the evaluation. Documentation with personally identifiable information will be removed from Epicenter and will not be considered in the sponsor evaluation review.

Quality Practices Component

Can schools selected as the subset of schools in prior years be selected again in 2020-2021? For example, if a school was reviewed during the 2017-2018, 2018-2019 or 2019-2020 evaluation, can it be selected for review during the 2020-2021 cycle?
Yes, this could occur. Schools are randomly selected from the sponsor’s entire portfolio each evaluation cycle.

Explain the difference between the narrative option for standards on the quality rubric and the narrative field box in Epicenter. When should I use each and for what purposes?
Sponsors opting to provide a narrative explanation for one or more of the standards included on the quality rubric must upload the narrative into Epicenter using the narrative template provided by the Department. Two of the standards, C.01 and C.02, do not require document uploads, so sponsors opting to provide a narrative explanation must enter the narrative in the field provided on each of those standards in Epicenter.

What is the purpose of the memo template for document submission?
The memo template is used when a sponsor has a document that is more than 25 pages long. For each quality standard, all documents that exceed 25 pages in length must include a memo that references the specific page numbers to be reviewed.

A.05 (Staff Expertise). What information should be included on a sponsor’s organizational chart?
In addition to serving as a visual depiction of how the sponsor’s organization is structured, the organizational chart should include the names of the offices, departments, sections or units that make up the sponsoring organization, as well as the specific names and positions of staff members with sponsoring responsibilities. In short, one should be able to look at the organizational chart and see which areas specifically deal with sponsoring and the staff members assigned to positions in those areas. Job descriptions of each sponsoring position also should be included.

A.07 (Allocation of Resources). What needs to be included in the budget narrative?
A budget narrative must provide context that explains the sources of revenue and expenditures and how they relate to the sponsor’s operation. It should explain how the costs are estimated and justify the need for the costs as they relate to sponsoring responsibilities.

B.01 (Application Process, Timeline and Directions). Where does the planning stage fall in the process? For example, does it occur prior to application, between application and approval, or between approval and the first day of school? The planning stage begins once the sponsor notifies the school of approval.
The planning stage begins once the sponsor notifies the school of approval.

B.01 (Application Process, Timeline and Directions). Which application for new community schools, replicators and schools seeking a change of sponsor should a sponsor submit?
Because the sponsor evaluation is for the 2020-2021 school year, sponsors should submit the application that is applicable during this period.

C.01 (Contract Performance Measures). What does “all applicable state report card measures” mean?
For traditional community schools, all applicable state report card measures include measures in the six graded component areas of the traditional Ohio School Report Cards. For schools that receive Dropout Prevention and Recovery report cards, this includes measures in the four rated components on their report cards. More information on the measures included on both the traditional Ohio School Report Cards and Dropout Prevention and Recovery report cards is available here.

C.01 (Contract Performance Measures). What is the Gap Closing component?
The Gap Closing component shows how well schools are meeting performance expectations for all student subgroups in English language arts, math and graduation. It compares the academic performance of each subgroup against the expected performance goals for that subgroup to determine if there are gaps and if there is improvement. Click here to see the 10 student subgroups. Sponsors that have schools with one or more of these student subgroups should have the Gap Closing component on the performance framework of the contract. This component also shows how well schools are meeting the language proficiency expectations or improvement for English learners.

D.03 (On-Site Visits). Are sponsors supposed to review the school’s compliance with all applicable laws, rules, contractual obligations and academic performance measures at every site visit?
For the purposes of the 2020-2021 sponsor evaluation, sponsors must submit evidence of conducting at least two on-site reviews, with one review during the first half of the school year and the second review during the second half of the school year. These two on-site reviews are not the monthly enrollment and financial reviews. Sponsors must show evidence that, over the course of the two site visits combined, they reviewed the selected schools’ compliance with all applicable laws and rules, all contractual obligations and all academic performance measures. Should an ordered school building closure occur, sponsors should refer to the second note on the quality rubric for adjustments to this standard.

D.04 (Site Visit Reports). If sponsors use a checklist site visit instrument during school visits, can the sponsor simply give the school a copy of the completed checklist to serve as the site visit report?
The 2020-2021 Quality Practices Rubric does not specify what type of document constitutes a site visit report. However, quality sponsoring practices suggest that a site visit report provides the school with more qualitative information. This includes comments about what the reviewer saw during the site visit and what steps are needed to improve or correct any deficiencies the reviewer discovered during the site visit. The site visit report also should include any areas of strength observed at the school. While sponsors may use any site visit protocols or checklists as their reports, sponsors may need to provide more information to adequately summarize the site visit and explain the reviewer’s findings. Should an ordered school building closure occur, sponsors should refer to the second note on the quality rubric for adjustments to this standard.

D.06 (Intervention). What evidence can sponsors provide to show they communicated with their schools the conditions that may trigger intervention and corrective action?
There are several examples of evidence that sponsors can provide to show they communicated with their schools the conditions that may trigger intervention. Evidence may include clear and detailed written communication, meeting notes, meeting agendas and newsletters. If sponsors require their schools to confirm or sign off that they received this information, then a copy of the sign-off sheet could suffice as well. Additionally, if applicable, the documentation should identify the condition(s) that triggered the intervention and the actions taken by the sponsor following established policy.

Compliance Component

When I enter the IRN for the school or sponsor on the compliance worksheet(s), I receive an error message. What should I do?
Due to statutory requirements to post the sponsor evaluation system annually by July 15, any changes to sponsor or school names and their associated IRNs that occur between review cycles will not be updated in the logic formulas within the compliance worksheets. Department staff can manually fix this for sponsors. Sponsors should reach out to the sponsor evaluation staff at sponsor.evaluation@education.ohio.gov to request these changes and resolve any issues with the compliance worksheets.

With the new certification-only process, will Epicenter open in December so sponsors can upload the required documentation for each item?
Sponsors will only have to submit the worksheets and the applicable Corrective Action Plans by June 30, 2021. A randomly selected item list for validation will be released on July 1, 2021. Sponsors will have until July 23, 2021, to submit documents responsive to items on that list for each school.

How will the Department validate compliance items on the compliance worksheets?
To meet the requirements of Ohio Administrative Code 3301-102-08, the Department must validate randomly selected items from the sponsor’s certification of compliance with all applicable laws and rules listed on the compliance worksheets. In addition to the items for which sponsors will submit documentation or that are validated during an on-site review, additional items will be selected for validation using information available at the Department. Compliance items for the sponsor, as well as for the sponsor’s schools, will be randomly selected from the validation pool posted on the 2020-2021 Sponsor Evaluation Tools webpage.

In a situation where the community school has included many of its governing authority-approved policies in a school handbook, what serves as sufficient evidence of this?
If the policy was included in a handbook or is part of a larger document, please submit supporting evidence of approval showing the governing authority approved the specific policy and it was a part of the handbook when it was approved. This may include detailed meeting minutes with the specific policy named. Ensure meeting minute attachments also are uploaded to Epicenter. If the documentation does not include information like the school year, title, date when the document was last approved or revised, and the school’s name, format the documentation to include this information.

Can sponsors use their compliance worksheets from previous years as a starting point for 2020-2021?
No. The compliance worksheets are updated annually to reflect stakeholder feedback, provide clarification and incorporate any legislative changes. Further, the logic formulas for the worksheets may change, meaning the document is not the same from year to year. For convenience, changes from the 2019-2020 to 2020-2021 sponsor evaluation are highlighted or presented in a different color font in the 2020-2021 tools. Sponsors also are encouraged to view the change logs posted on the Department's website here or view previously submitted compliance worksheets and supporting documentation in Epicenter.

Many of the policies are required by the Ohio Administrative Code or Ohio Revised Code. If the policy was submitted last year and has not changed, does it need to be resubmitted?
Policies should be reviewed and updated regularly to meet compliance requirements, as well as to reflect any changes in legislation. If the sponsor would like to use documentation that has been previously submitted against a new requirement, it must complete this task through the Compliance Center in Epicenter ONLY. Please contact the Epicenter Help Desk or the sponsor’s assigned consultant from the Office of Community Schools with any additional questions.

If a sponsor places a school on a corrective action plan (CAP) for noncompliance of an item listed on the compliance worksheets, what elements are required to be addressed in the CAP?
The corrective action plan should outline the steps necessary and a course of action to bring the school to compliant status by the next sponsor evaluation review cycle. The corrective action plan MUST have actionable steps, with specific dates and deadlines for completion, and specifically should address the noncompliant item. Corrective action plans submitted in previous evaluation cycles will be reviewed by the evaluators and included in the 2020-2021 sponsor evaluation review process for comparison purposes for applicable compliance items.

Pupil Transportation – Do community schools that do not provide daily transportation to and from school for their students but do provide transportation for field trips need to comply with pupil transportation laws?
Yes, any community school, employees of the community school or contracted vendors of the community school that provide transportation for any students of the school must follow all legal requirements pertaining to pupil transportation.

Special Education – # 171, 172, 174, 175, 176, 177 and 178. What evidence is needed to show the school’s special education policies and procedures are compliant?
The school should provide evidence it has adopted written policies and procedures addressing the specific compliance item. The school can adopt the Ohio Model Special Education Policies and Procedures; however, it should include any supporting evidence that the school’s board adopted or approved the policy and procedures. This may include board meeting minutes and corresponding documents reviewed at meetings. The minutes specifically should cite the policy the board reviewed or approved.

#128 – College Credit Plus Pathways – What constitutes evidence of required pathways in course offerings?
There should be evidence of two model pathways in the school’s course offerings the school has published as part of its official list of course offerings from which a participant may select. Evidence of required model pathways includes documentation showing the following specifications have been met:

The pathways have been developed with at least one public partnering college:
- One pathway must be a 15-credit hour pathway; and
- One pathway must be a 30-credit hour pathway.
Each pathway must include courses that, once completed, apply to at least one degree or professional certification offered at the college.

The pathways may be organized by desired major or career path or may include various core courses required for a degree or professional certification by the college.

#409 – House Bill 318 states that a school is compliant if it reduces, for school year 2020-2021, the number of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions issued for offenses categorized in division (A)(1)(c) of 3313.668 of the Revised Code, using the numbers reported for the 2018-2019 school year as a baseline, by 50%. The 2020-2021 Compliance Worksheet-School says 25%. Which percentage will we be held to for the sponsor evaluation?
Section 9 of House Bill 318 states that, for the 2020-2021 school year, “a (…) school shall comply with the requirements of divisions (B)(2) and (3) of section 3313.668 of the Revised Code” and that “ a (…) school shall be considered to be in compliance with division (B)(1) of section 3313.668 of the Revised Code, if for the 2020-2021 school year, the school (…) reduces the number of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions issued for offenses categorized in division (A)(1)(c) of this section by fifty per cent, using the numbers reported for that category for the 2018- 2019 school year as a baseline.” The 2020-2021 Compliance Worksheet-Oversight of Schools file was not updated from the 2019-2020 worksheet, therefore sponsors will not be penalized for answering “yes” to the second question if their reason for being compliant is a reduction in the number of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions issued for offenses categorized in division (A)(1)(c) of section 9 of House Bill 318. However, sponsors should keep in mind that the percentage required for compliance with the law is 50%.

#409 – My school opened after July 1, 2019, so we do not have baseline data. How does this apply to my school?
A school that opened after July 1, 2019 should consider zero to be their baseline data, in order to meet requirements of ORC 3313.668.

#504 – Does the five-year forecast suffice for documentation for this item?
No. The relevant statute (ORC 3314.03) specifies per pupil expenditures must be included in the financial plan submitted by the school for each year of the contract. The five-year forecast template does not have per pupil expenditures and may not align with contract terms. Sponsors should refer to ORC 3314.03 for additional guidance.

#641 – Does this requirement apply to community schools?
While this activity remains a federal ESSA requirement (see Section 1112 (e)(1)(A), Parents’ Right-to-Know), House Bill 166 repealed the state requirement for community schools to notify parents/guardians that they may request information on the professional qualifications of each classroom teacher providing instruction to their student. This item will be disregarded for the 2020-2021 sponsor evaluation cycle. Sponsors do not need to respond to this item on the Oversight of Schools worksheet.

#660 – What type of documentation should a sponsor submit to demonstrate the school has been established as a nonprofit or public benefit corporation?
If the school is established as either a nonprofit corporation or public benefit corporation, a copy of the school’s nonprofit certificate should be provided for this item. The nonprofit certificate must be issued by the Ohio Secretary of State and must be current.

#662 – Is the contract between the sponsor and school sufficient evidence for a comprehensive plan?
ORC 3314.03(A) requires a contract and ORC 3314.03(B) requires a separate comprehensive plan to be submitted by the school. If a comprehensive plan is submitted as a separate document that is included as an attachment or exhibit to the contract, it will be considered in the review process.

#703 – Not all students are enrolled by Aug. 1; therefore, a letter cannot be sent to parents prior to that date. Is documentation of the required information being sent sufficient or is it strictly Aug. 1?
In accordance with ORC 3313.673(B), the school must provide parents with required information regarding screenings prior to Aug. 1. For students enrolled prior to Aug. 1, the sponsor should upload documentation to reflect that it provided the requisite notice. Sponsors should refer to ORC 3313.673 for additional guidance.

#754 – How do I show that the school has a missing children informational program?
The school must be able to provide a copy of program materials showing the school board developed informational programs for students, parents and community members relative to missing children issues and matters. The school must provide evidence of how the program materials were distributed. A policy may be developed but it is not required and is not sufficient when submitted alone.

#903 – What needs to be included in the policy for this item?
The parental involvement policy must specifically address foster caregivers either within the definition of a parent or guardian or specifically use the term foster caregivers. Sponsors should refer to ORC 3313.472 for additional guidance.

#972 – Is the deadline for submitting remote learning plans July 31 or Aug. 21?
The deadline for this item has been extended by the Department. If this item is applicable to the school and the school did not submit the plan by July 31 but submitted it by Aug. 21, and the plan meets the requirements of House Bill 164, section 16(B), sponsors should select “yes” to answer the second question.

Last Modified: 10/22/2020 1:18:17 PM