Dive Brief:

• Charter critics and supporters are surprised by Ohio's current charter authorizer rating system, which does not count online and dropout recovery schools in a sponsor's overall score.
• Some say that by focusing its accountability efforts on charter authorizers by not including online schools or dropout recovery schools in a sponsor's overall score, the state has created a rigged system allowing scores that are higher than they should be.
• Innovation Ohio, an organization critical of charters, is calling on the state to fix the current rating system during legislative votes over charter reform.

Dive Insight:

A big fear is that sponsors will not work to improve online schools or dropout recovery schools if they are not being included in the final accountability assessment. This is especially problematic since students attending these types of schools are typically the most at-risk. Ideally, the situation should provide an opportunity for charter critics and advocates to come together and say that there should be no loopholes in the rating system, with all school types included.