School closings this year will focus on academically failing schools, not on buildings that are underused, according to guidelines released Monday.
Chicago Public Schools said the weight given to academic performance is the biggest change in criteria for determining this year's list of closings.
The proposed guidelines come on the heels of a new state bill that outlines a process the district must follow in closing schools. Under the new law, CPS must release a list of school actions — including boundary changes, consolidations and closings — by Dec. 1.
In advance of those school closing announcements — often the most difficult and emotionally charged decision made by a district — Chief Portfolio Officer Oliver Sicat last week said that 42 percent of CPS schools are on probation for low-academic performance and poor attendance. He added that 72 schools have been on probation for five consecutive years, and 16 of them for 15 years in a row.
In some CPS schools, those statistics have generated panic.
"There's high anxiety and in some instances a sense of fatalism," said Barbara Radner, director of DePaul University's Center for Urban Education. "Some schools have had static scores for so many years, and people are worried they're going to be on the list."
The proposed guidelines are open for discussion. CPS parents, teachers and education advocates can weigh in on the guidelines over the next 21 days on the district's website. Schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard will use the additional input when considering which schools to target.
CPS identifies failing schools using its own performance policy standards that rate schools on a scale of 1 to 3, with the latter being schools on probation. Those standards take into account whether a school makes expected gains and meets or exceeds benchmarks on state standardized tests. Other factors include student attendance and the rate of freshmen on track for graduation — a wider range of factors than Adequate Yearly Progress, which is calculated by the state under the No Child Left Behind law.
Under the proposed guidelines, schools slated for closing must be rated at 3 for two straight years.
A school gets removed from the closing list if it performs better than other schools in its community or network, formerly called area offices.
To comment on the guidelines, go to cps.edu/qualityschools.
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