Navigating the Charter Renewal Application in Baltimore
Charter renewal is a critical process for schools, demanding meticulous planning and a deep understanding of key performance areas defined by the charter authorizer. In Baltimore City, the process is especially rigorous, requiring schools to demonstrate clear performance and alignment across three domains: Student Achievement, School Climate, and Financial Management & Governance.
EdOps supported Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School’s (BMPCS) effective use of data during the recent successful renewal application. In an EdOps Lab conversation with Megh Rennard, Executive Director BMPCS, we uncovered several strategies other schools can use to set themselves up for success.
Below are five key takeaways to help any school prepare for a strong charter renewal submission:
1. Establish a Data-Driven Reporting Structure
Successful renewal starts long before the application opens. BMPCS developed a board dashboard aligned to renewal metrics (including student achievement on assessments, attendance, chronic absenteeism, and subgroup analysis) updated at least a week before every board meeting. An additional dashboard for the Culture of Excellence Committee, which included school leadership, family members, staff members, and board members, helped track leading academic indicators.
This structure created a culture of ongoing monitoring rather than last-minute scrambling. Standing meetings between instructional leaders and the principal ensured tight alignment on instructional priorities.
Pairing academic indicators with tools like the 5Essentials Survey allowed the school to assess climate comprehensively and prepare evidence well in advance.
2. Conduct a Candid Internal Assessment
One of the most valuable steps this school took was conducting a mock School Effectiveness Review (SER) more than a year before the official process began. The goal was simple: get an honest, data-driven picture of where the school stood.
The mock review helped the school:
Identify gaps that needed immediate attention
Understand how external evaluators would interpret their data
Pinpoint the “key shifts” required to be competitive in renewal
3. Lean Into Your School’s Unique Model
For a Montessori school model, one challenge is articulating the instructional approach in a way that fits a standardized renewal rubric. Generally, the Montessori school model emphasizes individualized work cycles, whereas the renewal rubric focuses on grade-appropriate instruction. The school leaned into its identity rather than trying to fit into a conventional mold. Instead of avoiding the differences, the school used them to demonstrate fidelity to its mission and original charter promises by adding the details about the highly effective instruction and key design elements in the application.
4. Keep Families Engaged and Informed
Family voices matter enormously in the renewal process, both formally like in the family survey and parent testimonials, and informally, as valuable stakeholders.
To create a highly engaged parent community, the school invested in:
Regular attendance at family alliance meetings.
Opportunities for families to ask questions and share concerns.
These opportunities offered families the chance to meaningfully participate in the work of operating the school, such as by participating on a search committee for a new leader and troubleshooting arrival and dismissal traffic challenges. This continuous communication loop enabled the school to understand how families experienced the school climate in real-time and ensured there was space for authentic family engagement at all times, not just approaching renewal.
5. Start Early
A theme that came up repeatedly: start early and get comfortable operating in the gray. BMPCS began preparations more than a year ahead, circulated the draft to key stakeholders, and revised continuously.
Thank you to Megh Rennard for sharing your expertise! Have questions about how EdOps can support the Charter renewal process? Reach out to info@ed-ops.com to connect with our Maryland Data team!