Review the state's standards. The next step is to specify how the school will build curriculum and assess student progress in line with its goals and standards. Standards, curriculum, and assessment need to be aligned with each other and with the school's vision to create a quality educational program. It may not all be neatly packaged in existing textbooks. Consider instruments that appropriately measure important student objectives, reflect the vision of the school, and do not adversely affect the learner.
Most states require charter school students to participate in statewide assessments.
Some authorizers, like the Chicago Public Schools, also require their charter schools to participate in district-wide assessments. Charter school operators thus need to work closely with their authorizers to understand exactly what is required. Understanding what these assessments measure, and how students will learn it, is an important part of the alignment process described above. C. Gathering, Using, and Reporting Data Schools need to collect data in a way that is efficient and provides useful information for multiple audiences, including those concerned with results on standardized assessments. Get all students' past scores from their previous schools, administer a pre-test, or use the first six months' performance as a baseline.