School Sponsorship Annual Report

Dr. Glenn Davis
Interim Provost & Senior VP for Academic Affairs

Dr. Dawn Shinew
Dean, College of Education & Human Development

Dr. Tracy Huziak-Clark
Assistant Dean for Educator Preparation and Partnerships

April Samberg, M.Ed.
Community School Liaison, College of Education & Human Development

Suzanne Gwozdz, MBA
College Budget Administrator, College of Education & Human Development

Bowling Green State University Vision:

With a spirit of innovation, Bowling Green State University is a premier, inclusive learning community that develops, transforms, and impacts individuals and communities through learning, collaboration, and discovery. As a public university, BGSU focuses on contributing to the public good and embraces its role as a national model in addressing the educational, economic, and social vitality of our region, the state of Ohio, the nation, and the world.

Bowling Green State University Mission:

Bowling Green State University provides holistic and comprehensive educational experiences that enhance the lives of our students, stakeholders, and the many publics we serve. Our graduates are prepared for lifelong personal and career growth and for engaged citizenship and leadership in a global society. Through our excellence in teaching, research, and outreach, BGSU builds a collaborative, diverse and inclusive community where creative ideas, new knowledge and entrepreneurial achievements can benefit others in our region, the state of Ohio, the nation, and the world.

BGSU Core Values:

• Intellectual and personal growth
• Creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurism
• Diversity and belonging
• Collaboration with each other and our partners
• Excellence in all we do

BGSU College of Education and Human Development Vision:

The College is committed to developing a dynamic community of lifelong learners and leaders who celebrate the interconnections among individuals and disciplines in pursuit of improving society and the human condition.

College of Education and Human Development Mission:

Bowling Green State University aspires to be the premier Learning Community in Ohio, and one of the best in the Nation. Through the interdependence of teaching, learning, scholarship, and service we will create an academic environment grounded in intellectual discovery and guided by rational discourse and civility. Bowling Green State University serves the diverse and multicultural communities of Ohio, the United States, and the world.

BGSU Office of Charter School Sponsorship Mission:

The Office of Community School Sponsorship at Bowling Green State University is committed to fostering excellence in education by sponsoring high-quality charter schools that uphold academic, operational, and fiscal integrity.

BGSU Office of Charter School Sponsorship Vision:

The Office of Community School Sponsorship at Bowling Green State University envisions a future where every student has access to a high-performing school of choice that puts their needs first—academically, socially, and emotionally. Through strong partnerships and a commitment to quality, we strive to be a leading model of student-centered, ethical, and effective school authorizing.

Every year, BGSU produces an Annual Performance Report for each sponsored charter school, for use by the school and other stakeholders. BGSU is committed to promoting high-quality education for public school students in Ohio. This report provides an overview of the school and a summary of the school’s performance in academics, non-academics (fiscal and organizational/operational), and legal compliance over the contract term. according to the most recent data available for the years in review. The report also identified the school’s strengths, areas for improvement, and prospects for renewal.

As an Ohio community school sponsor, BGSU has a duty to monitor and provide oversight and technical assistance to all sponsored schools which includes an assessment of each sponsored school’s academic performance on an annual basis.

Corrective Action Plans

Corrective Action Plans are implemented to address areas of concern including academics, special education, and compliance. If a school is place on a corrective action plan, BGSU continually monitors and checks in on the progress, offering technical assistance and professional development as needed. Documentation is collected at each visit/meeting as evidence of the plan being implemented with fidelity. The Corrective Action Plan is closed when all required action steps are completed, and the school is back in compliance. Even once the Corrective Action Plan is closed, BGSU will continue to monitor these areas to ensure compliance is upheld.

Looking Forward to 2025-2026

Bowling Green State University strives to constantly improve its processes and develop itself as a high-quality authorizer of charter schools, in line with national standards. Continuous improvement with a defined plan is best practice. BGSU conducted an extensive defined improvement process and re-evaluated the Principles and Standards as its foundation of sponsoring priorities and developed a strategic plan for the 2025-2026 school year. The detailed strategic plan is attached.

Bowling Green State University adheres to the Principles and Standards for Quality Charter School Authorizing as established by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) and uses these Principles and Standards as the foundation of its Strategic Plan for quality school sponsoring.

Principle 1: Maintain High Standards

As a quality sponsor, the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University:

• Sets high standards for approving charter applicants.
• Maintains high standards for the schools it oversees.
• Effectively cultivates quality charter schools that meet identified educational and community needs.
• Monitors charter schools that, over time, meet the performance standards and targets on a range of measures and metrics set forth in our charter contracts.
• Closes schools that fail to meet standards and targets set forth in law and by contract.

Principle 2: Uphold School Autonomy

As a quality sponsor, the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University:

• Assumes responsibility not for the success or failure of individual schools, but for holding schools accountable for their performance.
• Minimizes administrative and compliance burdens on schools.
• Honors and preserves core autonomies crucial to school success including (a) Governing board independence from the authorizer; (b) Personnel; (c) School vision and culture; (d) Instructional programming, design, and use of time; and (e) budgeting.
• Only collects from schools the information they are not able to reliably get from other sources.
• Focuses on holding schools accountable for outcomes rather than processes.

Principle 3: Protect Student and Public Interest

As a quality sponsor, the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University:

• Makes the well-bring and interested of students the fundamental value informing all the authorizer’s actions and decisions.
• Holds schools accountable for fulfilling fundamental public-education obligations to all students, which includes providing (a) nonselective, nondiscriminatory access to all eligible students; (b) fair treatment in admissions and disciplinary actions for all students; and (c) appropriate services for all students, including those with disabilities and English learners, in accordance with applicable law.
• Holds schools accountable for fulfilling fundamental obligations to the public, which includes providing (a) sound governance, management, and stewardship of public funds; and (b) public information and operational transparency in accordance with law.
• Ensures in its own work (a) ethical conduct; (b) focus on the mission of chartering high-quality schools; (c) clarity, consistency, and public transparency in authorizing polices, practices, and decisions; (d) effective and efficient public stewardship; and (e) compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Standard 1: Agency Commitment & Capacity

As a quality sponsor, the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University will engage in chartering to foster excellent schools that meet identified needs, clearly prioritize a commitment to excellence in education and in authorizing practices and create organizational structures and commit human and financial resources necessary to conduct its authorizing duties effectively and efficiently.

The College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University has been an authorizer of community schools since 2008. Today, Bowling Green State University provides responsible oversight, monitoring, and technical assistance to one community school located in Toledo, Ohio. The College of Education and Human Development helps to provide a focus on academic, operational, and fiscal integrity.

Community schools attract students because of the uniqueness of their educational approach to instruction, educational effectiveness, and academic achievement. Toledo School for the Arts focuses on providing student with a college preparatory curriculum within an intense visual and performing arts environment.

Standard 2: Application Process & Decision-Making

As a quality sponsor, the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University will implement a comprehensive application process that includes clear application questions and guidance; follows fair, transparent procedures and rigorous criteria; and grants charters only to applicants who demonstrate strong capacity to establish and operational quality school. Application guidance and materials can be found on Bowling Green State University’s website.

Standard 3: Performance Contracting

As a quality sponsor, the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University will contract with community schools that articulate the rights and responsibilities of each party regarding school autonomy, funding, administration and oversight, outcomes, measures for evaluating success or failure, performance consequences, and other material terms. The contract is an essential document, separate from the charter application, which establishes the legally binding agreement and terms under which the school will operate and be held accountable. Performance goals include yearly and over-the-contract term measures, specific to each sponsored school.

Standard 4: On-Going Oversight and Evaluation

As a quality sponsor, the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University will conduct contract oversight that competently evaluates performance and monitors compliance; ensure schools’ legally entitled autonomy; protect student rights; inform intervention, revocation, and renewal decisions; and provide annual public reports on school performance. The Community School Liaison conducts provides technical assistance and oversight at monthly site visits and attends monthly board meetings to monitor performance and compliance, as well as review, collect and report data.

Standard 5: Revocation and Renewal Decision Making

As a quality sponsor, the College of Education and Human Development at Bowling Green State University will design and implement a transparent and rigorous process that uses comprehensive academic, financial, and operational performance data to make merit-based renewal decisions, and revoke charters when necessary to protect student and public interests. The systematic renewal application process includes a written application with prescriptive requirements, including multiple sources of evidence, and rigorous criteria for approval.

Conclusion

This report is in response to the 2024-2025 requirement of an annual report concerning the performance and compliance of the community schools authorized by Bowling Green State University. Toledo School for the Arts, the only school sponsored by BGSU, performs at or above a comparable level of traditional schools in the area. As the proud sponsor of Toledo School for the Arts, BGSU will continue to develop and define its internal accountability plan and improvement process. We will also adhere to all legal requirements of an authorizer, following the NACSA Principles & Standards for Quality School Authorizing.

Attached is the 2024-2025 Annual Performance Report for Toledo School for the Arts.

Source: https://qualitycharters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Principles-and-Standards.pdf

Introduction

As the sponsor of Toledo School for the Arts, Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is committed to advancing high-quality educational opportunities for public school students across Ohio. Each year, BGSU publishes an Annual Performance Report for each of its sponsored community schools. These reports are designed to inform school leadership and stakeholders by providing a comprehensive review of the school’s performance during the sponsorship contract term.

This report presents an overview of Toledo School for the Arts’ performance in the areas of academics, fiscal responsibility, organizational effectiveness, and legal compliance. It highlights the school’s strengths, identifies areas for growth, and offers insights into its overall progress under the current sponsorship agreement, which covers the 2024–2029 contract term.

As part of its oversight responsibilities, BGSU monitors and evaluates the academic performance and operational quality of each sponsored school and provides technical assistance to support continuous improvement. The evaluations are based on the most current and reliable data available. This Annual Performance Report reflects BGSU’s ongoing commitment to accountability, transparency, and excellence in community school sponsorship.

Section I- Performance on the State Report Card Component

Bowling Green State University (BGSU) will use data reported by the Ohio School Report Card to analyze school performance on state-mandated assessments. All applicable measures and indicators of student performance on the report card will receive a rating based on performance. To successfully meet the target for measure and indicator, the school must be rated Meets Standards or higher.

Section II- Academic Achievement Targets & Metrics Component

Bowling Green State University will use data reported by the school to analyze additional applicable academic measures of student performance. All goals will receive a rating of Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or Falls Below the Standard based on performance. All locally administered norm-referenced assessments must be on the Ohio Department of Education approved vendor list.

Section III- Academic Growth Component

Bowling Green State University will use data reported by the school to analyze additional applicable academic
measures of student performance. All goals will receive a rating of Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or Falls Below the Standard based on performance. All locally administered norm-referenced assessments must be on the Ohio
Department of Education approved vendor list.

Section IV- Performance on Other Fiscal, Governance, Organizational, and Operational Components

Bowling Green State University will use data reported by the school to analyze the performance of the non-academic organizational, operational, compliance, and fiscal goals. All goals will receive a rating of Exceeds, Meets, Approaches, or Falls Below the Standard based on performance. Schools must complete the Mission-Specific goal section.

Performance Accountability Framework Attachment 11.6 – Measurable SMART Goal

Each school will write their own Mission-Specific goal in Section IV. This goal must reflect the stated mission of the school and how the school addresses and reinforces the mission over the course of the academic year. The goal must illustrate how the school uses data to measure its progress towards improved outcomes for students.

For example, if a school’s mission statement pertains to character education, the school may choose to write a goal that demonstrates in a measurable way how their work towards the mission impacts student data such as improving attendance, student discipline data, academic achievement, involvement in community service activities, student honors and awards, etc.