Help for charter schools

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

A lameduck school board prepared to pass the baton to a new leadership team Wednesday, approving policies that help charter schools touted by Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel and renewing the charter of the all-boys Urban Prep Charter High, despite its failing test scores.

But with traditional public schools, the last Mayor-Daley-era school board took the hard line, voting 6-1 to eliminate half-empty schools by consolidating seven schools into four others.

Board member Peggy Davis, apparently concerned about at least one consolidation, took the rare step of voting against the package of consolidations, saying she had hoped members would vote on each one separately.

Her move was greeted with a “Touche Peggy!” from long-time school activist Okema Lewis. Explained Lewis later: “I’ve never seen anybody break ranks. I applaud her.”

Board members approved the renewal of Urban Prep-Englewood’s charter even though the school failed to meet its accountability targets, due to low test scores.

Only 17 percent of Urban Prep juniors passed their state exams last year, far lower than the district average of 29 percent. On the positive side, that beats the 8.4 percent passing rate in the neighborhood schools that Urban Prep kids would normally attend.

Chicago Public School officials said they were impressed by the intense college-going culture at Urban Prep, which has won headlines and personal kudos from Emanuel for garnering acceptances for every senior to four-year universities two years running. Its first graduating class included one senior who was accepted to prestigious Johns Hopkins, despite a 15 ACT score — well below the 18 often accepted at far less exclusive schools.

CPS officials noted that they put Urban Prep on a short leash by requiring it to come up with a plan to pull it out of what would normally be considered “academic probation” by the fall of 2012.

Board members also renewed the charter of Chicago Virtual Charter School, which flunked its accountability plan. It won low marks on 57 of 74 indicators, failing particularly in areas involving attendance, transfers-out and dropouts.

Chicago Virtual students attend lab classes twice a week at 38 S. Peoria and work online at home, overseen by adults who agrees to act as “learning coaches.”

The school’s transfer-out rate has been improving, CPS officials said, and its test scores beat citywide averages.

Board members approved the consolidation of Carpenter into Talcott; Andersen into LaSalle II; Schneider into Jahn; Avondale Elementary into Logandale Middle and three small high schools in the old Bowen High building into a fourth small school there — New Millennium.