Virtual charter schools show far lower achievement, with students losing the equivalent of half a year of learning in reading and a full year in mathematics¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? A CREDO study found virtual charters had far lower achievement in mathematics and reading than traditional public schools serving similar students, equating to losing half a year of learning in reading and a full year in mathematics. → Darling-Hammond 2017 q2 i? NCES data show 87% of virtual schools were identified as low-graduation-rate schools in 2013–14, with an average graduation rate of 40% versus a national average of 82%. → Darling-Hammond 2017

Evidence¶

Darling-Hammond 2017¶

Darling-Hammond, L., Rothman, R. & Cookson, P. W., Jr. (2017). Expanding high-quality educational options for all students: How states can create a system of schools worth choosing. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/expanding-high-quality-options

q2 · i? · review · r2

The report cites the CREDO virtual charter comparison to traditional public schools serving similar students, reporting learning losses of "half a year of learning in reading and a full year of learning in mathematics," plus NCES graduation-rate data averaging 40%. No standardized effect size is printed, so impact is null.

"A recent CREDO study found that virtual charters had far lower achievement for their students in both mathematics and reading than traditional public schools serving similar students. The differences in student learning equated to a student losing half a year of learning in reading and a full year of learning in mathematics."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Charter school outcomes are mixed as a group, with 17% of charters producing greater academic gains and 37% performing worse than traditional public schools serving similar students — a broader claim this one bears on
• South Carolina charter students show similar reading growth but weaker math growth than traditional public school peers, with a math disadvantage of 53 fewer days of learning per year — related
• New Mexico charter school students make similar one-year growth in reading and math as their traditional public school virtual twins — related
• Middle-grade Idaho charter schools show the weakest growth while multi-level charters show the strongest reading growth — related
• Charter middle school students gain in math while multi-level charter students lag in both subjects relative to TPS peers — related
• Charter school students show more annual learning growth in reading and math than matched traditional public school peers — related
• Idaho charter school students show stronger reading growth than matched TPS peers, with no significant difference in math growth — related
• CMO-affiliated charter schools outpace traditional public schools in reading and math while stand-alone charters gain in reading only — related
• Charter school students perform consistently better on standardized mathematics achievement measures than traditional public school peers, with modest differences — reports the opposite