CSI’s approach to authorizing balances autonomy and accountability, offering schools the flexibility to choose the methods that best meet the needs of their students. In return, CSI holds schools accountable to clear expectations for performance.
The Accreditation Rating Process
The CSI Annual Review of Schools (CARS) is used to evaluate and accredit CSI charter schools based on academic, financial, and organizational performance from the previous year. CSI employs a thorough accreditation process that assigns a performance rating to each school each fall.
CSI’s performance framework aligns with the state framework but goes a step further by adding the “Performance with Distinction” rating, highlighting the highest-performing schools in the state.
Accreditation Ratings Available to CSI schools (from Lowest to Highest)
CSI Chief of Authorizing and Accountability, Ryan Marks, shares, “CSI remains committed to upholding model authorizing practices and letting schools know how they are doing, providing information to help schools develop and improve, offering schools the opportunity to regularly check their record, and ensuring public transparency. We are excited to see an increase in the number of CSI schools – with a wide range of diverse locations and educational models – receiving the Performance with Distinction rating.”
CSI recently cast a spotlight on the remarkable achievements of thirteen CSI schools that earned the “’Performance with Distinction” ratings for the 2022-2023 school year. This designation is reserved for schools ranking in the top 25% of all Colorado schools with reportable academic data, demonstrating strong financial and organizational performance. The “Performance with Distinction” rating signifies excellence and positions these schools as leaders in the state.
First-Time Recipients
Among the list, three CSI charter public schools earned the “Performance with Distinction” rating for the first time.
Ascent Classical Academy Douglas County | Lone Tree, Colorado
Ascent Classical Academy Douglas County is a K-12 classical education charter public school in Lone Tree, Colorado. Their mission is to “develop the moral and intellectual skills, habits, and virtues upon which independent, responsible, and joyful lives are built, in the firm belief that such lives are the basis for a free and flourishing republic.”
“We are honored to have received this award and look forward to continuing to provide our students with a tuition-free, content-rich American Classical Education centered upon moral character and civic virtue.”
Jeff Jones, Headmaster of Ascent Classical Academy Douglas County
AXIS International Academy | Fort Collins, Colorado
AXIS International Academy, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, exists “to advance academic excellence, cross-cultural competence, multilingualism, and social-emotional and cognitive development among their students to empower them to lead choice-filled lives and be thriving citizens of character in their local and global community.”
“From the beginning AXIS International Academy has been a grassroots effort, dedicated to fulfilling our mission to empower children to lead choice-filled lives and be thriving citizens of character in their local and global communities. I am incredibly grateful that our school’s commitment to academic excellence has gained so much recognition in the past year, and I am proud of our staff and faculty whose incredible work makes AXIS a place where all students can learn and grow in multiple languages each day. Our entire team is thrilled to receive CSI’s Performance with Distinction rating.”
Jenny Whitaker, Head of School of AXIS International Academy
Coperni 3 | Colorado Springs, Colorado
Coperni 3 is a K-8 charter public school in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Their mission is to be “a team of dedicated teachers and leaders, working in a high performance and caring culture, [implementing] wholescale reform of the education system based on different design principles, [maintaining] an intense focus on high-quality instruction and also [providing] students with experiences to broaden perspective and support the growth of Year 2035 competencies. Third Future Schools holds high expectations for students and staff and believes that everyone can create their future.”