Charter School Support Initiative

Effective December 2022, The Charter School Support Initiative (CSSI) Evaluative Rubric has been updated. It is now called the CSSI Four Domains of Rapid School Improvement Rubric Plus Governance and Finance (The CSSI Four Domains + Rubric). Formerly, the CSSI evaluative rubric mirrored the Colorado Title I School Support evaluation process and recommendations based on the Colorado Department of Education's Ten Standards of Continuous Improvement ranging from academic performance, school culture, finance, governance, etc.

The CSSI Four Domains + Rubric was adapted from Colorado's Four Domains of Rapid School Improvement. The CSSI Four Domains + Rubric is a research-proven framework to help facilitate rapid improvement in schools by creating domains and practices that apply across the systems implemented in your charter school. The four domains outlined within the framework are Leadership for Rapid Improvement, Talent Management, Instructional Transformation, and Culture and Climate Shift. For each domain, practices describe the role of charter school leadership and governance members, providing examples of their roles in successful school improvement efforts. The framework is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of activities within each practice or even of all methods. 

Instead, it offers examples, considerations, and practical applications of what it takes to successfully lead systemic efforts to achieve rapid school improvement. The CSSI Team will use a Four Plus Domains model to incorporate evaluative measures aligned with governance board oversight and charter school financial practices. Effective August 2023, Standard 9 (Governance) and Standard 10 (Finance) from the Colorado Department of Education Ten Standards of Continuous Improvement have been revised to align with critical principles of the The CSSI Four Domains + Rubric and will now be referred to as Domain 5: Strong Board Governance and Domain 6: Sound Fiscal Management.

CCSP sub-grantees are expected to participate in a CSSI site visit during implementation year two of their grant cycle. Engaging in this process aims to set a course for self-improvement in the early years of development. The CSSI process begins with an intensive three-day site visit, after which the school receives a detailed report based on the CSSI Four Domains + Rubric ​, with recommendations for research-based steps to improve school performance. Grant funds may be used to cover the costs associated with the site visit and subsequent implementation of the improvement plan developed by the charter school based on the CSSI team's report. The cost of the site visit will depend on the size of the school and the site visit team. 

CSSI Preparation Links:

• CSSI Orientation Overview (updated August 2022)
• CSSI Playbook (updated August 2023)

Resources:

• Domain 1 Leadership for Rapid Improvement (Excel)
• Domain 2 Talent management (Excel)
• Domain 3 Instructional Transformation (Excel)
• Domain 4 Culture and Climate Shift (Excel)
• Domain 5 Strong Board Governance (Excel)
• Domain 6 Sound Fiscal Management (Excel)