CICS Response to Warning on Washington Park Campus
Chicago International Charter School (CICS) has been closely monitoring the performance of its CICS Washington Park campus and anticipated that it would be put on a warning list by the Chicago Public School district.
The district charter agreement holds charters to a higher standard of performance and as such, charter campuses are put on a warning list when they are given a ranking level of 2 for three consecutive years, per the School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP). We respect the district’s decision and hold ourselves accountable to implementing the necessary changes to put the campus on track toward a significantly higher ranking next year.
CICS Washington Park has placed a new Middle School Director and added instructional staff which has already resulted in improved performance. Over the past year, the campus posted the highest NWEA and PARCC scores among neighborhood schools and its NWEA reading growth rates outpaced the nation. A key indicator on the SQRP is student attendance so the campus has added dedicated staff to work closely with our students and families to address this issue. Elizabeth Shaw, CEO of CICS, stated, “Performance at our CICS Washington Park campus is already improving and we expect that progress to continue. We are committed to doing whatever is necessary to fulfill our commitment to providing a high quality school choice for the families of Washington Park.”
