Section 5-E920. ACCREDITATION OF PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS  


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    920.1Each public charter school shall seek, obtain, and maintain accreditation from at least one of the following:

     

    (a)The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools;

     

    (b)The Association of Independent Maryland Schools;

     

    (c)The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools;

     

    (d)The Virginia Association of Independent Schools;

     

    (e)American Montessori Internationale;

     

    (f)The American Montessori Society;

     

    (g)The National Academy of Early Childhood Programs; or

     

    (h)Any other accrediting body deemed appropriate by the eligible chartering authority that granted the charter to the school.

     

    920.2A public charter school shall initiate the process for accreditation within the first one hundred twenty (120) days of opening and attain accreditation within five years of opening.

     

    920.3Documentation of the initiation of the accreditation process and annual reports of progress shall be provided to the Board.

     

    920.4If the school faces any barriers to accreditation, or the accreditation association determines that the school will require more than five (5) years to attain accreditation, the public charter school shall inform the Board immediately and provide documents related thereto.

     

    920.5The status of the public charter school’s accreditation shall be considered by the Board during the five (5)-year review.

     

    920.6A public charter school that fails to achieve accreditation within five (5) years of the date of opening, without a valid reason as determined by the accreditation association and the Board of Education, may be placed in a probationary status and/or subject to the procedures outlined under “Revocation” in the public charter school policies.

     

    920.7The Board of Education shall provide and/or schedule technical assistance for public charter schools; however, the attainment of accreditation is the responsibility of the public charter school.

     

source

Final Rulemaking published at 48 DCR 1694, 1706 (February 23, 2001).