…The Albany Preparatory Charter School is facing probation for screening out those with academic challenges. A report by the Charter School Institute found that an administrator trying to improve the school’s test scores denied admission to – or wait-listed – students with learning disabilities. The school also “pre-tested” students, and the parents of those who did not score well were counseled that Albany Prep was “not a good fit.” Charter School Institute inspectors also found that Albany Prep under-reported teacher attrition as well as its number of violent incidents. Although some parents were told there was a waiting list, the school is, in fact, under-enrolled. The report also found that the school’s principal threatened to fire teachers who came forward to blow the whistle. “The extent, specificity and sources of the allegations are unprecedented. The complainants all linked the alleged behavior to attaining higher scores on the state assessments in light of a pending (charter) renewal decision.”
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CHARTER SCHOOL COULD FACE PROBATION; Albany Preparatory is accused of screening potential pupils to weed out those with academic challenges (Times Union, February 22, 2010)ALBANY -- An Albany charter school is accused of screening potential students to weed out those with academic challenges and could be put on probation this week as a result.
Three former employees of the Albany Preparatory Charter School claimed an administrator at the school was trying to improve the school's scores on state standardized tests by denying admission or wait-listing learning-disabled students, an investigation has found. Some parents of students who did not perform well on a reading test were counseled that the school was "not a good fit" or would have their applications denied, according to a scathing new report by the State University of New York's Charter Schools Institute...
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