TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

The California Charter Schools Association, a professional group serving nearly 1,000 California charter public schools, called Thursday for the closure of 10 charter schools not meeting its standards, including California Virtual Academy at Kern.

To meet the association criteria for charter renewal, schools must have operated for at least four years and achieved at least one of the following: an academic performance index score of at least 700, three-year index API growth of at least 50 points, or exceed performance compared to similar schools statewide.

The 10 charter schools do not meet the criteria, according to the association. California Virtual Academy at Kern, a 300-student online school chartered through the Maricopa Unified School District, has an index score of 679, which is a decrease from years past, and ranks among the bottom tier compared to similar schools, according to state data.

"We cannot have an honest discussion about education reform and increasing accountability without closing the charters that have demonstrated an inability to meet the challenge of excellence -- granted to us by law -- and chronically underperform," said Myrna Castrejon, senior vice president of achievement and performance management for the association, in a statement. "Our accountability framework has been pressure tested, analyzed and deliberated thoroughly. The time to act on persistently low-performing schools is now, because our children's education cannot be put on the back-burner."

California Parents for Public Virtual Education, a nonprofit group aimed at protecting access to a quality, virtual public education, shot back at the association.

"Rather than being an advocate for charter school students, the Association has chosen to undermine parent choice under the guise of 'accountability,'" said Barbara Lynch, group board member, in a statement. "If a charter school is having difficulty demonstrating student achievement, it is the responsibility of parents, teachers, school administrators and the local school district to find a solution and to get the school back on track. Unfortunately, it seems the Association would rather remove local control, close down the charter school, and eliminate educational choice."

Charter schools are public with more flexibility to develop curriculum and experiment with teaching methods. They still follow state or local rules and regulations, and must still meet accountability standards.

Kern County is host to 11 charter schools and programs, state records show, including Valley Oaks Charter in Bakersfield, Kern Workforce 2000 in the Kern High School District, Paramount Bard Academy in Delano and Grimmway Academy in Arvin.