6 L.A. County charter schools are among 39 in state to be certified

Six Los Angeles County charter schools are among 39 in California to receive new “certified” status, a process similar to accreditation aimed at ensuring these schools meet high academic standards.

The goal is to enhance the caliber of charter schools as well as to broadcast that quality, said Caprice Young, president of the California Charter Schools Assn.

The local certified schools are Animo Inglewood high school, Granada Hills Charter High School, KIPP Academy of Opportunity in Los Angeles, KIPP Los Angeles College Preparatory, the School of Arts and Enterprise in Pomona; and the Watts Learning Center.

Charters are independent schools that are exempt from some regulations in exchange for improving student achievement. Getting certified is similar to the accreditation process for other public schools, with additional requirements relevant to charters. The certification program also is explicit about meeting the increasingly strict requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

“We wanted to be able to show we have a higher standard,” Young said. “It’s very possible to fail.”

It’s rare for schools to flunk regular accreditation. Each year only two or three don’t pass muster out of 3,800 campuses under the aegis the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges, one of six regional accrediting groups, said George Bronson, its associate executive director.

Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles lost its accreditation in 2005 but has since regained that status on a short-term basis. New review results are due soon.

Typically, only high schools pursue accreditation, but Young wants all charter schools to undergo the voluntary certification process. Those that don’t qualify within four years will lose membership in the charter association, depriving them of representation, financial assistance and discounted insurance.

The Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges is among four groups eligible to perform the charter school review, which usually takes about three days with costs ranging from $3,000 to $10,000.

Bronson said that regular accreditation also is demanding, but “we don’t get down to absolutes, saying you have to meet No Child Left Behind standards or you can’t be accredited by us.”

Certification is another laurel for the 10-year-old Watts Learning Center, whose modest campus -- a former church and five bungalows slapped down on asphalt -- belies its high test scores.

“We wanted an objective understanding of what we’re doing -- where we’re strong and where we might improve,” said Gene Fisher, board president for the 250-student elementary school. “Our whole goal is provide a world-class education.”

howard.blume@latimes.com