A state commission wants to significantly increase the number of charter schools while also closing charter schools that are failing academically.

The Blue Ribbon Charter School Commission on Wednesday approved a final report that recommends increasing the state's cap on charter schools by six a year. But that number could increase by dozens more because of related recommendations.

At the same time, the commission recommended closing low-performing charter schools that fail to show improvement.

The commission's recommendations will now go to the State Board of Education, which will decide whether to push the General Assembly to adopt them.

"[Charter schools] provide significant choices to people who in the past didn't have choices," said Michael Fedewa, chairman of the commission, which was formed by the State Board. "It's a movement that's worthy of expansion."

Started 10 years ago in North Carolina, charter schools receive public funding but aren't bound by rules that apply at traditional public schools. They are independent schools typically run by private boards and administrators and have freedom to set their own curriculum guidelines.

The General Assembly capped the number of charter schools at 100, which was reached this year.

The commission worked out a compromise on the cap which provides room for growth.

The commission says that high-performing charter schools shouldn't be counted against the cap. Although the panel didn't define high-performing, one possible measure could lead to exemptions for 22 schools. That's the number of charter schools that had passing rates of 80 percent or more on state tests and whose students met expected academic growth during the past year.

Also charter applicants in counties without charter schools would not be counted against the cap. Currently, 52 counties have no charter schools.

These recommendations could allow for as many as 80 charter schools to be added next year, although the commission doesn't expect that much growth at once.

"We wanted to bring in more charter schools with managed growth," said Tom Humble, a commission member and principal of Raleigh Charter High School.

The commission also responded to critics who say many charter schools aren't doing well academically.

The commission is recommending that any charter school deemed low-performing be put under review. Schools are considered low-performing if the passing rate is less than 50 percent and students fail to meet expectations for academic growth.

The commission says that low-performing schools should be given two years to meet growth expectations before being closed.

This past year, four charter schools were labeled low-performing, including SPARC Academy in Raleigh.

"We want to make sure charter schools are held up to performance standards," said Fedewa, who is also superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh.

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