A charter school creates an Accountability Plan to articulate to the community and the state what goals the school will use to measure its success. These "Guidelines" are intended to give schools guidance on the type of data that provide compelling evidence, the desirable structure for goals and objectives, and how to most clearly present results. With these tools in mind, schools can write rigorous and measurable accountability plans that will serve them well as they participate in the charter school accountability process, especially at the time of renewal. Accountability Plans are written in a school's first year of operation and serve as an important tool to guide the use of data and policy decisions regarding the school's program. Sections in this document include: (1) Executive Summary; (2) Charter School Accountability Plans; (3) Why Guidelines; (4) The Accountability Cycle and Accountability Plans; (5) Organization, Format, and Structure; (6) Academic Program Goals; (7) Organizational Viability Goals; (8) Faithfulness to Charter Goals; and (9) Drafting, Approval, and Reporting. The following are appended: (1) Methods and Tools for Measuring Student Achievement; (2) Statistically Sound Measurement; and (3) Use of Surveys. (Contains 2 footnotes.).