RHODE ISLAND

ride.ri.gov

"As all partner states in the New England Secondary School Consortium agree, we need to prepare our students for the 21st-century global economy. They will need excellent skills in technology, the sciences, and world languages, and they will need real-world learning experiences through such programs as internships and service learning. In Rhode Island, we are exploring ways to expand our regional and vocational opportunities, both within our high schools and through direct and credit-bearing links to the community colleges and technical colleges;launch a virtual learning network; expand in-school and out-of-school opportunities for students to learn both academic and technical skills; implement policies that are linked to international standards of performance; and work with stakeholders to develop career pathways with industry-recognized credentials, open to all students.

To increase graduation rates and decrease dropout rates, we need a system of multiple pathways that will allow students to approach college through many routes—perhaps directly from high school, or perhaps at a later stage in life after exploring other opportunities. As the report from the National Center on Education and the Economy—Tough Choices or Tough Times—puts it: “Our education and training systems were built for another era; we can get where we must go only by changing the system itself.” That’s the kind of change we are pursuing in Rhode Island.

—Deborah Gist

Rhode Island Commissioner of Education

Secondary Initiatives

In 2003, and again in 2008, Rhode Island passed a comprehensive set of regulations intended to guide the transformation. The Rhode Island Diploma System requires all districts to review their programs and implement new strategies that will ensure better outcomes for all high school students in the state, including personalization of learning opportunities; rigorous academic programs in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and arts and technology that are aligned to state and national standards for all students; school-wide literacy and numeracy support systems; the creation of professional learning communities for educators; and local policies that will support these new educational practices. In addition, all Rhode Island students are required to meet proficiency-based graduation requirements that include successful completion of two performance assessments: an exhibition and a portfolio of work. To ensure consistency of implementation across the state, a comprehensive evaluation system was put in place that includes evidence reviews and visits to districts and schools by teams of Rhode Island educators.

The New England Secondary School Consortium complements and enhances the transformation work that has already been underway in Rhode Island, and the collaborative thinking, shared resources, tool development, and models of best practice being exchanged across the region will only reinforce the effectiveness and sustainability of the Rhode Island Diploma System.

Multiple Pathways Office
Rhode Island's Office of Multiple Pathways is a consolidated department of education office that oversees secondary redesign, career and technical education, and adult education. The office is developing a statewide system of multiple pathways that provides access to a variety of aligned learning opportunities designed to support all learners as they work to achieve their educational and career goals. Rhode Island's pathways include: course work in comprehensive schools, virtual learning opportunities, career and technical programs of study, apprenticeships and internships, contextualized adult learning programs, charter schools, flexible scheduling, and other innovative strategies.

High School Diploma System
Rhode Island state regulations ensure that local diploma systems are developed to provide all students with opportunities to learn in personalized learning environments that emphasize  rigor and high expectations. Performance assessments, such as exhibitions and portfolios of student work, not only allow students to demonstrate what they know and can do, but they also reflect individual student interests and help to improve preparation for success in postsecondary education and work.

Urban Education Task Force
The report outlines seven recommendations to improve urban education in Rhode Island, and calls on educators, community leaders, elected and appointed public servants, the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, school district leaders, parents and students to work together to implement an agenda for improving urban education statewide. These initiatives are part of a comprehensive agenda for urban education in the state that includes improving early literacy, expanding learning time, developing innovation, creating multiple pathways for at-risk students and collaborating across districts and schools.

Charles A. Dana Center
Worked with the Dana Center to align mathematics and science curriculum, instruction, and assessment to one other and to the state standards across all districts in the state.

PK–16 Council
Established the Governor’s PK-16 Council to create a seamless, coherent state system of education with alignment between elementary and secondary education, higher education, and workforce development.

Education Data Warehouse
RIDE built a data warehouse that holds all state education data and will include tools for data analysis and public reporting.