We wish each of you safe and happy holidays, and will send the next Friends Memo on January 9.
Dear Friends,
Last Wednesday, we launched our School and District Report Card and, with it, released 2018 results for school accountability. The most visible change is that we now assign a Star Rating to every public school in the state. Ranging from 1 to 5 stars, the Star Rating simplifies and summarizes overall school performance, providing an easy-to-understand snapshot for families and communities.
Unlike past accountability systems, which use an aggregated score, the Star Rating is determined using a broader range of performance measures. Schools must perform well across all measures to earn a high Star Rating. In other words, high performance in a single category cannot mask low performance in another.
The primary drivers of accountability, and of Star Ratings, are student achievement and student growth, measured through performance on state assessments. These measures are rounded out by a more expansive view of school climate, culture, and achievement, including such measures as student and teacher chronic absence, and suspension rates.
The Report Card platform, which we built in-house at RIDE, includes these accountability data and other important sources of information, including data on school-level spending and SurveyWorks, the state’s school culture and climate survey. The platform provides a one-stop source for educators, policymakers, families, and communities to learn more about their schools, and provides a new level of data transparency and accessibility for education in our state.
To explore the Report Card platform and learn more about school accountability, visit our website.
Update on education regulations
The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education has voted to give final approval to the Regulations Governing the Education of Children with Disabilities and school nutrition regulations, also known as the Regulations Governing Nutritional Requirements for Reimbursable Meals and Competitive Foods and Beverages. These are the final RIDE regulations to go through a statewide revision process that aimed to streamline regulations across government agencies, and make them more uniform and accessible for the public.
Both the special education and nutrition regulations are posted online and have been filed with the Office of Regulatory Reform (ORR).
As part of public comment on the special education regulations, RIDE received feedback that advocates and families would benefit from a single document where the state’s regulatory language and federal regulations could be more easily navigated and understood. In response, we developed a companion document that we encourage advocates, families, and educators to review. Your feedback is welcome, and comments and suggestions will be accepted through January 31, 2019, when a final version will be published. Comments can be emailed to karen.lovett@ride.ri.gov.
Thank you to all who provided public comment and participated in the revision process for all of the revised education regulations. We appreciate your feedback and support, and hope that the regulations, as revised, make it easier for you and your school community to understand education policy in our state. All of the regulations that fall under the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education can be viewed on the RIDE website.
Staff updates at RIDE
RIDE is excited to announce the following staff updates:
Cecelia Pelkey will be joining RIDE as our Chief Legal Counsel. Immediately before joining RIDE, Cecelia was a Principal Economic and Policy Analyst in the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Regulatory Reform and her portfolio focused on education and health. Her work included guiding agencies, including RIDE, through a regulatory revision process and executing various discreet special projects related to state budgetary issues. Cecelia is admitted to practice law in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York. You can contact Cecelia by email at cecelia.pelkey@ride.ri.gov.
Spencer Sherman will be taking on the role of Director of the Office of College and Career Readiness. For the past 18 months, Spencer has successfully managed the PrepareRI initiative. He has led and expanded the PrepareRI Ambassador program, developed the CTE Innovation and Equity Grants program, and created new project management systems for both RIDE and external partners. Before coming to Rhode Island, Spencer worked as a dean and teacher in New Orleans public schools. You can contact Spencer by email at spencer.sherman@ride.ri.gov or at (401) 222-8182.
Pascale Pierre Thompson will be taking on the role of Associate Director, School Improvement. Pascale has been a member of the RIDE charter team for more than two years and has successfully streamlined and facilitated the charter new seats process. She revamped the charter school application and evaluation process, resulting in higher expectations for new charter applicants and existing charter schools seeking to expand. Prior to her time at RIDE, Pascale was a founding school leader and middle school teacher in New York City. You can contact Pascale at pascale.thompson@ride.ri.gov or (401) 222-8255.
Congratulations to Cecelia, Spencer, and Pascale, who will start their roles on January 7, 2019.