Race to the Top. Rhode Island Report. Year 3: School Year 2012-2013. [State-Specific Summary Report]
Author: Department of Education (ED)
Date: 2014-03-19
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Academic Standards,Accountability,Achievement Gap,Administrator Effectiveness,Alignment (Education),Budgets,Career Readiness,Charter Schools,College Readiness,Core Curriculum,Data,Educational Assessment,Educational Change,Educational Improvement,Elementary Secondary Education,Federal Legislation,Federal Aid,Educational Legislation,Federal Programs,Formative Evaluation,Grants,Higher Education,Language Arts,Leadership Effectiveness,Literacy,Low Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Measurement Objectives,Models,Outcomes of Education,Partnerships in Education,Poverty,Principals,Professional Development,Program Effectiveness,Program Implementation,School Districts,School Effectiveness,School Turnaround,State Government,State Standards,STEM Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Evaluation,Student Characteristics,National Competency Tests

This State-specific summary report serves as an assessment of Rhode Island's Year 3 Race to the Top implementation, highlighting successes and accomplishments, identifying challenges, and providing lessons learned from implementation from approximately September 2012 through September 2013. In Year 3, many initiatives that were in the development stage at the State-level transitioned to the implementation phase in local education agencies (LEAs), including the educator and building administrator evaluation systems, data systems, and supports and programs for the State's lowest-performing schools. The State continued to rely upon performance management and LEA support structures developed in Year 2, including the EdStat process and Collaborative Learning for Outcomes quarterly meetings. The State continued to support groups of teachers from multiple LEAs in developing model kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) curriculum guides and units of study. The State released the Instructional Management System statewide at the start of SY 2012-2013. The State made progress on projects related to supporting teachers and leaders. In Year 3, all Rhode Island LEAs implemented their educator evaluation systems. Every educator developed multiple Student Learning Objectives and building leaders conducted observations and conferences throughout the school year. The State was successful in supporting statewide implementation of educator and building administrator evaluation systems by providing significant training and technical assistance focused on quality of implementation. In addition, the State continued to support two alternative teacher certification programs that brought 57 teachers to urban traditional and charter public schools in fall 2012. In addition, the State completed its first year of the Turnaround Leaders Program, graduating four candidates into leadership positions in schools that were identified for improvement under the State's approved Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility request. Finally, the State supported two pilot programs to create a teacher-leader pathway and a criterion-based principal compensation system. In SY 2012-2013, the State provided the full array of planned Race to the Top supports and training to teachers and leaders in its lowest-performing schools. These supports included principal coaching, evaluation system support, and a summer institute focused on planning and implementing School Reform Plans. In the area of charter schools, the State awarded two $250,000 expansion grants and one $250,000 development grant. The Board of Regents also approved two additional charter schools to begin operations in fall 2013. Finally, the State made mathematics modules available to LEAs to increase proficiency among high school students at risk of failing. [For &quot;Race to the Top. Rhode Island Report. Year 1: School Year 2010-2011. [State-Specific Summary Report],&quot; see ED529328. For &quot;Race to the Top. Rhode Island Report. Year 2: School Year 2011-2012. [State-Specific Summary Report],&quot; see ED539243.]