Race to the Top. Rhode Island Report. Year 4: School Year 2013-2014. [State-Specific Summary Report]
Author: Department of Education (ED)
Date: 2015-04-00
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 2013 through September 2014. Building upon the successes of Years 1 through 3, in Year 4 the State continued implementation of all planned projects and supported local education agencies (LEAs) in building their capacity to continue this work after the grant period. The State maintained its performance management processes within Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and between RIDE and LEAs to ensure projects were being implemented as planned. The Collaborative Learning for Outcomes sessions provided LEA leaders with an opportunity to problem solve and share best practices. With many work streams occurring at the LEA level, RIDE shifted its focus to providing targeted technical assistance to LEAs through trainings, online modules and materials, and face-to-face supports across project areas. In addition, RIDE worked to draw connections between initiatives, in particular the State's work around standards and assessments and evaluation system implementation. By the end of Year 4 the State provided all planned supports for the standards transition and completed development of the full range of planned Common Core State Standards (CCSS)-aligned interim assessments. In SY 2013-2014 all Rhode Island LEAs implemented new educator evaluation systems for the second year and the State provided multiple kinds of professional development to support instructional practice. In Year 4, RIDE worked with educator preparation programs to develop resources to implement the new standards. In addition, RIDE released educator preparation program profiles online, which include the number of program completers to attain certification and find employment in the State, evaluation data on newly hired completers, demographic data, and information on the academic achievement of candidates. Rhode Island executed nearly all its Race to the Top plan by the end of the four-year grant period, with a few projects planned for the no-cost extension period. During the grant period the State added value to LEAs' efforts by drawing attention to critical implementation components, for example, by providing analyses of new data sources like the evaluation system, and by convening groups of teachers, leaders, and superintendents to discuss the assessments transition and data system updates. As of the end of Year 4, the State's fiscal constraints limited the extent to which the State could provide supports or create opportunities for LEA collaboration, which will require the State to consider alternative strategies. [For &quot;Race to the Top. Rhode Island Report. Year 1: School Year 2010-2011. [State-Specific Summary Report],&quot; see ED529328. For Race to the Top. Rhode Island Report. Year 2: School Year 2011-2012. [State-Specific Summary Report], see ED539243. For &quot;Race to the Top. Rhode Island Report. Year 3: School Year 2012-2013. [State-Specific Summary Report],&quot; see ED580326.]