Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 200 - Board of Education › Chapter 20 - Council on Elementary and Secondary Education › Subchapter 10 - Academic Standards, Programs and Operations › Part 6 - Regulations on Comprehensive Early Childhood Education (CECE) Programs › Section 200-RICR-20-10-6.6 - Early Learning Teaching and Learning Standards

Current through June 14, 2024
A. Standard Six: Curriculum
1. The following early learning and
				  development standards apply to all programs seeking approval.
2. Programs must have an evidence-based
				  written plan that describes program practices for supporting the learning of
				  each child based on their individual developmental levels, learning styles and
				  interests, and is informed by the Rhode Island Early Learning and Development
				  Standards for preschool and/or state endorsed standards for kindergarten as
				  approved by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education and published on
				  the RIDE website.
3 Program Level
a. The program shall have a written
				  curriculum aligned to the Rhode Island Early Learning and Development Standards
				  and/or state endorsed standards for kindergarten that on the RIDE endorsed list
				  of Early Childhood Education curriculums or is a RIDE approved locally
				  developed curriculum. This curriculum includes a description of how the program
				  will implement core components of the curriculum:
(1) Context;
(2) Content;
(3) Teaching and Facilitation;
(4) Process.
b. The curriculum shall describe how the
				  materials and equipment are intentionally chosen to support children's
				  learning, interests, and skills levels while:
(1) reflecting the lives of the children and
				  families;
(2) reflecting the
				  diversity found in society, including gender, age, language and
				  abilities;
(3) encouraging
				  exploration, experimentation, and discovery;
(4) organized to support independent
				  use;
(5) rotated to reflect
				  changing curriculum and accommodate new interests and skill levels;
(6) rich in variety; and
(7) accommodate children's developmental
				  delays and disabilities.
c. The curriculum shall guide teachers in the
				  development of a developmentally appropriate daily schedule that is
				  predictable, yet flexible and responsive to the needs of the
				  children.
d. The curriculum shall
				  guide teachers in incorporating content, concepts and activities that foster
				  and integrate the Rhode Island Early Learning and Development Standards and/or
				  state endorsed standards for kindergarten to support all children's
				  learning.
e. The curriculum shall
				  articulate the intentional teaching practices, such as learning through play,
				  and the mechanisms through which children attain developmentally appropriate
				  goals in all developmental domains.
f. The curriculum shall reflect the programs
				  understanding of how children learn and develop to guide teachers in meeting
				  the individual needs of children.
g. The curriculum shall act as a guide for
				  teachers in designing and implementing a variety evidence based strategies and
				  multi-level learning opportunities based on the assessment of the child's
				  developmental levels, learning styles and interests.
4. Classroom Level
a.
				   Classroom level instruction emerges from the program level
				  curriculum as it is translated into the daily experiences for the individual
				  children in the class. It is informed by the Rhode Island Early Learning and
				  Development Standards, and/or state endorsed standards for kindergarten, as
				  well as child assessment data and includes a variety of instructional
				  strategies and multilevel learning opportunities. It also encompasses teaching
				  staff roles, daily schedule, classroom environment, planned activities,
				  intentional practice and nurturing relationships.
5. Context
a.
				   Teachers shall design a learning environment that is well
				  organized, accessible to all children and equipped with clearly defined
				  learning areas which include, at a minimum, areas devoted to: construction,
				  dramatic play, discovery, books, manipulatives and creative
				  expression.
b. Teachers shall
				  organize space and select materials to stimulate exploration, experimentation,
				  discovery and conceptual learning in all developmental areas. These materials
				  shall be:
(1) chosen intentionally to support
				  children's learning goals;
(2)
				  well-maintained;
(3) organized and
				  labeled;
(4) easily accessible to
				  children;
(5) representative of the
				  interests, needs and cultures of children;
(6) age-appropriate;
(7) of sufficient quantity for the numbers of
				  children being served.
c. Teaching staff shall post, maintain, and
				  follow a regular daily schedule which allows flexibility to meet interests and
				  individual needs of the children. The schedule prioritizes play and
				  incorporates:
(1) a combination of
				  teacher-initiated and child-initiated activities;
(2) learning opportunities, experiences, and
				  projects that extend over the course of several days;
(3) large group, small group and individual
				  activities;
(4) indoor and outdoor
				  activities; and
(5) an age
				  appropriate balance between active and quiet activities.
d. The outdoor environment shall be used to
				  promote children's development and active physical play through intentional
				  curriculum planning.
6.
				  Content
a. Teachers shall intentionally plan
				  and imbed learning opportunities/activities aligned with the domains of the
				  Rhode Island Early Learning and Development Standards and/or state endorsed
				  standards for kindergarten to support all children's learning throughout the
				  day.
b. Teachers shall maintain a
				  method of documented planning that demonstrates that curriculum is based on the
				  Rhode Island Early Learning and Development Standards and/or state endorsed
				  standards for kindergarten. Plans should be written at least on a weekly basis
				  with adjustments as needed based on emerging needs, skills and interests of
				  children in the class.
7. Teaching and Facilitating
a. Teaching staff shall create a positive
				  learning environment by using a wide range of teaching strategies. Teaching
				  strategies shall be:
(1) based on information
				  gained through ongoing observation and documentation of children's behavior and
				  learning;
(2) supportive of
				  children's growth and development in the areas addressed in all domains;
				  and
(3) supportive of the
				  development of individual relationships through interactions that are
				  respectful of and sensitive and responsive to differing abilities,
				  temperaments, activity levels, culture and cognitive and social developmental
				  levels.
b. Teaching
				  staff shall implement curriculum in a manner that:
(1) reflects responsiveness to goals that
				  families have for their children;
(2) is informed by child assessment and
				  observation data; and
(3) supports
				  the development and maintenance of children's home language whenever possible
				  while promoting English language acquisition; while
(4) ensuring that all children have access to
				  universal curriculum, are active participants in classroom activities, and
				  provided accommodations, as needed, to facilitate such participation.
c. Teaching staff shall promote
				  children's learning by responding to their observed and documented need for and
				  interest in practicing emerging skills. Teaching staff shall:
(1) provide targeted and individualized
				  instruction;
(2) utilize
				  multi-level learning opportunities and a variety of instructional strategies to
				  support children's development;
(3)
				  use children's interest in and curiosity about the world to engage them with
				  new content and developmental skills; and
(4) provide children opportunities to affect
				  what happens in the classroom through participation in decision making about
				  issues concerning classroom behavior, plans, and activities.
d. Teaching staff shall promote
				  positive interactions with children by:
(1)
				  managing behavior, teaching and implementing classroom rules and expectations,
				  and helping individual children learn socially appropriate behavior by
				  providing positive guidance that is consistent with the child's level of
				  development;
(2) talking frequently
				  with children and listening to children with attention and respect through
				  responding to children's questions and requests, using multiples strategies to
				  communicate and build relationships with every child, and engage in meaningful
				  and extended conversation with each child;
(3) creating a positive environment through
				  their own behaviors, including frequent social conversations with children,
				  joint laughter and affection, eye contact, tone of voice and smiles;
(4) developing individual relationships with
				  children by providing care that is responsive, attentive, consistent,
				  comforting, supportive, and culturally sensitive; and
(5) providing children with opportunities to
				  affect what happens in the classroom through participation in decision making
				  about issues concerning classroom behavior, plans, and activities
e. When a child presents with
				  challenging behavior, teaching staff shall:
(1) Meet with parents/guardians to share
				  observations, listen to parental/guardian insights, and discuss intentions of
				  how best support the child's appropriate behavior.
(2) Observe the child, then identify events,
				  activities, interactions and other factors that predict and may contribute to
				  challenging behavior.
(3) Focus on
				  teaching the child social communication and emotional regulation skills and
				  using environmental modifications, activity modifications, adult or peer
				  support and other intervention strategies to support the child's appropriate
				  behavior rather than focusing only on eliminating the challenging
				  behavior.
(4) Respond to
				  challenging behavior, including physical aggression, in a manner that provides
				  for the safety of the child and others in the classroom, is calm and respectful
				  to the child, and provides the child with information about acceptable behavior
f. For all children,
				  staff shall not use food or outdoor play as a reward or as a behavior
				  consequence. Exceptions may only be made if specifically stated in a child's
				  Individualized Education Program (IEP).
g. For children requiring special education
				  services, teaching staff shall collaborate with special education professionals
				  and families to support children with disabilities and developmental delays to
				  succeed in inclusive environments and ensure each partner has access to
				  necessary information and supports for appropriate services.
h. When technology is used in a program,
				  technology shall be used for the purpose of extending learning within the
				  classroom to integrate and enrich the curriculum. Staff shall be actively
				  engaged in this process with children.
8. Process
a. Teachers shall implement curriculum
				  through play experiences that provide multiple opportunities for all children
				  to attain developmentally appropriate goals in each developmental
				  domain.
b. Teachers shall design
				  learning opportunities that integrate multiple goals.