2014 -- H 8363 AS AMENDED
Enacted 07/03/14
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION - THE RHODE ISLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION ACT
Introduced By: Representatives Amore, O'Brien, Marshall, Edwards, and O`Grady
Date Introduced: June 19, 2014
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Preamble
WHEREAS, Rhode Island is the only state that uses the New England Common Assessment Program ("NECAP") as a requirement for graduation. The other states that administer the NECAP (New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine) use the test as a means of measuring schools' and systems' performance, not individual student's diploma readiness.
WHEREAS, The results of the NECAP testing for the Rhode Island graduating class of 2014 reveal that students with special needs and English-language learners, are disproportionately disadvantaged. The NECAP may not be the most appropriate test to assess the knowledge of students with special needs or English language learners.
WHEREAS, A design flaw of the NECAP is that it is administered in the fall of the junior year, which adversely affects students who are poor, English language learners and special needs students as they suffer from the biggest "summer learning loss."
WHEREAS, The NECAP is not aligned
with the Common Core educational standards which that are being
implemented at this time. As such, the NECAP is not measuring what the
educators believe is essential in the common core for students to learn.
WHEREAS, As tThe
Commonwealth of Massachusetts reports that a key to their success in
implementing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
("MCAS"), was utilizing a test that was aligned to a
curriculum that was coordinated with the appropriate professional development
for their teachers. After about ten years with that curriculum, the MCAS was used
as a graduation requirement. The test, alone, did not improve
Massachusetts' student outcomes.
WHEREAS, If Rhode Island is to experience the student achievement outcomes of Massachusetts, the Common Core standards need to fully be in place for students in the lower grades as they advance. These younger learners will then be tested on their progress through the years. As those students reach high school, the expectation of a common core-aligned test as a graduation requirement would more closely follow the path of Massachusetts.
SECTION 2. Section 16-7.1-13 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-7.1 entitled "The Paul W. Crowley Rhode Island Student Investment Initiative" is hereby repealed.
16-7.1-13. State leadership in conducting annual
assessments of student performance. -- Setting high standards for student performance must be
paired with related assessments that will determine what progress the state is
making toward bringing all children to high levels of achievement. A state
assessment program shall be continued and expanded in core areas (mathematics,
reading, writing and health). The program shall include performance standards
and an annual report that disaggregates performance by race, poverty, native
language and gender. The general assembly shall annually appropriate funds to
support the programs, and the amount shall be recalculated annually. The
commissioner of education shall implement the state assessment program.
SECTION 3. Chapter 16-97 of the General Laws entitled "The Rhode Island Board of Education Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
16-97-8. Assessment of student performance. -- (a) The commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall implement the state assessment program. The program shall include performance standards and an annual report that disaggregates performance by race, poverty, native language, and gender.
(b) Prior to
the graduating class of 2017, no state assessment conducted pursuant to this
chapter, and no other standardized testing program or assessment, shall be used
to determine a student's eligibility to graduate from high school. Any such
assessments implemented prior to the graduating class of 2017, shall be
used to promote school improvement and to target remediation programs to
individual students and groups of students.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.
========
LC006030
========