2020 -- S 2506

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LC004886

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CURRICULUM

     Introduced By: Senators Satchell, Sheehan, Seveney, Lawson, and Gallo

     Date Introduced: February 25, 2020

     Referred To: Senate Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 16-97.1 of the General Laws entitled "Education Accountability Act

[Effective January 1, 2020]" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     16-97.1-3. Interventions database.

     (a) By June 1, 2022, the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education

(the “department”) shall create a database of instructional intervention strategies used by individual

schools and local education agencies (“LEAs”). The intervention database shall be maintained by

the department and updated annually, by June 1.

     (b) The database shall contain, but is not limited to, the following information:

     (1) The grade or grade span for which the intervention is applicable;

     (2) The skill or subject area the intervention is designed to develop;

     (3) The name of the LEA(s) and individual school(s) that currently use the intervention;

     (4) The school year each LEA or individual school began using the intervention;

     (5) The school year each LEA or individual school stopped using the intervention, if

applicable, and why;

     (6) At least one statistic, data point, or other measure showing whether and to what extent

the intervention has been successful while in use;

     (7) The name and contact information for at least two (2) individuals at the LEA or

individual school with appropriate knowledge and understanding of how to implement the

intervention and use it effectively; provided that:

     (i) The individual provides consent prior to being included as a contact person; and

     (ii) The contact information is associated with the LEA or individual school.

     (8) A brief description of conditions that, if present, would indicate using the particular

intervention may be appropriate; and

     (9) A place for notes, should the LEA or individual school determine that something about

the information provided for that particular intervention requires an additional brief explanation.

     (c) The database shall:

     (1) Be a spreadsheet;

     (2) Be available on the department’s website;

     (3) Include interventions previously used by LEAs or individual schools; and

     (4) Be easily sorted by several data points including, but not limited to:

     (i) Individual grade level;

     (ii) Span of grade levels; and

     (iii) Skill or subject area.

     (d) By no later than January 1, 2021, and by every January 1 thereafter, the department

shall provide LEAs with a form to collect the information required by this section. The form may

include requests for additional information from LEAs not identified in this section that the

department deems appropriate to include in the database, provided that:

     (1) The requested information is relevant to intervention strategies; and

     (2) Student privacy is protected.

     (e) By no later than May 1, 2021, and by every May 1 thereafter, LEAs shall return the

completed form to the department.

     (f) By no later than July 1, 2022, and every July 1 thereafter, RIDE shall review the

information provided by LEAs to evaluate whether the interventions are helping improve the

targeted skills.

     (g) Should the information provided pursuant to subsection (e) of this section show a trend

that an LEA or an individual school is using an intervention that is not improving a targeted skill,

the department shall meet and collaborate with the LEA or individual school before the start of the

next school year to identify the root cause(s), and establish ways to address the root cause(s). Root

causes may be addressed by actions including, but not limited to:

     (1) Additional training or support for the LEA or individual school in the proper use of the

intervention that is provided by or facilitated through the department; and

     (2) Selecting a different intervention, as long as:

     (i) The department provides or facilitates training for the LEA or individual school to

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ensure proper implementation; and

     (ii) The original intervention has been used in the LEA or individual school for at least

three (3) full academic years.

     (h) Any actions pursuant to subsection (g) of this section shall be completed no later than

sixty (60) calendar days after selection.

     (i) When an LEA or individual school discontinues the use of an intervention, regardless

of the reason, the information about the intervention shall remain in the database to allow other

LEAs or individual schools to benefit from the prior experience. The information may be removed

from the database if the strategy:

     (1) Conflicts with state or federal laws; or

     (2) Has been widely accepted as ineffective to develop the targeted skill.

     (j) By December 1, 2022, and by every December 1 thereafter, the department shall provide

a report to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate

that shall include, but is not limited to:

     (1) The extent to which LEAs and individual schools are utilizing the database; and

     (2) The successes and opportunities found in the interventions being used by LEAs and

individual schools around the state.

     (k) For the purposes of this section, “local education agency” includes all of the following

within the state:

     (1) Public school districts;

     (2) Regional school districts;

     (3) State-operated schools;

     (4) Regional collaborative schools; and

     (5) Charter schools and mayoral academies.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC004886

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CURRICULUM

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     This act would provide for the creation of a database of instructional intervention strategies

used by individual schools and local educational agencies.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC004886

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