Chapter 089 |
2019 -- H 5008 SUBSTITUTE B Enacted 07/08/2019 |
A N A C T |
RELATING TO EDUCATION - CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT AND STANDARDS FOR ALL STUDENTS |
Introduced By: Representatives McNamara, Casimiro, Ackerman, Amore, and Lyle |
Date Introduced: January 03, 2019 |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
SECTION 1. Chapter 16-22 of the General Laws entitled "Curriculum [See Title 16 |
Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended by adding thereto |
the following sections: |
16-22-30. Statewide academic standards. |
(a) The council on elementary and secondary education (the "council") shall direct the |
commissioner of elementary and secondary education (the "commissioner") to institute a process |
to develop statewide academic standards for the core subjects of mathematics, English language |
arts, science and technology, history and social studies, world languages, and the arts. This |
process shall: |
(1) Be open and consultative; |
(2) Include, but need not be limited to, a culturally and racially diverse group of |
classroom teachers and students; and |
(3) Include, but need not be limited to, reviewing and revising current standards, as well |
as adopting new ones, if deemed appropriate. |
(b) The commissioner shall develop the statewide academic standards pursuant to this |
section by no later than December 31, 2019, and again as required by the council's procedures set |
forth in subsection (f) of this section. The standards shall: |
(1) Cover grades prekindergarten through grade twelve (PK-12); |
(2) Clearly set forth the skills, competencies, and knowledge expected to be demonstrated |
by all students at the conclusion of individual grades or grade spans; |
(3) Be formulated so as to set high expectations for student performance; |
(4) Provide clear and specific examples that embody and reflect these high expectations; |
(5) Be constructed with due regard to the established research and recommendations of |
national organizations, to the best of similar efforts in other states, and to the level of skills, |
competencies, and knowledge possessed by typical students in the most educationally-advanced |
nations. The skills, competencies, and knowledge set forth in the standards shall define the |
performance outcomes expected of both students directly entering the workforce and of students |
pursuing higher education. In addition, the skills, competencies, and knowledge set forth in the |
standards shall inform the design and implementation of the Rhode Island comprehensive |
assessment system ("RICAS") in mathematics, English language arts, and science and |
technology. The RICAS shall align with federal law, be in place for no fewer than ten (10) years, |
and facilitate comparisons of students of other states and nations; |
(6) Be designed to instill respect for the cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity of this state, |
and for the contributions made by diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial groups to the life of this |
state; |
(7) Be designed to avoid perpetuating gender, cultural, ethnic, or racial stereotypes; |
(8) Reflect sensitivity to different learning styles; |
(9) Reflect sensitivity to impediments to learning, which may include issues related to, |
but not limited to, cultural, financial, emotional, health, and social factors; and |
(10) Be in a form readily comprehensible by the general public. |
(c) This section shall not require the abandonment of any standards already in place, so |
long as the commissioner determines that said these standards meet the statewide goals contained |
herein. |
(d) The commissioner shall submit a copy of the standards to the council for approval at |
least sixty (60) days prior to the standards taking effect. |
(e) Upon approval, the council shall make the standards available to the public. |
(f) The council shall develop procedures for updating, improving, or refining standards |
pursuant to this section by no later than September 1, 2021. The procedures shall include a |
requirement that the council review and evaluate the standards regularly to ensure that the high |
quality of the standards is maintained. The review cycle shall begin in 2025, with subsequent |
reviews taking place in 2029, 2033, and every four (4) years thereafter. |
(g) On or before December 1, 2020, and annually thereafter on or before December 1, the |
commissioner shall report to the governor, president of the senate, and the speaker of the house, |
regarding the standards developed and reviewed pursuant to this section. |
16-22-31. Curriculum frameworks. |
(a)(1) The council on elementary and secondary education (the "council") shall direct the |
commissioner of elementary and secondary education (the "commissioner") to institute a process |
to develop curriculum frameworks for mathematics, English language arts, science and |
technology, history and social studies, world languages, and the arts. This process shall: |
(i) Be open and consultative; |
(ii) Include, but need not be limited to, a culturally and racially diverse group of |
classroom teachers and students; and |
(iii) Include, but need not be limited to, reviewing and revising current frameworks, as |
well as developing new ones, if deemed appropriate. |
(2) The process may include, but need not be limited to, community groups, cultural |
organizations, parents, teacher preparation programs, and leading college and university figures in |
both subject matter disciplines and pedagogy. |
(b) The commissioner shall develop the curriculum frameworks pursuant to this section |
by no later than September 1, 2021, and again as required by the council's procedures set forth in |
subsection (e) of this section. The curriculum frameworks developed by the commissioner shall: |
(1) Present broad, research-based pedagogical approaches and strategies to assist |
students develop the skills, competencies, and knowledge called for by the statewide standards |
provided in § 16-22-30; |
(2) Provide sufficient detail to guide and inform processes for the education, professional |
development, certification, and evaluation of both active and aspiring teachers and administrators; |
(3) Provide sufficient detail to guide the implementation of student assessment |
instruments; |
(4) Be constructed to guide and assist teachers, administrators, publishers, software |
developers, and other interested parties in the development and selection of curricula, textbooks, |
technology, and other instructional materials, and in the design of pedagogical approaches and |
strategies for use in elementary, secondary, and career and technical schools; |
(5) Be aligned with the state's commitment to college and career readiness; |
(6) Encourage demanding real-world application, multi-disciplinary multidisciplinary |
problem solving, integration of academic and career and technical education curriculum, project- |
based learning, performance assessment, team teaching, and alignment of classroom instruction |
with work-based learning opportunities; |
(7) Promote better alignment with postsecondary curriculum and instruction, including, |
but not limited to, the expansion and/or use of dual enrollment and dual credit opportunities for |
high school students that help them with the postsecondary transition, persistence, and attainment |
of a credential; |
(8) Encourage capstone projects and associated performance assessments that provide |
students the opportunity to demonstrate holistic proficiency with respect to research, cross- |
disciplinary problem solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and oral defense; |
(9) Present specific, pedagogical approaches and strategies to meet the academic and |
non-academic nonacademic needs of English learner, economically disadvantaged, special |
education, and academically advanced students; |
(10) Be designed to avoid perpetuating gender, cultural, ethnic, or racial stereotypes; |
(11) Reflect sensitivity to different learning styles; |
(12) Reflect sensitivity to impediments to learning, which may include issues related to, |
but not limited to, cultural, financial, emotional, health, and social factors; and |
(13) Be in a form readily comprehensible by the general public. |
(c) The commissioner shall submit a copy of the frameworks to the council for approval |
at least sixty (60) days prior to the frameworks taking effect. |
(d) Upon approval, the council shall make the frameworks available to the public. |
(e) The council shall develop procedures for updating, improving, or refining curriculum |
frameworks pursuant to this section by no later than September 1, 2021. The procedures shall |
include a requirement that the council review and evaluate the frameworks regularly to ensure |
that the high quality of the frameworks is maintained. The review cycle shall begin in 2025, with |
subsequent reviews taking place in 2029, 2033, and every four (4) years thereafter. |
(f) On or before December 1, 2020, and annually thereafter on or before December 1, the |
commissioner shall report to the governor, president of the senate, and the speaker of the house, |
regarding the curriculum frameworks developed and reviewed pursuant to this section. |
16-22-32. High quality curriculum and materials. |
(a)(1) The council on elementary and secondary education (the "council") shall direct the |
commissioner of elementary and secondary education (the "commissioner") to institute a process |
for reviewing and identifying curriculum and materials for mathematics, English language arts, |
and science and technology that meet the following requirements: |
(i) Is aligned with the academic standards provided in § 16-22-30; |
(ii) Is aligned with the curriculum frameworks provided in § 16-22-31; |
(iii) Is aligned with the RICAS, or any other test that is adopted as a statewide |
standardized test; and |
(iv) Is of high quality. |
(2) The commissioner shall identify at least five (5) examples each of curricula for |
mathematics and English language arts pursuant to this section by no later than January 1, 2021, |
for science and technology pursuant to this section by no later than January 1, 2024, and again as |
required by the council's procedures set forth in subsection (a)(8) of this section. Once identified, |
the curricula shall be made available to the public, subject to copyright considerations. |
(3) The commissioner shall direct all local education agencies ("LEAs") to select one of |
the identified high-quality curricula and materials by the time of their next adoption cycle, but in |
any case, no later than June 30, 2023, for mathematics and English language arts, and no later |
than June 30, 2025, for science and technology. LEAs shall select curriculum and materials that |
are responsive to the LEA's cultural and linguistic needs, and support culturally responsive |
practices. LEAs shall implement the high-quality curricula and materials at the start of the school |
year that immediately follows the selection. If an LEA is unable to implement the high-quality |
curricula and materials fully due to financial hardship, the commissioner may grant the LEA an |
extension of time, provided that the LEA demonstrates continued efforts to complete the |
implementation. |
(4) The commissioner shall institute a waiver process for LEAs that would like to use a |
curriculum other than any identified by the commissioner pursuant to this section. Part of that |
process may include, but is not limited to, asking the LEA to: |
(i) Develop local curriculum goals; |
(ii) Communicate the rationale for selecting the proposed curriculum over any of the |
curricula identified by the commissioner; and |
(iii) Engage a third-party reviewer that has a proven track record of curriculum audits to |
review the proposed curriculum to ensure it aligns with state standards, establishes the scope and |
sequence of instruction, is of high quality, is culturally relevant, and to discuss any other strengths |
and weaknesses. |
(5) Waiver determinations made pursuant to subsection (a)(4) of this section shall be |
appealable to the board of education. |
(6) Any LEA that has at least seventy-five percent (75%) of its students meeting |
expectations on state assessments and also has no student subgroup identified for targeted |
assistance under Rhode Island's accountability process may select and use curricula and materials |
other than any identified by the commissioner pursuant to this section for that subject area, only; |
provided, however, that if the LEA no longer has at least seventy-five percent (75%) of its |
students meeting expectations on state assessments, or if any student subgroup is identified for |
targeted assistance under Rhode Island’s accountability process, the LEA must select and |
implement one of the curricula identified by the commissioner pursuant to this section. |
(7) LEAs shall develop and execute a curriculum implementation plan that includes |
professional development to ensure that all teachers and administrators are prepared to implement |
the new curriculum with the necessary skill and knowledge. |
(8) The council shall develop procedures for updating the identification of curricula and |
materials pursuant to this section by no later than September 1, 2021. The procedures shall |
include a requirement that the council review and evaluate the identified curricula and materials |
regularly to ensure that the high quality of the curricula and materials is maintained. The review |
cycle shall begin in 2025, with subsequent reviews taking place in 2029, 2033, and every four (4) |
years thereafter. |
(b) On or before December 1, 2020, and annually thereafter on or before December 1, the |
commissioner shall report to the governor, president of the senate, and the speaker of the house, |
regarding the progress toward fulfilling the requirements of this section, including, but not limited |
to, the high-quality curricula and materials identified, selected, and implemented by LEAs |
pursuant to this section. |
(c) The state shall establish a professional development fund to provide professional |
learning to LEAs that elect to use prioritized curricula and materials in mathematics and English |
language arts as identified by the commissioner. |
(d) For the purposes of this section, “local education agencies” (“LEAs”) shall include all |
of the following within the state of Rhode Island: |
(1) Public school districts; |
(2) Regional school districts; |
(3) State-operated schools; |
(4) Regional collaborative schools; and |
(5) Charter schools. |
16-22-33. Curriculum implementation accountability. |
(a) Once local education agencies ("LEAs") select high-quality curriculum and materials |
pursuant to § 16-22-32, the department of elementary and secondary education (the "department") |
shall identify an LEA assistance partner from within the department to provide any and all |
support requested by the LEA or individual schools within the LEA regarding access to, |
implementation of, and professional development for the curriculum and materials. |
(b) The LEA assistance partner shall meet with teachers, principals, administrators, or |
other school officials of the LEA to which they are assigned at a school within the LEA on a |
regular basis, which shall be no less frequently than every three (3) months, to discuss the |
progress toward implementing the curriculum and materials effectively. Areas of discussion may |
include, but are not limited to: |
(i) (1) Barriers to learning and plans to eliminate said barriers; |
(ii) (2) Best practices regarding pedagogical techniques given the diversity of the student |
population being served; |
(iii) (3) Where to locate additional professional development resources; and |
(iv) (4) Implementation strategies that have been successful to share with other LEAs that |
are using the same curriculum and materials. |
(c) The LEA assistance partner shall tour all schools within its assigned LEA with at least |
one teacher and the principal or assistant principal: |
(i) (1) To observe challenges teachers are facing while implementing the curriculum and |
materials; |
(ii) (2) To discuss with the teacher and principal or assistant principal ideas to help |
resolve those challenges; and |
(iii) (3) To answer any questions regarding the curriculum or implementation thereof. |
(d) The LEA assistance partner shall have follow-up meetings at schools within their |
assigned LEA as often as requested by an individual school or the entire LEA to ensure all |
educators are comfortable implementing the curriculum effectively. |
(e) The LEA assistance partner shall report to the department no less frequently than |
every three (3) months regarding the status of curriculum implementation at the schools within |
their assigned LEA. |
(f) The commissioner is hereby authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary |
to implement the provisions of this section. |
(g) For the purposes of this section, “local education agencies” (“LEAs”) shall include all |
of the following within the state of Rhode Island: |
(1) Public school districts; |
(2) Regional school districts; |
(3) State-operated schools; |
(4) Regional collaborative schools; and |
(5) Charter schools. |
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC000222/SUB B |
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