200 R.I. Code R. 200-RICR-20-10-1.1

Current through December 3, 2024

Section 200-RICR-20-10-1.1 - Setting Directions for the Local Education Agency

1.1.1 AUTHORITY, SCOPE, AND PURPOSE OF THE BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM

A. The Basic Education Program (BEP) is a set of regulations promulgated by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education pursuant to its delegated statutory authority to determine standards for the Rhode Island public education system and the maintenance of local appropriation to support its implementation under R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-60-4.

B. The BEP must be read in concert with all other applicable legal mandates, under both federal and state law, in order to ascertain the full rights afforded to every student in the Rhode Island public education system. The BEP, along with the other applicable regulations and standards promulgated and adopted by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education, is designed to ensure that high-quality education is available to all public school students, regardless of where they reside or which school they attend. The standards set forth in this title are designed to be measurable in order to determine compliance with the law and, more generally, to determine whether equality of educational opportunity is being provided at the local level.

C. Central to the concept of equal educational opportunity is the presence of a basic level of academic and support programs that demonstrate substantial compliance with established qualitative standards, coupled with a demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement, including a sufficiency of resources dedicated to those efforts. Though each Local Education Agency (LEA) may offer additional options to its students, each student must be provided equal access to at least the services that are described in these regulations. It is not required that every school offer every service detailed in the BEP, but it is required that LEAs ensure equal access to mandated services for each and every student. Information gathered as a result of measuring LEA compliance with the BEP will allow different constituencies to bring an informed perspective to the ongoing process of improving the Rhode Island public education system. The BEP is regulatory in nature and, as such, has full force of law.

1.1.2Council on Elementary and Secondary Education Expectations for a Statewide Education System

A. Establishing Requirements for the Basic Education Program.

1. The mission of the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education is to lead and support schools and communities in ensuring that all students achieve at the high levels needed to lead fulfilling and productive lives, to succeed in academic and employment settings, and to contribute to society.

2. In order to fulfill its mission, the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education has articulated the requirements for the BEP for all LEAs that ensure that every public school student will have equal access to a high quality, rigorous, and equitable array of educational opportunities from PK-12. The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education has established substantive and measurable standards and requirements for curriculum, instruction, and assessment systems; student and family supports for academic work and career success; and administration, management, and accountability. In establishing these requirements, the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education was intentional in its integration of 21st century student skills and outcomes, i.e., the economic, civic, language, cultural, and global competencies Rhode Island students will need to become lifelong learners and global citizens.

B. Aligned and Cohesive Education System Dedicated to Continuous Improvement

1. The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education believes that an aligned and cohesive education system is required in order to ensure that all Rhode Island students are adequately prepared for life beyond secondary education. This aligned and cohesive education system shall be focused on student achievement and student mastery of skills needed to succeed as lifelong learners, workers, and citizens. To accomplish the delivery of a sound, high-quality education to every student, the school, LEA, and state must ensure that policies, programs, and systems are connected and directed toward the common purpose of improving achievement for all students. The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education recognizes that this aligned, cohesive system actively operates within the larger context of social, human, and education systems that affect all Rhode Islanders throughout their lives.

2. The BEP provides a framework with which the state and LEA can work in concert to improve education results for all students in Rhode Island. The BEP is anchored in the philosophy of continuous improvement and is characterized by collaboration and teamwork among the education partners who share a commitment to improving education. The BEP requires that all public education systems be aligned and integrated so as to support student achievement.

C. Building Capacity for a Cohesive and Aligned System

1. The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education acknowledges that implementing an aligned, cohesive system requires a long-term investment in building the capacity of individuals, institutions, and educational communities to develop the knowledge, skills, and resources for effecting sustainable improvement.

2. The four essential capacities that require ongoing development at every level of the system include:

a. Focused, visionary, accountable Leadership;

b. Active, responsive, dynamic Personnel Supports;

c. Organized, accessible, transparent Infrastructure; and,

d. High quality, rigorous, and authentic Content.

3. The presence or absence of capacity-building - from state to district, from district to school, and from school to classroom - is the determinative factor in the success or failure of educational improvement efforts.

D. Functions and Indicators for the Education System

1. In order to ensure implementation of the BEP, the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education directs the Commissioner of Education, with appropriate input from affected constituencies, to establish a set of functions and performance indicators at all levels of the education system. The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education directs the Commissioner to design and implement a clear and focused quality assurance system for monitoring and improving the effectiveness of the systems. The Commissioner shall develop and issue applicable guidance to ensure LEA implementation.

1.1.3Expectations for the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Implementing the Basic Education Program

A. Responsibilities of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

1. The primary responsibility of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) is to ensure the full implementation of the Rhode Island Comprehensive Education Strategy (CES) by developing and implementing a standards-based approach for each element of the BEP. The BEP sets forth or incorporates standards established by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education in all regulated areas deemed essential to guarantee the provision of a minimally adequate education for all public school students. It is the responsibility of RIDE to develop relevant standards for adoption by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education, to develop and maintain systems to accurately measure compliance with said standards, to develop statewide operational systems that reduce costs and burdens at the local level, to work with each LEA to improve performance at the local level, and to ensure that the LEA is effective in support of its schools.

B. Functions of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

1. RIDE fulfills its leadership role in ensuring an alignment of effort in the full implementation of the BEP requirements by carrying out the following functions:

a. Establishing clear expectations for systems, educators, and students;

b. Providing systems with the capacity and resources to enable LEAs to meet state expectations;

c. Ensuring quality assurance and quality control of LEA efforts through an effective system of indicators, data collection, analysis, and public reporting; and

d. Leveraging innovative partnerships to ensure fidelity of implementation and to overcome barriers to improvement.

2. In carrying out its leadership role, RIDE has a responsibility to exercise its authority under state and federal law to intervene in LEAs and schools that are not closing student achievement gaps, are not continuously improving, or are not reaching state performance standards.

1.1.4Expectations for the Local Education Agency in Implementing the Basic Education Program

A. Responsibilities of the Local Education Agency

1. The primary responsibility of the LEA is to create and sustain high quality learning environments that meet the standards set forth in the BEP. In these regulations, the LEA includes the governing board, central-level and school-level personnel. The LEA shall ensure that learning is at all times the ultimate focus of every individual employed by the agency. Full implementation of the BEP requires that student learning be the primary reference point for decision making, responsive policy development, resource allocation, and personnel assignment and evaluation.

2. To carry out its primary responsibility, each LEA requires able, informed leadership and management at all levels of its system (governing board, central administration, school and classroom) that can guide, motivate, and support implementation of the BEP. The administration, management and accountability of LEA leadership are specified in §§1.4.1, 1.4.2, and 1.4.3 of this Part.

3. Each LEA shall ensure that its schools are compliant with the BEP, as well as with all other requirements related to student achievement as measured by state and local assessments. To fulfill these responsibilities, the LEA shall identify and/or develop appropriate measures to ensure LEA effectiveness and efficiency that shall include, but not be limited to, the seven LEA functions identified by RIDE. This integrated framework of functions, outlined below, builds a common language regarding the specific collective behaviors that are required in order to improve learning for both students and educators and serves as a common point of reference for school, district, and state agency operations and improvement efforts.

B. Functions of the Local Education Agency

1. Each LEA shall address seven core functions in order to ensure that all of its schools are providing an adequate education to every student:

a. Lead the Focus on Learning and Achievement. The LEA shall provide on-site direction that continuously guides site-based leadership; identify expectations and accountability for implementation of proven practices; and address barriers to implementation of identified educational goals.

b. Recruit, Support, and Retain Highly Effective Staff. The LEA shall recruit, identify, mentor, support, and retain effective staff; build the capacity of staff to meet organizational expectations; and provide job-embedded professional development based on student need.

c. Guide the Implementation of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. The LEA shall provide access to rigorous, guaranteed, and viable curricula for all students; ensure differentiated instructional strategies, materials, and assessments; and build systems that provide opportunities for common planning and assessment.

d. Use Information for Planning and Accountability. The LEA shall develop and implement proficiency-based comprehensive assessment systems; distribute results of measured school progress and student performance; and maintain responsive and accessible information systems.

e. Engage Families and the Community. The LEA shall implement effective family and community communication systems; engage families and the community to promote positive student achievement and behavior; and provide adult and alternative learning opportunities integrated with community needs.

f. Foster Safe and Supportive Environments for Students and Staff. The LEA shall address the physical, social, and emotional needs of all students; ensure safe school facilities and learning environments; and require that every student has at least one adult accountable for his or her learning.

g. Ensure Equity and Adequacy of Fiscal and Human Resources. The LEA shall identify and provide requisite resources to meet student needs; allocate fiscal and human resources based on student need and overcome barriers to effective resource allocation at the school level.

200 R.I. Code R. 200-RICR-20-10-1.1