Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements and the Implications for Students with Special Needs

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• Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements and the
  Implications for Students with Special Needs
• J. David Sienko
• RIDE Office of Special Populations

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Goal of this session

• Provide an overview of the RI High School
  Regulations
• Provide an overview of the RI Performance Based
  Graduation System also called the RI Diploma
  System
• Summarize some of the opportunities in this
  system for exceptional learners
• Questions Answers

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Rhode Island High School Regulations

• Board of Regents, January 2003 (www.ride.ri.gov)
• Literacy
• Graduation By Proficiency
• Personalization

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Rhode Island High School Regulations

• Literacy
• Assessment of all students
• Interventions
• Content Area Literacy
• Ramp-Up Intervention
• Intensive Intervention (Personal Literacy Plan)

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Rhode Island High School Regulations

• Personalization
• Implementation strategies to improve
  personalization by January 2005
• Includes
• Advisories
• Schools within Schools
• Academies
• Individual Learning Plans
• Flexible schedules
• Dual enrollment
• Grade level teaming
• Comprehensive Counseling

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Rhode Island High School Regulations

• Personalization
• Common planning time
• School Improvement Plans must include common
  planning time organized around students
  especially those with highest needs
• Professional Development
• 15 hours annually focused on the areas of
• Literacy
• Graduation by Proficiency
• Personalization

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Rhode Island High School Regulations

• Graduation By Proficiency
• demonstration of student proficiency that
  involves multiple measures of performance
• must be demonstrated through at least two of the
  following
• departmental end of course exams
• Certificate of Initial Mastery
• Portfolios
• extended "capstone" projects
• public exhibitions
• the use of technological tools

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Rhode Island High School Regulations

• Graduation By Proficiency
• Role of State Assessment
• Individual student results on state assessments
  should be used in some manner by the school to
  determine the students programming, and may be
  used in some manner as one of the components for
  graduation.

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Performance Based Graduation System (PBGR) or RI
Diploma System

• RIDE Guidance
• every student leaving RI public schools is well
  prepared for college and work.
• require districts to establish proficiency-based
  graduation requirements (PBGR) for all students
  beginning with the 2008 graduating class.

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Performance Based Graduation System (PBGR) or RI
Diploma System

• Proficiency Based on Statewide Standards
• Grade-Level and Grade-Span Expectations
  (GLEs-GSEs)
• identify the content knowledge and skills
  expected of all students for the state-wide
  assessments in reading, writing, and mathematics
  that will be used to meet the requirements of No
  Child Left Behind
• Evaluated Through State Local Assessment

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Performance Based Graduation System (PBGR) or RI
Diploma System

• RIDE Guidance
• Schools must provide students multiple
  opportunities over multiple years to develop the
  identified proficiencies and provide students
  feedback as to their progress toward the desired
  level of performance.

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Performance Based Graduation System (PBGR) or RI
Diploma System

• Three Components
• State Assessment
• Earned Carnegie Units (Credits)
• Local Proficiency Assessment

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State Assessment

• Districts may count student performance in State
  Assessment for up to 10 in their Diploma System
• Assessment Includes
• English Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Science (in 2008)

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Earned Carnegie Units (Credits)

• Districts must require a minimum of 20 credits in
  their diploma system
• English Language Arts (4 units)
• Mathematics (4 units)
• Science (set by district)
• Social Studies (set by district)
• Arts (set by district)
• Technology (set by district)

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Local Proficiency Assessment

• The intent of local proficiency based
  assessments is to measure deep content
  knowledge, to foster student interest, to
  cultivate the active use of knowledge, and
  prepare students for success in college and work.

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Local Proficiency Assessment

• Content Knowledge
• Knowledge of core concepts, big ideas, and
  driving questions in ELA, mathematics, science,
  social studies, the arts, and technology
• Applied Learning Skills
• Communication, problem solving, critical
  thinking, research, personal/social
  responsibility, and interpersonal skills across
  all disciplines and courses

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Local Proficiency Assessment

• Methods
• Exhibitions
• Capstone Projects
• Certificate of Initial Mastery
• Senior Project
• serve as a summative assessment of a students
  mastery

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Local Proficiency Assessment

• Methods
• Portfolios
• designed to collect evidence aligned with the
  schools requirements
• serve as formative and summative assessment of a
  students progress

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Local Proficiency Assessment

• Methods
• Common Tasks
• Task that are commonly scored with a team of
  teachers used to assess students and promote
  professional collaboration on curriculum,
  instruction, and assessment.

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Local Proficiency Assessment

• Methods
• Departmental End-of-Course Exams
• offer a viable way to ascertain students
  proficiency
• are purposefully designed to include proficiency
  based measures of performance
• are mapped back to the individual courses and
  appropriate Grade-Level / Grade-Span
  Expectations.

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PBGR Summary

• Up to 10 State Assessment
• 20 Carnegie Units (Credits)
• Local Assessments
• End-of-Course Exams
• Common Tasks
• Portfolios
• Exhibitions

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RI High School Regulations

• Opportunities for Special Populations
• Literacy Improved Academic Performance
• Individualized learning plans
• High quality instruction Performance-based
  assessments
• Rigorous programs for ALL students
• Ensure equitable opportunities to learn for ALL
  students

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RI High School Regulations

• Opportunities for Special Populations
• Literacy Improved Academic Performance
• Scaffolded literacy including PLPs
• Focus on Ramp-Up interventions
• Improved strategic alignment of literacy
  interventions

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RI High School Regulations

• Opportunities for Special Populations
• Literacy Improved Academic Performance
• Special Ed Staff assisting/advising in curriculum
  for universal design and Access
• Collaborative teaching modeling diversification
  of instruction
• Common Planning of Instruction modifying before
  delivery
• Common Planning of Assessment modifying before
  assessment

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RI High School Regulations

• Opportunities for Special Populations
• Personalization
• Strategically Addressing Social Emotional
  Learning
• Strategies for Progressive Levels of Intervention
• Utilization of Clinical Expertise
• Functional Behavior Analysis
• Transition Planning Vocational Assessment
• Comprehensive School Counseling focused on
  outcome (Connection to ASCA Standards Academic,
  Career, Emotional Development)

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RI High School Regulations

• Opportunities for Special Populations
• Graduation by Proficiency
• Portfolio, Exhibitions, Senior Project
• Link to Transition Portfolio/Planning
  Transition Folder
• Applied Learning Opportunities
• Credit for Out of School Learning
• Work Based Learning

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RI High School Regulations

• Emerging Challenges
• Students who do not meet Proficiency
• Based on Grade 9-10 GLEs
• Locally Determined
• Multiple Opportunities
• Multiple Methods
• Students on IEPs
• remain eligible until they graduate with a
  regular diploma or turn age 21

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RI High School Regulations

• Emerging Challenges
• Students who are proficient in the alternate
  assessment
• Counts up to 10
• Meet Alternate GSEs (presentation here today)
• Meet Local PBGR System based on Alternate GSEs

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RI High School Regulations

• Emerging Challenges
• Students new to the district
• Align from previous school to local PBGR system
• Provide instruction and opportunities to meet
  local requirements not already met by the student

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RI High School Regulations

• Next Steps
• Peer Review completed
• Commissioners Review underway
• Feedback to Districts this Spring/Summer
• Ongoing Training

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RI High School Regulations

• Questions Answers