TITLE 16

Education

CHAPTER 16-90

High School Outcomes Improvement Act of 2009 [See Title 16 Chapter 97

– The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]

SECTION 16-90-5



   § 16-90-5  Implementation. –

(a) Duties and responsibilities imposed by the statute with respect to the

state's adoption, public reporting and implementation, with respect to the

public high schools in the state, of a standard four (4) year adjusted cohort

graduation rate using the defined formula.



   (1) Within ninety (90) days of the effective date of this

act, the board of regents, in conjunction with each local school board,

district, or agency, shall adopt and implement a standard four (4) year

adjusted cohort graduation rate definition and data collection protocol using

the graduation rate formula as defined in this chapter.



   (2) Students who enroll in a GED or any other alternative

educational program that does not issue or provide credits toward the issuance

of a regular high school diploma are not "transfers out" and remain in the

cohort for the purpose of graduation rate calculations described in this

chapter.



   (3) The board of regents, in conjunction with each local

school board, district, or agency shall develop and retain capacity for

collection, analysis, and public reporting of public high school graduation

rate data. Graduation rates shall be calculated and publicly reported for each

school, school district and for the state. Graduation rates shall be calculated

and publicly reported in the aggregate and disaggregated by the major racial

and ethnic groups, for students with disabilities, for English language

learners, for socio-economically disadvantaged students, and for

non-socio-economically disadvantaged students.



   (4) The state's education system, in conjunction with local

school with school districts, is encouraged to develop and implement one or

more complementary indicators to enhance the state's ability to measure and

report different forms of high school completion, including: five (5) and six

(6) year graduation rates; dropout rates; retention rates; completion rates;

and college-ready graduation rates. The board of regents shall develop

consistent definitions to ensure that these measures are reported in comparable

ways across schools and districts within the state. These additional indicators

will not replace or be presented or treated as an alternative to the graduation

rate delineated in this chapter.



   (5) Nothing in this chapter should be construed as limiting

the reporting on a variety of other indices of school completion such as

dropout rates, five (5) and six (6) year graduation rates, and other school

completion rates recommended for development in this chapter.



   (6) The board of regents shall take the necessary steps to

inculcate in the overall mission of the state's education system, the

importance of collecting, maintaining, analyzing, and publicly reporting at the

state and district level, accurate and disaggregated data on the graduation

rates of public high schools at the district and school level. These steps

include, but are not limited to, mandatory training for all school district

administrators, registrars and other school-and district-based personnel with

responsibility for collecting and maintaining data on cohorts and graduation

rates. In addition, the board of regents shall implement a system for verifying

the accuracy of locally reported graduation-rate data that shall include

statistical checks and analyses along with on-site audits of record-keeping

procedures to ensure that schools and districts adhere to state standards and

guidelines.



   (7) The board of regents shall take the necessary steps to

educate the public as to the need for the state's education system to be able

to collect, maintain, analyze, and report publicly, accurate data on the

graduation rates of public high schools and school districts. Such steps shall

include, but not be limited to, outreach to civic associations, community based

groups, and parents organizations to educate them about the need for accurate

graduation rates, to inform them of the reporting and assistance to be

implemented by the state, and to solicit suggestions and community support.



   (8) The board of regents shall collaborate with local

governments in the process of adopting and implementing the public high school

graduation rate required by this section. This collaboration shall include the

calculation and public reporting of an interim graduation rate until such time

as the state and local governments have all the data required to fully

implement the cohort graduation rate definition mandated by this chapter. This

interim graduation rate shall be the ratio of diploma recipients in the given

year to ninth (9th) grade enrollment four (4) years prior.



   (9) The interim graduation rate mandated in this chapter

shall be used as the additional high school indicator for the purposes of

determining a high school's adequate yearly progress status under the No Child

Left Behind Act of 2001 until such time as the cohort graduation rate, mandated

by this chapter is implemented upon implementation of the cohort graduation

rate. This rate shall be used as the additional high school indicator for the

purposes of determining a high school's adequate yearly progress status under

the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.



   (b) This chapter applies only to graduation rate data for

students who attend public high schools in Rhode Island.



History of Section.

(P.L. 2009, ch. 204, § 1.)