Current through September 18, 2024
A. For any LEA
subject to intervention and support pursuant to the Crowley Act, R.I. Gen. Laws
§
16-7.1-5, the Commissioner (Commissioner) of the Rhode Island Department
of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) shall define within the LEA's
turnaround plan the academic and other progress measures that the LEA must meet
to exit turnaround status.
1. Such progress
measures shall, at a minimum:
a. Be customized
to the particular reasons for which the LEA was first entered into turnaround
status under the Crowley Act;
b. Be
informed by input from community and other stakeholder engagement that helped
inform the creation of the turnaround plan;
c. Include academic measures that align to
relevant components of the local education agency accountability system, as
identified in R.I. Gen. Laws §
16-97.1-1; and,
d. Include any additional progress measures
identified for specific LEAs pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §
16-7.1-5.1.
2. Other
non-academic progress measures may include the successful completion of
implementation milestones that address root causes that contributed to the
LEA's entering of turnaround status.
B. Prior to the end of any order under the
Crowley Act, and following input from a variety of community and other
stakeholders, the Commissioner shall prepare a report and recommendation to the
Council regarding the future of the LEA's turnaround status. The Commissioner
shall:
1. Seek input from a variety of
community and other stakeholders including, but not be limited to, students,
families, community members, educators, school leaders, LEA school committee or
board members, and municipal entity leaders, as applicable;
2. Consult with the LEA's school committee or
board members prior to the issuance to the Council of any report and
recommendation regarding the LEA's continued turnaround status; and,
3. Begin the process to create this report
following the release of school and LEA accountability performance data,
pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §
16-97.1-1, within the last year that the LEA
is subject to an order under the Crowley Act.
C. The report accompanying the recommendation
of the Commissioner to the Council shall include, but not be limited to, an
analysis of the following:
1. If the LEA has:
a. made sufficient progress on the academic
and other progress measures identified within its turnaround plan;
b. the capacity and readiness to continue to
make progress on the academic and other progress measures, as identified within
the LEAs turnaround plan, without the intervention and support provided
pursuant to the Crowley Act.
2. If the LEA's local school committee or
board has the capacity and readiness to:
a.
support the LEA's continued progress on academic and other progress measures,
as identified within the LEA's turnaround plan, without the intervention and
support provided pursuant to the Crowley Act;
b. provide said support consistent with
responsibilities outlined in R.I. Gen. Laws §
16-2-9, as well as other
site-based management and governance best practices; and,
3. If the legally responsible municipal
entity has the capacity and readiness to:
a.
support the LEA's school committee or board to ensure the LEA's continued
progress on academic and other progress measures, as identified within the
LEA's turnaround plan, without the intervention and support provided pursuant
to the Crowley Act; and,
b.
demonstrate said support through the contribution of sufficient local funding
to the local school committee or board necessary to sustain and continue the
LEA's progress, including compliance with statutory maintenance of effort
requirements as identified in the Crowley Act.
D. Informed by the above analysis, the
Commissioner's report shall include a recommendation regarding the future of
the LEA's turnaround status. The Commissioner's recommendation shall align to
one of the following three options:
1. renew
the existing turnaround plan, with potential amendments informed by the above
analysis;
2. create a new
turnaround plan; or,
3. exit the
LEA from turnaround status and return control over the LEA to the LEA's
respective local school committee or board.
E. If the Commissioner recommends a
continuation of the LEA's turnaround status, the report to the Council shall
also include, but not be limited to:
1. the
time duration for the renewed or new turnaround plan; and,
2. an analysis as to whether any additional
supports, prerogatives, and/or resources are needed, from either the state
and/or local municipality, that could help make the turnaround plan more
effective.
a. this analysis may be based on a
review of the additional financial resources provided to the LEA caused by the
LEA being placed in turnaround status, and the financial impact to the LEA of
ending its turnaround status.
F. If the Commissioner recommends that the
LEA be exited from turnaround status and returned to the control of the local
school committee or board, the report to the Council shall also include:
1. the date for which the LEA shall
officially exit turnaround status and be returned to the control of the local
school committee or board, no later than the end of the term of the LEA's
relevant order under the Crowley Act; and,
2. any recommendations by the Commissioner if
the LEA's return to the control of the local school committee or board should
be made subject to a transitional period pursuant to § 6.5 of this Part,
below.
