Reimagining High School

PPSD - Graduation Picture.jpg

Guidance to Support LEAs Implementation of Readiness-Based Graduation Requirements

RIDE is developing guidance and sharing resources for schools and districts to support the implementation of Readiness-Based Graduation Requirements which take effect beginning with the graduating class of 2028. As additional guidance is published, it will be added to the list below. All guidance is intended to be iterated upon so that as we receive additional questions or requests for clarification from the field, each guidance document will be updated to reflect that new information. Please see the links to the Readiness-Based Graduation Requirements guidance documents below:

Archive of Past Actions (Meetings and Resources)

2021 Reimagining High School Working Group:

Public Comment Hearing Dates and Locations: 

  • March 7, 2022: Date of Public Notice

  • March 22, 2022: Public Hearing #1 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM | Hybrid Meeting

  • March 31, 2022: Public Hearing #2 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Kingston Free Library

  • April 4, 2022": Public Hearing #3 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Woonsocket Public Library 

  • April 6, 2022: Public Hearing #4 from 4:00-6:00 PM at Rogers Public Library in Bristol 

  • April 12, 2022: Public Hearing #5 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Providence Public Library 

  • April 14, 2022: Public Hearing #6 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Adams Public Library

  • April 26, 2022: Public Hearing #7 from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at Newport Public Library

  • End of Public Comment: May 10, 2022 

Presentations to the K-12 Council:

RIDE’s Readiness-Based Graduation Requirements

On November 15, 2022, the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education approved updated Secondary Regulations that aim to reimagine high school and the statewide graduation requirements. Governor Dan McKee, Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and the Rhode Island Department of Education created a process that intentionally collaborated with stakeholders throughout K-12 education over the the past 18 months to develop and adopt updated secondary regulations which establish statewide graduate requirements. The secondary regulations establish college and career-ready coursework as the default expectation for every child in Rhode Island regardless of where they live, their parent’s income, the language they speak at home, or their disability status.  

View the Rhode Island Readiness-Based Secondary Regulations

Secondary Regulations Revision: Where It Began

In June 2020, XQ Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to rethinking high school so that every student graduates ready to succeed in life, and RIDE presented an analysis of the R.I. high school student experience, and the K-12 Council challenged RIDE to identify solutions and create a plan to address barriers students face during their high school experience. Motivated by the findings of the Education Opportunity Audit Report and encouraged by the participation of Rhode Island’s high schools in the XQ+RI challenge, Rhode Island doubled down on its commitment to making high school the entry point for systemwide transformation.

2021 Reimagining High School Working Group

RIDE hosted a series of Reimagining High School working group meetings from June - November 2021 to help RIDE learn how to reimagine the high school experience and graduation requirements to better meet the needs of all of our students. These meetings were hosted through Zoom and are open to all members of the public. During these meetings, students, families, and educators from across the state shared and engaged with relevant data and experiences from our schools on how to improve the high school experience. Meeting attendees shared feedback, participated in breakout groups, and generated ideas that shaped RIDE’s recommendations to the K-12 Council.

In December 2021, we presented proposed recommendations to the K-12 Council on Education. Specifically, the proposal included three key priorities that are aligned to concrete, actionable steps to realize all that we want for our young people.

Executive Summary of Proposal (English/español)

Proposal

Proposal FAQs (English/español)

Record Number of Public Comments Received for RIDE's Readiness-Based Graduation Requirements

After making revisions to the proposal based on the feedback from the K-12 Council, RIDE was required to hold a 30-day public comment period with a minimum of two public hearings. RIDE instead held a nine-week public comment period, (March 7-May 10), and held a total of seven public hearings, with at least one hearing in each county, as well as four town halls to create space for additional dialogue about the proposed revisions. RIDE also accepted comments in writing via email.

RIDE is proud to announce that, with over 400 unique comments, we surpassed our ambitious goal of seeing the Reimagining High School Initiative become the most-commented upon set of education regulations in the history of the state.

Where we are now: Winter 2024

To ensure successful implementation, RIDE is developing a 5-Year Action Plan with six areas of focus. These areas were identified by K-12 stakeholders in the field and include the following: 

  • Expanding partnership and collaboration,

  • Reimagining learning,

  • Developing a statewide approach to comprehensive school counseling,

  • Preparing our kids to create their futures,

  • Increasing engagement in our schools by increasing real-world relevant learning experiences, and

  • Changing how we support our students and families.

Each priority features a robust list of action items to benchmark and hold RIDE accountable for the progress of all deliverables outlined in the Action Plan.  

To learn more about RIDE’s Readiness-Based Graduation Requirements and 5-Year Action Plan to support implementation, please reach out to ReimaginingHS@RIDE.RI.GOV.

QUESTIONS?

Please contact ReimaginingHS@RIDE.RI.GOV.