Groups Urge Postponement on High Stakes Graduation Requirements
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Fourteen groups are calling on the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education to hold off on voting on any proposed changes to the graduation requirements for Rhode Island high school students.
The groups wrote a four-page letter stating their concerns about the changes made to the proposal that was open for public comment in January.
Department of Education Commissioner Deborah Gist suggested last month to postpone the high-stakes graduation requirements for two years and get rid of the “three-tiered” diploma system. But the organizations that wrote the letter—including the RI ACLU, RI Disability Law Center, Urban League of RI, and Parent Support Network of RI—insist that there still be more time for the public to understand the revised regulations and their consequences.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe letter asked the Board of Regents to “provide an opportunity for public comment on any revised regulations before their final adoption, as they include serious and material changes, some of which run directly contrary to previous public comment, and many of which remain confusing and require further elaboration,” and “clarify that existing 2011 graduation requirements will be maintained in the interim, until final reform decisions are made.”
Some of the rules that are being criticized by these associations are the use of a two-tier diploma system similar to the originally proposed three-tier one based on testing scores and the neglecting of the probable implementation of a new standardized test that will replace the NECAP. According to the organizations, these changes would still put minority, underprivileged, and special education students at risk for receiving a “not proficient” diploma, or no diploma at all, thereby narrowing their chances for college and employment opportunities.
