Rhode Island Assessment Letter dated June 27, 2007
June 27, 2007
The Honorable Peter McWalters
Commissioner of Education
Rhode Island Department of Education
Shepard Building
255 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
Dear Commissioner McWalters:
Thank you for submitting additional assessment materials for peer review under the standards and assessment requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). We appreciate the efforts required to prepare for the latest peer review that occurred in May 2007.
Based on the recommendations of the peer reviewers and the evidence you have provided to date, the status of Rhode Island’s standards and assessment system is Approval Expected. This status indicates that a State administered an assessment system in grades 3-8 and high school in 2006-07 that the evidence to date suggests is fully compliant with the statutory and regulatory requirements. There are certain elements, however, that are not yet complete due to the nature of assessment development. Please note that full approval of Rhode Island’s standards and assessment system is dependent upon whether the additional evidence submitted for peer review meets the ESEA requirements.
Rhode Island must provide the Department with a timeline for completing the evidence needed to satisfy the remaining requirements, as indicated in the enclosure to this letter. Please note that, because there are elements of Rhode Island’s system that are not yet complete, we will place a condition on Rhode Island’s fiscal year 2007 Title I, Part A grant award, which will continue until Rhode Island submits the required evidence and receives full approval of its standards and assessment system.
The Department remains committed to working with Rhode Island to meet the requirements of ESEA and to raising the performance of all children. Toward that end, let me reiterate my earlier offer of technical assistance to you. If you have any additional questions or want to request technical assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Sue Rigney (Sue Rigney@ed.gov) or Abigail Potts (Abigail.Potts@ed.gov) of my staff.
Sincerely,
Kerri L. Briggs, Ph.D.
Enclosure
cc: Governor Donald L. Carcieri
Todd Flaherty
Mary Ann Snider
SUMMARY OF ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT RHODE ISLAND MUST SUBMIT TO MEET ESEA REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RHODE ISLAND ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
2.0 – ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT STANDARDS
- The final technical manual for the RIAA, including a complete description and results of the standards validation activity.
4.0 – TECHNICAL QUALITY
- The final technical manual for the RIAA with evidence of validity and reliability consistent with the Peer Review Guidance.
