What changes will be made to the structure of high school to facilitate the implementation of school-wide diploma assessment systems?

The changes will depend on the nature and needs of your assessment system. Some changes could include scheduling changes for teachers and students, the development of dedicated scheduling changes, common language, common tasks by grade level, school-wide rubrics, curriculum changes, professional development (for all stakeholders to understand and support your school's initiative), updating technology, forming review panels, and ensuring other forms of support necessary for implementation of this graduation by proficiency system.

What's the relationship between Carnegie units and assessments of student proficiency for the purposes of graduation?

Courses offering Carnegie units provide students the opportunities to learn the knowledge and skills needed to demonstrate proficiency. It is expected that students will, through their high school experience, have the opportunity to demonstrate proficiency in all of the six core areas: ELA, math, science, social studies, technology, and the arts. One vehicle for assessing student proficiency will be the School-Wide Diploma Assessment (Exhibitions, Portfolios, and the CIM).

What information will the greater community receive about the changes to the Rhode Island Diploma System?

In January 2004, RIDE disseminated initial guidance to all school districts regarding the graduation by proficiency component of the Regents' High School Regulations that applies to all students graduating in 2008. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported statewide initiatives, networks, and demonstration sites focused on graduation by proficiency throughout 2005.

Who will facilitate the dissemination of information about the changes to the Rhode Island Diploma System to the school and local community?

Districts/schools are responsible for the design and implementation of a school's response to the changes to the diploma system. This includes the communication about the system to both the school and local community and ongoing communication about student progress toward graduation by proficiency to students, parents, and other adults responsible for supporting student learning. The exhibition and portfolio toolkits contain samples and strategies for developing this communication system.

How do we fairly assess students who move into our system late in their academic career?

All School-Wide Diploma Assessments will be aligned with common standards and school-wide assessment systems will be developed according to state guidelines. It is therefore likely that students will be able to transfer their skills, knowledge, and learning to the new school's diploma assessment more readily than they do in the current systems. However, it will be up to the individual school to facilitate this transition.

What are the implications of the new RI Diploma System for students with special needs or English Language Learners?

This is a system for assessing all students, and all students are expected to demonstrate proficiency through their local assessments, School Wide Diploma Assessments, and course work. In designing an exhibition or portfolio assessment system, schools need to develop structures that ensure student success. Further consideration must be given to the following:

• Use of Universal Design for assessments
• Time modifications
• Student Supports
• Instructional Changes
• Curriculum Changes

In addition, RIDE's Office of Special Populations, other RIDE staff, and practitioners from the field who have experiences with these important issues will continue their work to ensure equity, access and fairness for all students. As always, all IEP and 504 Plans must be strictly adhered to and appropriate accommodations must be made for all students that require them.

What is in a "toolkit"?

The toolkits describe a step-by-step process for designing and implementing exhibitions and portfolios as a School Wide Diploma Assessment. They include guidelines, instructions, system design requirements, rubrics, resources, suggested strategies, and samples from other schools.

Has the state developed a way to assess the technical merit of exhibition and graduation portfolio assessment systems?

RIDE is developing a system for assessing and validating all District Diploma systems throughout the state. RIDE is piloting a peer support and review system that will be used to certify the components of each district's local assessment system. It will also be an opportunity for school teams to see the work of their colleagues and collect new strategies for design and implementation.

Who should coordinate a school's graduation portfolio assessment system?

This is a matter of school choice and design. Some schools have designated portfolio coordinators who may be teachers with reduced schedules; in other schools, it is an administrative responsibility. Some schools create a committee to advocate for, support, and implement the school's portfolio system. If a school has an electronic portfolio system, the technology coordinator should be a part of planning the system. Regardless of who coordinates this effort, it is essential to have the full leadership and support of the school principal.

How do I get teachers on board?

Teachers must be invited into the design process from the beginning to ensure support for and success of this initiative. They must be provided with the on-going, job-embedded, professional development needed to successfully teach and assess.

How do you get kids to buy into the process?

Schools using portfolios as their School-Wide Diploma Assessment allows students to showcase their interests, creativity, and strengths. It is an opportunity for them to exercise choice and autonomy and to highlight their skills, knowledge, and learning. Because a portfolio offers students a chance to collect those pieces of evidence that they think reflects them as a learner and as a person, students are often very interested and engaged in the process.

Where are the "working" and "graduation" portfolios going to be housed?

This depends on how you design your portfolio system. E-portfolios provide ease of storage, portability, access, and ease of organization. RIDE, in partnership with RINET, is working with a vendor to develop a statewide e-portfolio system and program, which will greatly reduce the cost of an e-portfolio system, reduce the need for server storage, ensure security, and increase the transferability of a student's portfolio.

What standards are students expected to demonstrate in their portfolios?

RIDE requires that all entries in a student's Graduation portfolio must be aligned with elements of Rhode Island's GSEs, applied learning standards, and appropriate national standards. However, schools may identify additional standards and expectations for their students. More information about strategies for alignment can be found in the portfolio toolkit.

What are the implications for K-12 curriculum instruction and assessment?

As districts design and implement their School Wide Diploma System, they will need to review and revise curriculum and instruction to provide students with multiple opportunities across multiple disciplines and grade levels to gain and practice the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully complete a graduation by proficiency Graduation Portfolio.

Will students receive credit for their graduation portfolio?

For schools that have chosen portfolios as their School-Wide Diploma Assessment, successful completion will be required for graduation. Students will be assessed on the individual entries in their "working" portfolio at the time of completion by their teachers, mentors, or supervisors, and will receive a pass/fail or other grade (depending on the school) for the overall Graduation portfolio. A review panel, comprised of members who are trained in using rubrics and protocols to fairly and consistently evaluate graduation portfolios, will make the final determination of sufficiency of a student's graduation portfolio.

How can we create valid entries and assessments that are supported across the curriculum?

Ensuring validity is a continual process. As schools design and implement a portfolio system, they will need to consistently check that the entries/tasks are aligned with the standards, that students have opportunities to learn the content and skills being assessed in the portfolios, that the Graduation Portfolio process is fair, and that negative, unintended consequences are not being imposed on students. The protocols, rubrics, guidelines, examples of student work, and checklists provided in the portfolio toolkit should help schools create valid, reliable tasks and develop a review process for evaluation of each student's portfolio and of the overall portfolio assessment system.

What if a student does not pass their Graduation Portfolio?

When schools design their portfolio system, multiple opportunities to learn the skills and knowledge to successfully collect a graduation portfolio must be embedded across the curriculum and throughout grade levels. Additionally, schools should design systems (year long due dates, built-in check points and assessments, opportunities to revise work, etc.) to support the student's success. In addition, a student that fails his/her graduation portfolio must be offered an opportunity to redo the component(s) that were failed. However, if a school has done all it can to support the student, has offered the student multiple opportunities to learn and practice his/her skills, has communicated clearly and carefully with all advisors, mentors, parents/guardians, has provided an opportunity to resubmit failed elements, and the student still does not pass, the student's diploma should be withheld.