Schools developing and implementing a diploma system and School-Wide Diploma Assessment (exhibition or graduation portfolio) need to establish specific goals and build those into an implementation timeline. While each school will have slightly different goals and timelines, all schools must implement a local diploma system that includes all required components and is rolled out incrementally in accordance with RIDE and the Regents' guidance and timelines.

Before setting goals for the development and implementation of a School-Wide Diploma Assessment (exhibition or graduation portfolio), it is necessary to review state regulations for the Rhode Island Diploma System and your local school Expectations for Student Learning. This will help guide the development of appropriate, adequate, and achievable goals, which then can be placed on a timeline.

It is important to review RIDE's timeline for implementation of local diploma systems in order to ensure that a district's/school's system meets all mandates. Although every school's timeline will be unique, all must adhere to RIDE's timeline, which was designed to support incremental rollout. Paying close attention to the alignment of a school's system with the state mandated timeline and requirements for a diploma system and the School-Wide Diploma Assessments (exhibition or graduation portfolio) is a good way to prepare for the peer support and review process during the 2005-2006 school year and the subsequent commissioner's review.