Rhode Island Department of Education Coordinator

The RIDE Coordinator position is currently vacant. Please contact:

        Kenneth Swanson, Director Office of Special Populations
        Main Office: 222-3505 or Office Manager: Phyllis Pezzullo 222-2301or Phyllis.Pezzullo@ride.ri.gov

State Law and Regulations
Rhode Island General Laws Chapter 16, Sections 42-1, 2 and 3 – Education of Gifted Children

•  Last amended in 1995

• Allows gifted programming

• Establishes State Advisory Committee

•  Sets criteria and requires regulations which were last revised in 1982

•  The regulations apply to portions of school programs that select only certain students to participate

• Regulations were originally required for RI school districts to obtain state funding however dedicated funding is not currently available

State Advisory Committee on Gifted Education

About the Committee:

The Rhode Island Advisory Committee on Gifted Education was established by the legislature for the primary purpose of providing advice to the Commissioner of Education.  It has about thirty members representing a wide variety of constituencies, who meet at least four times a year.

Objectives of the Committee:

•  All schools provide curriculum and instruction that continuously challenge each student to increase his/her knowledge, understanding and skills.  Schools ensure that every student will be challenged appropriately by:

   

  • recognizing those students differ within and among them and will continue to grow and learn only if provided with experiences and materials at individually appropriate levels

  • responding to this recognition by differentiating curriculum and instruction

  • providing flexible teacher-student working arrangements that vary in size, age range, time frame and purpose and keeping class size small

  • Offering all students the opportunity to explore potential abilities and interests through exposure to a wide variety of experiences and topics

  • ensuring that teachers and staff have the knowledge and capacity to recognize and respond to indications of student abilities and interests

• All school staff shares the expectation that every student will achieve at ever-higher levels within and beyond the curriculum.

• Professional, legislative, community, family and financial support at the state and local level ensures that teachers are supported in recognizing and responding to talents, interests, and abilities.

• All teachers and other staff in schools are confident, knowledgeable, and supported in recognizing and responding to talents, interests, and abilities.  Pre-service and ongoing professional development convey the expectation and provide the opportunities for all staff to increase their knowledge of the learning process, strategies to differentiate curriculum and instruction, and their own abilities and interests.  Specialists in these are also present in each school.

• All schools have the capacity to recognize potential abilities and interests in any student, and the systematic means available to analyze and respond to the student’s need for support.  Staff actively observes students at all ages for individual indications of abilities and interests.  The school and district response system is personalized and provides support in a variety of ways in response to specific student need, including student performance at levels far beyond age level.  Data management that tracks specific responses provided and their effectiveness supports the system.

• Every student in every school learns continuously, has the opportunity and capacity to participate in planning his/her educational activities, and has recognition and individualized support for his/her abilities and interests.

What does the Committee do?  

• assesses statewide trends and needs

• seeks wide public and professional input

• disseminates information

• advises and makes recommendations regarding legislation and program guidelines

• provides other policy, process and programmatic recommendations

Rhode Island Advocates for Gifted Education (RIAGE)

RIAGE is a non-profit organization of parents, educators, and others who recognize the need to provide appropriate education and support for gifted and talented students in Rhode Island. In 2001 RIAGE was founded to provide a forum for the development of public awareness of the needs of the gifted and talented; to facilitate an interchange of information on the subject of the gifted and talented; to develop cooperation with community and professional organizations; and to provide an organized voice for parents, teachers, administrators, school board members and others concerned about the unmet needs of gifted and talented students. For more information, visit the RIAGE web site.
 

Resources

Websites

State Advisory Committee on Gifted Education --
www.ri.net/gifted_talented/rhode.html

Rhode Island Advocates for Gifted Education –
www.riage.org

New England Conference on Gifted Education –
www.necgt.org

National Association for Gifted Children –
www.nagc.org

National Research Center for Gifted Education –
www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt.html

University of Connecticut Neag School of Education –
www.gifted.uconn.edu