The Rhode Island Diploma System
Rhode Island has undertaken one of the most ambitious high school reform initiatives in the country, rising to meet the mounting problems of low student achievement, high drop out rates, and lack of access and equity for all students. Across the nation, communities, business, industry, and higher education are struggling with high school graduates that lack sufficient skills and knowledge to participate in a post-secondary environment. Rhode Island recognizes these problems and, over the course of the last five years, has developed policies and plans to address them.
Among several other areas of reform, Rhode Island has overhauled its diploma system in an attempt to infuse 21st century meaning and value into Rhode Island high school diplomas. Beginning with the Class of 2008, students will be required to demonstrate academic proficiency, apply knowledge and skills in a real world setting, and successfully complete a variety of challenging assessments in order to earn a high school diploma. These changes, which usher out a system that rewards seat time and introduce a system that rewards achievement, are at the heart secondary reform in Rhode Island.
Graduation by Proficiency
One required component of Rhode Island's Diploma System is called Graduation by Proficiency. Among other things, graduation by proficiency requires students to complete assessments that are authentic and demonstrate deep content knowledge and mastery in an area of personal interest. Schools must offer students opportunities to complete "diploma assessments" (exhibitions, portfolios, Certificates of Initial Mastery, or End-of-Course Assessments) that will allow them to demonstrate their proficiency.
School-wide diploma assessments are designed to introduce relevance into students' high school experience by providing an opportunity to do extended and deep work in an area of personal interest. The introduction of student choice is an important component – and a dramatic change – of the system used to award diplomas in Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island Diploma System Local Assessment Toolkits
Exhibitions and graduation portfolios are two varieties of school-wide diploma assessments specifically addressed in these toolkits. The toolkits provide detailed, rich, and process-oriented guidance to help schools design, implement, and sustain exhibition and graduation portfolio systems. These toolkits, which were written and/or compiled by over 60 educators across the state, include guidance materials, system development guidelines, examples from schools, and strategies for success.