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Content Standards Review and Revision Process

RIDE engages in a review and revision process for the content standards for mathematics, English language arts, science and technology, history and social studies, world languages, and the arts on a four year cycle.

Content standards define what students should know and be able to do. Changes in the college and career landscape, as well as new findings in educational research necessitate the periodic review and potential revision of academic standards. Furthermore, there is the continual need to ensure that content standards and the assessments used to measure students’ proficiency in attaining those standards are aligned. In recent years, Rhode Island has transitioned to a new suite of state assessments which will be in place until 2029 as outlined in Rhode Island law RIGL§ 16.22.30-33, passed in 2019. With the passing of RIGL§ 16.22.30-33, RIDE saw an opportunity to revisit the state’s content standards in order to better align them with mandated assessment requirements, to clarify any vague language present in the standards, and in the case of history and social studies to undergo a total revision.

RIDE has completed a review and revision of the content standards for English language arts and mathematics resulting in the endorsement of the Rhode Island Core Standards for ELA/Literacy and Mathematics by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education on March 9, 2021. The review process was open and consultative and will be replicated for science and technology, history and social studies, world languages, and the arts. Specifically, during the process RIDE solicited public comment and drew on the content expertise of review committees composed of Rhode Island educators. Feedback was used to craft sets of content standards that are focused, coherent, and rigorous and are designed to ready students for college and career. 

Council Presentation - March 9, 2021 


Cohesive and aligned standards, curriculum, and assessment are critical to increasing student achievement. RIDE is seeking to ensure optimum alignment between the content standards, RIDE’s approved high-quality instructional materials, and the state assessment which will support effective teaching and learning for Rhode Island students.


Mathematics Standards

Rhode Island transitions to the Rhode Island Core Standards for Mathematics from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

Cohesive and aligned standards, curriculum, and assessment are critical to increasing student achievement. Rhode Island transitioned to the Rhode Island Core Standards for Mathematics from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) on March 9, 2021. The Rhode Island Core Standards for Mathematics are tightly aligned to the assessments in the Rhode Island comprehensive assessment system of which the RICAS assessment is an integral part. The new standards maintain the focus, coherence, and rigor of the CCSS, but strive to add clarity while incorporating content adjustments of only about 3%. To highlight the differences in content between the RI Core Standards and the CCSS, RIDE has created standard-by-standard comparison tables. These tables should assure users of high-quality instructional materials of the overall alignment of their curriculum while providing guidance on where minor adjustments may need to be made.   

RIDE is currently developing a curriculum framework for mathematics which will include a comprehensive vision for implementation of the standards through curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Opportunities for the public to engage in this work will be forthcoming.

Following the completion of the mathematics standards review/revision process and the acceptance of the updated standards by the Rhode Island Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, RIDE will engage in a process to align the high school content standards to specific courses, i.e.,  Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. There is a provision on the Standards Review Advisory Committee Application to indicate your potential interest in this initiative. More details and additional opportunities to express interest will be forthcoming.

English Language Arts/Literacy Standards

Rhode Island transitions to the Rhode Island Core Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) 

Cohesive and aligned standards, curriculum, and assessment are critical to increasing student achievement. Rhode Island transitioned to the Rhode Island Core Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) on March 9, 2021. 

The Rhode Island Core Standards for English Language Arts are tightly aligned to the assessments in the Rhode Island comprehensive assessment system, including the RICAS assessment. These standards maintain the focus, coherence, and rigor of the CCSS, while providing greater clarity and highlighting connections among the standards.

RIDE has created standard-by-standard comparison tables to highlight the differences in content between the CCSS and the Rhode Island Core Standards. These tables should assure users of high-quality instructional materials of the overall alignment of their curriculum while providing guidance on where minor adjustments may need to be made within instruction.   
 
RIDE is currently developing a curriculum framework for English Language Arts/Literacy which will include a comprehensive vision for implementation of the standards through curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Opportunities for the public to engage in this work will be forthcoming.



History, Civics, and Social Studies

Social Studies Standards Project

In September 2019, the Rhode Island Department of Elementary & Secondary Education invited Rhode Island educators to participate as members of a new Rhode Island History & Social Studies Advisory Committee (RIHSSAC). This Committee both advises RIDE and acts as ambassadors to the education community on matters of history, civics, and social studies education. This committee also serves as a working group for a variety of initiatives, starting with one priority task in fall 2019 to review our current RI Social Studies Grade Span Expectations (RI SS GSEs) in light of recent legislation requiring high quality standards for all content areas (RIGL §16-22-30).

Through an application process, RIDE selected approximately 30 social studies, history, civic education, and elementary teachers from across the state to form this new advisory. The RIHSSAC met in Fall 2019 to review our current RI SS GSEs against the criteria in the legislation, in order to submit a recommendation to RIDE. In December 2019, the Council approved RIDE's recommendation to continue with the RI SS GSEs until such a time as replacement social studies standards could be developed and/or adopted which fully met the requirements of the legislation.

In 2020, the RIHSSAC met monthly from February to May to determine next steps for adopting/developing social studies standards through a process that will include substantial stakeholder engagement. During the summer, the Community Engagement Committee of the RIHSSAC began planning for community engagement sessions this fall to inform the direction of the standards, the frameworks, and supporting resources.

Standards Development Progress

In partnership with the Rhode Island History and Social Studies Advisory Committee (RIHSSAC), RIDE has launched the development of new social studies standards K-12 education in Rhode Island.

The first stage of this process is to engage with the community about social studies education and collect input. To that end, the RIHSSAC worked with community organizations statewide to set up virtual feedback sessions culminating in a statewide survey. RIDE also scheduled three virtual sessions for educators and community members to engage in the process. At these sessions, participants received an overview of the project, had opportunities to reflect about social studies education, and discussed their ideas in breakout rooms before being provided the survey link to complete. For more information, please review the Introductory Slides [PDF] or the Recorded Presentation [MP4] given at the sessions.

The feedback will be used to inform the first draft of the social studies standards and other supporting materials. There will also be an opportunity in early 2021 for community feedback on the draft of the standards.

If you have any questions, please email RIHSSAC@ride.ri.gov. Thank you!