RI Schools: The Basic Facts
Profile of Schools, Student Characteristics,
   and Kids Count

Learning and Achievement
Assessments
Disaggregations
Accountability
How Rhode Island Classifies Schools
2004 School-Performance Classification:
Elementary  |Middle  |High

Using Information
State Indicators
Value Added:
Elementary  |Middle  |High
Attendance and Graduation Rates,
Learning Support Indicators:
Elementary  |Middle  |High

Safe and Supportive Environments
Students' Point of View:Middle  |High
Suspensions

Equity and Adequacy of Resources
Property Value/Student Compared to
   Tax Rate
Tax Capacity and Effort
In$ite: Including Other Commitments
In$ite: Excluding Other Commitments
Out-of-District Obligations
In$ite: Instruction
In$ite: General Education
Middle  |High

Curriculum and Instruction
Advanced Placement Exams
Teaching Practices:
Elementary  |Middle  |High
Inclusion
Students with Disabilities
Students with Disabilities: Participation
Elementary  |Middle  |High
Students with Disabilities: Participation by District
Elementary  |Middle  |High

Engaging Families
Elementary  |Middle  |High

View/download the Students with Disabilities 3-page report (PDF, 53 KB)

2004 Assessment Results: Students with Disabilities

What you are looking at

These graphs are similar to those on the first page of the state, district, and school report cards. They depict the assessment scores on the Spring 2004 state tests—but in this case, only for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities includes both students receiving special-education services (that is, students with Individual Education Programs, or IEPs) and students with 504 plans.

The 100-point scale represents 100% of the children with disabilities who participated in the state assessments (either New Standards Reference Exams, Rhode Island Writing, and Rhode Island Health or the Alternate Assessment) at each grade level: elementary school in the top field, middle school in middle field, and high school in bottom field. The dark, colored band at the top of each bar shows the percentage of the highest-scoring students. The dark gray band near the bottom indicates the percentage of the lowest scorers. The black band at the bottom shows those students eligible to take the tests who, for whatever reason, did not.

The numbers in box below each bar show the percent of all students with disabilities—including those who participated in the state’s Alternate Assessment—who reached proficiency, that is, who achieved the standard or achieved the standard with honors, and the percent of all students in the state who reached proficiency.

What you are looking for

You are hoping to see that all children with disabilities have met or exceeded the state standard and are represented only in the top two blocks. The standard is the same for all students statewide—whether or not they have disabilities.

Participation of Students with Disabilities on the English Language Arts New Standards Reference Exam

These two pie charts present information about the characteristics of the student population in Rhode Island. The first chart shows what percentage of Rhode Island students have disabilities; it also shows among the students with disabilities what percentage have Individual Education Programs and what percentage have 504 plans. The next chart shows demographic information about the state’s students with disabilities who have IEPs.

Educating Students with Disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment

This pie chart shows the extent to which students with disabilities are included within general-education classrooms, as well as the percentage of students with disabilities who are sent to separate special schools, generally on a tuition basis, and the percentage of students with disabilities who are homebound or hospitalized. (This same information is presented by school district in the Inclusion table.)

Achievement Proficiency by Category of Students with Disabilities

What you are looking at

This table shows how students with disabilities performed on the regular state assessments. The table shows four categories of students with disabilities—IEP with and without accommodations and 504 Plan with and without accommodations—plus an aggregate of all students with disabilities.

The table shows, for each category of student, what percentage reached the standard (attained proficiency) in the mathematics and English language arts (ELA) sections of the New Standards Reference Exams and in the Rhode Island Writing and Rhode Island Health Education assessments.

The results are reported, and averages are computed, by school level—elementary school, middle school, and high school.

The table also shows the total number of students, including those with and without disabilities, statewide and at each school level, eligible to take the state assessments, including the Alternate Assessment, and the percent proficient statewide in each test.

Note: The number of eligible students may vary slightly from test to test; the numbers displayed in this table are for the New Standards Reference Exams in mathematics.

What you are looking for

You would like to see that a high percentage of students in all categories reached proficiency in all the state assessments. In addition, you would like to see that students with disabilities had about the same proficiency level (percent proficient) as students in the state as a whole. If the proficiency level (percent proficient) for any category of student falls significantly below the statewide average for proficiency, then there is an “equity gap” for that category. These gaps must be closed.

Alternate Assessment Performance in the State of Rhode Island

What you are looking at

These bar charts show the results of the state’s Alternate Assessment in spring 2004. These assessments are designed to evaluate the progress and programs of the most severely challenged children with special educational needs. Only those districts that have more than 20 such children have their scores reported on a district level. The other results reported on this page are statewide averages.

Most children with disabilities take the regular state tests, with varying degrees of accommodations, depending on the child’s Individual Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan. About 1 of 200 children in the state has a severe or profound disability, and is therefore unable to participate in the standard testing process. These students take the Alternate Assessment, a series of portfolio entries. These items are based on the state’s content standards, as are the state’s regular assessments. They also have goals that are agreed upon by the student’s IEP and caregivers.

The portfolio might include such items as samples of student work, captioned pictures, scripted videotape, or data from the teacher. The teacher develops these portfolios over time, not during a scheduled testing period. Each portfolio is evaluated by two trained scorers, using 27 standards derived and adapted from the regular state tests and 3 more standards addressing life skills appropriate to the child with severe disabilities.

The results from the Alternate Assessment are included in the school, district, and state scores reported throughout Information Works!

What you are looking for

You are hoping to see that all children who participated in the Alternate Assessment Program achieved the standard, and thereby met the proficiency goals set forth for them.

The Alternate Assessments provide information to the state, district, and school about the performance of students with severe special needs and their programs; these assessments give parents and caregivers standardized, clear measures of student progress.

Graduation/Dropout Rates for Students with Disabilities

What you are looking at

These two bar graphs show the graduation/dropout rates for students with special educational needs and for all students in the state. The graduation rate is the inverse of the dropout rate; together, they total 100%, accounting for all (high school) students in each of the categories.

What you are looking at

The state’s goal for 2004 was a 71.4% graduation rate; the long-term goal is a 95% graduation rate (5% dropout rate) or better for all high schools. In addition, the dropout rate for students with special educational needs should not be significantly higher than the dropout rate for all high-school students; if it is significantly higher, then there is an “equity gap” within the state’s dropout rate. The state’s goal is to close all equity gaps.