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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | 2023 -- H 6272 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC002747 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Representatives Caldwell, and Dawson |
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| 17 | 17 | | Date Introduced: April 07, 2023 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred To: House Education |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. Sections 16-97.1-1 and 16-97.1-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-97.1 1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | entitled "Education Accountability Act" are hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | 16-97.1-1. Performances of local education agencies and individual public schools — 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | Evaluation system — Assessment instruments — Reports. 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) The board of education (the “board”) shall adopt a system for evaluating, on an annual 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | basis, the performance of both local education agencies (“LEAs”) and individual public schools. 6 |
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| 28 | 28 | | The system shall: 7 |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) Include instruments designed to assess the extent to which schools and LEAs succeed 8 |
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| 30 | 30 | | in improving or fail to improve student performance, as defined by: 9 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (i) Student acquisition of the skills, competencies, and knowledge called for by the 10 |
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| 32 | 32 | | academic standards and embodied in the curriculum frameworks established in the areas of 11 |
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| 33 | 33 | | mathematics, English language arts, science and technology, history and social studies, world 12 |
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| 34 | 34 | | languages, and the arts; and 13 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (ii) Other gauges of student learning judged by the board to be relevant and meaningful to 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | students, parents, teachers, administrators, and taxpayers. 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) Be designed both to measure outcomes and results regarding student performance, and 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | to improve the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction. 17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) In its design and application, strike a balance among considerations of accuracy, 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | fairness, expense, and administration. 19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC002747 - Page 2 of 12 |
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| 44 | 44 | | (4) Employ a variety of assessment instruments on either a comprehensive or statistically 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | valid sampling basis. Such instruments shall: 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (i) Be criterion-referenced, assessing whether students are meeting the academic standards 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | described in this chapter; 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (ii) As much as is practicable, especially in the case of students whose performance is 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | difficult to assess using conventional methods, include consideration of work samples, projects, 6 |
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| 50 | 50 | | and portfolios, and shall facilitate authentic and direct gauges of student performance; 7 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (iii) Provide the means to compare student performance among the various school systems 8 |
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| 52 | 52 | | and communities in the state, and between students in other states and in other nations, especially 9 |
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| 53 | 53 | | those nations that compete with the state for employment and economic opportunities; 10 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (iv) Be designed to avoid gender, cultural, ethnic, or racial stereotypes; and 11 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (v) Recognize sensitivity to different learning styles and impediments to learning, which 12 |
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| 56 | 56 | | may include issues related, but not limited, to cultural, financial, emotional, health, and social 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | factors. 14 |
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| 58 | 58 | | (5) Take into account, on a nondiscriminatory basis, the cultural and language diversity of 15 |
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| 59 | 59 | | students in the state and the particular circumstances of students with special needs. 16 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (6) Comply with federal requirements for accommodating children with special needs. 17 |
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| 61 | 61 | | (7) Allow all potential English-proficient students from language groups in which English 18 |
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| 62 | 62 | | language learner programs are offered opportunities for assessment of their performance in the 19 |
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| 63 | 63 | | language that best allows them to demonstrate educational achievement and mastery of academic 20 |
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| 64 | 64 | | standards and curriculum frameworks. 21 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (8) Identify individual schools and LEAs that need comprehensive support and 22 |
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| 66 | 66 | | improvement. 23 |
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| 67 | 67 | | (b) The board shall take all appropriate action to bring about and continue the state’s 24 |
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| 68 | 68 | | participation in the assessment activities of the National Assessment of Educational Progress and 25 |
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| 69 | 69 | | in the development of standards and assessments by the New Standards Program. 26 |
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| 70 | 70 | | (c) In addition, comprehensive diagnostic assessment of individual students shall be 27 |
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| 71 | 71 | | conducted at least in the fourth, eighth, and tenth or eleventh grades. The diagnostic assessments 28 |
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| 72 | 72 | | shall identify academic achievement levels of all students in order to inform teachers, parents, 29 |
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| 73 | 73 | | administrators, and the students themselves, as to individual academic performance. 30 |
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| 74 | 74 | | (d) The board shall develop procedures for updating, improving, or refining the assessment 31 |
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| 75 | 75 | | system. 32 |
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| 76 | 76 | | (e) The commissioner of elementary and secondary education (the “commissioner”) is 33 |
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| 77 | 77 | | authorized and directed to gather information, including the information specified herein and such 34 |
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| 78 | 78 | | |
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| 79 | 79 | | |
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| 80 | 80 | | LC002747 - Page 3 of 12 |
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| 81 | 81 | | other information as the board shall require, for the purposes of evaluating individual public 1 |
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| 82 | 82 | | schools, school districts, and the efficacy and equity of state and federally mandated programs. All 2 |
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| 83 | 83 | | information gathered pursuant to this section shall be filed in the manner and form prescribed by 3 |
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| 84 | 84 | | the department of education (the “department”). 4 |
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| 85 | 85 | | (f) The board shall establish and maintain a data system to collect information from school 5 |
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| 86 | 86 | | districts for the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of district evaluation systems in ensuring 6 |
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| 87 | 87 | | effective teaching and administrative leadership in the public schools. The information shall be 7 |
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| 88 | 88 | | made available in the aggregate to the public; provided, however, that the following information 8 |
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| 89 | 89 | | shall be considered personnel information and shall not be subject to disclosure: 9 |
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| 90 | 90 | | (1) Any data or information that school districts, the department, or both, create, send, or 10 |
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| 91 | 91 | | receive in connection with an educator assessment that is evaluative in nature and that may be 11 |
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| 92 | 92 | | linked to an individual educator, including information concerning: 12 |
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| 93 | 93 | | (i) An educator’s formative assessment or evaluation; 13 |
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| 94 | 94 | | (ii) An educator’s summative evaluation or performance rating; or 14 |
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| 95 | 95 | | (iii) The student learning, growth, and achievement data that may be used as part of an 15 |
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| 96 | 96 | | individual educator’s evaluation. 16 |
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| 97 | 97 | | (g) Each school district shall maintain individual records on every student and employee. 17 |
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| 98 | 98 | | Each student record shall contain a unique and confidential identification number, basic 18 |
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| 99 | 99 | | demographic information, program and course information, and such other information as the 19 |
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| 100 | 100 | | department shall determine necessary. The records shall conform to parameters established by the 20 |
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| 101 | 101 | | department. 21 |
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| 102 | 102 | | (h) For the purposes of improving the performance of school districts, individual public 22 |
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| 103 | 103 | | schools, and the efficacy and equity of state and federal programs, each district shall file with the 23 |
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| 104 | 104 | | commissioner once in each three-year (3) period a comprehensive, three-year (3) district 24 |
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| 105 | 105 | | improvement plan. The plan shall: 25 |
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| 106 | 106 | | (1) Be developed and submitted in a manner and form prescribed by the department of 26 |
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| 107 | 107 | | education. 27 |
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| 108 | 108 | | (2) To the extent feasible, be designed to fulfill all planning requirements of state and 28 |
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| 109 | 109 | | federal education laws. 29 |
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| 110 | 110 | | (3) Include, but not be limited to: 30 |
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| 111 | 111 | | (i) An analysis of student and subgroup achievement gaps in core subjects; 31 |
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| 112 | 112 | | (ii) Identification of specific improvement objectives; 32 |
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| 113 | 113 | | (iii) A description of the strategic initiatives the district will undertake to achieve its 33 |
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| 114 | 114 | | improvement objectives; and 34 |
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| 115 | 115 | | |
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| 116 | 116 | | |
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| 117 | 117 | | LC002747 - Page 4 of 12 |
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| 118 | 118 | | (iv) Performance benchmarks and processes for evaluating the effect of district 1 |
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| 119 | 119 | | improvement initiatives. 2 |
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| 120 | 120 | | (4) Describe the professional development activities that will support each district 3 |
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| 121 | 121 | | improvement initiative and the teacher induction and mentoring activities that will be undertaken 4 |
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| 122 | 122 | | to support successful implementation of the district’s improvement efforts. 5 |
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| 123 | 123 | | (i) On an annual basis, not later than September 1 December 31 of each year, each district 6 |
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| 124 | 124 | | shall prepare and have available for state review an annual action plan. The district annual action 7 |
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| 125 | 125 | | plan shall: 8 |
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| 126 | 126 | | (1) Enumerate the specific activities, persons responsible, and timelines for action to be 9 |
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| 127 | 127 | | taken as part of the strategic initiatives set forth in the district’s three-year (3) improvement plan; 10 |
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| 128 | 128 | | and 11 |
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| 129 | 129 | | (2) Identify the staff and financial resources allocated to support these activities. 12 |
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| 130 | 130 | | (j) Annually, the principal of each school shall: 13 |
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| 131 | 131 | | (1) In consultation with the school improvement team, adopt student performance goals for 14 |
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| 132 | 132 | | the schools consistent with the school performance goals established by the department of 15 |
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| 133 | 133 | | education pursuant to state and federal law and regulations; 16 |
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| 134 | 134 | | (2) Consistent with any educational policies established for the district, assess the needs of 17 |
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| 135 | 135 | | the school in light of those goals; 18 |
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| 136 | 136 | | (3) Formulate a school plan to advance such goals and improve student performance. The 19 |
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| 137 | 137 | | school’s plan to support improved student performance shall: 20 |
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| 138 | 138 | | (i) Include, but not be limited to, the same components required for the district 21 |
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| 139 | 139 | | improvement plan; 22 |
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| 140 | 140 | | (ii) Conform to department and district specifications to ensure that such school 23 |
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| 141 | 141 | | improvement plans meet state and federal law requirements; and 24 |
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| 142 | 142 | | (iii) Be submitted to the superintendent who shall review and approve the plan, after 25 |
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| 143 | 143 | | consultation with the school committee, not later than July 1 of the year in which the plan is to be 26 |
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| 144 | 144 | | implemented, according to a plan development and review schedule established by the district 27 |
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| 145 | 145 | | superintendent; and 28 |
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| 146 | 146 | | (4)(i) Prepare and have available for district and state review by July 1 annually, a report, 29 |
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| 147 | 147 | | based on SurveyWorks or other data collection, that shall provide aggregated graduating student 30 |
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| 148 | 148 | | data on race, ethnicity, and gender for the following: 31 |
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| 149 | 149 | | (A) The total number of students graduating; 32 |
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| 150 | 150 | | (B) The total number of students graduating who are applying for admission to a college, 33 |
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| 151 | 151 | | university, or vocational training program; 34 |
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| 152 | 152 | | |
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| 153 | 153 | | |
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| 154 | 154 | | LC002747 - Page 5 of 12 |
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| 155 | 155 | | (C) The total number of students completing a free application for federal student aid 1 |
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| 156 | 156 | | (“FAFSA”) form; and 2 |
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| 157 | 157 | | (D) The total number of students who are eligible to fill out and submit a FAFSA form. 3 |
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| 158 | 158 | | (ii) The department shall include, in SurveyWorks or an equivalent data collection tool, 4 |
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| 159 | 159 | | inquiries to collect the data and information referenced in subsection (j)(4)(i) of this section. 5 |
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| 160 | 160 | | (k) The three-year (3) comprehensive district plan, annual district action plan, and annual 6 |
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| 161 | 161 | | school improvement plan shall replace any district and school plans previously required under the 7 |
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| 162 | 162 | | general laws or regulation, that, in the professional opinion of the commissioner, would be most 8 |
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| 163 | 163 | | effectively presented as part of the coordinated district or school plan for improving student 9 |
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| 164 | 164 | | achievement. The department shall identify any additional reports or plans called for by any general 10 |
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| 165 | 165 | | law or regulation that can be incorporated into this single filing in order to reduce paperwork and 11 |
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| 166 | 166 | | eliminate duplication. 12 |
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| 167 | 167 | | (l) Each school district in which more than twenty percent (20%) of the students do not 13 |
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| 168 | 168 | | meet grade-level expectations of at least proficient or its equivalent on the Rhode Island 14 |
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| 169 | 169 | | comprehensive assessment system exam (“RICAS”) shall submit a RICAS state assessment 15 |
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| 170 | 170 | | success plan, as defined by to the department. The plan shall describe the school district’s strategies 16 |
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| 171 | 171 | | for helping each student to master the skills, competencies, and knowledge required for the 17 |
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| 172 | 172 | | competency determination. In recognition of the department’s mission as a district support agency, 18 |
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| 173 | 173 | | then at the request of the district or in response to reporting data provided under this subsection, 19 |
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| 174 | 174 | | the department shall: 20 |
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| 175 | 175 | | (1) Determine the elements that shall be required to be included in such plan. These 21 |
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| 176 | 176 | | elements may include, but are not limited to, the following: 22 |
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| 177 | 177 | | (i) A plan to assess each student’s strengths, weaknesses, and needs; 23 |
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| 178 | 178 | | (ii) A plan to use summer school, after school, and other additional support to provide each 24 |
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| 179 | 179 | | child with the assistance needed; and 25 |
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| 180 | 180 | | (iii) A plan for involving the parents of students. 26 |
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| 181 | 181 | | (2) Examine each district’s plan and determine if it has a reasonable prospect of 27 |
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| 182 | 182 | | significantly reducing the school district’s failure rates. 28 |
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| 183 | 183 | | (3) Coordinate oversight of the RICAS success plans with existing education review and 29 |
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| 184 | 184 | | oversight functions and with the RICAS grant program. 30 |
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| 185 | 185 | | (m) Each school district shall file a report with the department every year by a date and in 31 |
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| 186 | 186 | | a format determined by the board. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 32 |
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| 187 | 187 | | (1) An outline of the curriculum The status of the implementation of high quality 33 |
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| 188 | 188 | | curriculum adoption and graduation requirements of the district; 34 |
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| 189 | 189 | | |
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| 190 | 190 | | |
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| 191 | 191 | | LC002747 - Page 6 of 12 |
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| 192 | 192 | | (2) Pupil/teacher ratios and class size policy and practice; 1 |
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| 193 | 193 | | (3) Teacher and administrator evaluation procedures; 2 |
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| 194 | 194 | | (4) Statistics, and policies, and procedures relative to truancy and dropouts; 3 |
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| 195 | 195 | | (5) Statistics, and policies, and procedures relative to expulsions and in-school and out-of-4 |
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| 196 | 196 | | school suspensions; 5 |
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| 197 | 197 | | (6) Percent of school-age children attending public schools: 6 |
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| 198 | 198 | | (7) Racial composition of teaching and administrative staff; 7 |
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| 199 | 199 | | (8) Enrollment and average daily attendance; and 8 |
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| 200 | 200 | | (9) The annual budgets and expenditures for both the district and the individual schools in 9 |
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| 201 | 201 | | the district. 10 |
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| 202 | 202 | | (n) Each school district shall file a description of the following instructional procedures 11 |
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| 203 | 203 | | and programs with the department every year and/or RIDE shall, where appropriate, provide the 12 |
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| 204 | 204 | | information: 13 |
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| 205 | 205 | | (1) Art and music programs; 14 |
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| 206 | 206 | | (2) Technology education, and/or computer science; 15 |
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| 207 | 207 | | (3) Programs for gifted and talented students; 16 |
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| 208 | 208 | | (4) Adult education programs; 17 |
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| 209 | 209 | | (5) Library and media facilities; 18 |
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| 210 | 210 | | (6) Condition of instructional materials, including textbooks, workbooks, audio-visual 19 |
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| 211 | 211 | | materials, and laboratory materials; 20 |
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| 212 | 212 | | (7) Types and condition of computers and computer software; 21 |
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| 213 | 213 | | (8) Basic skills remediation programs; 22 |
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| 214 | 214 | | (9) Drug, tobacco, and alcohol abuse programs; 23 |
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| 215 | 215 | | (10) Multi-cultural education training for students and teachers; 24 |
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| 216 | 216 | | (11) Global education; and 25 |
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| 217 | 217 | | (12) Nutrition and wellness programs. 26 |
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| 218 | 218 | | (o) Each school district and charter school shall file an annual report for the current school 27 |
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| 219 | 219 | | year regarding implementation with the department on or before every November December 1 in a 28 |
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| 220 | 220 | | format determined by the board. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 29 |
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| 221 | 221 | | (1) The number of children receiving services within each disability category; 30 |
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| 222 | 222 | | (2) The number of children, by grade level, within each disability category and the costs of 31 |
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| 223 | 223 | | services provided by each such category for such children receiving their education in a publicly 32 |
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| 224 | 224 | | operated day school program; 33 |
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| 225 | 225 | | (3) The number of children, by grade level, within each disability category and the costs of 34 |
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| 226 | 226 | | |
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| 227 | 227 | | |
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| 228 | 228 | | LC002747 - Page 7 of 12 |
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| 229 | 229 | | services provided by each category for these children receiving their education in a private day 1 |
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| 230 | 230 | | setting; 2 |
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| 231 | 231 | | (4) The number of children, by grade level, within each such disability category and the 3 |
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| 232 | 232 | | costs of services provided by each such category for such children receiving their education in a 4 |
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| 233 | 233 | | private residential setting; 5 |
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| 234 | 234 | | (5) The number of children who remain in the regular education program full-time; the 6 |
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| 235 | 235 | | number of children who are removed from the regular classroom for up to twenty-five percent 7 |
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| 236 | 236 | | (25%) of the day; the number of children who are removed from the regular classroom between 8 |
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| 237 | 237 | | twenty-five percent (25%) and sixty percent (60%) of the day; 9 |
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| 238 | 238 | | (6) The number of children who are placed in substantially separate classrooms on a regular 10 |
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| 239 | 239 | | education school site; 11 |
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| 240 | 240 | | (7) The number of children, ages three (3) and four (4) who are educated in integrated and 12 |
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| 241 | 241 | | separate classrooms; and the assignment, by sex, national origin, economic status, and race, of 13 |
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| 242 | 242 | | children by age level, to special education classes and the distribution of children residing in the 14 |
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| 243 | 243 | | district, by sex, national origin, economic status, and race of children by age level; and 15 |
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| 244 | 244 | | (8) The number of children, by grade level, receiving special education services who have 16 |
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| 245 | 245 | | limited English proficiency. 17 |
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| 246 | 246 | | (1) The number of children, by grade level, receiving special education services who have 18 |
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| 247 | 247 | | been classified as English language learners; and 19 |
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| 248 | 248 | | (2) Other data collections required by federal reporting guidelines related to students 20 |
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| 249 | 249 | | receiving special education services. 21 |
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| 250 | 250 | | (p) Each school district and charter school shall furnish in a timely manner such additional 22 |
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| 251 | 251 | | information as the department shall request. 23 |
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| 252 | 252 | | (q) Each school district required to provide an English language learners program shall file 24 |
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| 253 | 253 | | the following information with the department annually on or before November 1, with the first 25 |
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| 254 | 254 | | submission on or before November 1, 2024: 26 |
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| 255 | 255 | | (1) The type of English language learners programs provided; 27 |
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| 256 | 256 | | (2) With regard to limited English proficient students classified as English language 28 |
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| 257 | 257 | | learners: 29 |
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| 258 | 258 | | (i) The number enrolled in each type of English language learners program; 30 |
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| 259 | 259 | | (ii) The number enrolled in English as a second language who are not enrolled in another 31 |
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| 260 | 260 | | English language learners program; 32 |
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| 261 | 261 | | (iii) The results of basic skills, curriculum assessment, achievement, and on state content 33 |
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| 262 | 262 | | assessments as well as state language proficiency testing assessments, whether administered in 34 |
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| 263 | 263 | | |
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| 264 | 264 | | |
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| 265 | 265 | | LC002747 - Page 8 of 12 |
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| 266 | 266 | | English or in the native language; 1 |
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| 267 | 267 | | (iv) The absentee, suspension, and expulsion, dropout, and promotion rates; and 2 |
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| 268 | 268 | | (v) The number of years each limited English proficient English language learner student 3 |
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| 269 | 269 | | has been enrolled in an English language learners program; 4 |
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| 270 | 270 | | (3) The number of students each year who have enrolled in institutions of higher education 5 |
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| 271 | 271 | | and were formerly enrolled in an English language learners program; 6 |
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| 272 | 272 | | (4) The academic progress in regular education of students who have completed an English 7 |
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| 273 | 273 | | language learners program; 8 |
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| 274 | 274 | | (5) For each limited English proficient English language learner student receiving special 9 |
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| 275 | 275 | | education, the number of years in the school district prior to special education evaluation and the 10 |
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| 276 | 276 | | movement in special education programs by program placement; 11 |
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| 277 | 277 | | (6) The number of limited English proficient English language learner students enrolled in 12 |
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| 278 | 278 | | programs of occupational or vocational education; 13 |
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| 279 | 279 | | (7) The name, national origin, native language, certificates held, language proficiency, 14 |
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| 280 | 280 | | grade levels, and subjects taught by each teacher of an English language learners program, bilingual 15 |
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| 281 | 281 | | aides or paraprofessionals, bilingual guidance or adjustment counselors, and and/or bilingual 16 |
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| 282 | 282 | | school psychologists; 17 |
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| 283 | 283 | | (8) The per-pupil expenditures for each full-time equivalent student enrolled in an English 18 |
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| 284 | 284 | | language learners program; 19 |
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| 285 | 285 | | (9) The sources and amounts of all funds expended on students enrolled in English 20 |
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| 286 | 286 | | language learners programs, broken down by local, state, and federal sources, and whether any such 21 |
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| 287 | 287 | | funds expended supplanted, rather than supplemented, the local school district obligation; 22 |
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| 288 | 288 | | (10) The participation of parents through parent advisory councils; 23 |
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| 289 | 289 | | (11) Whether there were any complaints filed with any federal or state court or 24 |
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| 290 | 290 | | administrative agency, since the program’s inception, concerning the compliance with federal or 25 |
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| 291 | 291 | | state minimum legal requirements, the disposition of the complaint, and the monitoring and 26 |
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| 292 | 292 | | evaluation of any such agreement or court order relative to the complaint; and 27 |
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| 293 | 293 | | (12) This information shall be filed in the form of the total for the school district as well as 28 |
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| 294 | 294 | | categorized by school, grade, and language. 29 |
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| 295 | 295 | | (r) The commissioner annually shall analyze and publish data reported by school districts 30 |
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| 296 | 296 | | under this section regarding English language learners programs and limited English proficient 31 |
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| 297 | 297 | | English language learner students. Publication shall include, but need not be limited to, availability 32 |
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| 298 | 298 | | on the department’s website. The commissioner shall submit annually a report to the committees 33 |
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| 299 | 299 | | of jurisdiction for education in the house of representatives and senate on this data on a statewide 34 |
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| 300 | 300 | | |
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| 301 | 301 | | |
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| 302 | 302 | | LC002747 - Page 9 of 12 |
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| 303 | 303 | | and school district basis including, but not limited to, by language group and type of English 1 |
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| 304 | 304 | | language learners programs. 2 |
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| 305 | 305 | | (s) For the purposes of this chapter, “local education agencies” shall include all of the 3 |
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| 306 | 306 | | following within the state of Rhode Island: 4 |
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| 307 | 307 | | (1) Public school districts; 5 |
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| 308 | 308 | | (2) Regional school districts; 6 |
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| 309 | 309 | | (3) State-operated schools; 7 |
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| 310 | 310 | | (4) Regional collaborative schools; and 8 |
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| 311 | 311 | | (5) Charter schools and mayoral academies. 9 |
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| 312 | 312 | | 16-97.1-2. Additional duties of the department of education related to school and 10 |
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| 313 | 313 | | district accountability. 11 |
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| 314 | 314 | | (a) In order to support the commissioner and the board of education (the “board”) in 12 |
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| 315 | 315 | | fulfilling their duties, the department shall use existing budgetary resources and existing personnel 13 |
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| 316 | 316 | | in its implementation of improvement plans pursuant to this section. The department shall: 14 |
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| 317 | 317 | | (1) Provide a mechanism to review and report on the efforts of schools, charter schools, 15 |
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| 318 | 318 | | and school districts, including regional school districts, to improve the academic achievement of 16 |
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| 319 | 319 | | their students; 17 |
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| 320 | 320 | | (2) Inform and assist the board in fulfilling their broader responsibilities to promote high 18 |
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| 321 | 321 | | levels of achievement in the schools and districts of the state; 19 |
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| 322 | 322 | | (3) Be, for purposes of school and district accountability, under the direction and 20 |
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| 323 | 323 | | supervision of one individual who shall be appointed by the commissioner. This individual shall be 21 |
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| 324 | 324 | | responsible for: 22 |
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| 325 | 325 | | (i) The direction and supervision of the targeted assistance and intervention efforts of the 23 |
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| 326 | 326 | | department under this chapter; 24 |
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| 327 | 327 | | (ii) Such assistance efforts as the commissioner deems necessary to correct deficiencies 25 |
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| 328 | 328 | | identified by the department; 26 |
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| 329 | 329 | | (iii) Compliance with the accountability provisions of federal law; and 27 |
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| 330 | 330 | | (iv) Ensuring that the education reviewing and assistance functions of the department are 28 |
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| 331 | 331 | | aligned to promote collaboration and communication across the education reviewing and assistance 29 |
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| 332 | 332 | | functions; 30 |
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| 333 | 333 | | (4) Ensure that school and district review teams include experienced practitioners in the 31 |
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| 334 | 334 | | field of education, except that no member shall have been previously or currently employed by: 32 |
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| 335 | 335 | | (i) The school, district, or charter school being reviewed; or 33 |
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| 336 | 336 | | (ii) A district, charter school, or education collaborative serving a common student 34 |
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| 337 | 337 | | |
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| 338 | 338 | | |
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| 339 | 339 | | LC002747 - Page 10 of 12 |
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| 340 | 340 | | population with the school, district, or charter school being reviewed; 1 |
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| 341 | 341 | | (5) Act as an education reviewing body, objectively reviewing the results of educational 2 |
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| 342 | 342 | | measurement and tests conducted by or for the department in implementing the laws under this 3 |
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| 343 | 343 | | chapter. In executing this subsection, the department shall: 4 |
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| 344 | 344 | | (i) Perform no fewer than five (5) school district education reviews annually beginning in 5 |
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| 345 | 345 | | academic year 2024-2025, sixty percent (60%) of which shall be in districts whose students achieve 6 |
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| 346 | 346 | | at low levels either in absolute terms or relative to districts that educate similar student populations. 7 |
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| 347 | 347 | | The remainder of the education reviews shall be divided equally among districts whose students 8 |
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| 348 | 348 | | achieve at high levels relative to districts that educate similar student populations and randomly 9 |
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| 349 | 349 | | selected districts; 10 |
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| 350 | 350 | | (ii) Ensure that no school or district is reviewed during the administration of any statewide 11 |
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| 351 | 351 | | assessments; 12 |
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| 352 | 352 | | (iii) Coordinate with other entities in the department to ensure that a school or district is 13 |
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| 353 | 353 | | not subject to multiple comprehensive education reviews or reviews by the department or any 14 |
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| 354 | 354 | | accrediting body within a nine-month (9) period, unless the board specifically votes to do so on an 15 |
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| 355 | 355 | | emergency basis; 16 |
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| 356 | 356 | | (iv) Have the following duties relative to school district reviews: 17 |
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| 357 | 357 | | (A) Objectively review the school and district reports; 18 |
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| 358 | 358 | | (B) Undertake inspections of schools, charter schools, and school districts, including 19 |
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| 359 | 359 | | regional school districts, to evaluate efforts to improve and support the quality of instruction and 20 |
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| 360 | 360 | | administration; 21 |
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| 361 | 361 | | (C) Review the district’s RICAS state assessment success plan, if one was required 22 |
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| 362 | 362 | | pursuant to law, and evaluate the implementation of that plan; 23 |
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| 363 | 363 | | (D) Review the district’s implementation of any RICAS grants received to develop or 24 |
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| 364 | 364 | | enhance academic support services for students scoring below proficient or its equivalent; 25 |
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| 365 | 365 | | (E) Evaluate the alignment of curriculum and professional development plans with the state 26 |
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| 366 | 366 | | curriculum and assessments; 27 |
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| 367 | 367 | | (F) Review the progress of overall student achievement; 28 |
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| 368 | 368 | | (G) Evaluate student performance, school and district management, overall district 29 |
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| 369 | 369 | | governance, and any other areas deemed necessary by the department; and 30 |
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| 370 | 370 | | (H) Ensure the education reviews are conducted in accordance with standards established 31 |
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| 371 | 371 | | by the council of elementary and secondary education; 32 |
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| 372 | 372 | | (v) Following the school district’s education review, produce a comprehensive report 33 |
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| 373 | 373 | | detailing its findings and observations, which the commissioner shall present to the council along 34 |
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| 374 | 374 | | |
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| 375 | 375 | | |
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| 376 | 376 | | LC002747 - Page 11 of 12 |
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| 377 | 377 | | with any recommendations for further action to be taken by the council. After the council’s receipt 1 |
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| 378 | 378 | | of the report, the commissioner shall issue recommendations to districts not requiring further action 2 |
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| 379 | 379 | | relative to methods for improving any deficiencies identified by the department. The 3 |
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| 380 | 380 | | recommendations shall be transmitted to the reviewed district’s superintendent and school 4 |
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| 381 | 381 | | committee within ninety (90) days of the council’s receipt of the report; and 5 |
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| 382 | 382 | | (vi) Annually compile a report of best practices from the list of education reviews 6 |
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| 383 | 383 | | conducted that year and distribute the compiled list to all school districts in the state; 7 |
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| 384 | 384 | | (6) For the purposes of any inspection or education review, have access to all necessary 8 |
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| 385 | 385 | | papers, vouchers, books, and records pertaining to a school, including a charter school, a school 9 |
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| 386 | 386 | | district, or a regional school district; 10 |
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| 387 | 387 | | (7) In establishing protocols for the conduct of school or district education reviews, to the 11 |
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| 388 | 388 | | extent practicable, minimize the administrative burden on schools and districts by using existing, 12 |
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| 389 | 389 | | recently-compiled or readily-available data sources. Schools, school districts, and school personnel 13 |
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| 390 | 390 | | shall cooperate with the department for any inspection or education review conducted pursuant to 14 |
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| 391 | 391 | | this section including, but not limited to, participating in interviews and producing books and 15 |
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| 392 | 392 | | documents. Each school district, including regional school districts and charter schools, shall 16 |
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| 393 | 393 | | annually file with the department, on or before October 1, a copy of its current personnel contracts 17 |
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| 394 | 394 | | and collective bargaining agreements in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner. The 18 |
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| 395 | 395 | | department shall ensure that any noncompliance with law, misfeasance, or malfeasance shall be 19 |
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| 396 | 396 | | referred to the commissioner for appropriate action; 20 |
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| 397 | 397 | | (8) Support the commissioner and the council in carrying out their duties under sections 21 |
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| 398 | 398 | | related to underperforming schools. Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the ability 22 |
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| 399 | 399 | | of the department to contract with individuals, external partners, or other entities to support the 23 |
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| 400 | 400 | | assistance functions established by said sections. 24 |
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| 401 | 401 | | (b) The department shall transmit its findings, education review reports, recommendations, 25 |
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| 402 | 402 | | and follow-up reports to the council on elementary and secondary education, the attorney general, 26 |
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| 403 | 403 | | and a local public library in the education reviewed districts. In addition, the department shall 27 |
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| 404 | 404 | | appear annually before the health, education and welfare committee of the house of representatives 28 |
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| 405 | 405 | | and before the senate education committee, to report on these findings, reviews, recommendations, 29 |
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| 406 | 406 | | and other reports. 30 |
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| 407 | 407 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on June 30, 2023. 31 |
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| 408 | 408 | | ======== |
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| 409 | 409 | | LC002747 |
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| 410 | 410 | | ======== |
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| 411 | 411 | | |
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| 412 | 412 | | |
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| 413 | 413 | | LC002747 - Page 12 of 12 |
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| 414 | 414 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 415 | 415 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 416 | 416 | | OF |
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| 417 | 417 | | A N A C T |
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| 418 | 418 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT |
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| 419 | 419 | | *** |
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| 420 | 420 | | This act would extend the due date for the district action plan each and every year from 1 |
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| 421 | 421 | | September 1 to December 1, and further require that there are no fewer than five (5) school district 2 |
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| 422 | 422 | | education reviews annually beginning in academic year 2024-2025. 3 |
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| 423 | 423 | | This act would take effect June 30, 2023. 4 |
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| 424 | 424 | | ======== |
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| 425 | 425 | | LC002747 |
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| 426 | 426 | | ======== |
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