Rhode Island Department of Education Has a Big Problem with Pawtucket Schools Reporting on a Critical Statistic: That “May Undermine Effective Decision-Making & Public Confidence in Pawtucket School Department Data”
Pawtucket School Superintendent, as well as School Committee Chair Joanne Bonollo, & Committee Deputy Chair Kim Grant, were on the receiving end of a blockbuster letter today, from Drew Echelson, Deputy Commissioner of the Rhode Island Department of Education.
Citing a failure to adhere to “the Federally Mandated four-year cohort graduation methodology that evaluates graduation rates based on their starting ninth grade cohort, PSD’s projection rate simply divided the number of graduating students by the current Senior class. RIDE has prescribed a variety of cures, including a “Technical Assistance Session”, “Public Correction”, “Ongoing Oversight” and a “Documentation Audit”.
The difference is significant: The Pawtucket School Committee reported 84%. The Rhode Island Department of Education calculates the PSD Graduation Rate at 74.4.
It is anticipated that officials of RIDE will be present at the next meeting of the Pawtucket School Committee. The next meeting is currently scheduled for September 15.
