RIDE special-education support visit planned for March; Coventry staff expect an abbreviated review

Coventry’s special-education director told the committee the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) will conduct a standard school-support visit, including a record review in March, an orientation in February and a data analysis in April.

Why it matters: RIDE periodically performs monitoring and support visits of special-education departments. The visits check whether districts comply with state and federal special-education procedures and identify areas for support.

What the director said: Fred (special-education director) said RIDE performs support visits every five to six years and that Coventry’s state data indicate the district will likely receive an abbreviated review. He cited favorable indicators: Coventry’s alternate-assessment rates are below federal thresholds, out-of-district placements are below the state average and achievement gaps for students with disabilities have narrowed. The site-visit portion of the letter was marked “not applicable,” which Fred described as a favorable sign.

Next steps: RIDE will complete the orientation, record review and data analysis on the schedule Fred described, and the department expects to receive a report that will be published on RIDE’s website. The special-education office will review the report internally and then present findings to the school committee.

Ending: Fred said he expects the process to be “fairly smooth” and invited questions; none were raised at the meeting.