School committee weighs changes to alternate assessment, special‑education programming and budget needs

Mrs. Shay and district special‑education staff told the committee they are reviewing eligibility for the alternate assessment required for students with significant cognitive disabilities and developing programming changes to comply with federal rules that limit alternate assessment use to roughly 1% of a state’s assessed population under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

The district reported it reduced alternate assessment identification last year to about 1.18% and is creating clearer data criteria and benchmarks to avoid over‑identification under RIDE’s updated guidance. Mrs. Shay said the work included building a list of candidates and reviewing individual student data; she estimated “we probably will end up with either 4 or 5 students who no longer meet that criteria.” The district has drafted program options for middle and high school settings and built the resource requests into the FY 2026 budget submission; implementation depends on how the requested funds are allocated.

Committee discussion clarified the difference between alternate assessment and accommodations: alternate assessment aligns instruction to essential elements for students with significant cognitive disabilities, while accommodations address access needs for students performing at grade level but with barriers to standard test modes. Committee members and staff agreed further updates will come later in the year as budget and programming decisions are finalized.

The committee also discussed high‑cost special‑education funding. Superintendent Kenworthy and staff noted rising out‑of‑district tuition projections — staff referenced an expected increase of roughly $300,000 for FY 2026 on top of an existing out‑of‑district tuition line — and recommended lawmakers increase the state’s high‑cost special‑education categorical fund. The committee approved placing that request in its legislative priorities.

Ending: The committee asked for at least one more update later in the school year and for the district to return with precise budget figures for FY 2024 and FY 2026 special‑education reimbursements.