Gist Confirms She's Asked Regents To Drop Tiered Diploma Plan

Rhode Island State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist told a group of Johnston residents last night that she is no longer pursuing the three-tiered diploma system that created a maelstrom of resistance from parents.

At a previous appearance , Gist said she would suggest delaying the new diploma system until 2014.

During a phone interview Tuesday morning, RIDE spokesman Elliot Krieger explained that Gist has made a recommendation to the state's Board of Regents that the tiered diploma system be abandoned. The Regents are expected to vote on Gist's proposal to drop the three-tiered format at an upcoming meeting, Krieger said.

“We (Rhode Island Department of Education) are not pursuing a tiered diploma system. However, there are endorsements to recognize exceptional academic achievement,” Gist said during the community forum held Feb. 14 at

Gist explained that the minimum requirement for graduation from high school in Rhode Island is to achieve a score of “partially proficient” on 10th-grade standards on the New England Common Assessment Program, or NECAP.

According to the most recent NECAP scores, 34 percent of Johnston 11th-graders scored "substantially below proficient" in math, meaning they would fall below the minimum graduation standard that Gist outlined. The results also showed that 9 percent of Johnston high school juniors fell below the minimum standard in reading, and 3 percent scored in the lowest category in writing.

Students who reach the minimum standard would receive a diploma suitable for transition into the workplace, a trade school, the military or a community college, said Gist, adding that students seeking placement in traditional four-year institutions would need to score higher on the tests.

Under the tiered proposal, three levels of high school certificates would have been tied to the achievement level on the NECAP: top scores would earn an "honors" diploma; average scores would receive a "regents" diploma; and students who score partially proficient would be granted a basic "Rhode Island" diploma.

Following Gist's initial proposal, angry reaction erupted from parents and advocates for low-income and minority students, who said the new diploma system would unfairly punish students who traditionally score poorly on standardized tests.

Also during last night's session, Gist spoke about the state's most recent NECAP scores, which were released last week.

“Rhode Island has scored average in the category of reading and a little less than average in mathematics when compared to the national average,” said Gist.

Compared to the New England region, Rhode Island performs near the bottom. Gist stated this indicates that the state is not doing what needs to be done to get students to be proficient in mathematics.

 “The bar is set in the right place," Gist insisted. "We must do more to help our students achieve better results."

Johnston's scores roughly mirrored state averages: 71 percent of  11th-graders scored proficient or better in reading,compared to the state average of 76 percent, while 31 percent scored proficient or higher in math (the state average was 33 percent). Complete results are available on the state NECAP reporting website.

During the presentation, Gist repeated the importance of implementing strong curriculum standards and improving educator effectiveness.

“Excellent educators is our highest priority. There is no other factor that influences students more,” Gist stated.

Rhode Island was one of nine states to receive federal Race to the Top grants, earning $75 million. About 40 percent of that funding is aimed at bolstering professional development programs for teachers and building multi-district efforts at improving educational plans.

Gist said the continuing development of skilled teachers is a top priority.

“Rhode Island is capable of having the best schools in the country. We need to recognize that teachers need to improve constantly to give their best or not be in the classroom anymore," Gist said. "There is no choice between supporting good teachers and removing consistently ineffective ones.”

Gist pressed the point of the partnership between schools, parents and students, indicating this partnership was instrumental to success for students.

“My vision is for a state that is filled with the joy of learning — something that is talked about widely, frequently and positively — something that will excite all,” said Gist.

Update: This article was updated to reflect information provided by Mr. Krieger on Tuesday morning, after the original version of the story was published. A later correction was made to the paragraph on Johnston scores to include the correct percentages of students and the subjects.