01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, September 7, 2004

WE WOULD LIKE to welcome Rhode Island's students and teachers as we begin another school year -- with a special welcome for the freshman class of 2008. This year's new high-school students will be a historic class: the first to graduate under a set of regulations, adopted last year by the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education, that will change what it means to earn a high-school diploma.

No longer will it be enough to take a certain number of courses to graduate. The members of the class of 2008, and all future Rhode Island high-school graduates, will have to demonstrate that they have mastered the subjects of these courses. We call this "proficiency-based graduation." In some districts, students may demonstrate their proficiency through a senior project; other districts may have their students develop a portfolio; in still others, students may demonstrate proficiency by creating exhibitions of their work.

Over the next few years we will be fine-tuning our state standards for high-school students and our new graduation requirements. With federal funds and a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, our schools will work together in networks to develop these new systems. So it should be an exciting period of innovation in our public high schools!

During the 2003-04 school year, we accomplished some major tasks. In the spring, after much public debate, the Board of Regents extended the minimum time spent in instruction to 5-plus hours, which we believe is the minimum amount of instructional time that all students need and deserve.

We also took steps toward improving teacher quality and educational leadership. We have established definitions of what it means to be a highly qualified teacher or teaching assistant. And with the help of a three-year grant from the Wallace Foundation, we have been working to improve principal-preparation programs and to develop standards for administrators.

The Rhode Island Association of School Committees has been developing standards and training opportunities for school-committee members. And we are implementing a new teacher-certification program, in which teachers will create individual learning plans (I-Plans) for themselves, and they will continue with their education throughout their teaching careers. This program, based on professional teaching standards, will support all of our teachers as lifelong learners.

We will soon see significant changes in our classrooms, as well. Working with our colleagues in New Hampshire and Vermont, we have developed academic standards -- called "grade-level expectations" -- in mathematics, reading and writing.

To accompany these new standards, we are developing tests that will be piloted this fall in schools in the three states. Measuring what students have learned, the tests will help ensure that teaching is consistent from school to school and district to district.

This collaboration among the three states, by the way, is the first in the nation. By pooling our resources and expertise, we are developing better tests at a lower per-pupil cost than any of the states could have managed alone.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to work with the schools and districts that are in the greatest need. We received a federal grant last year of $2.5 million for the Reading First initiative, which will help boost the reading skills of some of our youngest and neediest pupils. We have also distributed about $4.5 million in federal funds to help the urban districts establish or expand after-school and summer programs.

Even in these difficult fiscal times, Governor Carcieri and the General Assembly, recognizing the importance of our efforts, have set aside $1 million for our work with districts that are having difficulty meeting their targets. The General Assembly has also financed a program, championed by Governor Carcieri, to build a team of mathematics experts to work with the districts in need. This team will complements those for reading and for high-school reform.

Every year, we know more about teaching and learning. We are working hard, along with your school districts, to put this knowledge into the hands of all teachers. We remain true to the principle that all kids can reach high standards if schools and teachers have the necessary support, tools and resources.

It is too often said that Rhode Island schools perform at only a mediocre level. We dispute that. Over the past decade, we have been making progress; the numbers prove it. On our statewide exams, our elementary-school pupils have improved on all tests and our high-school students have improved dramatically in mathematics. On the national exams, known as "The Nation's Report Card," both our fourth and eighth graders reached a 10-year high in mathematics.

Last fall, the U.S. Department of Education recognized three public schools -- Barrington Middle School and Cranston's Arlington School and Norwood Avenue School -- as Blue Ribbon Schools: the country's top honor.

And we were of course thrilled in spring when Kathy Mellor, of North Kingstown, was selected as the National Teacher of the Year.

Rhode Island's educators are being recognized. Together with parents, businesses and the general community, let's continue the good work. With educational excellence, everyone wins.

James A. DiPrete is chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education. Peter McWalters is Rhode Island commissioner of elementary and secondary education.