RIDE investigation finds no evidence of grade inflation but scant evidence of student work

Late Wednesday night the Rhode Island Department of Education released a report on its investigation into allegations of grade inflation at a Providence school.

The findings, which came at nearly 11 p.m., state that no evidence of inflation was uncovered, but the agency also did not find much evidence of the student work needed to graduate.

RIDE said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green learned in July of allegations that students at A-Venture Academy, a school that serves as an alternative option for students struggling in traditional schools, had received inflated grades and unearned credits that allowed them to graduate.

According to the report, the allegations concerned seven out of 11 students who received diplomas in June. Those students, who were transferred from Mount Pleasant High School, were part of the academy's overaged/under-credited program, otherwise known as OAUC, which helps give students a pathway to graduation.

RIDE says no evidence of inflation, but record keeping subpar

RIDE said its investigation determined that all credits were rightfully given, but Providence Public School District teachers are not required to save student work that would justify the grades that earned them the credits. For the most part, work from the seven students mentioned in the report wasn't available to corroborate their grades, RIDE said.

Therefore, the report says it "hinges almost exclusively on the testimony of the A-Venture students, teachers and/or coordinators."

Head of program for struggling students denies allegations of inflated graduation credits

Only one student was interviewed for the report, according to RIDE's list of 21 interviewees. The others were mostly teachers and individuals in leadership roles.

The report acknowledges that A-Venture's record-keeping was subpar, stating, "to call the records maintained by the OACU Program sparse would be generous."

RIDE attempts to explain the credits, which students amassed quickly in some cases, as in part the result of credit "mining," a process that allows records to be mined for any partial credit that can be given for past work in classes they either failed or didn't complete. After that process, classes that a student must makeup or "recover" are identified.

RIDE said Deputy Commissioner Lisa Odom-Villella reviewed the students' "educational records and opined that is was possible through the Program’s use of credit-mining, pretests, projects/learning experiences, and the ability of teachers to skip modules within given course curriculum."

But again, records, for the most part, can't corroborate this.

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In information on its website, RIDE's high school graduation requirements call for the "Completion of one performance-based diploma assessment (Graduation Portfolio, Student Exhibitions, Senior Project and/or a Capstone Product)." The Providence Journal asked RIDE why such materials do not exist, and was directed back to the report.

While the report states that in May, Providence Public School District Director of Alternative Learning Marc Catone viewed "files which included completed student projects and grades," the report later indicates that much of students' work was not available to review. The Journal asked RIDE for clarification and was again directed back to the report.

As part of its recommendations listed in the report, RIDE said course work should be done online, and that program coordinators should save project-based work for one year after graduation or disenrollment.

School superintendent: No evidence grades were inflated to let students graduate

According to RIDE, changes already underway in the Providence Public School District include the use of electronic grade books, correctly coded A-Venture courses that can be "clearly tracked on the transcript," and a handbook on program requirements and requirements for entering grades. RIDE said the district is also "reviewing and updating its district-wide criteria for all credit recovery courses and will provide training to all high school guidance counselors regarding such program."

Providence School Board members want independent investigation

Next week, a Senate Oversight hearing will be held on the matter. RIDE spokesman Victor Morente said attorney Charles Ruggerio, who submitted the report, will be present.

In August, Providence School Board members Ty'Relle Stephens, Jesús Nuñez and Night Jean Muhingabo called for an independent investigation rather than one conducted by RIDE.

On Thursday, they repeated their call.

"We would like to know if nobody has done anything wrong, why can’t it be proven through an independent investigation?" the members said in an emailed statement. "We received [too] many [complaints] of retaliation to trust the outcome of this investigation. We stand in support of an independent investigation by an external vendor, a reputable law firm, and will ... stop at nothing. It’s our sincere hope the Commissioner [Infante-Green] will do the right thing."

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In a long statement, Infante-Green cited the issues as evidence of why she believes the state takeover of public schools was necessary.

"This inquiry places a spotlight on the years the District has had a lack of a coherent process for the documentation of students’ grades and the system will not be allowed to continue without cohesion and accountability," Infante-Green said. "Sadly, after decades of dysfunction in PPSD, we continue to uncover and tackle long-standing systemic issues like this each day. This matter reminds everyone yet again why the state had to intervene in the first place to improve the district and the outcomes of students."

In remarks released Thursday, Council on Elementary and Secondary Education Chair Patti DiCenso praised the investigation, calling the allegations about A-Venture "unfounded" and "inflammatory."

"As Chair of the Council, I speak on behalf of the entire group in sharing that we are not interested in playing politics – we are focused on working collaboratively to ensure that some of the most vulnerable students in Providence have opportunities to succeed."

In a Friday statement, the Providence Teachers Union spoke supportively of RIDE's investigation. The union said it is "pleased that the Commissioner and District acknowledge and recognize systems errors and has committed to improving communication and fixing the internal structures necessary for this specialized program to thrive."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: A-Venture didn't inflate grades, but didn't save their work, RIDE says