2012-13 Student Academic Calendar 12/06/11
After two months of discussion and stakeholder feedback, the Board formally approved Option 3 as RISD's 2012-2013 Student Academic Calendar. The approved calendar features the traditional length of Winter Break, first semester exams before Winter Break, an end to the school year of June 6 and graduations on June 9 and 10, 2013. More than 3,800 stakeholders responded to the calendar survey, with 74 percent of respondents favoring Option 3.
Participation in School Finance Litigation 12/06/11
The Board voted unanimously for RISD to join school finance litigation against the State of Texas. RISD will join a coalition of school districts represented by Haynes and Boone, LLP. The district asserts that the current school finance system impairs its ability to provide adequate education to students and that the current financing model constitutes an unconstitutional statewide property tax.
The coalition that RISD will join is one of several that have filed or plan to file suit against the State of Texas. Haynes and Boone previously represented districts, including RISD, in litigation filed in 2005 that was ultimately successful in challenging the State's previous school finance system.
RISD is hopeful that the litigation will result in additional funds from the state, which will allow districts to provide a quality education and to meet the higher expectations that are required under the newly implemented school accountability program.
"If they are successful on adequacy, it will be a win for every school district in the state," Dr. Waggoner said.
Joining the litigation will cost RISD approximately $43,000, based upon a $1 per WADA fee that all participating districts will pay.
Current News
RISD To Implement New Visitor Management System 02/14/12
A new visitor and volunteer management system and guidelines will be implemented in February and March 2012 throughout RISD. Under the new guidelines, all campus visitors and volunteers will be required to furnish a valid, government-issued photo identification to gain admittance to an RISD school or facility.
One of RISD's top priorities is to maintain a safe and secure environment for all students and employees, and the new system will help to achieve that goal. It is not designed to and will not be used to unreasonably deny parents the opportunity to participate in their child's education.
Raptorware V-soft (Raptor) equipment will be installed at all schools Feb. 17-24. At high schools, the new policies and procedures will go into effect upon installation. A "grace period" will be in effect at elementary schools and junior highs until the new visitor guidelines become mandatory March 19.
When visitors arrive at a campus, front office staff will scan visitors' IDs through the Raptor system, and they will be issued a badge to be worn throughout that day's visit to a campus. The badge should be returned to the office at the completion of the visit.
The Raptor system will identify a visitor who is a registered sex offender or otherwise restricted from being on campus. District staff will be alerted, and an administrator will determine whether to approve the on-campus visit with proper supervision.
Acceptable forms of government-issued identification include: driver's license, state identification card, passport, military identification card, government identification card, police or firefighter identification, or Homeland Security-approved identification cards.
Use of the Raptor system will typically occur during regular school or facility operating hours and may be suspended for certain large events for which it is deemed inappropriate. Information stored in the Raptor system will be treated as confidential.
RISD will join a number of area districts in implementing a visitor management system.
To read the full RISD Visitor and Volunteer Registration System Operating Guidelines, please click here.
Currently, only 9th and 10th grade students must enroll in seven classes. Eleventh grade students are required to enroll in six classes, and 12th grade students are required to enroll in five classes.
The reasons RISD is considering this change are compelling. Data trends show that, overall, many high school graduates are not as prepared as they should be for success in college or the workforce, especially in core subjects like math and English.
National data that the College Board collected from 2010 high school graduates revealed that:
Almost half, 45%, felt that high school graduation requirements should be more challenging.
More than half, 54%, found college courses to be more difficult than expected.
Almost 1 in 4, 24%, had to take remedial courses in college because they were not adequately prepared in high school.
The majority of students wished they had taken more math, science and writing-intensive courses in high school.
Employers have clearly communicated a critical need for better-educated employees. The top five skills employers want their employees to have are:
An established work ethic
Developed physical skills
Strong verbal communication
Solid written communication
Team building skills
The American Diploma Project, a workplace study, found that:
The highest-paid employees have taken rigorous high school mathematics courses
Strong preparation in English language arts provides an edge in the labor market
Occupational preparation should begin sometime in high school
Today's youth can access whatever career they want - as long as they are held to strong educational standards
A full credit class schedule aligns with RISD's Vision 2020 goals for college and career readiness, student engagement and the 26 credit graduation requirement.
The district has prepared a survey for parents and other stakeholders to share their thoughts. The survey is brief - please consider taking a moment to provide your feedback.
All RISD staff members can access the RISD Intranet using the link above. However, in order to access
the Intranet
from home, you must first make a VPN connection to the district's computer network.
