This bill amends the General Laws regarding charter schools in Rhode Island by introducing a new section, 16-3.1-22, that allows charter schools to offer nontraditional approaches to learning or methods differing from traditional education. Each charter school is required to implement progressive, student-centric, and task-based approaches to learning, avoiding a focus on memorization or traditional reading methods. The Rhode Island Department of Education is tasked with reviewing all applications for charter schools that provide these nontraditional approaches to ensure they meet the necessary criteria as a sufficient substitute for traditional education.

Additionally, the bill includes a provision in section 16-77-3.1(h) stating that if a charter school’s charter is not renewed, the seats that were allocated to that school will be reallocated to a school authorized to offer nontraditional approaches to learning, as outlined in section 16-3.1-22. This act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
7525: 16-77-3.1