R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-22-8: Foreign language courses.

(a) Whenever there shall be twenty (20) students who apply for a course in the Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish language in any high school of the state, the school committee of the specific city or town shall arrange a course in Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish to be conducted by a competent teacher.

(b) The board of regents for elementary and secondary education shall establish uniform criteria for the assessment of foreign language proficiency skills of students seeking academic credits that are commensurate to the competency level demonstrated in that foreign language.