R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-67-5: Definition of educationally disadvantaged students.

For the purposes of this chapter, an educationally disadvantaged student is one whose educational readiness or educational achievement is below average for his or her age or grade level in terms of specified expected outcomes in literacy: reading, writing, speaking, listening, or mathematics. The commissioner of elementary and secondary education may include achievement test results, readiness test results, and specified expected student outcomes in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and mathematics in determining service cutoff points.